Menifee (APA 202) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 108 of the 1946 volume:

LgjidK|U!fi £fa FOREWORD This book is in no wise to be mistaken for a diary of wartime events — better still, it is to be looked upon the future as a helper to man ' s ever- fading memory, fl man will very likely never forget the year he spent at sea, nor will he forget his ship. To help remember through the years the simple pleasures we were able to seek, the men who, through a year of war became our ship- mates, the hours of chipping paint, and the sound of general quarters, we have compiled this book. If in the future a book will help you to remember the ship that carried you six times across the Pacific — through enemy territory and into the tropics — and if it will give pleasure in recalling some of your shipboard days — this book has served its purpose and its creators will ask no greater reward. The Editor. STAFF Managing Editor L. J. Blair, QM3c Writers Ens. T. G. Garst Ai Weinstein, RMlc Art Editor...., C. A. McCann, RdM2c Artist C. E. Works, RdM3c Assisting in Layouts P. C. Beck, RdM3c Photographer Chief Pharmacist F. C. Donahae Assistant Photographer. Ens. A. A. Brenny Contributing to the book ' s speedy production were Fisher, E. L., Ylc; Philbrick, J., Y2c; Hendershot, D. J., RdM3c; Davis, R. M., RdM3c and Dahl, H. R., RdM2c. TABLE OF COimnTS Introduction — Foreword — Staff — Contents — The Attack Transport — APA in Action — Letter by our Captain — Our Captains — Executive Officer and Dept. Heads — The Menifee — Amphib- ious Shield 1-12 Section 1 — Menifee under construction — Plankowners cert. — Officers roster — crews roster — Pre-ship training — Commissioning — Rigging for sea 13-24 Section 2 — Menifee travels — Crossing the Line — Shellback pictures — Certificate — Church call at sea — Map of travels — The invasion of Okinawa — Occupation of Nagasaki — Mog- Mog — Islands liberties 25-48 Section 3 — Group pictures of all divisions — Watch standers — Chiefs — Activity shots of all divisions — Group officer pictures — Bottoms up — In Memoriam 49-88 Section 4 — Plan of the day — Joe Pot — Sports — Remember? — Golden Gate 89-99 THE ATTACK TRANSPORT Since Guadalcanal and Tunisia, the Navy ' s APA ' s, attack transports, have been carrying Allied fighting men and their gear to the coasts and on to the beaches of enemy-held territories. APA ' s are fitted to land 1500 assault troops on a schedule timed to the second and to put ashore the cargo of war behind the troops during a few succeeding hours. Although this landing of assault troops against opposition is the special- ized job of the APA, the more frequent duty is that of carrying men and cargo between friendly ports. Between in- vasions, the APA ' s ply the seas without letup, so that after a few months on an attack transport, a sailor has seen more lands than the average person does in a lifetime. What kind of a vessel has the Navy built for this duty? The U.S.S. Menifee, typical of the latest APA class, is a modified version of the Maritime Commission ' s Victory ship. It is 455 feet in length, 62 feet in beam, and of 10,452 long tons displacement. A 8500 h.p. steam turbine and the newly-developed high pressure boilers form the heart of the engineering plant. Sufficient fuel is carried for a non-stop 13,000 mile trip. A 5-inch gun, five multiple-barrel 40mm mounts, and 10 20mm guns enable the Navy transport to defend herself against aerial attack. The twenty-odd assault boats carried on these ships are the reason APA ' s are not ordinary passenger and cargo vessels, but attack transports. Twenty-two of the Menifee ' s 26 assault boats are LCVP ' s, that is Landing Craft, carrying vehicles and personnel. They ' re 36 feet long, weigh nearly nine tons, can do 10 knots on a 225 h.p. diesel engine, and are manned by a crew of four. Similar in size, slightly differ- ent in appearance, are the LCPR and LCPL, one of each being carried on the Menifee. They are ordinar- ily used for boat salvage and control, and are armed like LCVP ' s with two .30-cal. machine guns. The remaining two boats carried on APA 202 are LCM ' s, the granddaddies of assault boats. LCM ' s are from 50 to 56 feet long, weigh 27 tons, do 10 knots on two 225 h.p. diesel engines, and have a crew of five. An LCM can take a medium tank ashore. It has more armor them the smaller boats, and carries two .50-cal. machine guns. Manning these boats are the 130 officers and men of the Boat Group. Another group of specialists, approximately 50 of the 500 man total complement aboard, are the Beach Party members. They are the ship ' s representatives on the beach during an amphibious opera- tion, and in their battle dress are indistinguishable from Marines. The Beach Party receives intensive training ashore before reporting aboard for duty. Now the APA ' s, which were in every operation during the long way up from Guadalcanal, are concluding an honorable war record with their part in the occupation of Japan. And the last job, as well as the happiest, will be the returning of veterans to the States. Under the Shadow of a Tropic Squall, an APfl Convoy Saipan — and a glimpse of versatile float units. Funny, though, it ' s hard to get and keep a good tan in the tropics. in reply refer to: APA 202 Serial I S S. MENIFEE IAPA-202I % Fleet Post Office San Francisco, California By the time this book goes to press, the Menifee will have been in commission for a little more than a year. During this year, it has been my privilege to watch the ship develope into a fine and well-functioning unit, of which you and the Navy can well be proud. It is with a feeling of pride that I remember the organization of the ship ' s crew. Most of you were somewhat green when you first came aboard; and it is a credit to the nation that you worked hard and were willing to learn from the old salts the business of running a ship. If you had failed the ship, she would have failed with you. lou learned your work well, and further than that, you took and still take pride in your ship. That ' s what makes a ship pride in her appearance and performance. The Menifee may not have seen as much action as some ships, but whatever job she has been assigned, she has done well. Much of the credit goes to our former commanding officer, Captain Spaulding, who so ably commanded the Menifee. I have endeavored to carry on his policies after taking command. But, however much credit is given to Captain Spaulding or to me, a larger amount is due to you, the officers and men of the U35 Menifee. ' Without your whole-hearted and spirited co- operation and diligence, no man, however well qualified, could have made this ship what she is today. 1 aeem it an honor and a privilege to have served with you. j kfe azmadrt OUR CfiPTRinS Commodore Knowles, Commander Transport Squadron 12, was in the habit of calling commanding officers of ships in his squadron to the microphone of the inter-ship radio and asking them in blunt and highly embarrassing terms, to account for the inadequate performance of their ships. This was never the case with Capt. Paul P. Spaulding (left) or Lt. Comdr. Robert D. Lamson (right), who served as the Menifee ' s captains. In fact, when the Commodore passed out the Well Dones the old 202 was usually near the top. This was particularly the case during the occupation of Nagasaki, when Captain Lamson, a young man wearing the gold oak leaves of a lieutenant commander, got his troops and equipment ashore while other APfl skippers, wearing age-corroded chickens on their collars, were still getting the lay of the land. find our skippers weathered another acid test, when a Menifee seaman deuce meets a buddy, an- other seaman deuce from another flPfl and is asked, How ' s your Skipper and Exec? The answer is, Good, damn good! EXECUTIVE OFFICER Lieutenant Commander Nathan E. Dozier DEPfiRTmEIlT HERDS Top row: Lt. A. Clark Fleehart, Lt. John W. Drannen, Lt. Elmer E. Shine. Bottom row: Lt. (jg) Donald E. Clark, Comdr. Samuel B. Rentsch, Lt. Comdr. John M. Owen. 10 tl [BUILDING THE MENIFEE Boilers- they make her go Launching day. The stern In 1944, the production magic of Kaiser ' s ship- yards on the West Coast was turned to the building of assault transports. U. S. Pacific forces were bringing the war against Japan to a climax when Kaiser yards at Vancouver, Wash., Port- land, Ore., and Richmond, Calif., started deliv- ering APfl ' s to the Navy for the final assault on the Japanese home islands. The U.S.S. Menifee (flPfl 202) had her begin- ning 21 July when her keel went down in the Vancouver yard. Due to hurry-up Kaiser meth- ods, such as pre-fabricating whole sections of ships separately, the Menifee ' s building pro- ceeded at a pace unheard of in peacetime. Eighty-six days after the keel was laid, a bottle of champagne was smashed against the Meni- fee ' s bow, and the mighty M slid down the ways into the Columbia river. Outfitting took another 20 days. During this period, nearly all the warrant officers and sev- eral other officers and men assigned the Meni- fee were aboard her becoming familiar with their new ship. On 4 November, the Menifee steamed down the river to Astoria to be com- missioned and taken over by the Navy. b X- About to leave the ways The mighty M tastes water ROSTER OF SHIP ' S OFFICERS Captain Paul P. Spaulding Lt. Cmdr. Robert D. Lamson Lt. Cmdr. Nathan E. Dozier Lieut. John M. Owen Lieut. A Clark Fleehart Lieut. John W. Drannen Lieut, (jg) Joseph R. Royston Lieut, (jg) Carl L. N. Erdman Lieut, (jg) Roger Walwark III Lieut, (jg) Rex W. Beers, Jr. Lieut, (jg) filbert K. Gilbert Lieut, (jg) Claude L. Yarbro, Jr. Lieut, (jg) Stokes L. Sharpe Ensign Edward J. Mroz Ensign Allen A. Brenney Ensign Charles H. Ansel Ensign Tom Garst Ensign Bertel R. Westman Lt. Cmdr. Samuel B. Rentsch Lieut, (jg) Frank R. Morrow Lieut. Edward R. Bartkowiak Lieut. Elmer E. Shine Lieut, (jg) Joe G. Schoggen Lieut. Charles F. Holland ChMach Louland M. Weller ChPharm John M. Donahae Bos ' n Mike J. Trens Elec James A. Holder Carp Lawrence J. Klinefelter Act ' g Pay Clk Russell J. Robbins Act ' g Pay Clk Thomas C. Welsh Lieut. John D. Watts Lieut, (jg) Lloyd J. Crandall Lieut. Harvey T. Pullen Lieut. Lucius H. Burris Lieut. Richard A. Foster Lieut. Jay R. Brunner Ensign Robert E. Rickett Ensign Stewart W. Allen, Jr. Ensign Donald E. Clark Ensign Irvin L. McClure Ensign Robert W. Vagle Ensign William R. Custer Ensign Donald J. Cody Ensign Edward H. Finkelstein Ensign Leon E. Aronson First Lt. Eddie G. Sparkman Adams, Donald B., S2c Adams, Louie C, SF3c All, George W., MM3c Amy, John A., MoMM2c Anderson, Earl, StMlc Augustine, William J., S2c Awe, Robert, S2c Babcock, Fenton (n), Sic Bailey, Glenn N., EM2c Bailey, John W., SF2c Baker, Clyde W., SClc Barrett, Floyd J., BM2c Bartholomew, Herbert G, CRM Bates, Benjamin M., Stic Bauer, Robert H., EM3c Beach, Conrad T., Sic Beck, Paul C, RdM3c Bednorz, Michael G, SF3c Bell, James F., Cklc Bemoll, Richard A., MoMM3c Bennett, Robert J., EM3c Beranek, Thomas E., Cox Bergen, Andrew J., Flc Berliner, Irving I., Sic Bessette, Herve L., SSML2c Betkel, William D., S2c Bisick, Peter R., S2c Black, Ha vis H., SMI c Blackie, John W., Flc Blair, Lawrence J., QM3c Blair, Russell H., SC3c Blankenburg, Earl D., Flc Bond, Howard G., Sic Borsuk, Edward J., GM2c Bowen, Henry G, StMlc Boyd, Fred Bruce, Jr., GM2c Boyle, Joe D., Sic Brennan, Ralph G., Jr., CM2c Britton, James Z., PhM2c Brown, Frank, SC2c Brown, Henry J., CK3c Brownfield, Ed B., S2c Brownlee, Theodore (n), StMlc Buckner, Earl M., Sic