Maurice P. Dargan
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Maurice P. Dargan
Mr. Dargan enlisted into the Navy on August 13, 1943, in Eveleth, Minnesota. He served as a Seaman First Class aboard the USS LST 1013.
Mr. Dargan shared the following: "On 28 July 1943, I turned seventeen years old. On 13 August 1943, I enlisted and became a sailor in Uncle Sam's Navy, and was sent to boot-camp in Farragaut, Idaho. I was assigned to the USS Enterprise, but, instead of shipping out to war, I 'shipped' into a hospital with a bad case of blood-poisoning in my arm, caused most probably from being poked by a bristle from the brush with which we scrubbed our white uniforms, so the doctor said. When I recovered, I went to the Pacific on the USS LST 1013. We transported tanks, guns, ammo, gasoline, and troops to the front lines."
"USS LST 1013 was in many battles. We were in the sea-battle off Manila Bay, and in the battles of Manila Bay, Leyte Bay, the Islands off Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, and the battle of Okinawa. We had for captains: Capt. Eugene Carrol, now retired Admiral, and Capt. James Buckley, later US Senator, and brother of writer and publisher, William S. Buckley. The Admiral whose fleet we were assigned to was Admiral 'Bull' Halsey."
"Most of the ship space was for cargo. Our quarters were small and cramped and each time our guns fired, asbestos and fiberglass sifted onto our bunks, and was itchy. In the heat and humidity of the tropics, we often found it more comfortable to sleep topside if the night was quiet."
"In preparation for the battle of Okinawa, we sailed to Lae, New Guinea to pick up tanks, troops, gasoline, and ammo to supply the forces. The battle of Okinawa was an awful battle. Lots of ships were sunk and many, many men lost their lives. Japanese men died, too. Some were kamikaze pilots. They seemed to understand that they were losing, and they dive-bombed mercilessly and continuously. They were terrible."
"After the Battle of Okinawa, we got hit by the typhoon of Okinawa! It was such a wild and fierce storm that for safety's sake, we could not remain in port or near land. The LST was built of 1/4 inch steel plate, so it bent rather than broke. We rode it out to sea safely. Much later I learned that former President Gerald Ford was also in that typhoon and was almost lost overboard."
"After the war ended, we transported Korean POWs and civilian war prisoners including women and children back to Korea from Japan. We stopped several days in Nagasaki, Japan, and saw all the devastation left by the atom bomb. It was unbelievable to see. Nothing left."
"When the Korean prisoner transfer was completed for our ship, we transported Chinese troops back to China. We were allowed to leave our ship to 'sight see' while in Shanghai. It was a big city, fun to sight-see."
"One day, I had a very interesting experience in Shanghai. I hired a rickshaw and driver to bring me to a bar I had heard about. I had the directions, and thought my driver knew what I was telling him. Soon, I realized that I was lost. There was another rickshaw coming behind us with a sailor aboard. I told my driver to stop, and motioned for the rickshaw to come alongside so I could get help. On board that rickshaw was a classmate of mine, George Woolcock. What a surprise to meet someone from my hometown, Eveleth, Minnesota, half way around the world in Shanghai, China."
"I left my ship soon after and headed for the USA and Camp Pendleton, California, for my discharge and the trip home. On 18 April 1946, I got off the Greyhound bus on Grant Avenue, home safe and sound."
"Several years ago, while visiting a shipmate in Sacramento, California, I learned that the USS LST 1013 was given to China after the War."
Source: Hometown Heroes: The Saint Louis County World War II Project, page 354.
