Manatee (AO 58) - Naval Cruise Book

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HOMEWARD BOUND ENS FINLEY ond RM1 DOYLE confer on work requirements for the upcoming yard period On February 3, the ship departed for home. Hoping to avoid the winter storms in the North Pacific, MANATEE headed on a longer, Southerly route passing 500 miles North of the Hawaiian Islands. Channel Fever — the anticipation of homecoming — made the transit seem even longer, but it looked as though the favorable seas and wind of the Southern route would pay off and the ship would arrive a day early. Accurate navigation was crucial to the ship ' s transit. (Above) IT KRIENKE. ship ' s Navigator takes a noon sun sight. RD3 RUSH- TON (Right) gives a lecture on proper phone talking technique during one of the daily training sessions. 62

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«, tu- 1f t. Sasebo lies in the distance from MANATEE ' S anchorage. It as a long boat ride for the liberty party. The ship was scheduled for a five day upkeep period to prepare for Northern operations and the transit home, but a casualty to another oiler required an immediate departure from Subic for services to a carrier group off Okinawa. The carrier CORAL SEA and her escorts were replenished on January 27 but during the unrep part of the span wire wrapped around MANATEE ' s screw. The ship limped into Sasebo and divers began to investigate the extent of the damage. It was considerably colder in Sasebo during this time than it had been in late August when MANATEE had passed through the Japanese port. With the prospect of up to a month delay in departing for home, most of the crew were feeling as miserable as the weather. But the divers from the repair ship AJAX were able to remove the cable using small explosives. The idea of sitting on a potential Molotov cock- tail while men used explosives underneath was less than comforting, but the success more than compensated for the discomfort. The crew took advantage of the outstanding shopping opportunities to buy cameras, pottery, and optical gear; pur- chases that had been postponed for the cruise. One of MANATEE ' S screws was damaged during the Jan. 27 Unrep. (Above) workmen hoist a screw into position during the yard period. 61

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On a quiet morning watch February 1 1 , Electrician Third FERGUSON saw a thin stream of lubricating oil spray out on the generator flat. The stream burst into flame and be- fore the fire extinguisher could be activated, half the flat was on fire. On the bridge, at the first word of fire, the Officer of the Deck, Ensign Jeff FINLEY ordered General Quarters sounded and the engines stopped. Five men con- tinued to brave the flames and twenty minutes after it be- gan, the fire was out. No serious injury was sustained but one generator was seriously damaged. Fire damage to much of the engineroom had occurred. Captain FAAS conferred with the Commander, Service Force Pacific, via radio and decided to continue to Long Beach rather than steam to Pearl Harbor. The blackened and dence of the fire ' s The fire started when lube oil sprayed from the control mechanisn of number two generator. EM3 FERGUSON on watch when the fire started stands beside a burnt out electrical controller. 63