Burgess, Denwell L., Sic Bye, Truman E., MaM2c Caddell, Aiken K., CBM Caiiano, Carmine A., MoMM3c Cain, Chester A., Jr., S2c Caldwell, Vaughnon W., GM2c Campbell, John B., RM3c Carl, Richmond C, EMlc Castine, HenryA.,CWT Caudle, Lowell D., EM3c Causey, Alsee (n), StMlc Chilenske, Michael J., MM3c Clark, Eldon R., CM2c Clark, Leslie M., WT2c Cline, Eugene, SM3c Guff, Orson L, MoMM3c Colston, Thomas E., SF3c Connelly, Frederick W., SM2c Copeland, Roy L., SC3c Corner, Joseph (n), StM2c Costa, George (n), GMlc Crew, Carl O., SM3c Crispen, Claude A., Sic Cross, Alfred L., CSM Cruny, Charles (n), BM2c Dahl, Harvey R., RdM2c Daigle, Clyde L., Cox Davis, Howard I., BM2c Davis, Robert E., MoMMlc Davis, Roy M., RdM3c Dees, Seth W., Jr., CCS Delaney, Lester R., Bkr3c Diecker, Warren B., S2c Dotson, Randolph V., BM2c Doughty, Louis J., Ylc Douglas, Carl F., RdM3c Drake, Edward O., CMlc Dumont, Willard H., BMlc Duperre, Henry Romeo, BM2c Duran, Michael O., RM3c Durham, George J., MoMM3c Durick, Howard R., PhM3c Eckert, Paul M., Flc Ellingson, Kermit B., Bkr3c Erickson, Edward L., PhM3c Ervin, Bueford G., PhM3c Eubanks, Tommie J., Cox Farago, Joseph, Jr., Sic Faszer, Marvin L., SSML3c Fayter, Jack O., Sic Field, Keith G, SM3c Filer, Herbert, Sic Fisher, Ernest L., Ylc Fisher, Jewel, Ck2c Fletcher, Robert S., Cox Foley, Henry T., Cox Fontenot, Donald D., EM2c Ford, Harold A., Sic Ford, Luke, Ck3c Forrester, Kenneth, S2c Foster, James A., SSMB2c Fox, William R, SC3c Frainey, Andrew P., CMM Frankel, Albert A., Bkr3c Freeman, Russell W., MoMMlc French, Justin G., Sic Fronk, Leo J., Sk3c Fry, Willis E., EM3c Garod, Aaron, Sic Garofalo, Anthony, BMlc Garshman, Daniel, Cox Gauthier, Raymond J., CM3c Garzione, Angelo J., Cox Gehringer, Kenneth A., MoMMlc Gentry, Charles C, Cox Geyer, Louis F. R., SM2c Gfeller, Vernon, QM3c Gillespie, Nay L., BMlc Gleason, Warren, PhM3c Glebocki, Matthew B., Cox Glowacki, Thaddeus J., PhM3c Goldberg, Herbert S., RM3c Goodall, John E., PhM3c Gordon, Marvey S., RM2c Gray, Ke nneth T., Cox Gray, Robert J., CY Green, Raleigh E., SF2c Greenly, Bertram J. W., BM2c Greer, Lewis R., Sic Gross, David L., Sic Guido, Angelo, Sic Gutman, Fred J., Flc Hagins, James S., Cox Hamilton, Giles S., FC03c Hansen, Alvin A., SKlc Hartman, Lowell M., Sic Hawkins, Jesse A., MoMM2c Hendershot, Dale J., RdM3c Henley, Clarence L., Sr., MM2c Herrera, Antonio J., Sic Hill, HarlandO., PhMlc Hodge, James B., CMM Hoggard, Richard S., EMlc Holland, Alvin J., Bkr2c HollieOris, StMlc Hopkins, Dallas D., Sic Hunt, Charles, PhMlc Hunter, Joe P., Sic Hunter, Sanford P., SKlc Hutcheson, Clyde D., EM2c Inskeep, Richard M., MMlc Ireland, Newell J., MoMM3c Isackson, Raynar W., PhMlc Jansen, Donall, RM3c Jaworske, Bernard, SMlc Jenkins, Calvin A., St3c Jobe, Laquence, StMlc Johnson, Cecil P., Jr., Cox Johnson, David B., RM3c Johnson, Harvey D., OM2c Johnson, Robert L., RT2c Johnson, William L., SSML2c Johnson, Willie, StMlc Jonas, John J., CM3c Jones, Jack J., MoMM2c Jones, Thomas H., S2c Jones, Wesley D., Sic Jordan, Thomas E., Cox Kasler, William, CPhM Keller, Lloyd E, PhMlc . Kenison, Everett L., SSMB3c Kelly, Michael J., PhM3c Kilbridge, Lawrence E., Flc Kimberling, Frederick K., CSt King, William E., SM3c Kirk, Jess W., MoMM3c Klepacki, Stanley A., BM2c Kopischke, John P., MMlc Kozlen, Robert, Sic Krabiel, John B„ Sic Krawczyk, Mitchell J., F2c Krolikowski, Carl S., Cox Krywanski Gerald L., Cox Kunkel, John H., MoMM3c Kurdyla, Walter J., Flc Labinsjjy, George M., Sic La Faive, Elzure, MM2c Laird, Harry R., MM3c Langston, Kenneth, Jr., Y2c Lariviere, Rolland E., MoMMlc Larosa, Anthony J., Sic Lasda, Alfred, MM3c Lay, Vaughn S., Cox Leaman, Richard H., Bkr2c Leden, Gordon H., MoMM3c Leiter, Freeman, RM3c Leneweaver, Harold C, PhM3c Lewis, Donald, SK2c Link, John H., PhM3c Linville, Carl C, CBM Lister, Michael J., Ylc Lockhart, Richard C, Gm2c Logerquist, Lloyd E., SF3c Long, Richard N., SC3c Long, Wallace R., Sic Lorang, John F., RM3c Loranger, Gilbert H., GM2c Lowder, Clair J., S2c Luce, Robert A., MoMM2c Lyon, Marion G, RdM3c Mackes, Stanley E., WT3c Maddox, Harry L., StMlc Maranzano, Michael J., Sic Martin, J. C, St3c Martinez, John T., Sic Materne, Frank W., Sic Matheson, Charles E., CCM Matzenbacher, Alfred C, CSF Mauger, Arthur J., WT3c Maugherman, Dwelley L., Sic Mayrose, Francis B., FC2c McAnally, Charlie W., RM2c McCann, Charles A., RdM2c McCannon, Charles F., Sic McClure, Joy P., S2c McCoy, John M., CGM McCoy, Robbie D., Sic McDonald, Lonzo M., F2c McFarlane, John C, Cox Meinen, Clarence W., Sic Mendonca, Edward, Cox Mendonca, Manuel M., SFlc Menees, Gerald E., CMM Metheny, Max J., Sic Michalak, Norman R., EM2c Miller, Harold L., SM3c Milstead, Norris, BM2c Minson, Earl F., GM3c Mitsch, Clemmens L., GM3c Moore, Edward J., EM2c Moose, Robert L., CM3c Morehouse, Kenneth B., S2c Morgan, George J., Sr., SK2c Moss, John L., Jr., Sic Mulloy, Edward P., GM3c Murrell, Arthur S., Sic Musser, Vernon F., GM3c Nastav, Rudolph J., Sic Napier, James C, CMlc Neff, Lester B. SKD2c Nelson, John E., RMlc Nenno, Peter J., Sic Neshek, Russell E., Sic Nesterowicz, Leo, Sic Neugent, Richard V., Jr., MM3c Nicholas, Harold, BM2c Nicholson, Merle H., SK2c Nicolai, Theodore W., Jr., QMlc Niziolek, Edward M., Cox Nizol. Frank H., Jr., Cox O ' Connell, John G.. S2c O ' Connor, Paul E., Sr., Cox Okra. Robert S., St3c Olin. Oren W., RdM3c Oliver, Philip B., Cox Olsen, Leonard R., SFlc Olson, James R., MoMM3c Olson, Robert I., S2c O ' Neal, Arthur L., S2c O ' Neill, lames D., SF3c O ' Neill, Thomas J., Jr., BMlc Osborn, Richard, Sic Osbom, William E., SF3c Ormsby, James A., Sic Osherhoff, Philip, Flc. Paciorek, John S., Sic Padoleski, Raymond J., GM3c Paduano, Joseph A., S2c Painter, Gordon L., SFlc Palese, John P., Sic Pandolfi, Rocco M., FC03c Panicola, John J., Sic Parshall, Donald M., SK2c Parsons, Bernard W., MM3c Pastore, Clyde W., Sic Patterson, Burl W., Cox Patterson, James C, S2c Pattie, Jack H., BM2c Patin, Ivory, StMlc Paulisch, Eugene B., Sic Payne, Jesse O, Sic Pedersen, Earl F., MoMM2c Peeler, James, CK2c Pelan, Daniel, FC3c Percy, James C, CSK Perkins, George S., Sic Perkins, Walter G, BM2c Phelps, John W., WTlc Philbrick, Jack, Y2c Pierce, Nelson C, MoMM3c Pillow, Robert M., RM2c Pirnie, Gilford A.. S2c Pittsley, Clifford V., Sic Place, Walter W., Sic Poland, James A., MM3c Pope, Max L„ BM2c Post, Norman E., Jr., Sic Powell, Clarence E., Sic Power, Maurice F., MM2c Prest, Delmar W., Sic Price, Harvey W., S2c Price, Robert E„ CEM Puletz, Henry J., Flc Putnam, Herman E., MoMM3c Putney, Donald E. J., Sic Quintana, Dannie C, Sic Ouish, Albert J., MoMM3c Rancatore, Thomas A., MoMM2c Rayford, Joe K., St2c Raymond, Dennis E., SM3c Recker, Clarence N., RdM3c Redmond, Richard E., Sic Reece, Frank R., Jr., Sic Reed. Robert S.. Cox Reinsel, Cecil J., Sic Renteria, Jesse V., S2c Rettig, Fred B., Jr., BMlc Rhoades, Floyd, Sic Rich, AlfordL., Sic Rich, Billy J., Sic Ricker, Eli S„ MoMM2c Riggen, William A., Flc Riggs, Elmo J., Jr., Sic Rinehart, Charles J., Cox Robert, Kenneth D., MoMM2c Roberts, Edward R„ Jr., MoMM3c Roberts, George J., CMM Rodgers, Donald R., Cox Rogers, Alvin J., S2c Rose, Robert C, S2c Rose, Samuel V., MoMM2c Ruppert, Edgar C, CSF Ruth, Paul R., S2c Ryan, Arthur D., Sic ! Saavedra Ticanor, Sic Sacco, Antonio, Cox Sackie, Albert G, Flc Sacks, David A., MM2c Saling, John E., MoMM3c Sanchez, Reynaldo N., S2c Sargent, Roberts A. L, StMlc Saylor, George W., Jr., SK3c Scandlyn, Paul R., Y3c Scanlon, Arthur B., S2c Scanlon, James P., Jr., Sic Schasteen, Robert G., MM2c Scheerer, Paul H., EM3c Scheuerman, Charles F., S2c Schindler, Robert J., S2c Schlicke, Robert S., Sic Schmaelzie, Leon R., S2c Schmidt, Eno A., MoMM2c Schmidt, Eugene J., MM3c Schnebelen, Harvey W.. WT2c Schneck, Robert W., Flc Schnelle, Fred, Cox Schoener, Joseph E., Sic Schrowang, Hugh J., Flc Schultz, Joseph J., Jr., Sic Schwan, Carl N., Sic Schwartz, Arthur B., CMlc Schwarzel, Harry, Sic Scolnick, Lewis N., Jr., Sic Seals, Barton L., Cox Semendoff, Solomon, Sic Sharp, Jack D , MM2c Shepherd, Harold, CBM Sherwood, Merwyn R., Sic Shields, Curtis M., SM2c Shocklee, Alex B., EM3c Simmons, Cornelius R., StMlc Simpson, Raymond G, Sic Skou, Frederick A. W., WTlc Sloneker, Robert F„ RM2c Smith, Allen D„ St2c Smith, Kernon W., WT3c Smith, Malcon C, Stic 20 Sonico, Paul S., St2c Sorelle, Joseph T., Cox Sorem, Lloyd S., QM2c Sorrells, James E., BMlc Spence, Marshall R., EM3d Spence, Rneille J., CCS Stack, Frank W., S2c Stewart, Raymond E., SM2c Strauss, Harry E., M3c Sukosky, William P., Sic Switzer, Louis M., SClc Tantzer, William F., CCS Taylor, Charles T., COM Taylor, Walter F., BM2c Taylor, William R., StMlc Teater, Chris I., S2c Terry, Quinton D., CPhM Tharp, Thomas J., MoMM3c Thomas, Allen M., Blc Tipton, Harold E., Rdm3c Tische, Francis E., PhM2c Toet, Cyril E., COM Tollefson, Maurice J., Sic Tomlin, Thomas F., MoMM3c Torkelson, Raymond, RM3c Torre, Phillip, SClc Trager, Joseph W., S2c Trimble, Lee W., StM2c Turpin, Glenn S., EM3c Ubert, Dean L., Cox Umlor, Robert T.,RM2c Vanderver, Almos A., SC2c Vanskike, James C, GM2c Vavra, William R., BM2c Veatch, Thomas B., PhMlc Venton, Harlow R., S2c Vermette, Paul A., MM3c Viands, George W., Y2c Victor, Fred W., SK3c Voss, Albert H., Jr., RMlc Voytovich, Andy, Sic Waggner, William J., MoMM3c Walsh, Harold O., BM2c Walz, Norman J., Jr., S2c Washington, John L., Ck3c Wegge, Walter, CBM Weinstein, Albert, RMlc Weldon, Harvey W., PhM2c Wells, Laverne, CBM Wetherald, James E.. RM3c White, Granger A., CMoMM Whitefoot, Howard R., RdM3c Whitehead, Lawrence D., MM3c Wiant, Henry S., BM2c Williams, Finnis W., Wt3c Williams, George T., BM2c Williamson. James B., Sic Williamson, V. B., CM3c Wills. Mark E., Jr.. WT2c Winter, Donald L„ RM2c Wiweke, Arlington D., MoMM3c Works, Charles E., Rdm3c Worrell, Lee B.,CM2c Zuffinetti, Frank, CMlc PRE-SHIP TRAINING Long before the men of the Menifee reported for duty in Astoria the first part of November, 1944, they were in training for their work aboard at naval stations from Coronado, Calif., to Whidbey Is- land, Wash. The largest group of those making up ship ' s company formed at Barracks 11, APA Pre-Commis- sioning school, Seattle, on September 29. Men of this group had been gathering at the school since its formation in July. Organizing the school, though just a part of the tremendous task the Navy had in putting to sea a fleet of APA ' s, was an impressive job by itself. Well before the school ' s construction was complete, instruction in radio, signalling, damage control, navigation, engineering and deck watch standing, gas warfare, swimming, and other subjects had started. Some men had had specialized training for their work as attack transport sailors even before their arrival in Seattle. Thirty-seven hands of the deck force had spent two weeks in August at the cargo handling school, Port Hueneme, Calif. The vital cargo handling part of an APA ' s work was to depend on them and the men they taught. Six Radarmen had six weeks at Point Loma, Calif., another six trained at Bremerton for a week, and then the whole group went to Whidbey Island, Wash., for a week ' s work as a C.I.C. team. After the crew was formed, attendance by divisions started in two weeks ' courses given by the school. Deck force men and few others concluded their training ashore with a week at Pacific Beach Anti-Aircraft school. Meanwhile, in southern California, the Boat Group and Beach Party members were in training for their shipboard tasks. Officers of the Boat Group reported for duty at the Amphibious Training Base, Coronado, in mid- July, but it was two more months before the bulk of the enlisted men arrived and the present Boat Group began training together as a ' P ' unit. All hands assigned the ' P ' unit were drilled in boat handling— beaching, retracting and coming along- side—boat salvage, signalling, use of machine guns, and the rigors of physical training. While prospec- tive boat crews continued practicing boat handling, other groups learned salvage, maintenance and re- pair of boats and arms. One crew had a month ' s experience salvaging boats in Coronado ' s heavy surf. Motor Machinist Mates learned every detail of the Gray marine diesel engine, and men with Carpenter ' s Mate or Ship Fitter rates learned their work by repairing hulls of damaged assault boats. Machine guns and small arms were studied by the Boat Group ' s Gunner ' s Mates. The Menifee ' s Beach Party went into training at the Amphibious Training Base, Oceanside, August 3. Men at the base learned to run an LCVP, take soundings, rig buoys, salvage boats, and on the dry land side learned to hit a beach, dig a foxhole, shoot a rifle and throw a hand grenade. The Beach Party came aboard 5 November. Thus ready to assume their responsibilities aboard before they had seen their ship were many of the men who have since sailed the Menifee all over the Pacific. TJ-J !