Tortuga (LSD 26) - Naval Cruise Book

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Come to think of it, I didn't ever tell you why we came to Inchon in the first place, and what we're doing here. Well, it's this way. Inchon harbor is one of the nastiest I've seen. The tide rises and falls thirty feet twice a day, and moves at a speed of four knots. At low tide even an LST can't make it into the inner harbor. Up until recently steamers could tie up safely in a tidal basin in the inner harbor . . . but our troops blew the locks of the tidalbasin up when they evacuated Inchon in December. As it is now the troop and supply ships must anchor in the outer harbor and have their cargoes brought into the beach by landing craft of all sizes. So what happens to landing craft when they're continually run up on the beach to land their cargo? They get beat up, that's what. And what's an LSD good for besides amphibious landings? Repairing landing craft . . . get it? We had our well deck full of LCM's and LSU's needing repairs all the time, and some of the boys had to work around the clock seven days a week to keep them operating. We did it, though . . . kept the tanks, food ammuni- tion, and troops rolling in smoothly to the beach and up to the front . . . and left every one of those landing craft in better shape than we had found it. Not much fun to the job, and no write-ups in Stars and Stripes, either, but that doesn't lessen its importance nor our pride in getting it done right! A Day's Work Page TwentyLFive

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A lot of Korean civilians have come back to Inchon already, although I can't see what they think they've come back to. Most of them have to'bed down in little huts made out of rusty corrugated iron roofing and fallen bricks . . . and they'd all be starving to death if it weren't for the food the Army gives out. The kids fol- low you everywhere . . . poor little devils. They beg . . . they steal . . . and they drive you crazy trying to sell you a shoe-shine for a few cigarettes. Like all kids, they're cute . . . but I wish somebody would give them a bath! Page Twenty-F our Korean Laundry -,-' t f' Xvfif f251.f1f.:,1:1-',i.,fv ' , 47- i 'i'. ' , 1 5:15,-1-Z to hiri i , at lylh f rari n . n , I - ' I ' 1,- 4 ff g .. f il --4, W, L.- .1V.,., ,,.,,-,.., -.L..,,. V,,.,-.,1.,i,-1,- i ....r: 1 ,,.1V1:1 -.11 275' Iii'-it 4 -sflv -51212.-5-fi ,, ' r,. 1'z'wv'f1 .V . ,., ,,., i L 1i,V:1f3!L'3:1 , 11-3,,V.i4:L:11L: Zyl? ,.., .1 V, , . n ' rr 1 if if 7, -. ' z, 1,3 I- i az' f 4 V or tr A53 M. W ,,,, ., W ., 7 4 as 3' 4 i, 9 ww? 111:M-,':-'faei:1Gx:QE'f ' ' 5 xx. . ii-:JJ EQ5:,,':Sf'1'f11f:,'251i-: i -1'- . . K . V- '4.v:,:35.13,:1-,-1351-3Q:k5w,7y5il.f35. f ' - f . I, ' ,- , L, I N Krrk 3 ig Q.'E5gEI1'1:'1-121 -K ' - 'V .x 5 - ' yi' :f2f52,lQfQ ESQ-1-27':g. 'f 1-:1241::t:gi:,5z.-lim Gr, n -. . X- - Ax 1-A-gk,-1 I n . I hopped a. jeep ride over, to the far side .Of Inchon one day,. and took a look at the old Japanese submarine pens there. From the size of the shops and the building ways,. they must have had a very big operation. One sub is still on the ways . . . a cargo and personnel job . . . and it looks as though one push would send it down into the mud. No soap, though, the launching wheels are rustedftight to the rails. Four more subs lie in a rusting heap at the bottom of one of the mooring slots . . . com- pletely uncovered at low tide. The Jap- anese Rising Sun is still visible -on the conning tower of one of them . . . even the high tide does'n't quite cover it. Pretty quiet around there . . . I guess the place is dead.

