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Following service in Alaskan waters LCT 356 "left AK in June, 1943, returned to San Francisco, CA, was loaded intact on an LST, transited to Pearl Harbor. At Pearl I relieved the Officer in Charge, Lt. George A. Braun, Jr. , and took over as Officer in Charge. We then sailed for Saipan and participated in the Saipan invasion (another Battle Star for 356.) LCT(5)-356 was disabled during a night landing on the southern tip of Saipan: We were being pounded while beached by wave action which forced the stern portion down a coral head repeatedly, thus knocking all 3 main engines out of line and disabling the ship. Before this happened I had requested the controlling PC to let me back off and beach again. Permission refused. I protested to no avail. We finished unloading and after daylight were towed off the beach by a Fleet Tug. The Tug patched our leaks with hydraulic cement and used the LCT as a barge to carry launching timbers, etc. on which LCTs had been launched and were floating around the beachhead area, causing a hazard to navigation. I and my crew were transferred to LCT(6)-967 relieving the skipper, LTjg. Blackman and crew. LCT 967 and I stayed at Saipan for a year unloading ships anchored in the open ocean and taking cargo to shore. Our cargoes consisted of everything imaginable from beer for the Air Force, spare B-29 engines and principally 500lb. bombs for the B-29's based on Saipan, plus mines for mining Japanese harbors."

John C. Emison Jr.
28 Namecoyic Way
Chatham, MA 02633

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