PAGE 28-31-SLC CRUISE BOOK

USS SLC Cruise Book
Pages 28-31

   The luck of the Salt Lake City still held; miraculously, considering the length of time and the hazards involved.

   Bombarding became almost second nature to the Swayback Maru. Her observation planes sought out and directed fire against Jap installations, the troops ashore gave instructions by radio, and occasionally profitable targets were seen from the ship. Illumination, counter-battery and harassing fire, as long as the ship had ammunition, she was ready to shoot.

   When finally Okinawa disappeared over the horizon, the Salt Lake City had spent sixty-six days there, a period equaled by only one other major war vessel. She had expended 9,070 rounds of eight inch, 14,306 rounds of five inch, 5,570 rounds of 40 MM, and 1,711 rounds of 20 MM. On an average she had fired better than one round of five or eight inch ammunition every third minute.

   The Swayback's spell of 91 days of bombardment duty in the 101 days from February 16 to May 28, 1945 may be a wartime record.

   At the time of her departure, the formidable defense line at Shuri had been broken, and the conquest of Okinawa was only a matter of days.

   The crew did not know it then, but the Salt Lake City had fired her last gun in action. Until July 6, 1945 she was anchored in LEYTE GULF obtaining much needed rest and recreation for the battle weary crew and an overhaul for her equipment. Then she returned to Okinawa and uneventful duty in the China Sea, covering mine sweepers and joining in a shipping hunt that took her near Shanghai.

   Early in August, 1945, she was sent again to the Aleutians for participation in a still-undisclosed operation that was canceled by the Japanese surrender. Hostilities ended August 15th, while she was en route to Adak.

CONCLUSION
15 August 1945 to Decommissioning

The Salt Lake City lay at Adak and Attu until 29 August, 1945 when she sailed to Japan to take part in the occupation. Based in Mutsu Kaiwan, a bay at the northern end of the principal island of Honshu, she formed a part of the Northern Occupation Force. She assisted at the surrender of Ominato and covered the landings at Aomori, and at Hakodate and Otaru on the island of Hokkaido.

Finally, on 12 October, 1945, after being delayed two days by typhoons, and after an absence of more than fifteen months, she headed once more for the UNITED STATES. After eleven days of rough seas, she arrived at Portland, Oregon. Passengers were discharged there and then she joined in the Navy Day celebration at Astoria, Oregon.

   During the last two months of 1945 the Salt Lake City served as part of the Navy's "Magic Carpet", making trips to Eniwetok and to Guam and returning to San Francisco with a group of battle-worn veterans of the war in the Pacific.

   The beginning of 1946 was the end of the long and varied career of the Swayback Maru. Nearly seventeen years old, and no longer a modern ship, it was decided that she had outlived her usefulness as a fighting ship. Some of her equipment was removed at San Pedro, California, and her flag was hauled down in Pearl Harbor.

   Her service to her country did not end there, however. She is to be used for special explosive tests to further scientific knowledge of the effects of various types of weapons. So where enemy shells, bombs, and torpedoes had many times tried and failed, perhaps some day our own will succeed.

   And when the U. S. S. SALT LAKE CITY at last goes to a watery grave in the ocean which she fought so hard to defend, those of us who served aboard her will know that there was indeed a ship who well and faithfully served her country, a ship of whom we can all be truly proud.

Note from Sandra Eskew
Below is a link to another website that continues the story

OPERATION CROSSROADS
http://www.aracnet.com/~pdxavets/crossroa.htm
Bikini Atoll, July 1946

A Beautiful "Message" written by the
"USS Salt Lake City"
a.k.a.
"Swayback Maru"
to her crew
"Found in a Barnacle Covered Bottle"

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