• r OjVJjVJJ JOjNJ jN We ' d been getting pretty well tired of that dead and fog- bound town of simple fisherfolk — Astoria. We ' d been getting even more tired of being shoved around from one flPfl to an- other, dodging working parties and living out of a seabag. When, bigger than life and streaked bow to stern with razzle- dazzle camouflage, in steams our own baby, the 202. find, for some strange reason, she looked just a little better than a dozen others poured of the same mold. Invitations were broken out. The date set. November 4. Wives, sweethearts, buddy-buddys mustered. Ceremonies were scheduled for topside. But the good old Oregon weather fixed that. Ceremonies in the crew ' s messhall. So we mustered in the messhall, port side. Carrier sailors, battlewagon sailors, yippee sailors, stateside sailors, Pacific rock sailors — but mostly boots, 70 or 80 percent in their first real duty assignment. Guests, starboard side. It was brief. That ' s the way we wanted it. The skipper of the base turned the ship over to Captain Spaulding with a few terse statements. He alluded to the job ahead of us (we expected it to be Japan) and enjoined us to carry out the will of the people of the United States. Captain Spaulding, then a three-striper, read his orders and won our hearts with one statement: None of us is here because he wants to be. But we ' d do the job. find, by God, we did. find if there ' s a plankowner aboard who can remember the commissioning and the year since without some pride, why, we say he doesn ' t rate the trust the hard-working people of the United States placed in him. RIGGING FOR SEA Just two months from the day the U.S.S. Menifee ' s first crew came aboard her 4 November 1944, the Mighty M headed west from San Diego to assume an active part in the Pacific war. In that first 61 days, the ship was outfitted and underwent minor alterations, and the crew members, estimated as 70 percent land- lubbers by flPfl school, learned their parts in the com- plex organization of an assault transport — as well as the miseries of sea sickness. The pace that was to be maintained throughout this trying period was set immediately after Wegge, CBM, piped the first watch that rainy commissioning day. The deck force rigged for quick loading of the tons of pro- visions that were to be taken aboard. So fast were Kaiser ' s yards in Portland and Van- couver sending flPfl ' s down the Columbia river to As- toria, that dock space for outfitting was precious and speed essential, fill hands turned to with a will, as they were to do many times since in loading or unloading their ship, and earned a Well Done for a speedy job. On 15 November, the Menifee got underway for Seattle. That afternoon General Quarters was held for test firing. Rounds expended: 4 rounds 5 38 cal., 104 rounds 40mm, 180 rounds 20 mm. Next day, the ship was depermed and all hands turned to again to load ammunition. The purpose of the Menifee ' s trip north was accom- plished 18 November when Captain Bartram and staff of the training command made a personnel and material inspection, the first of three suffered by the Menifee during this two month period. Meanwhile, Menifee sail- ors were renewing auld acquaintances or making new ones ashore. Next day, Sunday afternoon, the ship was underway again. ( Underway again, in fact, is the short short story of the Menifee to date.) Three days later the hook went down in San Francisco Bay for an overnight stop, during which the boat group picked up boats and some other hands tried Frisco liberty. 23 RIGGING FOR SEA C3F5 Another day ' s steaming brought the Menifee to San Pedro and two weeks ' shakedown exercises. Every- thing that the Menifee might expect to perform in ac- tuality from battle problems to streaming paravanes was tried. Firing exercises, boat and debarkation drill, tactical maneuvers, full power run, and fueling at sea were some of the things called for in the ambitious pro- gram of the San Pedro shakedown group. Ship ' s charac- teristics were learned by all hands, but not from a book. They were all tried out. Deck officers learned, for in- stance, that the time to bring the ship to dead in the water from backing full is 58 seconds. Inspections by Captain flbernathy, Commander, San Pedro shakedown group, and party began and ended the Menifee ' s two weeks ' shakedown at San Pedro. A slight respite from the grind was afforded the crew starting 9 December when the Menifee left San Pedro for San Diego. Nine days of alterations and repairs at the naval repair base followed. The final phase of rigging the Menifee and crew for sea commenced 19 December when amphibious train- ing off Coronado, California, in preparation for combat operations started. While the shakedown at San Pedro was in general the same as any Navy ship would get, the work at San Diego was aimed at developing the Menifee ' s specialty — taking assault troops onto an ene- my held beach. The boat group assaulted Coronado ' s beaches for four days, and the men aboard learned their jobs in an amphibious operation by lowering and hoist- ing boats, by handling dummy cargo, and in debarka- tion drills. Tv o days were taken off for Christmas and a final three-day period of exercises in company with other fiPA ' s wound up stateside rehearsals for the Menifee. During this San Diego training, the Menifee was Flagship of Transport Division 56, Captain Town- send commanding. The year was closed with three days ' repairs and a topping off of ammunition. Menifee sailors celebrated New Year ' s Day at Pier B, San Diego, by commencing to load cargo of a Marine Corps outfit. Stateside duty for 500 men on flPfl 202 was drawing to a close, fit 1305, 4 January 1945, the U.S.S. Menifee was underway for Pearl Harbor and points west, ready to fulfill her mission as an assault transport. was degermed and all hands turned to again to load IKAVlL Of jVJ£jNJf££ K A I C Ratlin ihe Air! .1 Saipan Saipan Leyte Leyle 26 mal Manila, P. I. 27 Guadalcanal 28 Mindoro, P. I. Mindoro. P. I. 30 1 M M  1 n Ufa ttt r r KObi IN S TR£ JM The first Menifee skipper, Captain Paul P. Spaulding, was maintaining one of the oldest of naval traditions when he played host to King Neptune and court on the two occasions his ship crossed the equator. Though it may be small consolation to the 430 former pollywogs who were hosed, beaten, smeared, shocked, clipped, rotten-egged, and ducked in their trans- formation to trusty shellbacks, the initiation of men crossing the line for the first time into the solemn mysteries of the ancient order of the deep has been traced back to the early days of the Vikings. Even earlier, when mythological gods were believed in, seamen paid special respect to Neptunus Rex, and it is this deity to- day who rules at the boisterous initiation cere- monies. Nothing serious remains from the origins of the ceremonies on crossing the line, however — it ' s all just a big party for the crew, especially the trusty shellbacks. Few of the men who at- tended the parties aboard the Menifee 3 Febru- ary or 22 June as pollywogs will forget any part of their ordeal, from the first ominous warning to the final plunge backwards into a tank of salt water. The first time the 202 crossed into south lati- tude, she was on her first trip out, bound for Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands. Lowly pollywogs got a hint of bad times ahead 29 January when the Plan of the Day stated, All hands . . . who can furnish documentary evi- dence that they have been initiated into the Realm of King Neptune will submit their names (with evidence) ... Pollywogs felt the noose tighten again 31 January when they read this remark in the Plan of the Day: The following dispatch was this date received by the Commanding Officer from King Neptunus Rex. Quote: My Royal Astronomer has informed me that you will enter my domain in the near future . . . Please inform me if all of the present crew of the Menifee are loyal subjects of mine or if you have on board any pollywogs, landlubbers, beach duty hounds, or sea duty shirkers . . . Signed Nep- tunus Rex. Unquote. Capt. Spaulding ordered the following dispatch sent in reply: ... It is CKO r b b ING TM t JM with great pleasure that I bring the U.S.S. Meni- fee into your realm. However, it is with deepest regret that I inform you that there are in the crew on board this vessel some 400 pollywogs, landlubbers, beach-duty hounds, sea-duty shirk- ers, sea lawyers, and even worse, passenger sea shirkers to the grand total of 350 who so much desired to avoid visiting your realm as to have entered the Army instead of the sea- going service of their country. It will be my pleasure to present these persons to you in due form for proper reception upon arrival at your capitol the Equator, Saturday, 3 February. On Friday, 2 February, Davy Jones came aboard as King Neptune ' s representative and distributed summons to all pollywogs to appear at King Neptune ' s court the next day. Not one of the sea duty shirkers before the Court next morning had a chance. Each was found guilty by the Royal Judge of the crimes on his summons. However, half the punishment was already done, since previous to seeing the Judge, slimy pollywogs had been gone over with firehose and shillelaghs by some happy shellbacks. After being sentenced, they were further assaulted by the Royal Doctor, Royal Dentist, Royal Barber, and Bears until finally released, battered and shorn — but Shellbacks! Most of the men who took part in King Nep- tune ' s Court were salty chiefs: King Neptune, Castine, CWT; Queen, Percy, CSK; Princess, White, CMoMM; Royal Baby, Wells, CBM; Davy Jones, Pay Clerk Robbins; Devil, Bartholo- mew, CRM; Royal Sheriff, Hodge, CMM; Royal Judge, Matheson, CCM; Royal Prosecutor, Lin- ville, CBM; Royal Doctor, Terry, CPhM; Royal Barber, Shepherd, CBM, and numerous enthus- iastic assistants. When the U.S.S. Menifee crossed Latitude 0° southbound again 22 June, she was enroute to Milne Bay, New Guinea, from Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands. Only 34 men aboard were not loyal subjects of King Neptune. They were given proper reception at the equator. Fore- most among those helping the