On 10 June 1969, Biddle arrived in Pearl Harbor. At 0700, according to my journal, Diamond Head was visible in a hazy sky, “but it still looks beautiful. It’s too bad we’re only going to be here a day and a half.”
Yup, 36 hours in paradise after 15+ days underway. And it was raining when we pulled in. Still, it was Hawaii. First time I had ever been there.
During the several days before, steaming from the Panama Canal, I was standing CIC watches and getting into the wonderful world of intelligence reports. My journal entry for 2 June included “Spent all afternoon changing sub reports to conform to PACFLT.” On 3 June, I noted that I spent the day preparing an intelligence brief, but also reported that Biddle had had to slow because of “gyro loss” and engine problems. Perhaps that cut into our Hawaii liberty. On 5 June, I gave a briefing (to wardroom? Ops officers?) on special tactics to use against Soviet intelligence ships.
Back in Oahu, Jack Roberts and I went to the Pearl Harbor Officers Club, then downtown. I enjoyed filet mignon at Fort DeRussy, described in my journal as “the R+R center here.” I also noted that “You see a lot of guys around there on crutches.” We later walked around downtown and still later I joined other officers in attending the Romani Hotel’s “Topless Revue.” I noted in my journal: “Two dollars a beer.” Did I mention the price because it was high?
Five of us — Jack, Steve Curran, John Berquist, Frank Fox, and I — toured the island on 11 June. We had rented a 1969 Dodge Dart for $6.50 a day and $.06 a mile. 🙂 It was a state holiday — Kamehameha Day, honoring the king who first unified the islands — so things were crowded. First stop was Hanauma Bay and then Makapu’u Beach at the easternmost point of Oahu.
At Makapu’u, some or all of us tried body-surfing. I hope the others were more successful than me. Here’s my journal report: “. . . [T]his wave’s coming in, I wait, then start swimming down the crest. Next thing I know, my shoulder and head smash into the sandy bottom, and I’m flipped over and around, finally ending up being pulled back to the next wave by the undertow.” First time last time body-surfing.
Watched some real surfers at Sunset Beach. Then we went through Kolekole Pass, where we had an amazing view of mountains like none I had ever seen. On to the famous Makaha and Mauna Lahilahi Beach on the western shores of Oahu. Final stop before returning to the ship was Nu’unau Pali lookout, where, even at 2300 when we were there, you got a great view of the Windward Coast at night.
Hawaii photos from the cruise book
Among the supplies Biddle picked up in Pearl was $148,000 in cash, to be disbursed to the crew on payday. (No automatic deposits back then.) The ship also loaded 420 gallons of milk, 200 pounds of bread, and 50 gallons of assorted ice cream, among other things.
At 0800, 12 June, Biddle got underway for Guam.