Joseph Kennedy (DD 850) - Naval Cruise Book

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La ntflt Exercises . And they did! 'Roll

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A After the rigors of the transit our reception, port after port, was doubly rewarding. The thousands of visitors who crowded aboard each day made us suddenly aware of an esprit de corps we had never admitted possessing previously . . . at the same time there was a definite feeling of home is the sailor, home from the sea once the ship was tranquilly moored and had shifted from navigational operations to social obligations. All in all, as we passed out pamphlets, gave directions, smiled, and answered the same half-million if T , 5, j questions daily, we found the limelight a very A 162'-2 warm and pleasant place to be. And when we took our own turn as tourists on the bustling streets of each new city, we came to know just how friendly the Mid-West could be, and to realize what beautiful music we could all make together. Of course, no one familiar with the vagaries , fsiftxf T , ,- of the Great Lake could expect that a cruise of this nature would be smooth and uneventful from beginning to end. The Lakes hold a restless and uneasy truce with the weather for most of the summer and, in Michigan City, we were given a frightening and costly demonstration of the power which lies dormant in those great bodies of water. A freak storm caught the ship quickly and violently, wresting it from its seemingly secure anchorage, and carrying it down on a stone and concrete breakwater. The damage was, under the circumstances, mercifully light, notwith- standing the total demolition of our motor whaleboat, and there were no personnel casualties. But we had seen what Great Lakes mariners know and fear--the awesome speed with which a storm can form and strike--and we had seen our own men acting with valor and dispatch to combat such a storm. We understood, more- over, that there were still some tricks to inland steaming which we had not, and could not, on a cruise of this duration, hope to learn. s Finally, there was the return transit to be contended with. Tired, but deeply satisfied by our reception i.n our ports of call, we confronted the twistings and turnings of the canals and the St. Lawrence with a more seasoned and ever respectful eye. It was good to be going home but it had also been good to be an honored guest in so many other people's homes and there was no one who had not derived some measure of pleasure and re- ward from our participation in Operation Inland Seas, As we manned our rails and tended our fenders once again, we could look back on outstanding liberty, skillful steaming, and a job generally well done. We found we had no complaints. 4

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L W 43. 1:3 bf' -L ,, '41 4' 5 Q if l . L- U- , -- .., - Tf. a ,Q Sensing complaint along the steam line, the snipes poured oil on troubled waters.