Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book

 - Class of 1946

Page 19 of 90

 

Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1946 Edition, Page 19 of 90
Page 19 of 90



Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1946 Edition, Page 18
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Page 19 text:

ing spectacular about a ceremony that had been performed hundreds of tim b f l , es e ore. Scat- tergd around the variouslllnited btates advance bases were hundreds of Marquetles form- ' h l lk f th l ' mbgt C yu o e invasion s tipping used in every thrust at the enemy. Moreover i the A , n same Navy X and three belles ot the Heet were being groomedg the Urzsleany, the Kearsarge, and the Franklin II, Rfmn'-zwll. Ships such as these would cause a second look. Their com- missioning would be good for at least a newspaper column and their future actions would be followed in the comntunrques in months to come. . . it Nuptials are important to those concerned, however, .whether the girl be of piroud lineage A or one amongst many. To her assault boat crews, engineers, men .on deck or 1n the ward- room, the rllarqm'rrf y activ.tties would tulhll as an important part ID the ultlmate victory as her Sisters with acres ot llight deck or .sixteen inch guns. She was a ship with heart and s nerves requiring as much care and vigilance as any other This attention and care be an -A W. - g l., in ten hectic days at New York. P V--I .- 1-an-nt ' U' W 4 i l i if X Fr Ft l BE? f I JOIN THE NAVY A A k f if 4. 6 6 7 W . 3 Educauon 1 in , ,,,, ,f .f l, i '?h 'Q :--1' -Y f 3 f mx 3 r 5 is 1 3 JOIN THE NAVY 55 t -,J --JM -e Career l e 0 A r MW t ik O, it C65

Page 18 text:

YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE SOME PLACE TO PUT 'EM - Kearny - While the crew was being assembled and trained at Newport and Fort Pierce, the ship was under construction at Kearny, New Jersey. The keel for hull number 259, designated as the United States Ship Mar- quette, AKA 95, was laid in the yards of the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company during October of 1944, and the ship was launched on April 29, 1945. The Marquette, designated as an attack cargo ship, was converted by new construction from the Maritime Commission's C-2 type hull. Fully loaded, it displaces about 14,000 tons. It is approximately 460'feet long and has a beam of 63 feet. The AlKA's mission is to carry the equipment and cargo used in an amphibious attack, along with the boats and crews necessary to land this cargo on the beaches and to operate it during the invasion. The Kearny detail consisted mainly of the officers and men concerned with the material condition of the ship. Unlike Newport and Fort Pierce the immediate concern of the work was the ship itself, and training was in the background. In- stallation, familiarization, and inventory LAUNCHING were the order of the day. The primary April 29 1946 job was to learn how the ship was put to- ' gether, how to operate it, and to get it ready for the rest of the crew. Kearny had its lighter moments and was considered the prize of the different details. Per diem and New York always loomed, large as did the amazing office hours, were we in the Navy or were wein hea- Ven? Besides the nucleus crew, everyone had his particular reason Why he ought to be near the ship and Slzipiv Spirit reach- ed a maximum during this era The C0fI1I'1'11SS101'1lDg of the USS Marquette on June 20 1945 caused no more comment in the an nals of the Navy Depart ment than do any of the weddings chronicled in the daily newspaper columns Despite the wild tales em anating from New Jersey, a Shlp all in one piece COVIMISSIONINIG CEREMONY and going, showed up at June 20 1946 Brooklyn for the commxs sionmg There was noth J l s,r,, e U ' Law. .... ... .ff rsx- r tiff.. .,.. . , . . . , . . . 9' , I Q Q . .- C 5 J e A ,



Page 20 text:

l if UNE LAST FLING -- New York - Almost immediately after the commissioning ceremony, we began to load equipment and supplies. All hands were turning tof' almost continuously and were hoping that this steady Hood would soon ebb. 'Supplies by truck loads were coming out to the ship hourly, and men with clouded and weary thoughts toiled day after day until the last box came aboard. Its funny how little thoughts in the mind can become so large and frightening. Many of us wondered just how much good all this back-breaking work would do. How much of this effort and material would finally go into action? A million little thoughts can trouble a sailor while lugging a heavy box up the gangway. For almost two weeks the job of supply- ing and fitting out the ship continued. On the 29th of June, 1945 the work was completed. One last liberty would be granted -before leaving New York. It wasn't much of a liberty if it was compared with others of the preceeding weeks, or if figured on the basis of time, because it was only for eight hours. But we all knew it would be the last time we would see New York for quite a long time, perhaps never again. Things which a sailor likes to do most were packed into less time than ever. Pm not a resident of New York, but I have many friends there, so I spent those short hours saying 'So long', and celebrating with them. My evening was rounded up with a juicy steak smoth- ered in onions, french fries fdouble orderj, cole slaw, and a few ice-cold beers. The Hotel McAlpine will live in my mind for years to come. The last night ashore is always the hardest.for a gob to go back to his ship. The thought of not going back is always there, but it either is passed on in short order or drowned away before it becomes effective. For those of us who happened to live close enough to get home, it was harder still. Yet, we had a lot of men for whom even ten days leave would not have been enough to get home and say good--bye. Everyone had feelings that could never be expressed on paper - anyway, how could one put war on paper as it was felt? As we planned, on the morning of June 30, 1945 at 0930, our lines were released from Pier J-15 and tugs began to churn the water, pushing the AKA 95 into the East River. About fifty yards from the pier, a light shudder came over the ship to announce that our own screw was beginning to push the ship forward. just ahead lay the steel and stone structure of the Brooklyn Bridge. Few realize the traffic that passed over and below her in one wartime day. The next nationally-known land mark we passed was the Statue of Liberty. Though a symbol of one of our country's greatest assets, many of us had never seen it before nor were acquainted with the details of its structure. The Statue of Liberty was familiar to people all over the world. Citizens of France, Italy, Egypt, Australia, and India go out of their way for the opportunity of having us as American servicemen, tell them what the Statue of Liberty stands for really exists, We headed a short distance up the Narrows into the Deperming Station. All ship's clocks and watches were taken ashore to prevent their magnetization, as the yard H1611 were already putting the wires about the ship. The deperming process is used to neutra- l1ZC the magnetism a ship acquires while being constructed, After several hours, the WHYCIICS arid Cl0CkS were again on board, and we received our lines from the dock for the last time in New York Harbor. The tugs came alongside to ease us back into the bay once 47? 2 vi

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