Island Rest After Action

Destroyer Division 91, the first to complete a third tour of duty in the Far East since the beginning of the Korean War, is at Pearl Harbor today.

The Mansfield, Collett, Lyman K. Swenson, and DeHaven, the four ships in the division, will leave tomorrow for Long Beach, Calif., their home port.

During this last tour, the division was assigned duty with Task Force 95 for blockade and patrol duty on the Korean coast and with Fast Carrier Task Force 77 for protection against enemy planes and submarines.

In October and November, while assigned to Task Force 95, the destroyers provided fire support for United Nations ground forces, conducted harassing missions against enemy supply lines, served as search and rescue destroyers for downed allied airmen, and kept a tight blockade of enemy ports.

PROTECT NANDO ISLE

For two days the Collett was assigned the protection of Nando Island just north of Wonsan. During that time, enemy shore batteries opened close fire on her, but she escaped undamaged.

In October, the Mansfield was also taken under heavy fire by enemy shore batteries but returned the fire so effectively that the enemy was silenced.

While the Swenson was operating in the Yellow Sea with ships of the British Commonwealth, the DeHaven rescued the pilot of a battle-damaged Navy attack bomber which had crash-landed in the sea.

LEFT FOR FORMOSA

From Yokosuka, the division left for the Formosa Straits for patrol of the waters between Red China and the Chinese Nationalist on the Island of Formosa.

The Mansfield served double duty during the patrol by functioning as a training vessel for Nationalist Chinese Navy men. the Chinese, from Kaohsiung, Formosa, learned Naval engineering practices from members of the Mansfield crew.

After a trip to Sasebo for repairs, the ships again joined Task Force 77 for more blockade, fire support and interdiction duty off the North Korean coast.