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s - ' ' We repaifed buoy We found that baseball was about the best way to spend, an afternoon ashore . . . that, and a little beer-drinking now and then. There was a pretty good ball diamond at one end of town, and we took on all comers. The Korean children, of course, came down to watch . . . and take us for everything they could. Nobody minded their carting away the empty beer cans. to make pots and pans, ash trays, and Heaven knows what all, but when their grubby lit- tle fingers started going after cameras, wallets, shirts, and gloves we'd have to hold a general house-cleaning and .run the little imps far enough away to leave us alone. Keeping our gear safe and off the local black market proved to be a game in itself! and LCM s . . and LSU,s li. Vrrl A ,,vh k,k,,, A,,k,1,K,:5 '- ,1 ,i.,,1jg3,l.,1 j rprkvy ' ' 11,2 , L. N .. , , 1 1 , ',,1'1 ff, ' 'x V, ,,,,, ,,qIl3-v1E5vI52'11.,z ., f , If :ff 3 , 1, , 6 - 1 1 1 1 , . v 1, .11 1,1 ,, ., 1 , gf law ,ia ,K ' '1 1, , 'l 'if ' , g,:72,'2-1 , , - 153, , gg 3 ' 1 V 1- K v 1' , 5. , ',', Y ,g1a,',f, i,'r f fx,f3s:'gg1ii5Q1.jj-jv 3gU,, 1'ff ,',, 1, 1 j I .vlsi vvler 1 1- 'V f',, V . 129:11 77 'l5i' '1'1l'ff,7l '-',' ' f fzffil if,Q2l,fI',f5,l3f12'l'5'5lf5Q'5El,ffff'li13'iT?133il11i5i1'1f:'1f:3f ff1vef2',Q '5.E,f5'i if 11s'vl::',1':l V -- 's'- 1 I . ., :11-amz2343132-.1-114,3115, 1-2,jf?355-f':g'1:,:g1,,1f 'Zinn 1'j,2:,113ggi:i:13:14:Z-1'f-.-121141. - -mil 2 . . . H 53 5 , . ,1 ,:, 3, : ' ., 1,5355 Q . ,ii ka:,,,1g.,V,,1-viii,1-,,'1,j,g ,, .,,,, 1 3i11,11,,1,- .' 5iEf53.P'f 1'fffiii?'i1f'3i:f2-71Qzl,E'zffll J -,' 1 f i l l ' 1 31,225 Zffzffff Q V' QQ?,,ff-f, QQf,ff'?: ', i fi,2f,,',,2i,'1Q,,3f,l 1? 'Vk' ,, 11-11 , g,g,IFf1 Q31 jf-iwg1,1 3,-,533 ,112-.,g,v jig v,',,,1ig.,13-1,-1', jyi 1ff1f's7f:'5iIiif,1'i f2f:.fEl:.f:,3f'f1ff '531,13 ,Q 1, Sfif'.2'f,f1-iiff 1'fil,1l'S5f, ff, 12 Wi? :'?:'l531f5 'I5 ,5:f51,ffE L ,33'15,3'1 1EEf1fflfvfr 'Fil,3'13551.31 1l:Lf?1ll,'13f EI l: i3ll v151 '5 ,,E'Ii, fff lf,3'i lf5':Ef..:'ziEili'-if ' v '351 1rfQ?:21 1, '-'. 11,3 711'31-1111,-1.,,,42,.11g .,g1,1,1g,1-,1,,1-,, ' 1.5-az:-V11me-,,11,gz, 1-1 ,.', , ,1z.1f.'1:11,t1 zg1v'1,,,1,- .,,,. .,', 155 ,..,-,1 1 rlE 12ff'1'v',fQ'g1,l 112 7 'i s Wig' fgQjjf'gff,1 'f'Q,j'5,ff-'vgil igz 1,-fQW3v., ':,1pv1'f12'3f, ffil -'g2?l,55 ff:f5Z,Z6 l3ffff32'i3 '1'g 'E555'1f5g11 ff 23: '1':'2l,,1'fl7,i? 3:3 3, V.:.E:.,,k.i,E.,,51,gl1,,iE.Hi,VVV:.VgjV:1iVE.,l,,,k,g,:v5,E5V,:,E:,Vlvg1Eg,127,1,gl , 31k,,,-17,31,in-E-,lvZv,.1,,v1f,X, s Not Casey . . . but Dawson at thehbat Sports Enthusiasts Page' Twenty-Six as 4 , Mike