Tazewell (APA 209) - Naval Cruise Book

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.i,. xxx! XXyXXxgxX xXXXxygyxxGx XXQWXXXXXXXXXXX xxxxxxxxXXxXxyxxxxx xnxx llie 1lI5I.lIltL' hetweeu Tokyo and Yokohama, which is Tokyo's port, is alvout txxciuy uules .1 ilxxelllnlgs, pulwlu Iuuilil- ings, slirines .llltl teme- teries. Alter seeing such congestion i1 is easily 11n- clcrstoocl how a person could Iwe lvorn, live, die and he lvuriecl all within il space of a few acres. l.an1l is the premium in japan. This area is now just one great ash heap as Ll result of the Eighth Air Forces' relentless hom hings. Only incen- diary homlvs were used here and this once vast industrial section is now reduced to heaps of junk. An electric elevated train operates between Tokyo and Yokohama on the half hour, and ap- pears to he very fast and moderng Navy personnel are not permitted to ride. The trolley system in Tokyo is very dilapidat- ed, hut never-the-less is in use daily with each car loaded to the steps. Many strange meth- ods of transportation are seen along the streets. The majority of trucks and automohiles are op- erated on charcoal burn- ers. Cattle can he seen t11ggin,1g at heavily loaded M -4' f- -,Wa , nd the area ol devastation between the two cities runs a xx i1I1I1 ol .ipprosiiuately three miles. This area was a conglomeration of factories, YOU APE NOW ENTERING T KYU lsr CAVALPY DIVISION WSI 'N VLNILA F4957 vomvo ff'fV,,,nr,,, , ,,, ., , ,MN W ,Ama AM www' 7 X , , I ,, La. If m,,'X' .msn - 29

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, with mixed emotions that t w . Xgxxxxxxxxxx xxxyxxxxxxxyyxuxx ,-cxxxxxsg lMXxXxXxxxx8 xxXXXXxxxXXXxs i Xxxxxxxxxx After a short delay we headed for our destination in Tokyo Bay. No less than three times we were forced to retreat southward, in order to avert the typhoon which ripped up Okinawa and caused considerable damage, and loss of a number of ships. Finally on Saturday - morning, the 13th of A . October, we steamed in Tokyo Bay, up past Yoko- suka Naval Base and in- to Yokohama. It was we watched a group of japanese dock workers, ' prodded by an Army ser- geant, tie up the Taze- well to the pier at Yoko- hama. In very short order our troops l l . were off and our cargo was being un- loaded onto Army trucks. With Japanese Yen 15 for one dollar, and liberty declared for twenty- five per cent of the crew, the first party went ashore to see Japan. Tokyo, the world's third largest city, lies at the head of Tokyo Bay, with a population of seven and one quarter million. It is divided by the Sumida River over which have been built many fine concrete bridges. These are a few of the structures undamaged by the bombings, and are used almost constantly by a continuous parade of , ' military vehicles. A reconstruction pro- - gram was completed in 1930 which gave Tokyo over 200,000 new buildings. Many of these are of Western archi- tecture and are the ones remaining today. This reconstruction was the outcome of the earthquake and tidal wave of 1923, and resulted in wide tree lined inch piling and paved over with rock and asphalt The rc lson for this ty pe ol construction is the lack of natural solid road bed foundation soil P8 streets replacing the narrow dirty lanes. These streets are made of two by four I I 5 i I c . Ji I 7 Q , G . . '

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at xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxws WAXAXXXXXNXX xxxxXXXxxxxxxxxxxXXX XxxNXXxxxxxxN 'SA carts. Men, women and children are seen pushing and pulling the same sort of loads and overgrown tricycles with a platform between the rear wheels are used for hauling. It is very common to see people attempting to salvage some useful wreckage for building purposes, as thousands will be without shelter this winter. All over this devastated area small green patches of young gardens ap- pear as the citizens fall back on the soil for sustenance, The same scenes are repeated in and about Yokohama, a city before the war considered the world's greatest in silk exporting. Now the frame warehouses are gone and only the steel and solid concrete ones remain. Nearly all of the merchandise was destroyed in the fires, and it is difficult to find silk of any quan- tity or quality, most of the articles for sale have come from private homes. A great variety of purchases were made by the crew during our six days here. Among the items bought were silks, works of art, china, opium pipes, fans, chop sticks and other souvenirs characteristic of japan. We left Tokyo Bay and Yokohama on October 20, l945 and sailed south along the eastern coast of Honshu Island past Shikoku Island. Then we passed through Osumi QVan Diemenj Strait, northwest along the coast of Kyushu which is the southernmost of the japanese home islands. We cruised past Nagasaki and on up to Sasebo arriving on the twenty-third. Here is located one of the japanese Naval Academies which is still intact. It sets on about an eighteen acre tract con- taining approximately one hundred and twenty buildings which are now occupied by the Marines. Next to the academy is 30