We arrived in Subic Bay on 15 May to commence repair work on the pitch system which controls the movements of the screw (propellor) on the port shaft. The problem had developed during our last week on Market Time patrol off Vietnam, but we felt that it would be quick work for the personnel of the Ship Repair Facility at Subic Bay, and that we would soon be underway again to resume our duties.

Work was begun as soon as we arrived, but after it was completed and put back together again we found that it still did not work properly. Another attempt was made, and we put to sea to give it an operational test, but once again the problem remained. The decision was made to put us into drydock so that the shaft could be removed and work performed from the after end. A drydock was made ready on an emergency basis, and we went in and were high and dry by the evening of 23 May.

Work went around the clock for the next week and a half, and included reworking of the pitch system and replacement of the blades of the port screw which had been damaged during the helicopter recovery operations at Nha Trang last month. On 5 June work was completed, the dock was floated, and we once again put to sea for a test. The results were all that were expected this time, and there was a great improvement in morale at the idea of our being seaworthy once again. After two more days of completing clean-up work on a number of other jobs which we had taken the opportunity to have done, we got underway on Sunday, 8 June, to hunt for some dummy mines which had been dropped in one of the coves near Subic Bay.

Commodore Peterson, who had arrived in port aboard the DYNAMIC, accompanied us for the day, and worked with us in our minehunting. We were helped by a group of divers assigned to one of the other ships which was in port with us. And by the time the day was completed had three mines on the fantail and a number of others located.

On the following morning we were underway early to start the trip to Hong Kong and our four- day R&R visit. We stopped and went to anchor briefly to observe a practice mine drop by a squadron of planes which are attached to one of the carriers which was in port, and then were off to join the DYNAMIC for the three day trip north through the South China Sea.

On the way out of the harbor we were able to see the damaged after section of the destroyer Frank E. Evans, which had only just arrived that morning to commence repairs. She was tied up at a special pier for the offloading of ammunition, and we were only able to see her at a distance. I expect that you have all seen pictures of her by this time. We all mourn the loss of so many Navy lives, and certainly hope that no more of our ships will come into the tragic circumstances which surrounded her collision.

The weather was windy and cloudy, and the seas were a bit high, and some of the crew once again went through the breaking-in period which always follows a long period in port. After two days of quiet steaming, Wednesday evening and early Thursday were spent in collecting bottom samples for an oceanographic survey in which we are taking part: we stop the ship and drop a scoop with a release arm on it to the bottom, which was as deep as a thousand feet. When it reaches the bottom the arm springs up and released the two sides of the scoop, which close to trap a portion of whatever material makes up the bottom. Don Smith worked through the night on the job and after we got the technique down right, the drops went quickly. We now have quite a number of bags of dirt from the ocean floor stored to await shipment.

After spending the rest of the day Thursday in sprucing up the ship for the port visit, we found the China coast on the radar on that evening, and went to slow speed to delay our arrival in Hong Kong until the early morning hours. As the first light came on Friday, 13 June, we steamed into what must be one of the prettiest harbors in the world. We followed the DYNAMIC through the harbor, avoiding a number of large merchant ships, ferried, and motorized fishing junks along the way, and tied up to the piers at the British naval station, HMS TAMAR. A briefing was held giving some of the ins and outs of liberty for the area, and then the duty section took over the ship while the remainder of the crew departed.

Hong Kong was originally discovered for the West by the Portuguese in the early 1500s, when they developed trade based on the nearby island of Macao. Hong Kong Island was ceded to the British by the Chinese authorities in 1842, and became the base for their great China trading companies. Hong Kong sits just across the harbor from Kowloon, a mainland city which was given to the British in 1860. The British also currently hold a 99-year lease, negotiated in 1898, on the New Territories, lands which run north of Kowloon to the border of what is now Communist China. Together these areas make up the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, and are controlled by a British-appointed Governor assisted by a council composed of both British and Chinese. As a free port and an extremely beautiful location it attracts large numbers of tourists from Japan, America, and many other countries throughout the wold. It is also a haven for refugees from mainland China, and has a population of some four million, all but about fifty thousand of whom are Chinese. Its major industries are tourism and light manufacturing, including a great amount of tailoring and handcrafting.