court receive these 34 were the salts who won shellback cer- tificates on the Menifee ' s first trip out. 33 Some of the boys make good waiters. It could have been worse. Lineup second time. Even rougher than the chiefs. We love it — Just let us keep our ties. That ' s beautiful looking hair — wonder how it would look with a meat ball. This is the way we dress in Florida. ' iLjjLi Hmtiste. Ouch ' ! It ' s tender What music! You wouldn ' t even find this in Frisco. — A -r r ' r A AT SEA V Sunday, and un derway with a shipload of Marines bound for the battle area, somewhere in the Pacific. The Bosn ' s pipe sounds and over the P. ft. system his voice comes loud and clear, N Division rig church on No. 2 hatch. In a few minutes men are busy setting up the altar, portable P. ft. system, organ, benches and chairs. Soon all is in readiness, the chaplain standing before the altar, the organist ready and the officers and men in their places. Again the Bosn ' s pipe sounds, followed by Church Call. Divine service is now being held on No. 2 hatch, secure the P. ft. system, knock off all card play- ing and maintain silence about the decks. The smoking lamp is out throughout the ship. On deck about No. 2 hatch all is quiet and reverent as hundreds of men bow their heads. Then the chap- lain ' s voice is heard, In the name of the Father a nd of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen. The serv- ice begins and men worship in song and service, fulfilling a deep need of their inward life. Quiet and alert, attentive and reverent, they seek contact and consolation with the infinite, ftnd believing — they find it. Somewhere in that service they find God, if only for a moment, but there is something strengthening and consoling in that contact. It may be in a hymn, a prayer, a verse of scripture, or the sermon, but somewhere in that service seekers of truth find their God and truly worship Him. They have heard and answered the Church Call and because they worshipped in spirit and in truth they found that which their soul needed, the peace of God. lti£ Of JjNVASJOjN OJCJNAWA One General Quarters after another, continual noise, incredibly detailed planning, fatigue, and each man ' s pri- vate reactions — these perhaps are out- standing recollections of the invasion of Okinawa by the men who served aboard the Menifee last March and April. The Menifee was part of a transport squadron (twelve) carrying the 6th Ma- rine Division, and stood off the beaches of western Okinawa from 1 to 5 April. For the most part, the crew of the Meni- fee were spectators of the fireworks and active participants in the backbreaking work that is the biggest part of warfare. The Okinawa campaign was the big- gest of the Pacific war. Ships involved staged from the West Coast and all over the Pacific. The Menifee, as part of the Northern Attack Force carrying two Ma- rine divisions, loaded cargo and em- barked troops in Guadalcanal the first part of March. For rehearsal, her boats landed troops ashore, following the ac- tual plan of invasion. Gun crews were drilled daily at tracking, and a small amount of cargo wa , handled. On 15 March this force was underway for Ulithi, the final jumping off place. All hands were told the objective. Ten- sion. Ulithi lagoon held an armada of ships. Menifee sailors making a liberty on Mog-Mog sew hundreds of ships wait- ing for the word to sail. They saw too the battered carrier Franklin, almost sunk off Kyushu, on her way home. Approach to Okinawa was unevent- ful. In the early hours of Easter Sunday, Japanese planes attempted a raid in the Menifee ' s vicinity. G. Q- was sound- ed, and from then until the Menifee left for Saipan her crew rarely rested. Pre-H-hour bombardments and anti- aircraft fire was rumbling continually as our transport group entered its assigned area. Shore batteries put a few rounds into the area with .io hits. At 0900 our Marine troops started debarking. Word from the beach was that opposition was nil. Weather was ideal and the enorm- ous amount of planning done was pay- ing off in smooth operation. When Transport Squadron 12 got un- derway for night retirement, Menifee sailors looked back at a day ' s work that had gone as smoothly as any drill. That night General Quarters was sounded five times, with all hands constantly underway from sacks to battle stations and back. The first and last hostile shots of the war from Menifee guns were fired next morning. No hits were scored, but the plane under fire went down shortly afterwards. And so for three more days and nights the work of getting ashore 1500 troops and tons of cargo continued. Highlight of the operation for the mighty M came the morning of 3 April when during Dawn Alert a Hamp, fap fighter plane, roared in on the port beam, did a wing- over, and scored a clean miss on the bridge, going into the sea off our star- board quarter. The role of the Menifee Boat Group in the operation is described by one of its officers, Lt. Brunner: For the men and officers of the Boat Group the invasion of Okinawa was the climax to months of training and wait- ing. This was the day we hit the beach, L-Day, Easter Sunday, 1945. All hands were thoroughly briefed for the ship-to-shore evolution. The shoreline characteristics of Green Beach 2 were explained to every man. Essen- tial to the success of the whole operation was the ability of boat coxswains to find a way over a dangerous coral reef to the designated beachhead with their loads of precious troops and cargo. Two ' P ' boats were equipped with smoke generators and radios and de- tailed as picket boats to provide cover and protection from Jap suicide swim- mers and torpedo boats. Another ' P ' boat was equipped to handle casualties and operated off Green Beach 2 with an LST hospital unit. The ' L ' boat was desig- nated to assist with traffic control for Green Beach 2 and was dispatched to the ' Line of Departure ' as soon as we reached the transport area. The occu- pants of this boat were able to observe the preliminary bombardment of shore installations by Navy dive bombers and battleships, as well as the assault land- ings. The remainder of the ' P ' boats and LCM ' s, loaded with troops from the ship, hit the beach at H-f 3. After assault waves are landed and the beachhead is secured, an amphib- ious operation turns into a very dull, backbreaking job of transferring cargo from the ship ' s holds to the troops ashore. This is known as the ' cargo phase ' and continues day and night until the ship is unloaded. During this period of operation boat crews live in their boats, sleeping in shifts and eat- ing ' K ' rations. Because of heavy cargo traffic on the beach, many of our boat crews were with their boats for two to three days before returning to the ship. Three of these boats were still on the beach when the ship was ordered to get underway, leaving the crews to shift for themselves. They finally bummed a ride aboard an flKfl to Pearl Harbor where they rejoined us in fine shape. A ' Well Done ' is extended to all hands in the Boat Group for the way in which they carried out their part of the operation. The Beachparty at Okinawa is re- ported upon by Babcock, Seaman First Class: ' When, on L+2, Lt. Comdr. Turren- tine, Beachmaster; Lt. Watts, flss ' t Beachmaster; Shepherd, CBM, and the Menifee Beachparty assumed their du- ties on Green Beach 1, they found things well secured, even to the point of ready-made foxholes. The boat repair and hydrographic units of the left and right flanks of the beach under Dumont, BMlc, and Bar- rett, BM2c, proceeded to carry out the Beachparty ' s main purpose: that of co- ordinating the work of the Navy landing boats and the Marine shore parties in the unloading of supplies and troops. The rapid tide made it necessary to mark a channel over the reef with buoys and to unload some of the boats into ' amphtracs ' at the outer edge of the reef. Contact with ground forces, ships and other beaches was kept by the com- munication unit. The medical unit under Dr. Pullen ' s direction moved a little in- land and began to handle casualties. Orders were received the second aft- ernoon to return to the ship immediately, so gear was hurriedly assembled and the Beachparty shoved off for a wet ride back to the ship. After a night of riding at anchor in heavy seas 4-5 April, the Menifee got underway for Saipan and the States. Okinawa had been her baptism of fire, and since it was the last amphibious operation against Japan except for Bor- neo, Okinawa was also the Menifee ' s last appearance as an assault transport. 43 The Nagasaki occupation was treated almost like a full-scale amphibious as- sault like Okinawa. The formation of the task force, the loading of the troops and their deadly tools, the issuing of maps, the high precedence radio traffic, the passing of secret orders, the wartime steaming formation all reminded us of the preparations for the Okinawa oper- ation. We loaded infantry of the 6th Marine Division at Saipan, veterans and prob- ably the best gang of troops we ' ve ever had aboard. They were in fine contrast to the blowhard boots we ' d just hauled to Guam from Diego. We got underway from Saipan on September 18th and arrived at Naga- saki on the 23rd. Japan is beautiful, all right: the green mountains, the terraced rice fields, the pine trees. There was, at first, little to remind us what had hap- pened there a little over a month before. A bloated corpse slowly floating by the ship changed our minds somewhat. When orders came to move into the finger-shaped harbor around which Nagasaki is built, we thought, Now we ' ll see what happened. Well, we didn ' t. That is, we didn ' t really get to see just what the bomb had done. The area where the bomb exploded was largely obscured by hills. Members of the boat crew got close enough to see part of the blasted area. But all per- sonnel, including occupation troops, had orders to keep away. From the ship, we could see portions of scorched hills. Some boat crewmen saw blackened and crumbled buildings at the southern end of the area. But none got a com- plete view. The unloading of troops and equip- ment at the Nagasaki Shipyards went very smoothly, with the Menifee the first of the squadron to finish and there- by earning a flock of Well Dones. The beach party and boat crews quickly gathered up their souvenirs and we hauled our stern out of the harbor to anchor and wait for the slow pokes to join us. While waiting at anchor, we took a few sight-seeing boat trips around. The Japanese stared back at us as we went along but the children smiled at us and waved. The children always wave. UMTJOhJ NAGASAKI ■ ■ nyiiiMMpiiiL 45 Mog Mog was the payoff. The Navy spent much of the war winning advanced bases so that its ships could be sup- plied and repaired quickly and sent out to fight again. This re- moved the necessity for the long haul back to Pearl, Australia or the States. A seldom-mentioned bypro- duct of this strategy was the fact that it also cut out the fair liberty of the first place, the good liberty of the second, and the wonderful liberty of the third. Therefore, the Navy, doing what it could, set up what it called Fleet Recreation Cen- ters. Sooner or later, any base of any importance had one. Some, in the rear areas, had Red Cross girls, beer, cokes, juke boxes, doughnuts and box- ing rings. Others resembled Mog Mog. But Mog Mog was the payoff. Mog Mog is one of the islets of Ulithi Atoll in the Carolines, long one of the most advanced and most secret naval anchor- ages. Ulithi is a