From the Shipyards main gate, sailors on liberty entered the town of Yokosuka. Usually their first stop was at the Enlisted Men’s Club, a short distance down the street.  Most found activities at the EM Club limited, however, so they soon moved on into town.

Options for sailors on liberty in downtown Yokosuka were varied…
 

Well, maybe not really so varied.

Some establishments catered to simpler tastes (left). And for the more intellectual members of the crew there was even a museum or two in the vicinity.

ROCHESTER remained in port just long enough to be readied for action in Korea, then got underway and steamed south along Japan’s east coast. 

She passed through Shimonoseki Strait between Honshu and Kyushu, then entered the Sea of Japan. Korea lay dead ahead.

ROCHESTER arrived off the east coast of Korea on 9 December and there joined the fast-carrier force deployed near the “38th Parallel” (38 degrees north latitude).  This is where United Nations forces were locked in a stalemate with the Chinese and North Koreans through much of the war.

 The primary mission of the fast-carrier group was to launch air strikes at enemy targets, and ROCHESTER’s main contribution to this effort (aside from her role as escort), was through her helicopter, which was routinely called on to pluck downed aviators from the sea.

As in her Korean deployment the year before, ROCHESTER alternated between steaming with the carriers and operating independently, or with a destroyer, for firing missions along the coast. In the above photo, she and the destroyer COLLETT are headed north for a raid far behind enemy lines.

ROCHESTER struck at targets all along the North Korean coast. Railroad junctions, bridges, and supply depots were among targets hammered at Kosong (just north of the 38th Parallel), Wonsan, Hungnam, Songjin and Chongjin (close to the Russian border).

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