Tortuga (LSD 26) - Naval Cruise Book

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There was a busy month ahead of us after we left Inchon. The Navy found plenty of work for the old T , and we all got a kickfout of a little concrete action after all the months of train- ing. Our first stop was at Pusan for further orders and, a quick look at Korea's major port. It wasn't much to see, I'm afraid. Refugees all over the place, and such miserably filthy living conditi-ons everywhere that I think we all began to appreciate the old home town a great deal more. W f M .- , . , 1 ,, , I ., . . ,.,..,a .,.,,. .. H ., ., -M WM, . V .,.,,, ,f ,,,a.f.4 .,,fmq,. f, . 4. ,, , - '::,2. f 4 0 ' H-'-,1i,l'f': ,,.-ff-2.6:j,-rt' ,f:i.-ff- W V, ,K .a fill' f 'T-if. f!?I1 fi2f PJIfdliiif' f'. 'Z7:'v:':f?EfL'- 2-212' ,-3v'L f2S2 'g.'2f,'f'i-W f, -1 ., feast..1gf,,,'-',.:,,.1,i ' J fe 'wf11':,?.1?v f f.L. 1' !i a ,. zgQfvfwf .P .-id V r . J .- '- ,.,,,., ,,.,.t,., H ,.,.,., ..ht, ,.,,i,, D . A,V? I 'f74f'2:fsz: 'f:rv1-1'-.125-lfie-smi:-7121 , ' 1 , . . mt 4ig!'Xl31:3fE,g'5Q2.QIl'fv:j:-Q3fQ!5?EIiI'31QrQ1?Q32.k?f.qgfggf52?jfQ:5I'-jlfv,:fI':v:1242525222- .-5257-If'2f'g13?f?Q'1i.l:ZZ2?i1Q5'211iI':f'1fj.?QFrI32955321-2Y:j'f, fgQf:'! 1 ','Qjjg, ,l, ' IL'-5 fl Q7 2i7 fif'7'4Zi'7I'Q':-fi' .p1-5111:-,gh,11,41 V'-Tj 'iwizfcfi g'yg.fi'- ft..-1.14, ' ,-21'-,iyfj ' . Y H - 1 f V I , g ,4 Qs-4,q,s.f,sw-f - -w ,az-,ri-V -,zz Sw-:swv4:.:,A4,-zfffvg 1 4 - -I- f P 1 -'WU4ZYi'F'5'4P'257455V '2-4 ' ., , 3' W1-':'f-,057W'I-v,.', ,. I QQ. ,i5,:g'.:-4 I-Ivv-'wgil-1-:':,4, ,J,1. f,4v.ff, ,g , .3114 ,jZ55.,S'jg,-2552, .- Q' ',j,.gk5Q.g,, '-,,Y-',f,jg5'.,fq,f2Qvj. ' 14 51 ,,-4 ' 7 A , -we at-Q -In-M.m,: -W -1,4-si.,r.-pf-,,.,,,,-ya, . 4.g,1. M- -- . , s .a . r , , 1 A ' - ' -V.. ,. ,A I ' .. ' ' A '- . a 1 - . f' , ' , ' sag' 'if f - if-C121 1.17 F , -GC sive v,! ' i 5 1-'vffi 952' HI I :Wifi-I1Y'f I, .- ' ' .5531 1. ,,: -1 an-fx .wi f 1 f- -1 V1-V-4 2' :u w 2- 25 , , ..,,,:QmawW- M -0-Q-ac: ' f - , ,,,,, . ,V 3,9 ., ..,. y 'lgfusan The Army and the Navy were already repre- sented at Inchon, so to even up the score the Tor- tuga made another trip down south to Mesan for a load of Marines and their LVT's. Maybe they look a little strange, these armored tractors, but they're very handy in any brand-new beachhead. Page Fourteen Y We left Pusan with a sigh of relief that we weren't to be station-ed there perman- ently, and made a quick trip to nearby' Ulsan to pick up an Army Engineer out- fit and their landing craft for delivery to Inchon. Here they are, over on the left. The Marines Land

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O O l ., 2 O .GMD X TL Q-J, Q 19 'U a n T imumnl e x CUT' W LINTSI W WS- W9jcnn6mn Q' USS 'gn' X 5 , . p ,f,V -,4 HMS KENYA at Inchon We certainly didn't see much of Japan this trip! Just a couple of days in Sasebo, and then -off for Korea. A routine run to Pusan, we thought, but a midnight change of orders sent us north to Inchon . . . then still in enemy hands. This was it at last! The front! - So what happened? To tell you the truth, not very much. With a number of Ameri- can and British warships and transport-s we anchored in the cold gray dawn a few miles off Inchon and made what they call in the books an amphibious feint. No, nobody passed out . . . We were supposed to fool them into expecting an assault here and thus deploying their troops away from the main point of attack inland. So we made smoke . . . we put boats in the water . . . we made more smoke . . . we took boats out of the water . . . we turned our lights on and off . . .and we made more smoke. ROK troops came in the next day and took Inchon, and no- body has ever told us whether or not we fooled the Communists. We had 'some pretty fancy company, too, I might add. The Big Mo . . . in all her glory. Sure she fired! No .... the wind was blowing the wrong way and I can't to this day tell you what a 16-inch gun s-ounds like when it goes off. Why didn't we fire too? Well, you know how it is, we didn't want to show up our big brother. H ozstzng the Wounded Aboard Page Thirteen

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i l l Swing her around LCM's alongside And it was cold, bitterly cold, all the time. Sure, we thought we had it rough, but not a man aboard won't admit that the guys we dumped on the beach had it rougher. When it comes to things I'd rather not do, spending a winter in Korea is at the top of the list. '- Tugpnggitwexlg' N0 H460 vb - MORE LlBERlY,'1LL DRILL You aouieesrynf Q lu ,, - :gif f GX1K6C9lE'X7Y 'ls1- 'T .W v 'l ' ', A3 A s e 1' lr7EH ---:. E was e x e ,X as f u..a - -,... AQQ, it EEQ , XX 'si j ln, 1 , 62? ,-gfs f..,..em. W1 Q 33' - e ,M j ,EQ XM4 Q ll-Tl! Q ,Q LDDLUOG J 5 ? isam GSE xt3E Lb ' D Q M I 9 tml le K Q if 0: R X Tumi., 1uArcAn'r BE AN Lsr! if! Xa- l ' 'QQ ummns caan rue sAcK ,,' a',,Nm sX l Q , K U XX e f , l .-'A ' , , - ,Vf ,gk A ,. ,.,, V an S XX L,-5 A Now here's some good news! We're going to get a good look at Japan at last! Yokosuka in March . . . let's go!! Page Fifteen