huge and typi- cal atoll — a necklace of islets and reefs surrounding a huge lagoon. Names of the islets of Ulithi read like a fable: Waseri- meyoruuechiichi, Pugelug, Feit- abul, Lam, Asor, Pig, Mange- jang and Elipig. Mog Mog had the recreation center and was dedicated to the drinking of beer. As your P-Boat skimmed the choppy waters of Ulithi ' s ho- rizon reaching lagoon, you could smell two things long be- fore you reached Mog Mog — beer and urine. Acres of co- coanut trees were interspersed with picnic-type tables set in the mud. We stopped over at Ulithi on our way to the Okinawa opera- tion. An entire amphibious task force — soldiers, marines, and ships ' crews would be ashore at one time, inhaling tons of beer. Some, by begging, barter- ing or buying, would get enough beer to grow happy. And, in that state, a considerable number became suddenly inspired to climb a cocoanut tree and knock down nuts. Beer just seemed to work that way. Mon- ey meant nothing. The common price for beer was one buck straight. With too many beer just seemed to work that way. It would rain several times in the course of a three hour liber- ty. Liberty parties would come back wet, muddy, tired, but sometimes with enough beer in them to make it worthwhile. It wasn ' t much. But Okinawa was the next stop and beer was beer, no matter where you drank it. 46 L A N D L J B £ R J £ S WAJVfJjVJ DJARY r- Uf iVJ£ JJf££ TR W£ 5 January 4 — At 1305 completely loaded with cargo and carrying 1676 troops of the sixth ACFT, warning division, the Menifee stood out from the Bdwy. pier, San Diego to destination . . . Pearl Harbor. January 10 — Arrived in Pearl Harbor. Distance covered 2310 miles. January 11— Underway for Port Allen, Kauai, T. H. 254 passengers aboard. January 12— Arrived in Port Allen, T. H. January 13 — Commenced loading Army Ordnance equipment, and 83 Army passengers. January 14 — Underway from Port Allen to Honolulu. January 15 — Moored to pier in Honolulu, T. H., disem- barked passengers and commenced loading car- go — completed loading this date. January 16 — Underway for Pearl Harbor. Arrived this same date. January 25 — Underway for Honolulu — commenced load- ing Army and Navy cargo. January 29 — Completed loading cargo at 1719 stood out of Honolulu Harbor with 638 troops on board — destination Guadalcanal, Solomon Is. Steam- ing singly and escorted by one PC. February 1 — Crossed international date line — advanced all clocks 24 hours. February 5 — Anchored near west Kukum Beach, Guad- alcanal. Discharged troops and cargo. February 8 — Underway for Port Purvis, Florida Island, Solomon Is. Arrived this same date. February 11 — Moored alongside USS Vulcan, for six days availability. February 22 — Underway for West Kukum Beach, Guad- alcanal. Arrived this same date. February 23-31 — During these days the USS Menifee held debarkation drills. General Quarters, Fire Drills , and other exercises in preparation for her first invasion. Anchored several times in White Rock Cove, Guadalcanal, while on maneuvers. March 21-31 — Anchored in Ulithi, Caroline Is. April 1 — Anchored off Okinawa Shima, Nansei Shoto. April 3 — Anchored in inner Transport Area — commenc- ed discharging troops and cargo. April 5 — Underway in convoy from Okinawa to Saipan, Marianas Is. April 9 — Anchored at Saipan. April 10 — Underway from Saipan to Pearl Harbor. April 20 — Arrived in Pearl Harbor. April 23-30 — Ship was given ten days availability at Pearl Harbor. May 5 — Underway from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco. May 1 1 — Arrived in San Francisco. May 12-15 — Loaded cargo and troops. May 16 — Underway from San Francisco fully loaded and 1387 troops on board. Destination, Manila, to stop off at Pearl for further orders. May 23 — Stopped off at Pearl for further orders. May 24-31 — Underway to Manila. June 1 — Stopped off to fuel at Eniwetok, Marshall Is. June 6 — Anchored in Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Is. June 7 — Underway to San Pedro Bay, Leyte. June 10 — Anchored in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, Is., Philip- pines. June 19 — Underway for Milne Bay, New Guinea. June 25 — Arrived at GOPI Point, New Guinea — com- menced loading cargo. July 2 — Underway for Hollandia Bay. July 4 — Anchored in Hollandia Bay, New Guinea. July 6 — Underway for Manila Bay. July 11 — Anchored in Manila Bay. July 14 — Underway for Ulithi, Caroline Is. July 19 — Anchored in Ulithi — Underway for San Fran- cisco. August 2 — Arrived in San Pedro, California. August 4 — USS Menifee went into drydock. August 6 — Underway from drydock, San Pedro, to San Diego, California. August 7 — Arrived in San Diego, Calif. August 21 — Underway from San Diego, Calif., to Guam, Marianas, carrying 1558 troops, and fully loaded. September 5 — Arrived in Guam, Marianas. September 8 — Underway from Guam to Saipan. September 11 — Moved to Tanapag Harbor to load troops and cargo. September 18 — Underway from Saipan Harbor to Nag- asaki, Japan. 1237 troops and their cargo. September 23 — Landed in Naga ' saki — Debarked troops and cargo. September 26 — Underway from Nagasaki to Manila. October 1 — Arrived in Manila Bay. October 4 — Underway from Manila Bay to Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, Philippines. October 5 — Arrived in Mangarin Bay. October 10 — Underway for Manila Bay. October 14 — Arrived Manila Bay. October 16 — Underway for Saipan. October 21 — Anchored in Saipan Harbor, underway from anchorage to dock in Tanapag Harbor. Com- menced loading troops. October 22 — Underway from Saipan to San Francisco, California. November 3 — Arrived in San Francisco! 4.- SECTION N DIVISION The N division consists of that gang of guys running up and down the superstructure doing a score of strange and varied jobs, concerned mostly with finding out where we ' re going, what we ' re going to do when we get there, what we ' re running across on the way there, and finding our way there. Included in the gang are yeomen, radarmen, quartermasters, radiomen, signalmen and mail- men. Their jobs range from detecting enemy planes to delivering sugar reports. N division has and has had its share of characters whose eccentricities are too num- erous to mention. It has its gang of liberty hounds, those guys who start drooling three days from Frisco. In charge of the various sections of the di- vision, under Lt. Drannen, navigator, and Lt. (jg) Erdman, division officer, were the Chiefs : Cross, Chief Signalman, who always wanted to know, Who ' s got the watch? ; Bartholomew, Chief Radioman, that liberty-loving lad from Dayton, Ohio, whom we lost so suddenly and tragically in Manila Bay; Toft, Chief Quarter- master, who could have written a book on How to Make Chief in Three Years ; and Gray, Chief Yeoman, that softball playing little chief who was always eager to get the latest on the world news. The outfit ranged in age from Recker and McCann, who were veterans of married life before the birth of Goldberg and Buckner, who were just learning the words to What Is This Thing Called Love? Now that the war is over, N division ' s pri- mary occupation is counting its discharge points on its fingers and toes. SO Front row, left to right — Stewart. R. E.; O ' Connor, R. L.; Hopkins, D. D.; Philbrick, J.; Johnson, E. E.; Fisher, E. L. Second row— Black, H. H.; Cline, E.; Shields, C. M.; Miller, H. L.; Raymond, D. E. Third row— King, W. E.; Bye. T. E.; Hendershot, D. J.; Buckner, E. M.; Field, K. C; Maconeghy, R. D. Top row— Lister, M. J.; McCann, C. A.; Works, C. E.; Beck. P. C; Davis, R. M.; Dahl, H. R. p to f « r % Front row, left to right — Leiter, F.; Goldberg, H. S.; Petersen, R. H.; Sorem, L. S.; Gordon, H. S. Second row — Duran, M. O.; Johnson, D. B.; Torkelson, R.,- LoRang, J. F.r Johnson, R. L. Third row— Johnson, H. D.; Weinstein, fl„- Winter, D. L„- Campbell, J. B.; Shelton, B. W. Top row— Blair, L. J.; Materne, F. W„- Sukosky, W. P.; Wetherald, J. E.; Sloneker, R„- Mcflnally, C. W. 51 DIVISION Front row, left to right— Costa, G. W.; Padoleski, R. J.; Musser, V. F.; Trager, J. W.; Hall, H. F. Top row— Minson, E. F.; Harris, T. R.; Pandolfi, R. M.; Shuff, M. L„- Hamilton, G. S.; Calvert, W. T. 53 O DIVISION Gunner ' s males, fire controlmen and the strikers for these rates comprise the O Division. They ' re the guys the civilian usually thinks of when he thinks of the Navy — aiming and firing 16 inch guns, or standing at the breech of a gun, stripped to the waist, bulging with muscles and throwing a huge shell into the gun. The civilian, of course, is pretty much wrong. Very few gunner ' s mates ever work on a 16 inch gun and seamen usually do the shell throwing. The Menifee, even though she doesn ' t carry 16 inchers, still demands considerable skill from her 11 O Division men. These men are responsible for the maintenance, repair and operation of all ordnance and fire control equipment, the stowage of all ammunition and the upkeep of all ready service rooms and magazines. Guns under O Division ' s eye include the Navy ' s ever-present 20 millimeter, the beautifully accurate quadruple and dual-mounted 40 mm, the versatile dual-purpose (surface and anti-aircraft) 5 inch, landing craft 30 ' s and 50 ' s, and small arms. Then they have those fantastic, brain-like mechanisms, the gun direc- tors and the range finder. And, of course, ammunition in quantity and variety amazing to the casual duck hunter. McCoy is the CGM (Chief Gunner ' s Mate) but he has his hands full of the Chief Master at firms duties, leaving George Costa, GMlc, in charge. Costa is a regular Navy man from Fall River, Mass., who put 23 months on the PC492 and 4 months on the Lafayette before coming aboard the Menifee. He ' s known about the ship as a rugged man on the flcey-Deucey board and a chow hound of the first water. Vernon Musser, GM3c, comes from Doylestown, Ohio, and has sweated out 2 years with Uncle Sam. Musser handles his twin 40 with the skill of a Chink using chopsticks and has charge of the forward magazines. Earl Minson, GM3c, is another regular, hailing from Coffeyville, Kansas, plenty proud of it and wear- ing cowboy boots to prove it. He ' s machine gun doctor for the boat group and a 40 mm man in addition. Raymond Padoleski, GM3c, hopes to be on his way back to Medina, New York, soon. Meanwhile, Patty has a 40 mm to play with, while he keeps check on the aft magazine, for which he is responsible. G. S. Hamilton, FC03c, is a Crocker, Missouri, farmer and plenty eager to get back to plowing the land instead of the sea. Ham has been a father several times. Maybe that ' s what has given him that delicate touch with the precision-jeweled fire control mechanism in his care. R. M. Pandolfi, FC03c, calls Chi home and no one can tell there ' s any place better. Pandolfi also plays with the intricate fire control equipment. The boys claim he could use a personal chaplain on a full-time basis. Monte Shuff, GM3c, says this sunshine is a welcome change from the coal country of Johnstown, Pa. Monte nurses a flock of 20 mm ' s and, from here, looks like a 20-year Navy man. He may be just fooling, though. T. R. Harris, Sic, handles a 40 mm but is currently sweating out his messcook duty and absorbing chow in an effort to gain some meat. Harris is an ex-V-12 man. Take me back to Texas Trager, S2c, is the old man of the division. Houston is the place he wants to be taken back to. fls for being the old man of the division, Trager says, flge don ' t mean a thing. H. F. Hall, Sic, is from Weymore, Nebraska, and that ' s where he wants to