Macomb (DD 458 DMS 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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I 4 i il 211, xl: THESE VVEBE DUR LIGHTER MUMENTS gg. ,gt THE LAST STRAW It happened way back in the earliest stages of the Macis career. With a crew of seventy-five percent red-bottomed boots, we had just left Boston Navy Yard, heading for Casco Bay and trial runs. It was our first general quarters. Lieutenant Schmidling, then gunnery officer of the Macomb, was at his battle station in the director, trying to bring order out of chaos. And it was chaos. It was more than that, it was bedlaml Phone messages poured in from bridge, from the guns, from plot. No power on Gun 1 hoist. The trainer from Gun two is missing. The pointer's dials on Gun 1 are reversed. Everything was wrong, and nothing was right. The gunnery ofliceris neck began to swell, his eyes bulged, his face turned a mottled shade of red, sure signs that his none-too-stable temper was about to let go. Then it came. Pounding footsteps were heard on the over- head of the director. A face appeared in the con- trol ollieelfs hatch. not three inches from Lieutenant Sehmidling's suffused countenance. Who the hell are youiw roared the gunnery ollieer. eyes ablaze. Why: l'm the hotshellman for the directorfl was the prompt reply. 1Vhen last seen that man was going rapidly aft on the main deck, hotly pursued by Lieutenant Schmidling, murderouslv brandishing the remains of his battle headset. EXPLOITS A LA BROCK Among the many legendary characters who have served aboard the U.S.S. Macomb. there is none more outstanding in our memories than our former engineering officer, Lt. Fenelon A. Brock. It has been said of Mr. Brock that he knew the family history of every feed pump ' - 7 beafillfl' 8SS6mbly and jo-pot in the engineering ipaeeszu And it was probably true. But the Chief ' will be remembered less for his pro- fessional abilities than for his extra-curricular 50 activities above and beyond the call of duty We have direct reference to his many daririu escapades while under the influence of inkoholj pardon us, alcohol. One of his more notorious pranks occurred when, as executive officer and while the ship was operating with the USS. Ranger at Argenlia, in April, 1943. Our wayward chief, returning from the officer's club in the wee smai hours C and well in his cupsl, decided he must have ll shot of mud fto soothe his war-ridden nerves. no doubtl. Receiving no reply to his call for a steward's mate, he rang again. Still no reply. Staggering out to the quarterdeck, he informed the Bosunis mate of the watch i-n no uncertain terms this enunciation may have been garbled. but his meaning was clearl , to get that stewardis mate up here, and -- quick. llc returned to the wardroom, waited a reasonable length of time ffive seconds, at leastl, then. bursting into a rage, dashed madly up the ladder to the bridge, grasped the general alarm and sent the call to battle ringing through the ship! It was several minutes before the amazed 0.0.D. could grasp what had happened. Bc- fore he could pass the word to helay the QQ., the entire personnel of the ship-some three Mr. Brock works Uut

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Q1-gt bout. He opened with a rush and a of blows which would have startled a i foe. However, after his first- rush, Telly tired and Simmons landed game solid rights to win on a technical k.o. But it was another victory for the Mighty Mac, and the spectators. hanging from booms, guide- wires. and various sky-hooks and other points of vantage noisily pronounced the evening's matches a success. HOW THE MACOMB BECAME ATLANTIC FLEET CHAMPION Thg Mighty Mac has nearly always had a couple of hot softball teams, crew's and oflicer's. This fact became more apparent on the shores of Vialfordur, Iceland, when a team composed of seven officers, one chief, and two enlisted men tool: the field against a confident, jeering of- ficeris team of the USS. Alabama. The team from the battleship, feeling somewhat con- descending about even getting on the same Held with a makeshift outfit from a tin can, had as an umpire Chief Specialist Bobby Feller, an awe- some enough addition in itself. However, when six innings of the rc-quired seven had passed, the score was only 3-l in favor of the hattlcwagon, due mostly to righthe-lde-r Frank Swint playing a popfly off his hc-ad for an Alabama homerun. Came the top of the seventh and Doc Arling, by rr-fusing to swing at the ball. strolled for at ts alla. A couple' of outs sinnnered the rally down. until lilenn liopper jones drove out a liner, un which the Doc puffed around to second. placing jones on first. 