Collection of Publications Printed Aboard the U.S.S. Hyades (AF-28) Pacific Theatre 1944-45

Item Details

A small archive of materials on paper produced onboard the U.S.S. Hyades (AF-28), a refrigerated combat stores ship delivering food, equipment, and other supplies to ships in the Pacific Fleet as well as remote stations and staging areas in the Pacific. Included in the collection:

• a 3pp. (8” x 10 1/2") typescript firsthand accountof a tour of the island of Okinawa
• a stapled mimeograph booklet(13" x 8 1/2") providing detailed lists of frozen and dry provisions, clothing and small stores and ship stores stock available for requisition and
• seven mimeographed menus/programs for special events onboard(each 8” x 10 1/2” folded to 8" x 5 1/4"). The stapled booklet has some toning and chipping from edges of a few pages, the balance of contents clean and well-preserved. About very good overall.

The ~1,400-word typescript offers authenticity and granularity that official reports or summaries often lack and is historically significant as: 

It is a primary source of post-battle conditions. As a firsthand account by a U.S. Navy service-member aboard the U.S.S Hyades of a tour of Okinawa shortly after surrender it provides a vivid, unfiltered look at the aftermath of the Battle of Okinawa, ‘the bloodiest and fiercest in the Pacific Ocean Theatre.’ It details the wreckage of war… destroyed landing craft, washed-up cargo ships, damaged military infrastructure. It describes Shuri Castle, it was a key Japanese command post and heavily bombarded (nicknamed ‘Bloody Ridge’ by the Marines). The writer notes it was “beyond repair,” emphasizing the intensity of the fighting. The descriptions of tombs, caves, and machine gun nests vividly portray the defensive strategies used by Japanese forces and the harsh realities of ground combat.

It provides insight into Military Life and Logistics, capturing the daily life of Marines and sailors - their rations, camp conditions, lack of water facilities, and make-do showers.The contrasts between the Hyades crew's conditions and those of Marines on the island illustrates the logistical challenges and hardships of sustaining forces in a war zone.

It presents a sometimes shocking view of Okinawan civilians and environment, notingdamage to native villages, agriculture, and the rugged terrain, giving a picture of the island’s geography and the toll the war took on civilian life.

It provides historical context for the transition from war to occupation, capturing the early phase of the U.S. occupation of Okinawa. The mention of camps for Japanese civilians and POWs, the state of infrastructure, and American control of strategic areas like Naha and Shuri illustrate the immediate postwar military presence.

It provides the writer’s reflections on the aftermath of the battle, life aboard ship, and interactions with occupied territories. He concludes with a personal note: relief, fatigue, and hope for discharge. The line “the quicker the better, but then that goes for we HYADES men also” underscores the service members weariness at the end of a long conflict. 

The ‘provisions’ booklet of descriptions, weight and prices of available goods in combat shows supplies needed in war and the seven humorously illustrated Hyades menus/programs give a glimpse of onboard life in war.