Elizabeth Stanton (AP 69) - Naval Cruise Book

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Snip ' s i c 1945 The average observer who sees a ship moving stealthily into a river or a harbor as he watches from a vantage point on the shore several hundreds of yards away, actually sees very little. His eye is met with, perhaps, a grey hull, and as in the case of the Lizzie, a designating number fon ' ard near the bow. P69 in white characters sharply stand out against this monotonous grey war paint. The ship moves slowly and carefully to its appointed spot and stops. The elements very regularly take their toll of the ship ' s immaculate appearance and it is the duty of human intellect and brawn to maintain the ship ' s smart lines. Someone, too, has to be on hand to increase the ship ' s speed or to retard it. The vast and massive engine that drives her weight through the water must be kept smoothly running. There are pumps, generators, blowers, shafts, cams, and eccentrics. None of them must fail, for if any one of them does, the ship ' s safety is immediately put in danger. The spray that falls over the ship ' s steel deck is as corrosive as acid and must be battled constantly; the staccato of the chipping hammers attest to the fact that the old bugaboo — rust — is being scaled from the decks and soon fresh paint will once more adorn the ship ' s sides and decks. We who comprise the crew ' s complement are fully cognizant of the vigilance of the deck and engine departments whom we proudly present here. We will not say that it is their responsibility to keep the ship in shape, but rather we will say that to these men goes the credit for keeping the ship so uniformly in order. It is not a job that may be left for the future; it is a task that must be done all the time. The boys who work on deck are also called on to get the boats in the water, and when the time comes to disembark troops and unload. To watch under difficulty and danger is to see that these boys know their jobs and do them well. These are the boys who also know gunnery, recognition of enemy ships and planes, and a hundred and one other collateral tasks that, collectively, make life aboard ship safer and more livable.

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he L c an tain ipk This Luckie Lizzie in which we serve is a siil)staiitiality with a personality, a reputation, and a fighting heart. She lives and breathes. She has a back- bone — her keel; she has ribs — her frames; she has a skin — her outer skin; she has vital organs — her engines; she has seeing and hearing facilities — her radar and radio; she has a respiratory system — her ventilation system; and she has the power of locomotion. Her life ' s blood is her crew of offi cers and men as they circulate through her arteries — her passageways. She has a soul — her ship ' s spirit. Altogether she is a substantiality which will pioceed straight toward Tokio, and never stop until, and if, God forbid, she is mortally wounded. 4! . i tt- D. A. FROST. Commander, United States Navy (Retired)