Wasatch (AGC 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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pm u fir 1: wnxsn vner Fails Hytjan Gullezr. Chief Dever, Lt. Cigildyi Ehigf Johnsonfuhocak, Boylan, iyers, and Tavares. Second row Scott, gnu-., nay, suggins, Smith, scsrborougn, olmick, Riley, Webber. Snyder. and A Snglley. Third row Gibson, llartin, Kiser, Preston, Waddington, McNair, Hartlings Sgan, Kylie, and Legal. Not in picture Beeker, Fleck, Benson, Mitchell, Brown, I and Guntin. A DIVISION Auxiliary, Available, Able , As you, dear shipmates, browse through this book, you will undoubtedly chance upon numerous divi 1 s on reporters, who, with flowery paragraphs, will lead you to believe that I they are in the best, most efficient division aboard. Do not be deceived, simply ask any man in 'A' Division. Anyone who thinks otherwise is 'A pragmatic eva 1 t ' pr r ca or, with a propensity for oratorical sonorosity, which is too pleonastic to be expeditiously assimi- 1ated.' Seriously, our division is comprised of two groups, topaide and below deck groups. ' The topelde grou mans and p maintains the boat engine repair shop, emergency fire pumps, emergency generators, after steering, and also cares for steam heating and deck machinery repairs. The below decks group mans and maintains the ice machines, air-cooling machines, portable refrigerators, scuttlebutts, evaporators and the machine shop. The log room, where all machinery history of the engineering divisions is tiled and kept up to date, is also a very able part of our division. !or a return to the lighter side we proudly present 'Available' loylan, lT2e. A water tender should belong to 'B' division, but since he is the last er-at-arms of the engineers' berthing compartment, he is a member of the most highly respected 'A' division. Not only does he guard our sleep an our gear, but he is a very active jeweler, haberdasher, and laundry executive. Also, his success as a finan cle ha d I t - t ts of the Southwest Pacific t th r 8 apr.. rom h. far flung ou po. e e finlneill 'l08111s on wan st f.. 'mf b HA ll bl '.. New, that you are convinced of 'A' division bein th ree 8 8 o', V. l 0 g e most attractive division aboard, fall in outside the log room anytime between the h f 081 d will do the rest. Low point men preferred. our' o 5 ee 1630- 'Peppy' Tavares,

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pun-mm ,- J-e--e-nn-usanailllliiiilliilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll On 31 March we again set out on another operation, this time to Mindanao. After staging out of Mindoro we headed south, past Zamboango - the same Zamboango so famous in the song, the land where the monkeys have no tails. It wasn't long before the towns of Malabang, Parang and the city of Davao were secured and we were ashore trading with the Moros. Many of us have some handsome knives as souvenirs. On 17 May we sailed for Leyte but after a short stay were ordered to Morotai, the scene of our first action. .What a surprise we had to see the changes six months had made. Here we made friends with the men from down under - the Aussies. Quite a friendly lot, don't you know! From Morotai we staged for Balikpapan, N.E.I. Again the Wasatch had the leading role - this time in triumph she steamed through Makassar Straits where earlier in the war our out- numbered forces had suffered heavily at the hands of a numerically superior Jap surface and air fogze. How sweet the taste of victory as we passed through those straits that day in June 1 5. - Balikpapan was tough in as m ch as the shallow water prevented us from bringing the heavy guns of our surface units to bear on the enemy shore emplacements. It was not long however before the Aussies had landed and reported the situation well in hand. This was our last Am hibious landing prior to the surrender. This was the last time we were to be under enemy attack. p ' After Balikpapan we returned to Morotai where Comdr. Eglit relieved Captain Tucker as Executive Officer. On July Lth we crossed the line bound northward. Old Davey Jones and King Neptune came aboard for a visit and much to everyone's delight - found numeroust polliwogs in our midst. A gala time was had by all the trusty shellbacks. On ll July we arrived at Manus and began undergoing repairs, alterations, scraping and painting. Many of the officers and men went to Lake Sentani in New Guinea for ten day's rest and recreation. Eventually everyone was able to go and all seemed to enjoy it. It was a most welcome break after months of continual duty. There was all sorts of entertainmentg swi ming, games, hiking, sleeping, Finally on L September we sailed for Manila, P.I., arriving on 10 September after a short stop