ST. PAUL arrived to relieve ROCHESTER in WESTPAC during mid March, and for a brief time the two cruisers shared a pier at the Yokosuka Naval Shipyard.

A little over four months later, it would be ST. PAUL that fired the last shot of the Korean War at sea. That was at 2159 hours on 27 July—one minute before the cease fire went into effect. But on this day in March, ROCHESTER and her crew were happy to leave the closing months of the war behind them and head across the Pacific towards home.

A relaxed mood prevailed as ROCHESTER steamed eastward. A smoker on the after deck helped pass the time for sailors anxious to get home, and even the few days spent during a brief stop at Pearl Harbor were a few too many for most of the crew.

Long Beach California, 6 April 1953.





 

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