Stevenson (DD 645) - Naval Cruise Book

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LE-E-E-T GO-O-O! This was 8:20 of the morning of September 9th, 1945. This was Sagami Wan, Honshu, IAPAN. The anchor chain rumbling out through the hawse was a reassuring sound, and the mainland, even though hostile country a short time ago, was good to the eyes. Particularly to this ship, for we had just completed 69 days of continuous duty at sea. No group ' 'lors looked to the shore with more expectancy than we on the STEVE of sal . Unfortunately there was no liberty, the rough seas rolling into our open anchor- age would not have permitted small boat traffic. There was sight seeing, however, with every available binocular and long glass in use throughout the day, and the quicker thinking O Division people soon had an interested line of people waiting to view the shore in a close-up from the rangefinder on the main battery director. The surf was piling up on a long, brown. sunny beach which was stacked with small frail-looking fishing vessels, which appeared to be constructed like outrigger canoes. Small groups of people could be seen along the sand, com- pletely busy at their various tasks or at play. Try as we might, we couldn't find the Iapanese equivalent of our bathing beauties. The people we could see were almost oblivious to our ship and her sisters swinging slowly at an- chor. Here all was apparently peace and quiet, and almost a feeling that these people didn't know there had been a war. Almost but not quite-for as we continued our inspection of the high hills and mountains we could see huge cement archways where coastal defense guns were lying unmanned, and fwe hopedl made powerless by the American occupation forces. Rex Lawyer and Mac McClure had been studying the charts of the bay, and presently informed all the curious that the Emperor's Summer Palace was here, and we soon found a few distinctive buildings of Oriental design which set into one of the mountain slopes. Soon everyone was finding the Emperor's Palace -in a new location-until everyone was thoroughly confused, and even yet there are arguments as to who saw the real palace. The long beach was followed by a wide cement road which curved away until it lost its way in the hills. Traffic was meagre, and consisted only of a few bicycle riders moving along slowly. Suddenly, from the village, a small brown car shot along the road. At last here was something we really recog- nized-an American jeep. That little .auto with its white star was our first indi- cation of other Americans besides our task group. Gradually the rangefinder lost its attraction, and we began to speculate on the movies, which tonight would be on the fantail. 7CfLAyG EW Tokyo Bay-the beginning of a new adventure, the final port of a long voyage. And there was adventure a plenty. From the lOth day of September until October 7th at least one member of the Steve could be found wherever some- thing was happening, from Yokosuka Navy. Yard to the northern limits of Tokyo. The first port open for liberty was Yokosuka, and a strange liberty it was, While the bombs of our planes had done relatively little damage, there was much filth and squalor. The one thing which lingers longest is the smell which greeted our nostrils. The hundreds of undress whites of the liberty parties were a grotesque sight midst all the ragged people. 39

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702W EW fecmlmaecfl The earlier part of the first day was much as we had expected. The streets were quiet except for the clak-clak of wooden sandals, for the people said not a word. The only unhostile sign which we were able to read said, Welcome, Yoshura House! By noon there were a few who looked up with bland faces, and they conversed in groups and watched our men make purchases. As the day wore on and American men laughed and joked, seemed only interested. in buying some kind of souvenir, and tendered sticks of choon Gomm to slant- eyed small fry, the populace began to relax, and in the days before we grew tired of bargaining and buying, nearly every small, wretched home was selling its possessions to the sailors. In this country, as in every land which has seen the American, the money of the Empire was practically worthless. The greatest demand was for Amer- ican cigarettes and chocolate. E or a few days these commodities came ashore in small quantities and most transactions were figured in cigarettes. Standard rate of exchange was l0 yen per pack, and as much as 20-30 yen was paid by many. Consider that Americans were receiving l5 yen for an American dollar, and you can easily see why they were only too eager to bring such ship's store items ashore. The money thus obtained was spent just as quickly, and was accepted with the same hissing Sank yoo as the legally obtained money. While the liberty parties were in the city, the Deck force was obtaining paint, rope, and small pieces of equipment by a most unusual requisition. The Navy Yard was dotted with many huge caves which were under strong Amer- ican Marine guard. These were the japanese storerooms which had been used to shelter their expendables. Since therejwas only a small tender for so many ships, the Captain of the Yard had authorized certain ships to seek their supplies in these caves. These were the first working parties which were composed of volunteers. Our men came back with many-things we needed, plus a few items the Marines had no use for, that were just lying around. After Yokohama and Tokyo were opened to liberty parties, our people set out to see these twoqlarge japanese cities. Travel was by train, by thumbed- jeep ride, and later by boat. All japan seemed on the move, and many were the strange vehicles which crowded the roads. Command cars swooped around ox carts with' rubber tires, and everywhere were whole families with all their apparent possessionsupon the backs of the old people and in bundles in the arms of infants. The press of humanity was all about us, and the short trips to Tokyo made one realize ,that japan was terribly over-populated, and with the destruction of the war, even more unable to care for the many young, old, and feeble. l - Even if these people did not make us realize what the war had done, there was always the destruction about us. We knew what was meant by the com- munique' which placed these cities on the list of unprofitable targets . For miles outside Yokohama almost to the very center of the town, where the busi- ness district was relatively untouched, out the other side and all the way to Tokyo was utter havoc. Only foundations remained to homes, factories were only blackened skeletons of machinery. Even along the roads were the rusted frames of automobiles, abandoned, seemingly, in the midst of an air raid. Everything which had been wood, or fibre was burned, glass was melted, steel was bent and twisted. Only black, firescarred cement posts and walls could be seen. We had all wondered what our bombers had done. Here was the evidence, and it was at once good and terribly frightening. 41