'llhen pitcln-r john lit-nge-l slammed out a long hit and the doa' pounded past third and in-mfr-il for home by way of the .Xlalmnia ln-nvh. llard on his hm-ls rann' lloppvr. who got ln-hind and pushed. finally sh-ning the lloi- and himself down avross home plate- just as the vatm'lu'r tooli thi- pi-gg ln thi- plate-. 'l'hvn in the next inning. Shilll slvppvtl in llla' plztlv, vlost-d llih 1105. tllltl filllIN'1l out his first hit of the' svnson to get Us tl run for thi- xirlory. Side-light in tln- vonte-st uns the- fart that ltsu si-lf-stxh-d limos from liroolt- lyn 4-ontrllmti-d six nnpn-ssiw wlnlhngs in six times nt the- pint:-. M ORUN ? All incident took place on the bridge- of the Macomb while in the Mediterranean which has been an object of much laughter at one ship- fitterls expense. It seems that this man was tak- ing over the job of lee-helmsman for the first time, and having no end of trouble with the various signals. dog-vars. vtv. Alta-r one par- tivularlx had fonl-up. Captain llntvhinson. vxaspe-rate-d. nslwd him sarmstivally Nwhalis the matter. Salts-rs, are you a moron or sonn'thing? 'lin which thi- man indignantly replied, No, Captain. l'm a shipfittcrlu 49 at 5 1 in A V , E? if fi ii, fi '

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fi Z 5 'X f M 4 cxfcvfivf OFUCEK X 2 1 Q 3 lp f' ' Xi ii. 'i ' f C' L hilt 'Il ,. -.,:!f in-4 ix lf AE' xx .gl--lift. J 6 x -A 4- I i .'.'il Yfi 3'--4 Nb' xxx- 'H ff' X i id HZ? -. 1, A., ,, I -Q V 7 9 M LQM . l didn t want at In-avr anyway hundred lllttll turn' at hzittlc' stutiuns. grinnly lJl't'llZll'f!tl tn duff-nd thu ship tu tht- lust. 'lihvn :mer the l'.A. systf-in tvzunev tht- unrtl. Swtin- from gent-ml qimrtvrs. Que-stiuns im-xituhly nrusv. What was it all ulmut? Was it an drill? And whvn thu dupe' got around that it was ull lwrnttsef tht- lfxvl' wnntvd u nwss hm. nf-Il. hi- wzts 1-ull:-it se-vt-rail nznnc-s ln-side-s llr. lhwwlx thin night. Wu vain only say in passing that ne- sin- 1'e't't'lt' hupi' that he' gut his t'ull4'f'. 'lihvn lllt'I't' was tht- time- nh:-n this Slllllt' flint'- uvtvr. having lwc-mnv 54llllt'lNllill mit-rstinmlutt-tl nn tht- lwalvll. rt'turnt'd tu tht- ship at Iittlt- lute- lur tlinnvr. The' vaptztin lu-ing uhsvnt. ht- ttmls his plum' at tht- hvud nl tht- tnhle' und stnrtt-tl In inhztli' his suup. Uni' of tht- utln-r nlliw-rs. llllYlll2 vmiiplt-t4'tl his mvul. llftltit' In le-nw. X tvrrillit' roar l-l'tlIll Mr. llriwlx drnppvd hiln haul in his scat us if ln-'tt lwvn ruppt-tl with u uzillvx m . 0 - lnsvutt. l.it'utt'nunt liruclu ruse' lrmn his vhuir. wvnt tn his romn. and in u lnuttvr nf sm-owls was lmcli. Carrying his scrvicv 43. Wt-uviiig slightly. ht' l't'Slllllt'tl his chair. Slillllllllllg tht- pistnl flmsn beside his plate. hv conlnmmlctl tht- uttvntiun of the table. v Noun said hc. l'll shunt tht' lirst man uh-1 lvavcs lmeforc lim finished. Buy. svrw tht- nn-ut... And he pruceedccl with his meal in il tlmnl silence. Needless to say. not a man stirrecl. lint inn-t lun:-ins -ft all his 1-xplmts vunu- 'tt x x -I lllllf' lWll ll tw iw!-' --pvmlin: mth tht- liflllill 1 . - A n llunn' l'ls'e't tn lvvlttnl Nwipt l'ltm. :tml ntl XUIWXQIN. Iht- XIQU-.null nn- .mrlmiwl in llxatll- pmlnt .it tht- tinnv. .nnl tht-nv xms nun-h xlsitlnp lnuls .tml twill: lwtnwn tht- unit- 1-l tht- lhtlish and Kim-:ruin lil.-vt-, l'rih.ip- tht- lut thi! llll'lt' sm- Nutt h. um. gmel :nan I-v ln' lmil til--.intl the' '.. . . lllIllNll -hips inns lmw lwvn lll'lIllllll'lllill Ill plu- I uniting -nth inte-in.itlwn.nl .inntx. ln- that av- it nmx. mn XII. ll:-HL, was riuhl in llll'Il' pitrlnngg i .ts nsnzil. XM- hun- it nn gpml .lIIlllHlllX. lmln it nuztn Q ish-v nn- ilu-it-. th.il Nli. lh'-'lt nn this pan'- tivtilnl' night NJN ln-.nel lu Ivll .1 liigli-mnltingi ullirwl' ul mn- ul lla- Nlnp--tx s fllll'-VI' that ua- vwnltl and sh-'nhl tram: unl 1-nr Iurpvfln Inlwf- :intl smlt hi- gntltlnrn tnlf nlth mu' -zulu., 'Ilii- nns prulmlvlx his Itll'iI nl :trim-iitiuy ullif-fl l'l'lil- llttllFlllll', Xflf-1' ri-svsnnug him lrmn thc' f'UIIN'- 'llivm-e-s 1-l this lm-mill nl hn- lnrnmnt re-lute-s that ho' IIlIl!lZl2 fl . 3 ' pitzilitx . our in- mth gr:-nt fluf- hf-uliy tt. Ha-I Xlr lvrtwl-t mtv Ihr- ships lmztt. mlm-h fiwttiiiaitf-ly sm- -tzinfling hy at thi' gang- ttm, Un the' trip luirlt ln tht- ship nu grvzit :lis- lanl-p Hfqyrk il.-4-iflml lib iillit' UXVT llll' iillvl' and 1-unit tht- lmut hnnse-ll. l nfl:-r Ihr- N-'glut nl su lllllt'lI unltl. tht- ri-gulnr vnx-until had no 4-h,,p-p sm-1-vmlt-I-.-tl llle' ltllvl' lu lifrwli and triwl lu t'f'llN'H1l'f'V lllP Pm? f'I'F. 51 3 i 1 1 il S is 1 l l