Talk:USS Schenectady (LST-1185)/@comment-35000961-20180314225935

Watched her slide off the ways in San Diego, only to be aboard her when my unit was transferred to Japan from Okinawa, to set up our aid station while the Marines fired their artillery on the Mount Fuji Range. She was a rough riding ship in a storm. The mess decks accumulated large quantities of spilled soup, coffee, milk, tea and the occasional splash of sea water. Took large quantities of water over the tailgate into the tank deck and rolled onto her side almost far enough you could walk on her bulkheads. On occasion she would have white water on the bridge, do not remember how far off the waterline that was.

When we reached the landing site, she ran up on the gravel beach, opened her clamshell doors, ran out her ramp and we began driving our equipment off the ship. The off loading was both thrilling and scary, especially at the very top of the ramp and all you could see was the sky and not the ramp we were to take down to the beach. Even though it was nearly 50 years ago, I will always remember that trip. - - - A Navy Veteran 1965-1978