be. No ocean in the middle of the good old U.S.A. The 5 inch is Hall ' s baby. Big gun, little boy. 1ST DIVISION Of the three deck divisions, the First, as might be expected, is responsible for the forward third of the ship. The two forward davits, the star- board paravane boom, and the starboard gear locker (where Chief Sheppard and T. J. O ' Neill talk over the day ' s work in a hurry and usually get right down to a serious discussion of Brook- lyn), plus 10 P-boats and everything forward of the Boat Deck are serviced by the paint-slinging deck-apes of the First Division. In addition to their topside jobs, lads of the First handle nearly all general spaces forward of the messhall. C compartment, CPO quar- ters, crew ' s head and showers, No. 1 hold, and three big troop compartments get their share of good First Division sweat. The Division has its share of characters, from hashmarks to pollywogs. Can ' t list ' em all. Here are a few: Garzione, Martinez, Pittsley, Milstead, W. D. Jones, La Rosa, Redmond, Krabiel, Dotson, Kozlen, Garafalo, Sorrelle, Murrell and a flock of other big winch, boom and boat boys. In the old, old days of World War II, First Division men were big time operators on the forward 40mm and 20mm guns and there were plenty of arguments as to who shot down what. But nowadays the Division doesn ' t have much to do except vacuum sweep and dry clean this magic carpet for home-going, point-happy doggies and swabbies. Front row. left to right — Strank, N. H.; Chapman, R. L.; Garod, ft.; Lay. U. S.; Krolikowski, C; Garzione, J. B. Second row — LaRosa, ft. J.; Hunter. J. P.: Bisick, P. R.; flnglade, ft. J„- Murrell, A. S.: Gross. D. L. Third row — Herrera. ft. J.; Rogers, D. R.; Gray. K. T. ; Ruth, P. R.; Bennett, F. E.; Jones, W. D.; French, J. G. Top row — Ouintana, D. C; Andrews, D. L.; Martinez, J. T.; O ' Neill, T. J.; Benjamin, C. F.; Rich, ft. L.; Reed, R. S. wp ' J r $ t i % Front row, left to right— Krywanski. G. L.; Greer, L. R.: McCoy. R. D.; Fletcher. R. ; Dotson R V Second row— Duperre, H. R.; Bloome, L. G; Becus. N. W.; Venton, H. R.; Perkins G S • ' Sawyer E L Third row— Johnson, C. P.; Milstead, N„- Paciorek. J. S. ; Krabiel, J. B.; Voytovich, ft.; Putney, D. E.; Redmond R E Top row— Pittesley, C. V.; Kozlen. R.; Leed, R. M.; Sorrelle, J. T.; fllthouse, J. T„- Green, G M. 56 1ST DIVISION 1 1 ■ wtj- High, - J« 4%f 2ND DIVISION The 2nd division swarrns over the old Menifee ' s midriff to the tune of Now the 2nd division lower boats number 18, 22 and 25 at number four hatch, and similar sudden words. The division mans all the winches, booms and lines in the area — raising and lowering boats, unbuttoning and buttoning hatches, handling cargo nets, etc. A typical routine day with the division might run some- thing like this: Reveille, and break Schoener, the sack lover, out of his rack. Try to work our way to chow through D com- partment. The ladder is already crowded with Leebrick, O ' Connell, Maranzano, Beranek and Maugherman. Saunter up to number two hatch and roll up your pant legs as Cruny and Wiant start slinging the sea stories. Then colors. Muster taken by Caddell. All present except Dacey, Nenno, Toler and Martin, currently mess-cooking, Berliner standing by as Captain ' s Orderly, and Quigley out on a boat run. Ensign Rickett, division officer, then passes along the latest info from the Exec. A quick sweepdown, then turn to on ship ' s work , usually cleaning, chipping, scraping or painting. Then comes the word, Now the second division lower boats 18, 22, and 25 at number four hatch. Davis gets his gang together, starts clenching his fists and making strange goosing motions as he stares over the side. All those gestures mean things to McCannon on the winch, Maxfield on the working guy, Granier taking care of the stoppers, and Girard, Cox, Woodruff and Haydt on the steadying lines. It gets a P-boat over the side. Garshman and Scanlon climb in, prepared to make knots. Say the word comes to raise the gangway. Chief Lin- vine, gives the word to Schnelle. Schnelle rounds up Ren- teria, Powell, Dempsey and Currier who throw the old muscle into the job and heave ' er up. Word comes for a 10 hand stores working party from the division. Caddell will get Rinehart to find 10 survivors of the battle to volunteer. Winners are: Panicola, Sanchez, Rich, Nastav, Farago, Post, Place, Doane and Riggs. Boat 25 is hoisted aboard for repairs. Reinsel, Nester- owicz, Schlicke, Fayter and a few more do the job. Hagins. coxswain of the 25, explains the damage to Eickhoff, who makes a report on it to Ensign Vagle. Things run along about like that with an occasional odd job like persuading Teater that Shirley Temple was really too old for him, and the gang hits the rack. The 2nd division really gets hot when the Menifee car- ries out the purpose for which she was designed, during Condition One-Able. That ' s when the boats are lowered and the assault troops climb in. Then the cables really sing and the line-handlers jump. The troops go over, then the division concentrates on getting the combat gear out of the hatches into the boats. They live around those hatches then. In addition to its routine deck duties, the division supplies men for various underway and port watches, such as: Helmsman, Exec ' s Orderly, Captain ' s Orderly, Lee Helmsman, Bridge Messenger, After Steering, Bow and Stern Sentry, Duty Jeep Driver, OOD Messenger and other watches. Front row. left to right — Girard, E. H.; George, G. L.; Caddell, fl. K.; Cruny, C; Garshman, D.; Leebrick, L. B.; Rinehart, C. J Second row — Granier. M. I.; Renteria, J. V.; Nastav, R. G; Maugherman, D. L.; Toler. T. M.; Beranek, T. E. Third row — Teator, C. I.; Place, N. W.; Reece, F. R.; Riggs, E. G.; Schoener, J. E.; Berliner, J. J.; Nesterowicz, L„- Schnelle, F. Top row— Doane, C. R.: Cox, E.: Woodruff, G. fl.; Maxfield, C. K.; Eickhoff, G. W„- Dacey, J. F„- Scanlon; J. F.; Reinsel, C. J. Front row, left to right— Saavedra, N.; O ' Connell, J. B.; Haydt, R. J.; Wiant, H. S.; Post, N. E.; Martin, J. Second row— Johnson, W. H.; Schlicke, R. S.; McCannon, C. F.; Davis, N. I.; Panicola, J. J, Third row — Fayter, J. O.; Hagins, J. S.; Powell. C. E.; Rich, B. ].; Sanchez, R. N.; Farago, J. Top row — Nenno, P. J.; Dempsey, fl. N.; Spring, W. E.; Curlier, N. E.; Mararfzano, F. G; Quigley, L. M. 59 M in) ■ ■ « WHHJ II l BiM issfsfl S Sdpflj Er v DIVISION In fair weather or in foul, the Third Division can be depended upon to handle the two LCM ' s on their thirty-five ton jumbo boom, A tough a ssignment for any group of Salts and their record of safety goes unchallenged. With an air of pride under their capable Bosn ' s Mates, Sorrells, Greene, Gillespie, Jordan, Klepacke, Williams and Chief Wegge, these trusty lads are always on the job rigging boat booms, veering a hawser, handling stern lines when docking, maintaining all gear aft of No. 4 hatch and juggling nine LCVP ' s with their twin five and ten ton booms. fit the drop of the hook they are always prepared to lower away the duty boats. Working hand in hand with boat crews has earned this division much credit for their efficiency and accounts for their enviable record of safety. Always on deck when liberty is piped are the two Coxswains, Burgess and Daigle, rarin ' to hit the beach with their cargos of pleasure seeking, beer drink- ing mates. Korzan and Glebocki, Coxswains, are always proud of their gig, kept trim and seaworthy by the Third Division. The well kept section of their ship reveals their constant care and daily tasks. Through the able leadership of Lt. (jg) Crandall and Ens. Allen a spirit of cooperation is felt throughout the Third Division. VfyLtfJi First row, left to right — Augustine, W. J.; O ' Neal. J. D.; Olson. R. I.; Crispen. C. fl.; McMurrough, W. M.; Ryan, fl. D. Second row — Payne, J. O.; Morehouse, K. B.; Coronado, H. R.; Schwab, C. N.; Jones, C. B.; Patterson, B. W.; Pirnie, G A. Third row— Bond, H. G.; Callahan, W. F.; Scanlon, A. B.; Guido, A.; Stack, F. W.; Rhoades. F.; Simpson, R. C. Fourth row — Daigle, C. L.; Gillespie, N. L.; O ' Connor. P. E.; Niziolek, E. M.; Rogers, A. J.; Paulisch, E. B. r ■fi.SHW i First row, left to right — Osborn, R. L.; Schmaelzle, L. R.; York, R. E.; York, J. B.; Semendoff. S.; Sacco, fl. Second row — MacFarlane, J. C; Schwarzel, H.; Price, H. W. ; flrch, N. T.; Shape, D. W.; Pastore, C. W. Third row— Palese, J. P.; Awe, R. L.; Korzan, R. P.; Schultz, J. J.; Scolnick, L. N. ; Hartman, L. M. Fourth row— Williams, G. T.; Oliver, P. B..- Babcock, F.; Cook, J. L.; Burgess, D. L; Boyle. J. D.; Klepacki. S. fl. 62 DIVISION Front row, left to right— F. E. Tische, PhM2c; H. W. Weldon, PhM2c; H. O. Hill, PhMlc; and J. Z. Brit ' on, PhM2c. Second row— H. R. Durick, PhM3c; W. Kasler, CPhM; R. W. Isackson, PhMlc; and T. B. Veatch, PhMlc. Third row— E. L. Erickson, PhM3c; ]. E. Goodall, PhM3c; T. J. Glowacki, PhM3c; H, C. Leneweaver, PhM3c; and G. T. Kennedy, PhM2c. Fourth row— W. Gleason, PhM3c; M. J. Kelly, PhM3c; B. G. Ervin. PhM3c; and J. H. Link, PhM3c. 64 The job of H Division, the Medical Depart- ment, is to keep ship ' s personnel physically fit. And our hospital corpsmen seem to believe in taking their own medicine, because you ' ll usu- ally find a flock of them aft straining at the barbells and limbering up. The Menifee ' s corpsmen include some highly trained technicians specializing in laboratory techniques, dental work, X-ray, surgery and other skills. Part of H Division are the beach party hos- pital corpsmen, specialists in Amphibious Med- icine , that hazardous phase of medical warfare to come out of World War II. The Medical Department was prepared for the terrific job of handling casualties at Okin- awa, but was immensely relieved when the unopposed landing did not produce the ex- pected casualties. Few in H Division com- plained that they didn ' t have a chance to em- ploy their skills. The lineup of H Division characters runs as follows: (according to one of them) Kasler, currently sweating out CPhM and a discharge. Frank Tische, popular and beloved Clipper. Harlan Junior Hill — Take me back to Sacramento. Mike Kelly, a politician if there ever was one — Oh, yes, I ' ll have a cigar. Tom Veach, muscle-man a-plenty — Any chow left over? Pinky Goodall, very capable S.P. — Cripes! With 24 points I ' ll never get out! Tex Ervin — Work? Y ' got rocks in your head? J. Z. Britton, our roly-poly gentleman from An- dover, Ohio — I wanna go home! Johnny Link, dietician and crime doctor — I ' ll clamp down around here! Warren Stinky Gleason — Y ' can ' t drink that stuff, Olsen, it ' s poison! Ike Isaackson — Who the hell stole my Cop- enhagen? Ted Glowacki, our genial host of the ward — Boy, did we catch hell at Okinawa! Harv Weldon, old horizontal himself — Harvard was never like this. George Kennedy, no strain, you get the pain — I ' ll get by. Howard Durick — Stop staring, you idiot, those are my legs! Swede Erickson, maintenance and care of the interior — Yumpin ' yimminy! Lenny Lene- weaver, she loves me, she loves me not- heart belongs to Pat. - My 65 DIVISION Front row left to right— Henley, C. L.; Hawkins. I. A.; Kopischke, J. A.; Ricker. E. S.; LaFaire, E.; Gehringer, K. A.; Freeman, R. W. Second row— Langston, K.; Luce, R. fl.; Kunkel, I. H.; Kirk, J. W.; Rangatore, T. A.; Pedersen, E. F. Third row— Chilenski M. I.; Rose, S, V.; Schmidt, E. A.: Pierce, N. C: Shelton, S.; Schasteen. R. G.; Roberts, E. R. Top row— Bergen A J.