Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book

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DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH - Newport -- Newportl How our memories drift back to the isle known as McGruder's land and the Narragansett Bay water known as beer. Long before our arrival, we had heard of the wealth and beautiful estates that were Newport's. We never saw them, but we did see the Seven Seas, the Blue Moon, and the Naval Train- ing Station. 4 Upon entering this place of sanction, many of us were a little surprised, possi- bly because we thought that our boot days were over. We were quickly reminded that they were not, by the vast amount of signs that read, Square your hats , No smoking or eating on the streets , etc. Here was boots all over again. Such is life! February of 1945 was a month that marked the beginning of what promised to be a memorable period in the lives of most of us. The first days of this month were spent in preliminary training, rifle practice and the unforgettable Ships' Pool. Life there consisted mainly of mustering for colors and sack duty from then on. A few working details might have been called, but usually the boys would end up eating hot dogs at the Island Canteen. Then as a time-killer, there was the hike to the post office across Kidd Field with only the howling wind as company. As we were still new at Newport, it was a process of feeling our way through a maze of strange barracks to locate it, only to find that there was no mail and the only reward the return trip. By the end of February, the nucleus of the crew of the Marquette was chosen from the Ships, Pool, and even the most vivid imagination could not conjure the journey ahead. Though all were not present at the start, gradually things be- gan to shape up, and by hlarchi the entire shipls company had gathered. The ship's company occupying the left wing of barracks l804, often wonder- ed who was to move into the beautiful addition of this hotel that overlooked Narragansett Bay. Along about April, the answer arrived on a train that rolled in- to the base station. The L Division had arrived, with heads darting out of train windows and the usual round of yelling and looking about. Once on the platform, the boys marched in an orderly fashion across Kidd Field, chilled by the unaccus- tomed cold weather which was stubbornly resisting the onset of spring. Fort Pierce and Newport had combined and the lllarquette crew was complete. With most of the excitement of the new combination over, the ship's company and boat crews settled down to the task at hand - namely, schools, exercise, and a training program set up by the base. After muster each morning, all hands fell in with their respective divisions and the days work started. At the hot plant, the engineers operated an engine room on a ship that never moved. The deck divisions worked with booms and attended the various gunnery and fire-fighting schools daily. Fire-fighting would not have been too bad, had it not been for the cold wind that blew in from the bay. VVe sweated out oil fires, gasoline-line fires, and mock engine room fires until they all were an everyday affair to us. The bridge gang attended the radio, radar, and signal schools They Worked on the techniques of Task Force Organization and fought mythical ap Heets The quartermasters corrected charts by the hundreds and thought they would never get to use half of them They realized the error of their over pessimism now I3 ' - , c c c c c , I I . ' c . c c 4 7 J I ' 2 I t a C A' XFX: . . W WM, ' I , C 1 - - . . J. 0 'V 1 ' '4 iff? 5 'Tj V -Q sig ,N Y:-aff, x . 3 f' - , 1 A A, , V - . -'swirls'

