Historical AAR - LST 590

[jedwardpita]

Bonus mailbag
5/26/45

"Passed by a right pretty island - Actually a string of them today. They literally rose out of the sea into the clouds. There were several little villages along the shore and coconut groves back on the mountains. The green mountains rising out of a very blue and clear sea looked clean. (I fear my description of scenery lags.)

Was talking to a soldier guarding some Jap prisoners. He was with them when they were questioned by military intelligence. One Japanese was telling about his home and family in Japan. He had two children and was quite concerned over them. He had been drafted into the army. They came by his house one day and said, "Come along we need you in the army." He was not very enthusiastic over the idea. One of the prisoners our small boat captured was a Korean.

Have a few Japanese prisoners along this trip. They are quite cooperative and work like everything when given a task to perform. They are considerably shorter than we and are all bow-legged. I hope our men who are Japanese prisoners are treated as well-I fear not, however, certainly those captured in the Phillippines weren't."

[jedwardpita]

D-Day+1 Lubuan Island

5/24/45 Retracted. Underway for Morotai.

5/27/45 Arrived at Morotai.

5/28/45 Beached on Blue Beach. Discharged prisoners and guards.

5/30/45 Completed loading 360 RAAF troops and equipment. Retracted and returned to anchorage.

6/5/45 Underway for Labuan Island, Brunei Bay, Borneo as a part of Task Unit 78.1.99. Convoy consists of 11 LSTs, 8 LCIs, 3 Liberties, 1 FS craft and 4 escorts. Due to arrive on D-Day plus 1.

6/9/45 While in battle formation man reported overboard from LST ahead. This vessel launched small boat while underway and effected rescue. Further investigation revealed man attempted suicide. Put under care of Pharmacists Mate.

6/11/45 Arived and anchored at Brunei Bay. Rescued man returned to LST 743.
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6/12/45 Beached on Brown beach, Lubauan, Borneo. Discharging cargo and troops.

"We hit another D day at Bruni Bay, Luban, Borneo. This wasn't as bad a beach as Tarakan, but it was still something to talk about. We hit the beach about 1300, but H Hour was at 0800. There was a lot more of the fleet here with plenty of gunfire. The Aussies were really going to town and had the air strip secured in almost one day. You could still see the LSTs in the harbor. That night on the beach we had an air raid. To top everything off the Aussies had little fires all over the beach to make their tea by. Everything else was blacked off except that. There was almost a war between the fellows on the ship trying to shoot out the fires with 45 pistols and the Aussies shooting back at the ship with thier rifles. We finally unloaded our cargo of ammo and got off the beach. We anchored in the Bay waitig fro a convoy to go back to Morotai."

6/14/45 Completed unloading RAAF. Took on personnel of Naval Beaching Party #10 and 111th NCB with equipment. Retracted and anchored in Victoria Harbor, Brunei Bay, Borneo. Departed for Morotai.

[jedwardpita]

Bonus Mailbag - M & M's discovered!

6/10/45

"We are sitting on a bench on the deck waiting for G.Q. [action station was operating twin 40MM AA guns on the Starboard]. I don't see what the boys have to talk about, but there is a constant stream of conversation. You would think they were visiting each other. Part of this is due I expect in hot having anything else to do. They talk the arm off any troops we haul, especially the Australians.

The sea is as level as a floor tonight."

6/11/45

"Just now General Strivell has made a prediction that the war may lst as long as two years. I hope this is not an optimistic view. Roomate suggests he may have been stuck in China so loan he doesn't know the score.

The ship service [convenience store operated by the Navy on the ship] got some candy-coated chocolates at the last base that are good. M & M's is the name. I had never seen any before."

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: jedwardpita

Bonus Mailbag - M & M's discovered!

6/10/45

"We are sitting on a bench on the deck waiting for G.Q. [action station was operating twin 40MM AA guns on the Starboard]. I don't see what the boys have to talk about, but there is a constant stream of conversation. You would think they were visiting each other. Part of this is due I expect in hot having anything else to do. They talk the arm off any troops we haul, especially the Australians.

The sea is as level as a floor tonight."

6/11/45

"Just now General Strivell has made a prediction that the war may lst as long as two years. I hope this is not an optimistic view. Roomate suggests he may have been stuck in China so loan he doesn't know the score.

The ship service [convenience store operated by the Navy on the ship] got some candy-coated chocolates at the last base that are good. M & M's is the name. I had never seen any before."

If you turn the M & M's upside down, they become Weight Watchers pills . . . [:D]

[jedwardpita]

6/20/45 Arrived at Morotai after uneventful voyage. Beached and discharged CB personnel and equipment. Started loading bulk cargo.

"On the night of June 22, we were on the beach and GQ was sounded about 0330. Everyone more or less thought it was a false alarm, so we just took our time going to GQ. About a minute after we got to our guns two planes came over and dropped 5 bombs close to our stern which was about 500 yards. There were about 10 LSTs on the beach and he was close to our stern which was about 500 years. There were about 10 LSTs on the beach and he was trying for them. About two minutes after he dropped his boms, our pursuit plane took off after him. There were two P-61 night fighters. They got him on Helmahara."

6/21/45 On beach at Morotai. Taking on troops and equipment of 8th Australian Infantry Division.

6/24/45 Escorts reported submarine contact. Made emergency turns to avoid sub. Secured from GQ and resuming convoy speed and formation.

6/28/45 Arrived and beached on Labuan Island. Discharged troops and equipment.

7/1/45 Retracted and dropped anchor in Victoria Harbor.

7/2/45 Underway to join convoy designated as 76.20.4 -OTC-ComFlot 8 aboard LST 614. Destination Morotai.

Next destination, the "worst mined port in the world."

6/28/45 Arrived and beached Labuan Island. Discharging troops and equipment.

[jedwardpita]

7/8/45 Arrived at Morotai.

7/10/45 Beached. Taking on men and equipment of Royal Australian 1st Technical Air Force, RAAF, Group 422.

7/12/45 Air Raid. Japanese bomber dropped several bombs not in vicinity of this vessel. Results of action unknown. Secured from GQ. 1450-Underway for Balikpapan, Borneo.

7/16/45 Anchored off coast of Balikpapan.

7/18/45 Beached. Slot #3. Brown Beach, Balikpapan, Borneo. Discharge RAAF personnel and equipment.

"This place had been invaded seven days before by the Aussies. This made their third and last invasion of Borneo. This place put up a lot of resistance. Plenty of mortar fire and shore batteries. This was the largest oil refinery in the SW Pacific. The Japs got a lot of their oil from this place, but now it was worthless, because it had been bombed awful bad. We had to follow a swept channel through the bay. This port was the worst mined port in the world. We weren't allowed ashore because of lots of land mines. We beached and unloaded, then shoved off for Morotai."

7/20/45 Departed Balikpapan, Borneo, enroute to Morotai.

7/24/45 Arrived Morotai. Voyage uneventful.

[jedwardpita]

Fourth of July mail bag bonus:

7/4/45

"Had a right nice holiday. Holiday routine, no work that is!

This afternoon the convoy shot fireworks (colored smoke shells) that were right pretty. Oh yes, the dinner was good, with turkey, etc, and ice cream. One thing we had today was a treat, sweet pickles. The first ones I have seen in the navy and they were excellent."