Hello: I was a boatswain mate seamen aboard the USS HEWELL AKL-14 from 1952-54. We were based in Sasebo Japan most of the time I spent there. We carried mainly 500 and 1000 pound bombs for the Marines located on the different Korean ports of call. Most often we carried our cargo to Chinhae, Pusan and many other Korean ports. The US Marines had an airbase in Chinhae so subsequently many of our bomb cargoes ended up with them. The tides in Korea are so immense that our cargo was usually boomed over the side into waiting Marine 'Ducks' which can go on land and water both. From there it was driven onto the base for further unloading and distribution. We were generally well received when we arrived as in addition to the ammunition we usually carried beer plus the mail on occasion. Often times we would return with empty brass shells for shipment back to the states to be reloaded and used again.
My duties aboard ship usually consisted of steering the ship when underway plus acting as look out ,plus standing guard when in port and most of all keeping our pretty lady ship shape and looking proud.
Sasebo was a friendly little city at the time and we made friends easily with the people there always congregating at our favorite bar. Some enterprising individuals opened an American hamburger shop there and it was a wonderful success. Nothing like a well made American hamburger with all the trimmings as opposed to Oriental food all the time when on liberty.
One of the things that still stands in my mind was the huge sign attached to the warehouse walls there in the ship basin which said: 'THROUGH THESE PORTS PASS THE BEST FIGHTING MEN IN THE WHOLE WORLD- UNITED STATES ARMY PORT OF SASEBO'
Our crew on the USS Hewell AKL-14 consisted of about 40 men including officers and as it turned out the Hewell was the very ship that the great movie, Mr. Roberts was shot on with James Cagney, Jack Lemon and Henry Fonda. This happened after I rotated out to another ship at the end of my tour to the USS Jason ARH-1 which was a destroyer tender that could fix anything anywhere and had a crew of about 850 men. Quite a contrast from the little ship Hewell with it's 40 man crew. The food was always outstanding on both ships. A few of us former ship mates OF THE HEWELL get together for a annual reunion in Branson Missouri every year which turns out to be a delight. We often sailed to Yokosuka to the naval base there as well loading up often with the huge shells for the Battleship Missouri and bringing them to Sasebo for transfer there. Believe me it was a sight to behold our little Hewell along side of the glorious battle wagon Missouri unloading our cargo.
I believe I have rambled enough for this sitting and hope the fore mentioned helps enlighten somebody somewhere.
Tom McGuire BMSN-United States Navy Veteran
Entry: 240
KEEPING THE MEMORY ALIVE
CAS WELCH wrote on May 12, 2000
Comments:
Hi Got an interesting Email that may be of interest to your students
Cas Welch
Subj: Help with Stripes Korea project? Date: 05/03/2000 9:02:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: LiewerS@mail.pstripes.osd.mil (Liewer, Steven) To: caswelch@aol.com ('caswelch@aol.com')
Sir:
I'm a reporter with Stars & Stripes, working out of Yokosuka, Japan. We're putting out a special section for the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, and my job is to write about the Navy's participation. I figured the best way was to go to the guys who served aboard ships back then. So I checked the Korean War Project web site, and found your name on one of the ship bulletin boards.
I was hoping you might be willing to write down some memories of the war, and of Yokosuka and/or Sasebo. (Believe me, both places have changed a lot in the last half century.) If you don't mind, please e-mail me some information about your service and a few anecdotes, and I'll follow up with questions if I need to. I also will make sure you get a copy of the special section after it comes out June 25. Thanks for your help!
Steve Liewer Stripes Yokosuka Bureau Chief
MY REPLY: Dear Steven:
I put some old memories I had about my tour of duty aboard the USS Kearsarge down in this Email. I don't have anything to report about Yokosuka -- other than it was a typical Navy town with a lot of action and strip joints.
On Nov. 1951, as a nineteen year old, I was assigned to the U.S. S.Keasarge located in Bremerton , Washington. The U.S. S.Keasarge was a world war II Essex class aircraft carrier, that head been in moth balls since the end of world war II. She was recommissioned and sent to operate off of Korea during the Korean War. I was a third class aviation ordnanceman whose duties included: Loading ordnance into amolockers from replenishment ships, belting 20 mm ammunition, installing the fins on 500 pound bombs and 5 inch rockets the loading them on the planes, and making napalm, using Japanese's zero belly tanks. Most the time while operating off Korea we worked 12 on and 12 hours off. The main mission for our planes was to help with close air support. We had prop planes and jets to carry out this mission. Some of the planes return to the carrier damage by ground fire. I remember one time one of the jet's bomb rack had been damage and as the plane approach to land a piece of the bomb rack broke off and almost hit the landing control officer, who was located at the end of the flight deck directing the plane's approach. His comment about this experience was described as "only God and the laundryman knew how scared I was".
Another exciting moment during my tour of duty was when our jet pilots had a dogfight with some North Korean Migs over our task force. The planes were mere specs in the sky but the captain of our ship put the pilot's radio output over the loud speakers of the ship. Needless to say it was exciting listened to and filled with a lot of descriptive colorful expressions about the North Koreans.
The battle ship U.S. S. Missouri was part of our task force. We were operating behind the Missouri as she was bombarding North Korea strategic locations. Missouri's 16 in. guns fire a shell that weighs about the same as an old Volkswagen, you could actually see the projectile flying out of the barrel of the weapon.
I guess the most vivid memories I had was how dam cold it was during the winter months, ambient temperatures were well below zero (we were operating above the 40th parallel) with a wind chill factor several degrees below zero. On the flight deck you had to wear a mask to keep from getting Frost bitten, however the mask a would freeze to your lips, when you went to in side the ship you had to rub your lips before you could take the mask off.
It is hard to believe that it has been almost 50 years ago since my Korean war experience. When I got out of the Navy in Oct 1953 I enrolled in University of Missouri on the GI Bill, receiving a BS in Electrical Engineering, upon graduation I went to work for Westinghouse Electric Corp. I Retired in July 1990. Since retirement (after 30 years with Westinghouse) I have assisted Hungarian and Indian Companies on how to implement ISO 9000 (Quality System). Spent 15 weeks in West Bank and Gaza , as part of a USAID (State Dept. funded) program, trained and assessed small companies. Have written two books, titled "Bringing Total Quality to Sales" and "Applying Total Quality to Sales", and published by ASQ Quality press.
THINK QUALITY Cas Welch 280 Jefferson Dr. Pittsburgh, Pa 15228 412 343 1813 Email Caswelch@aol.com
Entry: 239
KEEPING THE MEMORY ALIVE
NAVY JUNIOR ROTC UNIT NYC wrote on May 11, 2000
Comments:
I am a Naval Science Instructor with a JROTC Unit in a NYC inner city high school. I wanted my cadets to learn more about the Korean War than the text books tell. As a result, the Cadets took a pledge to learn more (Published in the most recent issue of the Tin Can Sailor newspayer) and are in the process of building a Wall of Honor which will be displayed at this years Veterans Day Parade. Each cadet is being asked to talk to or write a Korean War vet and learn first hand what it was like. They will then create a poster about the person or the unit involved, hopefully getting a picture or other form of memoribilia to dress up the poster. Any units having a reunion could really help by sending us a ships picture with the autographs of those in attendance along with the ships role in Korea. Anyone willing to help us pass the torch to the next generation may contact us at HSGCA@aol.com. Thanks in advance.
