Tortuga (LSD 26) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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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They' got the Wallefs - ' - and left him only the empty beer cans The Communist offensive last May made it look for awhile as if Inchon were going to get a little warm for comfort. A number of trans- ports and cargo ships came up to stand by in case of need, while the ELDORADO arrived to mastermind the operation. The Koreans started leavinig town by the junk-load, and for a week or two we didn't know what to expect. The TOLEDO anchored in the north- ern end of the harbor and started heaving 8-inch shells into the enemy lines north of Seoul, but in a few days the offensive had been broken and the danger was past. . Evacuation We'll also remember May as inspection month at Inchon. While the ELDORADO was there just about every Navy ship in the harbor got a thorough going-over. They called it an administrative inspection . . . and getting ready for one of these means taking care of all the filing that has been piling up for the last six months and catching up on reports, schedules, organization charts, orders, memorandums, etc., etc., until you wonder whether you are 'living in a ship or a newspaper office. The great day finally arrived . . . and with it a pouring rain. There we were . . . lined up in dress whites for Admiral's-inspection, with the rain soaking us to the skin and the TOLEDO firing at the enemy just a mile away. What a picture! Oh, well . . . Still and all, it's not so bad being in a port like Inchon. . . for a while, anyway. There may not be much night life, but the free and easy atmosphere when you get ashore is OK. You know, it's surprising how well they're all pretty well up toward the front and more or less in the same situation. You don't find many inter-service squabbles among the beer drinkers at the EM Club in Inchon. The 'next guy who comes in may be soldier, sailor, marine, British, Australian, Belgian, or anything at all. So what? Buy him a beer! Page Twenty-Seven