July 1, 2016

Continued from last week:

These were orders given to me by Bill Grogan:
“This is a copy of My Dad’s Orders. He was a Coxwain, Drove a Landing Boat. The Dade was a troop ship” The Yokosuka Dock Area The Yokosuka Naval Base is located on the western side of Tokyo Bay, approximately 14 miles from the mouth of Tokyo Bay and approximately 28 miles south of the center of Tokyo. It was capable of accommodating the whole prewar Japanese fleet. The Naval Base is roughly divided into four parts, the Oppama, or Yokosuka, Air Station, to the north, Niagara Ko, used a a submarine anchorage, Yokosuka Ko, the principal naval docking space and the Yokosuka waterfront section immediately to the south. Two breakwaters, 1050 and 1356 yards long, extend east from the Air Station into Tokyo Bay, protecting the entrance to the Naval Base. Approach to the Base is made from the east, south of these breakwaters. The railroad station lies about 800 yards inland to the south west, from the head of Nageura Ko, the submarine anchorage. A canal, about 700 yards long and 50 years wide connects Niagara Ko and Yokosuka Ko, which are separated by Azuma-hanto. Yokosuka ko, with two smaller arms extending south from it forms the principal basin of the Naval Base, containing six dry-docks, ranging in length from 358 feet to 1170 feet. South of the dry dock spaces is located the Yokosuka Naval Headquarters. The waterfront section contains two fine boat basins, useable for small boats. Shut of the waterfront section, at the town of Yokosuka itself, is a narrow gravel beach, with a fine sand bottom, with approach slope of 1 on 35. The People The major part of the ancestors of the present Japanese people came to Japan from China, absorbing the aboriginal race that first existed in the islands. There is very little accurate history of Japan prior to about 400 A.D., when travelers from China brought the art of writing to the country. The Japanese had practically no contact with the outside world for many years, aside from the time in the 16th and 17th centuries when t. Francis Xavvier and his missionaries settled in Kyushu, southern Japan. Commodore Matthew B. Perry visited Japan in 1853 and formally opened the island to trade and association with the outside world. From 1853 on the Japanese progressed rapidly until they felt they were strong enough to challenge the western powers and made their attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. From the early youth, the Japanese are trained in the thought that their Emperor is a god and a descendant of gods. Implicit obedience to the Emperor and his word is ingrained in them and the training of the average Japanese is not conductive to much independent thinking. Discipline among the Japanese during the occupation of their homeland, on the whole, is expected to be good, but there will undoubtedly be incidents of individual resistance caused by misguided patriots. The only safe way of dealing with Japanese with whom contact is made is a policy of strict nonfraternization. They are not to be abused but neither are they to be forgiven.
(to be continued)