- Robert, K. D.; McCauley, L. A.; Waggner, W. J; Durham, G. J.; Puletz, H. J.; Blankenburg, E. D. 66 Every man in this division a budding engineer is the claim of the A Division. Their respective duties too numerous to mention, yet each individual under the supervision of Ens. Westman, maintain and operate all auxiliary machinery not directly connected with the main engine. This includes one of the 300 kw turbo- generators; two 20,000 gallon per day evaporators; four ice machines with a 35 ton per day capacity; several smaller refrigerator units; one 60 kw emergency diesel generator, and two diesel oil pumping systems. In charge of the evaporators which supply that much needed fresh water is Kopischke, MM la Allowing for the fact that the evaporators add to the discomfort of D compartment, they nevertheless are of vital im- portance to the welfare and cleanliness of the crew. Shelton, MMR3c, bears most of the burden and responsi- bility of the ship ' s refrigerator systems and the care and operation of the scuttlebutts. Attached to A Division are the landing craft engi- neers. These men have thirty 225 h.p. diesel engines to service for the twenty-six landing craft aboard. Besides their duties as grease monkeys , they are responsible for the fueling of all craft and the manning of all fuel stations. A more congenial crew cannot be found any- where than the boat shop headed by Chief White. 67 E DIVISICN Front row, left to right — Frye, W. E.; Michalak. N. R.; Hoggard, R. S.; Caudle, L. D. Second row — Moore, E. J.; Hutcheson, C. D.; Bennett, R. I.; Bailey, G. N. Third row— Eckert, W.; Turpin, G. S.; Quish, fl. J.; Scheerer, P. H.; Olson, J. R. Top row— Carl, R. G; Shocklee, fl. B.; Bauer, R. H.; Bemoll. R. fl.; Wiweke. fl. D. 68 r r« ' . ..ill The E Division, ( E standing for Electricity) is composed of the volt and amp boys of the Menifee and totals 19 men working under Ensign Mroz and Electrician Holder. The gang is divided into four groups to handle four widely different, but still electrical, jobs. Hoggard, Moore, Bennett and Quish of the I.C. gang handle the gyro- compass, battle phones, public address system, and other internal communica- tions of the ship. The Lighting gang, Bailey, Turpin, Fry, Eckert and Olson, have lights, fans and hot plates in their care. Next to the mailmen, they ' re probably the most pestered men on the ship. Those vital fans, which mean the difference between sleep and no sleep, are never turned off on the Pacific. They don ' t stop till they burn out. Then it ' s the job of the Lighting gang to fix them, and, since no spare parts are available, they have to wind armatures and field coils, cut carbon brushes, and tool small brass parts. Hutcheson and Wiweke are the Battery gang, whose arms are stretched long from toting heavy batteries up and down ladders and whose pants look as if they ' d been caught in a mortar barrage as the result of acid action. Hutch and Wiweke are also responsible for the batteries and lights of the boats. find, fourth, is the mighty Power gang. Carl, Michalak, Shocklee, Sheerer and Bemoll are the big kilowatt boys. They handle the big generators, the Meni- fee ' s primary source of electricity. DIVISION Front row, left to right— Mackes, S. E.; Putman. H. E.; Gesell, J. A.; Schmidt, E. J.; Cliff, O. L.; Whitehead, L. D.; Wills, M. E. Second row — Witmer, L. S.; Neugent, R. V.; Schrowang, H. I.; Sackie, A. G.; Tomlin, T.; Krawczyk, M. J. Third row Flesher, L. W.; Kilbridge, L. E.; Mauger, fl. J.: Smith, K. W.; Woolerie, W. B.; Leden, G. H.; Uebersetzig, H.; Strauss, H. E. Top row Parsons, B. W.; Blackie, I. fl.; McDonald, L. M.; Ouinn, fl. E.; Laird, H. R.; Saling, J. E.r Vermette, L. E. 70 Machinist ' s Mates, Water Tenders and Firemen constitute this division. Headed by our Chief Engineer, Lt. Comdr. Owens. Those fire eaters sweat it out day and night controlling the power of 8500 horses in the combination impulse reaction steam turbine that drives the Menifee. A constant watch of valves, engine gauges and controls are the routine duties of the personnel. Prepared for any emergency and constantly busy with maintenance and repair, the machinists are headed by Chief Hodges, the firemen by the genial Chief Castine, and the watertenders by Skou, WTlc. Working below decks in temperatures never less than 90, these men are not the envy of any open deck department, but are certainly respected for their part in making her go. If Turkish baths are con- ducive of healthy bodies, these snipes should boast the physique of supermen. Equipped for refueling under any conditions, Smith, WT2c, the oil king, has directed each oper- ation in supplying the 300,000 gallon capacity tanks. Consuming oil at the rate of 530 gallons per hour under normal operating speeds, the Menifee makes this a priority job at the beginning and end of each run. I DIVISICN Front row, left to right — Logerquist, L. F.; Pattie, J. H.; Rettig, F. B., Jr.; Clark, E. R.; Bednorz, M. C. Second row— Osborne, W. E.; Short, F. J., Jr.; Tollefson, M. J.; Bailey, J. W.; Chism, E. R. Third row— Williamson, J. B.; O ' Neill, J. D.; Crowell, G. E.; Brennon, R. G, Jr.; Dumont, W. H.; Moose, R. L.; ZuHinnetti. F. Top row— Olsen, L. R.; Calhoun, C. V.; Beach, C. T.; Hickman, C. G; Worrell, L. B. : Gauthier, R. J.; Adams, L. C. 72 Titivating really means something to the men in the R Division. Since the Ship was put in com- mission, their jobs have not only been many and varied, but their services have been constantly in demand. Seen all hours of the day with their ham- mers, saws, cutting torches and welding equipment in use, these boys have a never ending job of build- ing, repairing and remodeling. Their accomplish- ments are very much in evidence and the demands made upon them come from every department and division aboard. No job has been too small or too large. From brackets on the bulkhead to complete compartments are their daily tasks. To name a few of their jobs is only a small credit to their ingenuity, for the R Division has constructed a most complete and elabor- ate carpenter shop located on the fosc ' l deck, and a fully equipped and well designed barber shop for- ward starboard side, main deck. Recently, port holes have been placed in the Wardroom and Sick Bay, with more to be added in various and compartments of the ship. For the invasion of Okinawa, five punts were built to handle the transfer of cargo over the reefs, fit Nagasaki twenty-four scaling ladders for the sea wall were constructed to enable the success- ful landing of troops. Under the direction of Carpenter Klinefelter, the division maintains a constant vigil of repair and maintenance of the ship ' s intricate system of plumb- ing, water systems and hull fittings. It has been ob- served that this ship has done more construction building and improvement of ship ' s gear than any flPfl of its type. s DIVISION The Supply Department, S Division, is the outfit that gives the Menifee her resemblance to a city.. General stores, food preparation, the bar- ber shop, laundry, disbursing, all are under S Division supervision. With the job of run- ning these services, a smooth-workin g S Di- vision is the difference between a well-fed, neat, clean and pogey-bait munching crew and the opposite. fl quick run over the division ' s 62 men shows them in the following jobs: Victor and Sailor, in clothing and small stores, are the dungaree-disbursers. Fronk, No ' Cam- els ' — you want ' Luckies ' ? , ship ' s store. Gen- eral Stores , meaning just about what it says- covering everything, handled by Hansen. Neff, handling those crisp tens as carelessly as though they were requests for leave — disbursing store- keeper. Nick Nickolson, wrassler with supply office paperwork and headaches. Switzer and Baker are those men of prestige and power, leading P.O. ' s in the galley. Hol- land, bakeshop and violin specialist. Kimber- ling, with his officers ' cooks and stewards, re- sponsible for the general increase in waistlines among the gold-braid. Johnson and Bessette in charge of the laun- dry — Hey, where ' s me skivvies? find Foster and Kennison, barbers and bulkhead pinup specialists, whose work inevitably piles up as we near those lovely States. Mr. Welsh, officer in charge of the galley, came across with some interesting dope on how much hash the boys have slung and how much slum they ' ve burned. In 1 1 months, the Menifee put out 811,923 meals at an average cost of 22c per meal. Going into these meals were 110,825 pounds of fresh fruit, 416,740 pounds of spuds, 125,785 pounds of flour, 103,- 9 6 pounds of sugar and over a half million eggs. Now all messcooks, 4th section watchstand- ers and politicians go to the head of the chow line. 74 Front row, left to right — Ellingson, K. B.; Wilson, L.; Blair, R. H.; Ford, H. A.; Neff, L. B.; Kenison, E. L.; Switzer, P. L. Second row — Labinsky, G. M.; Baker, C. W.; Holland, A. J.; Victor, F. W„- Fronk, L. J.; Saylor, G. W. Third row — Vanderver, L. A.; Tompkins, H. E.; Faszier, M. L. ; Betkel, W. D. : Diecker, W. B.; Johnson, W. L.; Foster, J. L. Top row — Nicholson, M. H.; Copeland, R. L.; Prest, D. W.; Hanson, A. A.; Fox, W. A.; Bessette, H. L.; Nesh ' ek, R. E.. ' Front row, left to right — Bates, B. M.; Kimberling, F. K.; Smith, A. D.; Bell, I. F.; Washington, J. L.; Johnson, I. C. Second row— Okra, R. S.; Peeler, J„- Smith, M. C; Jenkins, C. A.; Cooper, H. C; Rayford, J. K. Third row — Brownlee, T.; Patin, I.; Corner, H. C; Jobe, L.; Brown, H. J.; Causey, A. Top row — Simmons, C. R.; Bowen, H. C; Johnson, W.; Barr, J.; Trimble, L. W.; Sargent, R. A. L.; Wynn, R. W. WATCHSTANDERS You can ' t take everybody ' s picture at the same time — at least we couldn ' t. We had to wait. These lads are from various divisions and were on watch at the time pictures were being taken. Front row, left to right — Viands, G. W.; Glebocki, M. B.; Lyons, M. G. Second row— Riggins, W. A.; Scou, F. A. W.; Lasda, A.; Umlor, R. T. CHIEFS Top row, left to right — James B. Hodge, Alfred C. Matzenbacher, Walter Wegge, Robert E. Price. Middle row — Seth W. Dees, Jr., Harold Shepherd, Granger A. White, James C. Percy. Bottom-row — Carl C. Linville. John M. McCoy. Henry A. Castine, Charles E. Matheson. ACTIVITY SHOTS OF ALL DIVISIONS NAVIGATION COMMUNICATION Top row, left to right — Irvin L. McClure, Lt. (jg) Stokes L. Sharpe. Pottom row— Lt. Carl L. Erdman, Lt. John W. Drannen Lt. (jg) Claude L. Yarbro, Jr 79 ENGINEERS Top row, left to right — Ens. Edward J. Mroz, Elec. James A. Holder, Ch. Mach. Louland M. Weller. Bottom row — Ens. Bertel R. Westman, Lt. Comdr. John M. Owen, Lt. (jg) Rex W. Beers, Jr., Lt. (jg) Roger Welwark III. 80 C R. OFFICERS Top row, left to right: Ch. Bos ' n Mike J. Trens, Ens. Edward H. Finkelstein, Carp. Lawrence J. Klinefelter. Bottom row — Lt. A. Clark Fleehart, Lt. Jay R. Brunner. DECK OFFICERS Top row, left to right — Lt. Lloyd J. Crandall, Ens. Robert E. Rickett. Ens. William R. Custer, Ens. Stewart W. flllen, Jr., Ens. Donalc J. Cody. Bottom row — Ens. Tom Garst, Ens. Robert W. Vagle, Ens. Leon E. Aronson. Ens. Allen A. Brenny, Ens. Charles H. Ansel. 