at Samar. Manila was a disappointment to most of us for here we saw for the first time the destruction wrought by land warfare. A once beautiful city, the Crown Jewel of the Orient, was now a pile of rubble. One or two trips ashore was all that most of us could manage. Soon we staged for our trip to Wakayama, Japan. This trip was much quieter than we had expected. After our arrival we had to ride out numerous tyohoons of varying intensity, all of which delayed our final operation some weeks. On 26 October, we left Wakayama for Nagoya. This was one of the largest Jap cities that had been attacked by B-29 fire bomb raids. It was pretty much gutted and ruined but after having seen Manila we, r found little or no room for sympathy. M P The last of October found us ready to sail for Tokyo for one last look at Japan. ,A few days before we were to sail orders were received to proceed to Taku, China, where we were to exchange our staff for ComPhibGr SEVEN. - On November we left Nagoya for Taku, arriving on 5 November. Here we hauled down Rear Admiral Noble's flag and ran up the flag of Rear Admiral Kiland. -J On 7 November we began our long voyage to the States by way of Pearl Harbor. Some of us would no doubt realise our cherished hope -- Christmas at home. . , .. e , .. , -. . . ' : .',.g,.,.,' 1' .'.-::-, -1,1:'.- K 4' 7 v xr, 1. .lx 7 L .A '.4.Q:igQg--1 'Fi-ak - YV --I V A A Q . A., ., .. 5 , - - Y l .. .- - - 7.7.3-..-.e.-,..-., lp-, -. fn - - - .-V...-.em , - ., ,.-.,.-.. ..,..-..-....... -N -wwf' Mm-.. fwwmv, -.--fe. :E+ LQ - --'- - --- - A A' ff -- ' '- ' - '

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----5mmm!-Fu..U-ww'wqu..--''-'EEE'H''ii'''H'' ' iiiiiiii!llllllliilliilllllllll------g-I-1 From left tv fright first row Goltz, Chief Goodwin, Ensign Tucker unch. ,Eckert 1 Chief Eager, and Benton. Second row Succio, Uhrich, Kelly, Howard Forsahyflg?r Haskell, and Bivisnano. Third row Barnum, Leffler, Whittaker, Duerschiedt ' Whitfield, Hynes,-and Minser. Not in picture Denson. ', T y' , B DIVISION I It won't be long now, Mr. Tucker, until you'll be leaving us. We did have a swell time of it, though. There was C. W. Morris with his corn cob pipe hat, who helped organize a swell little division. I can still hear them word for Eager, CWT, who played an important part as oil king. We never the importance of his job, until some CWT, hasn't been with us long, but he soon. Benton, WTlc, came aboard when He will be leaving us soon too, going and crooked passingnthen did realize Goodman, 1 beeretiring. we were in a tight spot with no watch standers. out on the point system. Watts, WT2c, lost his of us had a taste of it ourselves. knew you from the old navy. He'll sea bag coming cross country. He didn't mind, though, for he get out of two weeks , work waiting for it. Barnum came after everything was done and now complains of how, hard he worked. Hynes, WT2c, forgot the water had to stay in the gage glass and not out. Will you ever again run into a man who can laugh like he does? He should have, gone in for opera. Whittaker, WT2c, will be married soon to Elsie. Does he look I I like a person who could settle down to family life like he says he will? I guess Elsie will decide that. It's hard to say if Forshay will go out. He does have a a contented look and really believes he's cut out for navy life. Howard will be back in the grocery business in a few more months. He has decided after a lot of deep. I thinking that he wouldn't trade the grocery business for a navy career. Whitfield, Flc, is looking forward to going back to the farm. Someday, he says, he will own his own. Succio, WT3c, is going out and back to his machinist job. You would think Kelly, Flc, being a tin can sailor, would want to ship over, but he's going back to Oklahoma. Minser will go out too, so he says, and I'm not sure that he isn't con- T templating marriage. Duerschiedt, Flc, will probably stay around for about twentyf years. Urich, B2c, is talking about going out, but I guess he is just lonesome for his wife and little girl and who can blame him? Leffler has quite a novel career behind him, but he's going out to run his father's furniture store. It'e really hard to say what Denson will do for he's as changeable as the weather, but I think you will agree he's in to stay. Bisignano, will soon be taking over the oil king 1' job. One thing for sure, he's big enough, all 220 pounds df him. It seems that with the exercise he's getting going up and down the ladders he'd reduce, but he's still gaining. Haskell will be getting hitched as soon as he gets home. He has only 31 points, but he likes the fireroom. So, Mr. Tucker, we all say goodbye, and bon voyage, ' 'e -'rf -H ' r - -- , , - - -f1- 'Zi b. .:.:s: '-