Crew member 1950
On Mon, 21 Feb 2000
Charles Toler Email address wrote:
THIS SHIP WAS COMMISSIONED BY REAR ADMIRAL H.H. MCLEAN, USN, COMMANDER
FLEET ACTIVITIES, YOKOSUKA, JAPAN WITH LCDR C.O. LOWE, COMMANDING
OFFICER ON 3 OCTOBER 1950. WM B. KYLE, WAS X.O.
103 ENLISTED AND 7 OFFICERS WERE PLANK OWNERS.
APPROXIMATELY 125 OF THE CREW HAS BEEN LOCATED, WITH ABOUT 25 ADDITIONAL
WHO HAVE PASSED.
THE ALBUQUERQUE WAS DECOMMISSIONED ON 28 FEB 1953.
PERSONALLY, I SERVED ABOARD TWICE. I REPORTED ABOARD AS A SA, STRAIGHT
OUT OF BOOT CAMP, ON 29 NOV 1950 LEFT 10 JAN 1952, AS A YNSN, THEN
RETURNED ABOARD 15 AUGUST 1952 AS A YN3, UNTIL IT WAS DECOMMISSIONED
28 FEB 53.
THANKS
CHARLES TOLER
On Sun, 21 Nov 1999
Danial & Janet Mohnkern Email address wrote:
I know that we were small, dirty, poorly equipped, slow, cold and lonely,
but, we deserve to be listed.
Daniel L Mohnkern, Jr.
I was on the Albuquerque from May '52 until it was decommissioned around
June '53.
Our home port was Sasebo. The main duty was patrol around Wonson
Harbor where we did a lot of "riding shotgun" for minesweepers. Some of
her fresh water tanks had been converted to fuel tanks so we could stay
on patrol for extended periods of time; we had drinking fountains, but,
no showers.
When our fuel and ammunition ran low we would go in close and fire at
targets of opportunity before returning to Japan to re-supply.
On one occasion we had a general quarters scheduled for 6PM to unload
the ammunition lockers. The general quarters gong went off about 20
minutes early. When I reached topside, for my battle station as
ammunition passer on the aft 3" mount, shells were exploding all around
her.
It seems the North Koreans had radar fire controlled guns that were
rolled from caves, and, they had a good range on us. As this was going
on, the DD USS Perkins, I think, came steaming from the back side of an
island where she had been hiding in order to locate the Koreans guns.
Well, we, and the DD got credit for taking out seven of their artillery
pieces that evening.
There was but one casualty on the PF7 , but , that occurred the month
before I was assigned. Also, when we would see "people" on the beach, we
would go in and chew then up with the 40's and Willie Peter, white
phosphorus, from the 3"mounts.
Side note: once we were lost at sea, in a typhoon, going from Korea to
Japan. We had no means of communication, and, ended up two weeks later
at Subic Bay in the P.I.
A PF was about 220' long, 40'wide, had a flank speed of 18knots and, 3/8
inch armor at the waterline; an M1 30caliber round would penetrate a
1/4 inch of armor. Main armament was three 3" 50's, two single barrel
40's , and nine 20mm 's .
I could relate other stories, such as one rainy, moonless night, a
sister ship, but with a South Korean crew, stood, for several hours,
with guns trained, before a recognized signal was transmitted. We did
capture a lot of sampans .
We were rat and cockroach infested. One time a rat chewed through a
power line, and we lost our steam load in Wonson when the BB Missouri
was on a night firing mission. Watching those 16" projectiles streak
across the sky, with us sitting dead in the water was a memory. I had
a small locker for my personal belongings, probably 12" x 24". I would
open the door and count the cockroaches hanging on the door - 54 was
my personal record!
Needless to say, this was quite an experience for a 19 year old who had
never been 150 miles from home prior to enlistment. We were station
ship in Hong Kong, six months swinging around a buoy. I earned three
campaign "battle stars" on my Korean Service medal on the scurvy
Albuquerque. "O, the night was dark and murky, when the scurvy
Albuquerque, slid off her coffee grounds and put to sea---"