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At the eind Of 21 100g d2W,S W0l'lC0ut, we returned to our haven to try to rest our Weary bodies and souls. More often than not, we would find a two-inch coating of sand on our sacks! then the two-hundred yard hike to the showers which often didn't have water. If we survived the shower-house without having to be taken to sick bay for repairs, we could trudge wearily back to the bunk, maybe for 3 good night's sleep or maybe for an eight hour pitched battle with the mosquitoes and sand flies. There are very few who won't swear that the insects came over in formations larger than Berlin ever saw in its largest raid, or that they argued out- side the tent whether to eat us there or carry us to the swamps. It was a pretty tough grind, but even so, it had its humorous side. For example, working parties were picked for the different details and assigned to a mastcr-at- arms. The odds were twenty-to-one that within ten minutes there would be noth- ing left of the working party. Where did they go? Ask any of them, each had a private place. Another infamous subterfuge was securing from sea maneuvers be- cause of a breakdown. Each day there seemed to be more and more wrong with the boats. Yet no one could find out just who or what was causing the trouble. Smart motor machs! The end of the course brought the toughest period of all, waiting for the ans- wer to the eternal question, Am I on a draft? God, please send me with the rest of the boys, I don't want to be left behind. Wham! We were on a draft. Big deal - AKA 95. I can't wait - at last a ship to call my own. More red tape, then at last, the final dress parade came. We passed with flying colors, the Hsuperu flotilla, so named because of its high percentage of petty officers, and the mighty LCM crews. All aboard for Newport, Rhode Island, at last. When the hour of the day came, we jammed our way into the awaiting busses with much shouting and display of released energy. We listened to a speech entiled, There shall be no intoxicating beverages on the trainn. Qnce at the station, we were put under what might be called Uprotective custodyn. This was as a precautionary measure only, for it was certainly not that they did not trust us. However, the middle men in the business world were still to be reckoned with. The boys that were not shipping out not only came to see us off, but also to do their bit to make it an enjoyable trip. The train pulled out and rolled away into the night. It was only a short time before a wave of joyous merry-making swept through the cars. As the stroke of midnight approached, the haze of smoke and laughter grew thicker, and menis visions began to fail them. By this time, every man burst out with a hidden talent for entertaining, and much agreeable diversion from the long trip was provided. The next morning those responsible for holding reveille had much difficulty in carrying out their job for some strange, but not completely unknown, reas-on. There were long lines to the scuttlebutts and a great demand for coffee. The greater part of this day we spent in our sacks. All was quiet while the miles swept by, and the atmosphere of a typical troop movement prevailed. Upon arrival at Newp-ort, the sight.of undress blues and pea coats was very strange and the weather a little uncomfortable. At first we were very fidgety because of the way everyone stared at our sun tan, but as time went on it became amusing and we got into pace with the Newport detail. Famous Last Words - Now the man with the keys to the Paint Locker, lay down to the Paint Locker ll' C25 1 ,

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,' 1 1 1 7 . After a month s sw eat, we were told that beyond the blue horizon the mighty Sarita was waiting to take the entire crew on a training cruise The Week came, officers and men fell in at quarters for muster with all their gear and we were off to the wars, the great battle of Narragansett Bay. The seabags seemed to get heavier with every step, but finally we made the gangway of the Sarita, an AKA of the two-stack Artemis class. A good percentage of the fellows, With 311 our experience , thought that five days was too long a time to be spent on a train- ing cruise. The first couple of swells, however, found all rails manned, ready, and in use. Arriving back at Newport after the cruise, we were greeted with that wonder- ful word, leave , What? Could a miracle have occured? Possibly one of the Ubosslsn cows had given two quarts of milk instead of one. Not the usual hve days, but sixteen days were in the offing. i Leave always reminds us of the transportation situation at Newport. From the gates of the Training Station, we proceeded to the bus st-op. After climbing aboard, we always had the choice of many seats, plenty of room, and a delightful trip to nearby Providence. Gnce aboard the train, after going from one car to another, the usual result was a seat in the baggage car. Then at the end of the leave there was the rather interesting night returning to Newport. Waiting at Grand Central for the Twentieth Century Limited to pull in, we shouted with anxiety for the station master to open up those pearly gates. As the mad scramble of swabbies roared and poured onto the platform, another station master was carried away to the nuthouse . Yes, a very peaceful place - Providence at three in the morning, perhaps one or two persons casually standing around the station. As the Limited edges its way in along track num- ber one, a mad crash is heard, with a sharp burst, doors fly off the hinges, civilians cling for dear life against the fence railings. The storm has broken, the Marquette crew has returned to Newport, and away to the hospital go a few more bystanders. We all awaited the orders to proceed southward, and started to pack. Again that feeling arose that comes at the end of training. Could we actually be leaving New- port? The band assembled and off we marched to one of the few trains that ever saw the Newport run. A couple of stray cats that took shelter in our barracks one night went along also. We didn't need a private dining car, we had a day coach and diner all in one. 'We had a quick lunch of cold cuts, apples and, if the guy on P5315-ei-we.-':.:i:::pi: .ve fu' fi ,1. 5, the platform came close enough to the train window, an appropriated cup of ICC cream. Gver the Hell Gate Bridge we rolled, through freight yards and finally the Armed Guard Barracks at Bush Terminal. This was it -- Brooklyn. fi er r ' if . 1,-1. ,Q wi. , wifza- I - '1' '-1 V ' sag , f , H: .fi , Y in 1,315 , 'qigjriillgllgjzgl t, :wif V ., W- Y Y I,:vV': -J.: ::U i ,wi-' 'LQ . C47