Missouri (BB 63) - Naval Cruise Book

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Master Chief Boatswain ' s Mate John Davidson joined the Navy in July 1945 in time to serve in World War II. In February 1946, he reported aboard the USS Missouri (BB 63) and made the first historic voyage to Istanbul, Turkey. He then served on USS Begor (APD 127), USS Winston Agol (AKA 54), USS Cavalier (APA 27), USS George Clymer (APA 27), USS Estes (AGC 11), USS Salisbury Sound (AV 13), USS Austin (LPD 4), USS Tripoli BMCM(SW) John Davidson Command Master Chief (LPH 10) and rejoined USS Missouri in November 1984. His shore assignments include 7th Fleet Boat Pool; Fleet Training Center, Newport, Rhode Island, and Recruit Training Command, San Diego, Cali- fornia. Master Chief Davidson ' s decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal with Two Gold Stars, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, China Ser- vice Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Service Medal, Na- tional Defense Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy E Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and Hu- manitarian Service Medal. A native of Maiden, Massachusetts, Master Chief Davidson and his wife, Takako, share their home in San Diego, California.

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A dministra tion Department In just about any administrative of- fice you visit, one of the enterprising staff members will have this slogan taped on the side of a file cabinet or prominently posted for all to see: The job ain ' t done, ' till the paperwork is done. Aboard the battleship USS MIS- SOURI, that little maxim is just the tip of an iceberg in terms of the service provided by the Administration De- partment for the total teamwork need- ed on this historic ship of the line. Ad- ministration encompasses four main di- visions: Administrative, Personnel, Public Affairs and Legal. Organized within these divisions are 15 work sec- tions that respond to the wants and needs of the 1,500 officers and crew- members onboard. Paperwork is indeed a driving force in each and every function supported by the Administration Department. The officers and sailors in the depart- ment are one of the keystones of the command. Each man on MISSOURI sees the final product of our work, but not necessarily all the time expended in preparing and providing that service. Each division provides a special ser- vice. In the Administrative Division, the Captains office will have processed 3,000 pieces of correspondence on this cruise alone, the Postal Clerks collect and dispatch, and receive and distrib- ute tons of mail. It is estimated that during this cruise more than 33 tons of mail was handled. The print shop will have produced more than 400,000 im- pressions ranging from ship instruc- tions to Plans of the Day Week to the Familygram. In the Personnel Division, the Per- sonnelmen will have added some 45 new children to crewmembers service records, some 130 men will have been advanced to the next paygrade, 300 new ID cards will have been issued, 900 leave authorizations will have been pre- pared for the Holiday leave period, 200 men will have taken college or func- tional skills courses onboard and 400 personnel actions were required to pre- pare 285 men to compete during the Navy-wide examinations for advance- ment in rating. In the Public Affairs Division, more than 3,000 hours of information, sports and entertainment programs and mov- ies were shown on closed circuit televi- sion, 10,000 photographs were printed for use in public news information kits and in the cruise book, and some 500 reporters from newspapers, radio, and television will have been escorted on tours. In the Legal Division, an estimated 900 crewmembers were provided legal service for wills, powers of attorney and voting assistance; and some 120 cases were processed for Captain ' s Mast or Courts-Martial. These brief highlights of each divi- sions ' major impact on MISSOURI ' S crew, when viewed as a big picture, in- dicate that the Administration Depart- ment can justifiably boast: If you need some help shipmate, come see us.