1950's

Lipan was also active during the Korean War where she won numerous awards. On one mission she left Yokosuka on September 5, 1950 with Seabee pontoon docks and a warping tug in tow. On board were 20 Seabees of a dock platoon and 12 Seabees of a warping tug platoon. The Seabees were from the WestPac Det. of the 104th Naval Construction Battalion (later renamed Amphibious Construction Battalion 1). Lipan, with the USS Arikara (ATF 98) in company, arrived off Inchon, South Korea on the morning of Sept. 15 and discharged their tows. The Seabees set up several pontoon piers at Green and Opal Beaches on Wolmi Do Island. The Arikara also towed several Seabee pontoon dock sections to Inchon and had a Seabee pontoon dock platoon embarked.

(NOTE: The above information is from research for an article written by Steve Karoly USS Cocopa (ATF 101) for his magazine, the Seabee Log. http://www.seabeecook.com/ SeabeeCook Publishing, P.O. Box 908, Shingle Springs, CA 95682-0908)

Nils Pearson, Lipan crewmember during the early part of the 1950's, recounts this personal story of the first Thermo-Nuclear tests at Enewietok in November, 1952. I believe we were just 26 miles from Ground Zero on the Hydrogen Bomb Test and 11 miles from Ground Zero for the Atomic Bomb test a week later. I was in the engine room at the time of both detonations, so I didn't get to see the fireball. I did get to see the mushrooms later on while they were still climbing into the heavens. Some of us actually got pretty "hot" and mysteriously were hospitalized for 2 weeks in Hilo upon returning to Pearl Harbor. We were scared kids and young adults, by and large. Now, as we've gotten older and a bit wiser, we are perhaps more inquisitive about the handling of conditions back then. I'm happy to say that there are no apparent ill effects (to date). We did get pretty hot though, and had to de-scale our fresh water making evaporators while at sea so perhaps that was the reason some of us were taken in for hospital observation when we got back to Pearl. I'm sure there are some records as to what "really happened". Regardless, I'm thankful that my health has been good.

Lipan was involved in several other actions in Korea including planting buoys and retracting numerous damaged LST's from beaches, earning her another four battle stars.

Lipan departed San Diego on 3 Jan 50, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 10th. During February, she proceeded to Enewetok and Kwajalein, arriving at Guam on the 28th. She departed Guam in April, and proceeded to Saipan and Kwajalein. Underway from Kwajalein on 6 May, Lipan stopping briefly at Pearl Harbor on the 13th, then proceeded on to Long Beach where she arrived 20 May 50. Lipan remained at Long Beach until proceeding to Pearl Harbor during the period 20-26 Jun 50. During July, 1950, she steamed to Yokosuka in company with Conserver (ARS-39), and spent the remainder of the year off of Korea; first at Inchon, then at Pusan, Wonsan, and Sasebo, Japan. She returned to Inchon, where she remained through 31 Dec 50.