Stevenson (DD 645) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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Yokohama held slight interest except for bargain and souvenir collecting. MacArthur was here, with all his staff, during the first few days, and their headquarters were standing erect and untouched by fire bombs. Much of the business district was untouched, either because it was of sturdier stone con- struction, or almost as if Doug had pointed to a small pin-point cluster of build- ings on his maps and said to his bombardiers, Leave these for the Amer- icans . The main attraction in Tokyo was the Emperor's palace-still untouched so far as we could see, for We never got inside the inner moat. This moat, with its giant Carp two or three feet in length, and the expanse of lawn before it, made an ideal spot for eating lunch, and many an American was happy enough to picnic on the palace grounds . We felt no pangs of regret if we were desecrating the Sacred Home of his Imperial Highness. Gradually the shoeleather began to wear thin with so much walking. An area had been fixed ashore to play baseball and basketball, and it soon was far more popular than Tokyo. What has the Emperor got to compare with a good hot ball game and some ice cold beer. The A and B teams managed a few games with other ships of the squadron, and they wound up a very satis- factory season by each beating the officer's team in double-headers. Then thebiggest news of all came. Where it started we aren't certain, but careful tracing through the galley, the after fire room, and the bilges confirmed a pretty certain thing. We were going home, and we were going the Long Way! So the Steve was to make a World Cruise! Wakanma Wm The communication department finally straightened out the confusion of orders about our .return home, and on the 7th of October we set out with the Thorn, Stockton, Lansdowne, Lardner, and Nelson, and escorting the Battleships Tennessee and California, for Wakanura Wan. With no mishaps, we arrived the next day, and had scarcely settled into routine to clean up the ship, polish brass, and paint the lifeline white, until we had to move to a Typhoon Anchorage. There is something about a storm warning which literally sets this ship on its ear. Radio was the most popular spot on the ship, as person after person kept after them for reports on the movement of the storm, which caused so great damage at Okinawa as we later found out. - When we saw this was only to miss us by a few miles everyone battened down for rough weather, hunted up lifejackets, and got as much sleep as pos- sible in preparation for a blow. Close to morning the wind began to slack and weather reports indicated the center had missed us by about 40 miles. After checking our position we found that steaming at anchor had still caused us to drift slightly, but aside from loss of sleep and overworked nerves the ship rode out the storm very well. We soon shifted to our regular anchorage and the days dragged until our O.T.C. hoisted signals on the l5th and we were homeward bound. First stop- SINGAPORE! ' 43