Tazewell (APA 209) - Naval Cruise Book

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xQ.xXXXXXXxyx xxXxxXXxXxy xxx fr N Q Xxxx x8 XXXXX 4 . ' i f if if renowned Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Finally, the camouflaged Aloha Tower itself was sighted, we had arrived. A tug took us in tow and we soon were tied up to one of the many piers along Honolulu's water front. ln the few hours that followed, the troops made their way happily but noisily down the gangways erected for their use, carrying their barracks' bags and rilles. Laboriously they made their descent to pier and long sought terra lirma . They disembarked to the strains of sprightly marches and popular melodies played by an Army band on the pier below. It was the arriving doggies war-time welcome to Hawaii. Time flew, and january l0th greeted us with the prospect of liberty. Spotlessly clean in liberty whites, shoes polished to a high gloss, the shore bound Swabbies of the Tremb!mg T stood restlessly assembled for dress inspection. Anxiety reigned as this was our first liberty on foreign shores. Liberty was to commence at 1000 and expire aboard at 1700. This seemed suflicient time to complete a sight-seeing a l shopping tour of Honolulu. this Q! H . Honolulu was found to be a very large and flourishing city. The downtown or business section teemed with con- tinuous activity. Nearly all of the city's many stores of any size, were modernized. Streetcars and busses were to be seen everywhere. Theatres, skating rinks, Q W X - bowling alleys, and other sources of amusement were numerous. Swim- ming at Waikiki proved to be fun since American 's ' girls were frequently to be seen lounging around on theibeach. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel appear- ed as beautiful as the postcards portraying it, and the Poincianas blooming in sweet frag- rance in the colorful cultured garden lent an arresting atmosphere to the scene. I 5 Q k,Q,6'.. XxxxxxXW NXxxxxxxX '- A U ,. a,4u2.LJ ' .. ramp - -A A .U

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QQXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX Nxxxxxxxxxvv xWNXxxxxxxXXXxx I xxxkxxxx way by schools of playful porpoises. It might be mentioned here how the Ttz::ezz'e!'l acquired her nickname the Mflirefrzfaling T . Enroute to San Pedro, every time the Ship's Screw cleared the water's surface because of lack of ballast, she trembled from stem to stern. Thus the crew dubbed her, the Trembling T . Off the coast of Southern California the Trzzetzfeil was put through her Shakedown cruise. Each day in the early morning, weld put out to sea, and cruise southward along the coast, leaving in our wake Catalina and San Clements Island. At the day's end, we'd return a very tired crew and ship, to the APA filled harbor of San Pedro. The official Shakedown period lasted approxi- mately fourteen days, all of which proved to be busy ones for Ship's crew and Ofstefs alike. During the Shakedown period all guns were fired, speed trials run, data taken, and final adjustments made to bring the Tfzzetuellit performance to that of perfection. The following two weeks saw us through amphibious operations off San Diego. On December 22nd, after a successful Shakedown, we found ourselves northward bound. Three days later, on a very bleak and chilly Christmas day, the ship entered the Snow blanketed port of Seattle, Washington. We were berthed at pier 48, until orders were received to change berths to pier 42. It was here that Army troops were taken aboard. From Seattle our destination-overseas? We aboard considered ourselves most fortunate in that we had been able to enjoy Christmas and New Years in the States, for January 2nd found the Tazewell at Sea, westward bound. I It would be quite Safe to say that our maiden voyage proved to be our roughest one as far as the weather was concerned. After a day or more of riding Neptune's Rollercoaster , soldiers and sailors alike crowded the ship's rails giving up to the sea their meals of bygone hours. I On january 9th, six days after our departure from the States, in the early part of the morning the faint outlines of the Island of Molokai came into view. The island is long and narrow in appearance, and is noted for its Kalawao County, wherein lies the island's famous leper colony. Shortly after, the Isle of Oahu could be Seen, and its green grasses and trees were a pleasant Spectacle after the long days at sea. - The T proudly steamed toward her destination, Honolulu, I-Iawaii. All the crew not on watch lined the rails to greet with interest the scenes that presented themselves. Until now, these landmarks passing in review had been Seen only in pictures by a majority of the men aboard. The mountainous pro- jection which we recognized as Old Diamond. Head loomed suddenly into view off our starboard Side. This picturesque volcano, though extinct for many years, has served to mark one end of I-Ionolulu's huge harbor. Only a short time elapsed before Waikiki's sandy beach was seen with its beautiful and I2 .-1 . x i 1.

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QXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX QXXWXXXP Z x . Wxxxxxxxxxxvv Wkxxxxxxxxxx xxxwxxxxxxv- .5 Traveling across town, next visited was the Oriental Section of Honolulu. Here could be seen the Chinese and other Orientals living their strange ways and customs. The city's population is comprised of Chinese, Filipinos, Hawai- ians, and japanese. There are of course peoples of other nationalities living in Honolulu, although the above-mentioned are the most numerous. The Oriental Section was very filthy. The strong spicy aroma combined with odors of freshly slaughtered chickens seemed to fill the air, making it unpleasant to one's sense of smell. One did however Hnd himself impressed with the lovely simplicity of the Chinese pagodas that could be seen here and there about this section of the city. A tremendous amount of money is spent by tourists for souvenirs and remembrances to be sent Stateside to loved ones and friends. This is exceed- ingly true of Uncle Sam's servicemen. Curio shops are numerous throughout the city and prove to be one of its commercial mainstays at the present. Also, worth mentioning are the military bases of Pearl Harbor and Schofield Barracks. Pearl Harbor is one of the finest natural harbors in the Pacific, and has the world's most modern submarine base. Schofield Barracks quarters and trains thousands of the Army's charges for combat duty in the advanced Pacific areas. Our liberties here were enjoyable, although in one day you can see as much of Honolulu as you would care to. Very soon we were to find out that ours was a serious mission, for at this time troops were boarding the ship and before long Honolulu and the rest of Hawaii would be but a pleasant memory. With calm seas, sunny days, and cool evenings, the next phase of our journey proved a pleasant one. Flying fish were frequently seen to break through the surface of the calm water. On the morning of january 25th, our eighth day at sea, the Tazewell entered the East Channel of the Eniwetok Atoll. An atoll is a great island-dotted reef surrounding a large inner lagoon. Eniwetok is the northernmost island of what is known as the Ralik or Sunset Chain of the Marshalls. january 26th found the ship underway and westward bound, as we had remained at Eniwetok only long enough to be refueled. W' ith the dawn of each new day the feeling of tension became greatly increased, for the 'Trembling T and her crew were now in easy striking distance of the enemy raiders. Gielap and Iar, small islands of the Ulithi group were now long in our wake, and ahead lay Kossal Roads and the Palaus. Our next port was reached without mishap on February first. It was the volcanic Island of Pelelieu, one of the southernmost islands of the Palaus. These islands are of a volcanic origin and are completely surrounded by coral reefs. Not easy to forget was the time we had to veer sharply off our course in order to avoid the floating mine sighted in our path. Had it made its contact 14 .Q l Qi lr 'l i l ff 2 5 5 i fi if 5 w L ll 1