The ship remained in Hong Kong from Friday morning until Tuesday morning, and so all hands had ample time to go ashore and take advantage of some of the unique features of liberty in Hong Kong. A large percentage of the crew bought tailored clothing and shoes or boots from the many establishments which offer fine workmanship and extremely low prices. The Navy runs a display room where goods of all kinds are available, and most men took them or explored on their own, taking the ferries to Kowloon, or the tramway which runs to the top of Victoria Peak for a view of the city and the harbor. Chinese food and chopsticks were a new experience for almost everyone. Liberty hours were from 1130 until 1100 the following morning, and a great number of the crew took advantage of the overnight privilege to take rooms in the Hilton Hotel or any of a number of others which offer fine service and opportunity to get away from the ship and relax for a night.

No description of a Navy visit to Hong Kong would be complete without telling you about a painting job by Mary Soo and her crew. Since what seems like time immemorial she has met each ship which comes into port and negotiated for the job of painting the sides and whatever other areas are in need of a fresh coat. When the deal is concluded her people come aboard and, supplied with paint from the ship, commence a top-to-bottom paint-out of whatever has been agreed upon. Using rags and long, angled brushes, eight or ten men or women will come into a space and have everything completed within a couple of hours, doing in a short visit of days what we would require weeks to complete under normal operating conditions. She provides something of a face-lifting for the ship while the liberty provides rejuvenation for the crew. All taken together it was a good port visit, and as we came away it seemed that the ship had a new lease on life.

Unfortunately, we again find ourselves steaming toward Subic Bay for more repairs, instead of on operations as scheduled. We suffered a casualty to the ship's gyro compass on the way in to Hong Kong, and expect to spend the next week at Subic while repairs are completed. After that it will be on to Kaohsiung, followed by another visit to Vietnam for operations before beginning the long trip home.

This month, again, has been marked by a number of personnel changes. Right after our arrival in Subic Bay we received a surprise set of orders to transfer Damage Controlman Bob Hock to the Whippoorwill, a smaller minesweeper also here in the Western Pacific, and we sent him off on the 19th of May. The next day we sent Seaman John Davis back to the States for seperation from the service, and Stewardsman Rodolfo Almario and Storekeeper Gerry Pugeda on to new duty stations; the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu, California, and the Mine Force Support Group in Long Beach, respectively. Gerry Pugeda had been aboard for almost four years, the longest of any crew member. During that time he did a fine job as our leading storekeeper, a position he now turns over to Bill Bounds. Radarman Bill Pearson is now the "long timer" aboard, having joined the ship in August 1966.

Three new arrivals were next, with Stewardsman Gil David reporting on 21 May, and Seaman Bob Hazel and Commissaryman Tommy Karaboyas coming aboard two days later. Commissaryman Jerry Wilson departed on 3 June for his new duty station at Great Lakes, Illinois, and we were joined on the sixth by Seaman Sheryl Dilley. Our best wishes go with those who have left us, and to the new arrivals hopes for a successful tour in CONFLICT.

The entire crew has been doing a fine job during the deployment, with each man making a definite contribution, be it in the day-to-day performance of his hob or in some special evolution brought on by the nature of our operations. Morale and effectiveness have been kept up through the fast periods and the slow, and teamwork and good working relationships among all hands have always been in evidence.

The crew itself is marked by a great diversity of background. 32 of the 49 continental states are represented aboard, with more than half the men from east of the Mississippi. California is home to most, with twelve native sons, and is followed by Illinois and Ohio with five and Florida, Oklahoma, and New Jersey with four. The average age is just over 23, although the range is from 19 to 44. The typical man has been aboard for just over a year, and only 14 of the 70 men presently assigned completed the entire last cruise with the ship. Twenty-five wives and some forty children are supported by the ship's payroll. Over fifty of the crew have completed high school, and twelve have had additional education beyond that. A majority of the crew are Protestant, buy twenty are Catholic, one is Jewish, one a Mormon, and two claim no faith. Over two-thirds of the men are in their first enlistment, and one is within one year of retirement. With this kind of a mixture of people, and with the opportunity for travel and varied operations, it can be said that the Navy and shipboard life provide a broadening experience for almost everyone.

The time has been passing quickly, and we find ourselves more than halfway completed with the deployment. The next month will be spent primarily in upkeep periods, but then we shall be on the move almost constantly until our return to the United States.

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