Manatee (AO 58) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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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What was this deployment like? After sev- en months in foreign waters, steaming six out of every seven days, working 16-18 hours a: day; time spent in Hong Kong, Singapore, what do you remember? Only a glimpse — a few images pf the time — can be readily re- covered. In the following pages a few of the images have been captured. We supported a fleet engaged in the longest, most demanding war in America ' s history. We moved back and forth from a home base to a combat line hundreds of miles away providing a link with a home even far- ther away. We remember the sense of being a unit, of combining the talent and skills of men from all backgrounds to do a job and do it well. And the images of sunset over the border i of Red China, of moonlight on an endless sea, and of a ship alongside help re-create the experience. 64