Blair (DE 147) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 15 text:

Quietly lies our BLAIR under tropic moon With all of the ships in Pearl Harbor lagoon At rest from her job to the north far away Awaiting the breaking of another new day. Her engines secured, her boilers cold Her trusty crew another year old- VANCE is to starboard, FORSTER to port, Resting, like us, in this pleasant resort. Twenty-three point five of Bravo piers ls where she nestles this New Years, Our services coming to us from the dock While our garbage watch there is watching the clock Picket ships all around-astern and ahead, Destroyers here too, quiet and dead, And a grim reminder across the bay, Of another December, catastrophic day ARIZONA lies there surveying the scene Keeping her watch over the water serene The still 'silent night envelops us all- ' But the watch is alert-we shall never fall. The security patrol makes his tireless rounds As condition YOKE is set in our bounds The quarterdeck watch always alert With disaster or danger we'll never flirt CINCPACFLT is SOPA here now, In charge of all-Destroyer and scow, Keeping his vigil in his buildings ashore Removed from the sea but not from the uwarf' For the war is around us, although it be cold, And we will soon join it ere the new year be old To do our job on the far distant sea To help save the world for humanity But resting we lie before returning to sea Proudly wearing our big white HE Toasting the old year, its 'gupsi' and its Hdowns' Hailing the new with smiles not frowns. 9 H. W. KINSLEY LT, USN

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Page 16 text:

SHAKEDUWN AND UNDERWAY TRAINING Now the BLAIR begins her extensive training known as Shakedown. Every member of the crew is trained, every department and even the ship itself goes through a rigorous program to determine what shape BLAIR is in after her commissioning. We also performed our competitive exercises at this time. BLAIR came through at the top of the list. Only a few short months was she in commis- sion and already we had won over every other ship in the squadron the HE for excellence in every phase of operation. We were now ready to take our place on the Barrier.