MY LOG
& DIARY - FRED BRINKMAN
Sept. 10 to
OR on Sept.
14th. Arrived aboard the Lowndes on Sept. 17th. with the
Beach Party
from
Sept. 18 to
Ship's work consists of the completion and organization of ship and
loading of supplies. Underway on
Sept. 25th.
Sept. 26 to
ammunition. Arrived in
liberties. Arrived in
Oct. 4 to
liberty in
cruise.
Oct. 12 to
The next day pulled into the dry docks in
overhauling.
Oct. 20 to
last happy liberty in
Destination -
Oct. 28 to
stores and cargo. Loaded Marine troops at Arthur and
made our first
landing maneuvers on
Nov. 5 to
on Nov. 5th. Next day loaded
troops on
in
Nov. 13 to
the next day and loaded more Marines for additional
landing maneuvers
throughout the week on the
Nov. 21 to
with maneuvers until Nov. 24th.
day, more troops and operations complete the week.
Nov.
29 to
for 11 days with liberty every
third day. Routine work each day while
in port.
Dec. 7 to
Dec. 11th. Beach Party has more maneuvers with
Marines on
the same monotonous procedures.
Dec.
15 to
Refueling and ship
formation exercises with transport convoy. Firing
drills every day.
Dec. 23 to
on beach at
Returned to
Lowndes on Dec. 27th.
Dec. 31 1944
to
Liberty today. FAA Corpsmen are now aboard, and also Marine Troops
of 4th Division. Beach Party lands on Maui January 1st and 2nd.
Jan. 8 to Jan.
15
to Pearl Jan 9th. Beach Party goes to rifle range on Oahu next day.
More maneuvers with the troops complete the week.
Jan. 16 to Jan.
23
Pearl on Jan 18th. A complete load of cargo and stores comes aboard.
Liberty in Honolulu on January 20 and 23rd.
Jan. 24 to Jan.
31
Underway the next day. Our first destination before invading Iwo Jima
will be Eniwetok in the Marshalls.
Feb. 1 to Feb.
8
Arrived off Eniwetok
Underway on Feb 7th. Destination
- Saipan.
Feb. 9 to Feb.
16
the 16th of Feb., left Saipan in a big convoy to make the invasion of
Iwo Jima which was already being shelled.
Feb. 17 to Feb.
24
Party landed next day to participate in the bloody battle. Bowman
and Richards lost. Remained on the beach for four days. It was hell.
Feb. 25 to Mar.
4
aboard the Lowndes. Follett, Freider and I were the only corpsmen.
Before leaving Iwo, 337 casualties have been taken aboard.
Mar. 5 to Mar.
12
finally unloaded in Guam on March 5th. Next day, we are underway for
Saipan. On March 10th, we load troops in Saipan docks.
Mar. 13 to
of the 2nd
Marines aboard. Routine work consists of loading cargo.
Beer-recreation parties on
Mar. 21 to
the Jap-held
Mar. 29 to
April 1st. The first and second days, we make fake landings on S.E.
tip of the island. Enemy air opposition was hot.
Apr. 6 to
to await orders for our "real" landing.
Receive orders on April 11th
and join the big fleet at
Apr. 14 to
on
casualties on board. Leave
Apr. 22 to
we once more harbor in
receive a rest.
Apr.
30 to
time in many months, chow is good, there is little
work with movies
every night and mail calls each day.
May
8 to
pulled into the docks to load more cargo and troops as
a preview
to another invasion.
May 16 to
on May 16th. New orders are received four days later,
when we again
pull into the docks to unload troops and cargo.
May 24 to
crew on board. Routine work, including a complete
painting and
repairing of the ship.
June 1 to
- <
troops or cargo back to the Mariannas.
June 9 to
we cross the
Equator. Arrived in the Solomons on June 12th. Leave
the Solomons
on June 15th for
June 17 to
on June 21st. Begin loading cargo on June 24th.
Received two
liberties. Underway from the
load of cargo headed for
followed going south.
July 3 to
All our cargo is unloaded to boats in the Bay. One recreation party
on
July 11 to
to
the U.S.S.
Lowndes is Stateside bound.
July 19 to
on a straight course. The best
cruise we have made to date. On July
26th we near the
July 27 to
I receive four liberties in
Frisco and have a helluva swell time.
There's nothing Stateside can't cure.
August 4 to
leave which I spend in
especially the latter two. Seven days - very short,
very sweet.
August 12 to
continues in
Frisco. Four more big liberty nights wind up my Stateside
cruise for the present time, even though
August 20 to
are embarked, whom we will transport to their
occupational territory.
Underway on August 20th we again say "So Long Stateside".
August 28 to
September 1st. Peace treaty is officially signed the next day (Bud
Kautz' birthday), ending World War II. Leave
3rd. Mail is no longer censored. All troops remain aboard.
September 5 to
on September 7th. Underway the same night. Anchored off
in the
September 13 to
and made one "Pom Pom" liberty on
on Sept. 14. Went to
Underway
on Sept. 18th.
September 21 to
Aomri, on northern Honshiu on September 25th for the first
occupation
landing of north
on Sept. 27th.
September 29 to
and on Oct 6th, the Lowndes is again underway from
them Navy personnel, we are underway for
one week at sea, our orders are changed and we head
for
at sea the
Lowndes arrives at pier 91 in
welcomed home on Oct. 18th.
week in
from the ship, among others including all the Beach
Party
corpsmen except myself.
Oct. 31 to
aboard and ten corpsmen, the Lowndes leaves
after spending a total of seven liberties on our
Stateside
cruise.
men aboard we are sailing for
no passengers aboard. The chow is excellent, but we are kept
busy.
a positively rough trip. Spent one liberty in the city
of
Nov. 14 to
underway on Nov. 24th but are forced to return to
next day due to a hurricane. Underway
again on Nov. 26th.
Frisco. Our passengers are debarked and we then anchor
in the
bay.
seven liberties during our two week stay in Frisco.
Additional
members of our crew are discharged, being replaced by
rookies.
Dec. 26.
1945 to
ballast and supplies, and on Dec. 27th we are underway
again.
Destination - the
Jan. 3 to
at
which we spend at
Jan.
11 to
leaves
for
Jan. 19 to
troops. Dropped anchor at Hunter's Point where we received liberty
every
other night.
Jan. 27 to
result of high-point men being discharged, our 200 man
crew is kept
busy, but this doesn't prevent good times on liberty.
Feb. 4 to
cruise which will end in
Mexican and Latin-American coast toward
Feb. 12 to
is carried on while underway. We cross the
and anchor on the Atlantic side of the canal.
Feb. 20 to
town of
the first time she has cut the waters of the