by Bert Royster
Ahhh yes, I remember it well...well parts of it
at least. T'was around 1965 or 1966 when we
pulled into one of the nicest liberty ports a
sailor man would want visit to catch a little R
& R. As I recall in Kaosiung, Taiwan there were
33 "On Limits" bars and EM club where mixed
drinks were 10 cents and beer was 15 cents.
Therefore, most of our crewmen had a mixed
drink...or two...or possibly three at that EM
club, before visiting the cities
establishments...that catered to we visiting
sailors wants/needs. The people in the city
were friendly, but a downer was that the country
was on a war footing. Anti-air craft guns
positioned/manned on roof tops, Taiwanese
military patrolled the city...all made for a
strange feeling while you were there. We came
from an environment from doing most everything
a war ship can do in 'Nam, then to suddenly
visit a city appearing ready for war to break
out at any minute...did make for a strange
mental attitude.
Since OUR 'Dirty Ernie' was anchored in the bay
we all had to take water taxis to/from the
ship. Further, to actually get into
town required a little trek through a rail road
yard. Going over the rail road tracks we had to
watch out for passing trains and go around
parked box cars, etc. It was very easy to do
going ashore, but it became much more
difficult...after an extended visit to the EM
club!
I awoke one morning to hear the ship's "rumor
control"
a-buzz with "the word" that something
really weird had happened the night before.
Strange, but true was the event that would now
demand we leave port ASAP!
It seems one of our fine crewmen was headed back
to the ship in a rather inebriated state. As he
went to cross the railroad yard he came upon
this running train engine...with no one around.
So, just what should our brave 'freedom loving'
crewman do to help in a situation like that?
Well, the only logical thing of course...try to
save it from possibility being stolen by the
Communists. With that in mind, he clambered
aboard the engine and was apprehended trying
to drive the darn thing down the tracks to a
safe location. Well anyway, I heard that was
his version of what he
was doing when he got caught and he was sticking
to it!
Captain Smith had to immediately go apologize
for his ship's crewman's little faux pas to the
Taiwanese government. By doing so he was able
to get the crewman released from their custody.
Then the Captain was politely, but firmly told
to cut our visit short...basically
the USS Ernest G. Small was directed to 'get out
of Dodge'!
So, with a heavy heart, we hauled up our
anchor and steamed out of the
harbor...forthwith...headed for new adventures
at sea. at sea.
I believe we may the only US destroyer to
ever be '86ed' from Taiwan. The ironic part is
what became of our ship? We all know the
answer...she later became the pride of the
Taiwanese navy and renamed the Fu Yang.
If anyone can fill in more of the details of
this event, please do so as my memory fails.
For example, I don't remember the name of the
crewman. I just remember he instantly became a
pariah to me, since I had saved my Liberty
Money for something realllllly interesting.
WETSU!
Bert Royster,
STG2 1964-1966
