| supporters to
Taiwan (or
Formosa as it was often called). The U.S. was a vocal supporter of
Taiwan,
and the 7th Fleet did what it could to shore up that support.
One of the means of
this
support was to run continuous patrols of the Taiwan Straits. This
patrol
duty generally was conducted by a destroyer or two. There were a couple
of islands -- Quemoy and Matsu -- that were claimed by Taiwan, and they
were only a few miles from the Chinese mainland. So you can imagine the
consternation stirred up when our destroyers brazenly scooted between
these
islands and the mainland, practically spitting in the eyes of the
Chinese.
Of course no violence ever broke out between the two sides but any time
one of our ships had the nerve to engage in this little cat and mouse
game,
the Red Chinese would issue the latest in what they termed "Serious
Warnings".
They would cite the latest provocative transit and with heavy
seriousness
and overtones of dire consequences castigate the U.S. for violating its
territory and label this act "Serious Warning No. umpty-ump".
Now the Kawishiwi,
of course,
not being a man-of-war, didn't get much chance to engage in these fun
and
games. The Formosa Patrol ships would and our ships were actually
sailing
between Quemoy and Matsu and the mainland. Once or twice, enroute from
fleet exercises near Taiwan and on our way to well-deserved shore leave
in Hong Kong, we would be directed to transit the Taiwan Straits. I do
remember one such occasion, and if we didn't actually thread the needle
between the mainland and the Quemoy/Matsu islands, we came very close.
And as navigator at the time, you can be sure I was dead certain as to
our location. And yep, you guessed it, before you could say "Jack
Robinson"
or whatever, the Reds had come out with, what else, "Serious Warning
No.
umpty-ump." I think the captain probably regarded it as the equivalent
of a decoration for meritorious service, and I wasn't all that upset
either,
especially since by the time it was received I was probably enjoying a
drink at sunset at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong, which
at that time was located well up the heights of Victoria Peak with an
unmatched
view of Hong Kong harbor.
Chuck Janurary
2003
The Captain was
Harry A.
Seymour USN. I can remember having coffee on the bridge
while
we were refueling the destroyers. Many years later while at
the NAS Guantanamo, Cuba I learned that the Kawishiwi and her crew
received
the Armed Services Expeditionary Medal for her 5-6 day services
in
the Taiwan Straits. All I could remember was coffee on the
bridge.
What a way to earn a medal.
Ed.
Bulluck. Janurary 2003
I was aboard her at
that
time. I believe we spent a total of 31 days cruising the Straits. Bob
Taylor
Janurary
2003
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