82 MEDICAL Lt. Comdr. Edward R. Bartkowiak. Comdr. Samuel B. Rentsch, Lt. Frank R. Morrow, Ch. Pharm. John M. Donahae. STRATEGIC OFFICERS Top row, left to right — Lt. Richard A. Foster, First Lt. Eddie G. Sparkman, Lt. (jg) Joe G. Schoggen. Bottom row — Lt. (jg) Claude L. Yarbo, Jr., Lt. Carl L. Erdman, Lt. Comdr. Charles F. Holland, Lt. Lloyd J. Crandall. WARRANT 5 CHIEF WARRANTS Top row, left to right: Elec. James H. Holder, Carp. Lawrence J. Klinefelter, Ch. Bos ' n Mike J. Trens. Bottom row — Ch. Mach. Louland M. Weller, Ch. Pharm. John M. Donahae, P.PC Thomas C. Welsh. Oil Ob S J N jVI £ jVJ O K 1AM In memory of Chief Herbert George Bartholomew, a shipmate no longer with us in body, but whose spirit, unbound, steams with us over this broad expanse of the Pacific. His presence aboard is missed but his memory in the hearts of his shipmates lives on. The virtues of friendliness, kindness, cooperation, and loyalty which helped make up his character, endeared him to officers and men. We commend him to his God and his family to the care of the Comforter who, we pray, will lighten their darkness and unburden their hearts. His Shipmates. ) i JxJJWj ;U -3-}J±)! ' U± ) x ■a? i 5 N F©U U.S.S. MENIFEE Saturday, 29 September 1945 PLAN OF THE DAY Crew ' s Duty Section - 3rd 0345 - Section I relieve the watch. 0400 - Call ship ' s cooks. 0600 - Call duty MA A. 0630 - Reveille - Trice up all bunks - D compartment air bedding, weather permitting. 0635 - Sunrise. 0700 - Breakfast. 0730 - Section II relieve the watch. 0800 - Turn to. 0830 - Quarters for muster. 0845 - Secure from quarters. Turn to. 1130 - Pipe sweepers - clean sweep down - fore and aft - Early dinner for messcooks and section III watchstanders. 1145 - Section III relieve the watch. 1200 - Dinner. 1300 - Turn to. 1545 - Section IV relieve the watch. 1555 - Inspection of messcooks in the messing compartment. 1615 - All divisions turn in paint pots and brushes to bos ' n locker. 1630 - Knock off routine work - Pipe sweepers - clean sweep down - fore and aft - Early supper for messcooks. 1700 - Supper - Section V watchstanders fall in at head of line. Test general alarm. 1720 - Section V relieve the watch. 1848 - Sunset. 1900 - Muster PAL and restricted men. 1918 - Extinguish all lights forward of the bridge. 1920 - On deck, Eight O ' clock reports. 1945 - Section I relieve the watch. 2000 - Report Eight O ' clock to the Commanding Officer. 2200 - Taps - Lights out in all compartments - Maintain silence about the decks - No skylarking or unnecessary noise to be permitted in the messing compartment. 2345 - Section II relieve the watch. REMARKS 1. Field Day will be hel d in all Engineering spaces and aft of 4 hatch. 2. Personnel are directed to turn in gas masks and helmets to the First Lieutenant ' s Office prior to 1300 this date. 3. Two hands each from the 1st, 2nd, and N division report to Ensign Rickett at 2 hatch at 1030. N. E. DOZIER, Lt. Comdr., USNR, Executive Officer. 90 PLAN OF THE DAY Crew ' s Duty Section - 3rd 0345 - Watch I watch watch II relieve the watch. 0400 - Try like to awaken ship ' s cooks (This shall be accomplished quickly with a hammer or something). 0600 - Attempt reveille on the duty MAA (Careful - heavy night last night). 0609 - Sunrise - (This is a cinch - It happens every day). 0630 - Reveille - Porters will trice up and change all bunk linen. 0700 - Breakfast (in bed if you so prefer) - Muster PAL and restricted men at the Master-At-Arms shack, just as if there actually were some on this happy ship. 0800 - Turn to. 0805 - Belay that last word - Do not turn to whatsoever - Deck hands and sweepers endeavour to fight the urge to do manual labor. 0930 - Crap games in the wardroom - No minors allowed - Enlisted men will furnish their own dice - Ice cream, cake, coffee, and sandwiches will be served continuously throughout the morning hours. 1000 - Movies for those who wish to attend - A ten hand working party will arrive from the beach to rig movies. 1100 - Pipe sweepers (Air to be furnished through the courtesy of the Acme Gas and Electric Company representative now on board) - If sweepers- SHOULD arrive on deck they will be warned to expect the severest in disciplinary action. 1200 - Dinner. 1300 - Continue sluffing off - Gin rummy games will begin promptly - No limit. Table handlers will insure the serving of iced tea for all players - Kibitzers stay clear. 1400 - Fresh uniforms will be delivered to all men coming from the shov.-ers - Bathing trunks, robes, and slippers may be worn in lieu thereof. 1530 - Do as you wish - sleep perhaps. 1630 - Knock off routine games - Turn in all poker chips and other gambling devices to appropriate locker or division officer or somebody. 1700 - Supper. 1800 - Sunset - Turn on all the unnecessary bright lights you can find about the ship. 1900 - Skip the Eight O ' clock reports again. 1920 - More movies for those who care to attend topside - Ice cream and beverages will be served. 2000 - The Eight O ' clock reports to the Commanding Officer shall be dispensed with until further notice - Awaken him only in case of a notice of release from active duty. 2100 - Secure from movies - Those who have gone to sleep may remain in their lounges throughout the night - Comforters will be quietly placed upon them by WAVE assistants stationed on board. 2200 - Taps (Done by Louey Hamstrung) - Dancing until 0200 on the after bridge deck - Refreshments will be served to your liking in the converted chart room - Skylarking will be permitted in the messhall only - Quiet will be observed in all compartments where members of the Ship ' s Com- pany may be catching a few winks. REMARKS 1. Will the yeoman who made up the Plan of the Day for today please report to the nice little man in white who operates the psychopathic ward. N. E. DOZISR. Any publication pretending to give a picture of any Naval activity would be meaningless as hell without some consideration of the institution of joe — or coffee, as it is seldom called. This article will attempt to cover the rise of joe in the Naval service. Considerable re- search by the Menifee Yearbook ' s staff has been in- volved, and although some veteran joe-swallowers may find slight inaccuracies here and there, we believe the story as a whole is a pack of lies. To begin with, joe was discovered in America by radarmen of Christopher Columbus ' famed task force 00 who had to find something to keep them awake on the mid-watch. They claimed they talked some Indian maids into revealing the secret of brewing joe during a 48 in Norfolk. This, of course, was a lie. They really got the dope from an obscure chief named Ten-Ton- Boom in exchange for a mattress cover and a pack of Camels. Then we come to the Limeys and Admiral Nelson, whose last words, as every schoolboy knows, were too damn much cream! THE HISTORY OF JOE From the Limeys we jump to the U. S. In addition to the tricky uniform, we borrowed mud (joe) (coffee) from our ally. We also borrowed a cup of sugar, the •galley being secured at the time. In the United States Navy, joe really made out. From a position of obscurity, it rose, in the highest Naval traditions, to distinction. At first, it was brewed in worn- out sickbay gear. However, it got better and better treat- ment until it was compounded from a formula according to the Naval Pharmacopoeia in chromium jobs which blew Early Chow when the joe was done. The Bureau of Naval Personnel was not slow in realizing the importance of joe . It immediately cre- ated the rates of Joeman 3c (AA) (LO (RSVP) (T) to the warrant rank of Chief Joe Pourer (CJP). It was a right arm rate with the insignia of a crow drinking, from a regulation Navy cup, joe without cream. Or sugar. From there on, of course, the newspapers take over. We all remember reading how joe was credited with winning the Battle of Midway, for taking Mount Sura- bachi, and for shooting down countless Kamakaze planes. P2 s?ok fs SOFTBALL In spite of the sore muscles it brought, the Softball was broken out whenever a diamond was available. Even the least enthusiastic players got cocky as the devil when they were a couple runs and a couple beers ahead. Milne Bay, New Guinea, was our most ideal softball spot. We were the only ship in port and there were just a few army units around. Teams from the S, H, M, N and E divisions were formed, along with one of officers and one of chiefs. After several hard-played and much argued games, the Port and Starboard liberty parties each picked a team to meet the local doggies. Results were a 10-inning 4-4 tie and a 1-0 win for the Army. The M and N divisions played two tie games after emerging from previous play the most formidable teams. Batteries were Leden and Kozlen for M division, and Dahl and Shields pitching, Hendershot catching, for N division. Lt. Com. Dozier, Lt. (jg) Morrow and Ensigns Brenny and Finkelstein were the hotshots among the gold-braid, while Gray and Wegge starred for that hashmark gang the CPO ' s. Down at Mindoro, in the P-Boat League of flPfl ' s pres- ent, the Menifee held her own — tieing the Mclntyre (flPfl- 129) 3-3 and splitting two 1-0 games with the Wayne (flPfl-54). The whole business of softball seemed to be pretty tied up with the business of beer. If a man hit a home run, he was rewarded with a beer. If he hit a three-bagger, he was rewarded with a beer. If he could stand up, he was re- warded with a beer. There were few complaints. BOXING The only major sports event which could be held suc- cessfully aboard ship was boxing. Number 2 hatch was transformed into the squared circle for this purpose by the capabilities of the deck divisions and shipfitters. Under the able promotion of Chaplain Holland many fine bouts were held, both with troops aboard, and among members of the ship ' s crew only. Whenever the troops took part it brought out the true incentive to win as Mr. Holland would wisely match a marine or soldier against a sailor or a private with a sergeant. Several capable ring artists among the ship ' s crew lent their talents to these events and provided many an interesting and exciting moment to the enjoyment of those who were spectators. Those who dominated their weights v ere Jesse Kirk, MoMM3c, and Don Lewis, SK2c, who fought in the heavyweight division; John Moss, the rugged Coxswain from St. Louis, and Connie Beach of Bremerton, showed the way in the middleweight class, but were followed closely by Jimmie Riggs, Chuck McCannon and Joe Corner. Of the smaller men too much cannot be said of QM Harvey Johnson of Kansas, who in the performance of his professional duties aboard ship has to stand on a chair to see over the charting table; and Jittery Jobe, the flashy colored boy from Chicago. The third man in the ring was usually Ensign Brenny. S?Oli1S PING PONG TOURNAMENT In May, 1945, while enroute to the States from the Philippines, a ping pong tournament was organized by the chaplain to help relieve the monotony of the long non-stop trip from Ulithi to San Pedro. After several days of practice and some lively games between all the men interested, sixteen men of the top flight players signed up for the tournament. fill men showed unusual skill with the wooden paddles, and all the games were won by a very close margin, some even going to 28 to 30 before a winner could be declared. After a few games it was quite evident that Sacco and Shelton would be the contestants for the final game, which would be played off for the winner of three out of five games. Sacco, Shelton, Durham and Hopkins played in the semi-finals. Durham and Hopkins received two cartons of cigarettes for their prizes. Shelton received three cartons and Sacco a carton of highly prized Coca-Cola, which was a real treat in the hot Pacific. Throughout the tournament the games were interesting and the men watching_ the contest enjoyed it as much as the men who participated in it. The Champ. What No Shorts? — Must have Lost them over Beer — or was it a case. Island Football — where Goal posts are only 20 yards apart. REMEMBER? % ' . 8 95 REMEMBER? 36 REMEMBER? REMEMBER?