Warren (APA 53) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 16 text:

Two days after MacArthur sent his assault troops into Leyte Island in the Philippines, the Warren discharged the men and cargo of the first reinforcement group, escaping luckily from air attack and pulling out under the cover of darkness only a few hours before the Japs sent their battle fieet steaming to desruction in Surigao Straits. On November l4, we returned to Leyte, this time with six Red Cross women aboard as passen- gers in addition to our troops, and we cheered as an attacking torpedo bomber, riddled by our gun fire, crashed smoking into the sea. I 4' UIVNJJED AQWIN Wm Wi-4a 4, XJEH. e VW, QW, - 1 L ,f fc i .lifigvv I ' llf Q It was at Milne Bay, New Guinea, that we spent our first Christmas away from the states. A lonely and cheerless day it was for we'd been several weeks without mail, and wie were not to receive our packages for yet another weeks when we' stopped at Nlanus Island on our way to Luzon. At Lingayen Gulf, on January ll, ,l945, the VVarrenls luck ran out. Eleven men of our crew were killed in action, our first combat casual- ties. For several past months we had been told we were soon to go home. It was always Ujust oine more trip, and then And so we made one more trip, this time to Mindoro Island on February 9. X' - if S

Page 15 text:

i Y x N X X X Y 'MQ' W 1- 521' f'.L ,, M g1g1515.gi-.gag -- 'ob xblx' f'-'-f' - 'S X XX mfs XX' X , ' XX N xX,S- -x , ww- Wiki'-'. . ' -Ns4f.-aria-::2:1:35w::1:1:441:r:r:r:r:1:rk-:-:r:14':r:-:-::::-'-11553---A:r:E4:4+:-iA-Q15:-am'p:-:-1-gg:g,:4:--fl -- QM-', ,,,,, M.,2:4+::,:. ,4' !!4 fff I .fm 07 -------- 4-:ww-'ff , 157511 QM? X Q ,, 1, -Q-X, XXX X XF -' NX WN '71 -' 'gr .f5'72f '.f 27if7'4'.' 'V 9' 'fi' N X , X xx i f f V1 f , V ff' XX X X Vifjffyyf X N Y X xl-'-:wx F3 W-iiF'f-X5 v9N'kf S s x x ff- rg: , .wefGtxvfbir:-i'N2-v'-'qs'JY'-1'-xxV: 2 :'-'N 7:1 , Nh XiX xK Q m i M X. , ,, A .. Q -5 3 A XX X. V x .. . , .... ,bi , ,ANC .,-4, Cr QWL, wx, , 4 ,V V, f , ff,f. ,I ,V f,,,f.-1 ,fm f f , , A Il, I .,7,,: ,,,,, !, I , f , M-all . X .x ,MX N X 1 Qu S W ..,mN.vw...x.,...,,. . x N . .,w...W WW, ,k.,A k V ,L WMWM ' '1'f ?w5Q,: ,, in ,f- , - qhhqg .. , ...,. .,.. K.,, K ..., ,M x x, Q X , A ,.x, X 5,,1.,wm wdauww-may-.. ,x Y Xfgmmlmxwx' K www. x,xxxxx A K is X x WNW

Page 17 text:

At last came that happy day when we were ordered to discharge all our surplus supplies and to give away all our landing craft. VVith a light ship and lighter hearts, we were homeward bound. At Ulithi, we had grave mis- givings as we waited for the decision against the necessity of sending us to Iwo Jima as evacuation ship, but shortly we were on our way once again. On bflarch 27, l945, after a brief stop at Pearl Harbor, the USS Warren slid into her pier in Portland, Oregon, United States of America. Those happy days of reunion with our loved ones, of leave and liberty while our ship un- derwent overhaul, are still fresh in our minds. There are no Words that can express the feel- ings of each man among our crew at being home again. The overhaul completed, the VVarren found once again that training was the order of the day. This time there were vet- erans to guide the newcomers, the training period was short, and once more we were Pacihc- bound. And so we sail-Hlling hour after hour with damage control drills and gunnery practice- on and on to the westernmost reaches of the Pacihc, once again to take our part in the conquest of the enemy. lb!!! WEQE -!U.5T4 X nf THINK WEiQE 4 Ll7'7LE X- QED. H FEW fWfLLf0N 4191417 YEQ25 ,sH0.Q7'. - -- Tay HMO 7,4613 F155 5ETTf!Vf,!