Admiral W L Capps (AP 121) - Naval Cruise Book

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L E'- Y.. YUPP0 It was easier gettzn g into the pool than it was getting out wasn't that the Pollywogs fought back to any great extent, but it just wore the Shellbacks out by the end of the day. The Polly- wogs had all the fun and the Shellbacks did all the work. We arrived in Noumea in the morning of 7 December. This was our hrst foreign port of the first voyage and everyone was anxious to get ashore and have a look around. The Iapanese had never been to Noumea but the Americans had taken over. Traffic on the streets was as heavy, considering the number of lanes, as it is on Broadway or Market Street- all with army trucks, jeeps, com- mand cars, ambulances, staff cars and bicycles. Only one-half of the crew got liberty but their four hours ashore stands out as the most riotous liberty of them all. The cargo nets carried strange cargo aboard that night. The next morning we departed from Noumea and set our 5. A Noumea Scene with a touch of the CAPPS the Zig-Zag pattern were usually visible. 'WW its-a.i.6b Smit course for Guadal- canal. lt was on this leg of the voyage that we passed through the Coral Sea and saw what a Uzero seal, looks like. The water was so calm that the big- gest ripples Caside from our wakej were made by the flying hsh. Our wake was visible all the way back to the horizon and since we were zig-zag- ging, three legs of hnlip In Noumea harbor the passengers bring their pier with them

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-unsung- l T 'l+ 3' Our First Customers-1200 Marines first port of call was San Diego, where we took on more cargo and 1200 Marine passengers. We sailed from San Diego on Thanks- giving Day, 23 No- vember, 1944 for Noumea, New Cal- edonia. The big event of the first trip was crossing the equa- tor. About QOKX, of the crew had never been to sea before let alone cross the equator. That made it tough for the Shellbacks who had to carry out the initiation. It 1 ff f ! X s' X' ,J 4 if fi 1 Davey? Calling Card K . nf f f f f X 2' 1 2 f I f I 3 iw Davey lone: presents King Neptune? compliments Zo the Skipper i . .fi X . rs.. S. s lib. V I l Pollywogs Crawl Past the Royal Court in -- - ,, .qi Il zum easier g6ZZZiiZg Wasnit that the Poiij:v.'0gs it just wore the Slielibaek wogs had all the fun VVe arrived in was our first foreign port anxious to get ashore and l never been to Noumea but on the streets was as heavy. on Broadway or Market Str mand ears, ambulances, sta the crew got liberty but thi most riotous liberty of the cargo aboard that night. The next morning we

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E 1 1-9-Q.. . -- .- A ., 3, W .nv fs -f Pr-rw. if 3, .... ' 2, Q 'Cf V ., . - . ,ss . . Y, ,' 'ln M, ,-,,, EQ? , A f 1 if? law' f Q - - - . 'f f .agp a ,, S ,aft 4 Q ., ,-' 1, t . ,. ,.x K t . Wa. . ,, .1 . I , t - , Qu? 'wk V D , f- gr-. gg, V T' 5' 'ff' af, it , f. . tt ,X ,nf ,Q , . ft ,,.f, A lap Transport under obsc'rvazz'0n on Guadalcanal We arrived at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, in the evening of 20 December and stayed there for three days unloading most of the mail. This was our first good contact fand the bestj with the Pacific Island natives. The Solomon Islanders were too lazy and unintelligent to work as stevedores so ia labor battalion had been imported from the Gilbert-Ellice Islands to work the cargo on the ships. They had learned to operate Winches and lifts but their greatest accomplishment was their skill at their version of foot- ball and their singing. Football to them was like volley ball to us, except that they played it with their feet with a ball of paper wrap- ped with twine to hold it together. Only their Sargent wore shoes and the rest of them had feet big enough to give them perfect control, of the ball. Their singing and dancing always drew a crowd at noontime. They sang their native Polynesian songs which had harmony, solos, counter-melodies and a lot of other musical qualities which this writer is not qualified to explain. At least, it wasn't the drum beating war chant that some of us ex- pected. It was at Guadalcanal that the ADMIRAL CAPPS began to feel that she really had a part in this war. As soon as the cargo was unloaded, the loading of passengers began. 353 of the pas- sengers were casualties- unable to walk. Another 358 were ambulatory casualties, who were quartered in regular troop spaces. Those who saw the number of missing legs and arms and band- aged eyes will never forget it. If we could take these men home quickly and safely we felt that we at least would have helped a little. Marine Cemetery on Guadalcanal it eff Loading Caszf We sailed for Esperito rah of December and arri' Uiloading of mail and en' th it night and the next mo or the afternoon of the nit th.: 23rd and arrived there hzd sailed on Thanksgivii afier Christmas. All of tl gtrs were unloaded at Sai wire on our way to San .l We arrived in San Pr ol December, 1944, comp covered in the inspections tlat at some time or ot