| This
was Paul Campbell’s closing note on the 1994 Reunion’s newsletter,
which confirms the ROBINSON was scheduled for the DER conversion in the
Boston Navy Yard.
“Speaking of luck, maybe our ship
should be called the LUCKY ROBBIE instead of the ROCKIN' ROBBIE. You
remember when the European War was over our ship was sent to the Boston
Navy Yard to be converted for picket ship duty for the invasion of Japan.
We had orders, when the conversion was completed, to steam to Pearl Harbor
for the invasion. Our duty would have been to ward off KAMIKAZE attacks to
protect troop ships off the beaches.
While we were at Boston, Harry
Truman dropped the atom bomb, which ended the war with Japan. But we
were instructed to proceed anyhow. So we proceeded alone, heading for the
Panama Canal. Enroute, we received by radio orders to stop at Guantanamo,
Cuba, which we did. A few days later we received orders to return to
Miami.
I think Harry Truman had the ROBBIE in mind when he
decided to drop the bomb. A couple of months later might have been too
late. Thank you, Harry! When people criticize Harry for dropping the bomb,
I counter with one simple question. Do you think the Japs would have
hesitated to use it on us if they had it before we did?” |
