Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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The entrance to the Delaware River had everyone hanging over the rail again. The ship tied up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. On 16 June the ship v as connmlssioned. Captain D. B. Beary assunned command. Chaos descended with a shift into dungarees. Everything loose was removed from the ship. The merchant crew left, the Navy crew moved into their vacated living spaces. They turned to, removing furniture, packing pots and pans, rolling carpets. The yard workmen descended wiVh their tools and commenced a methodical stripping of the ship. Although many inexperienced men had been included in the draft of the engineering personnel, the Black gang was built around ratings and men who had received ample experience in other flett units. Such were the men from the cruisers Astoria , St. Louis , and Minneapo- lis and the auxiliaries Altair and Boreas . Men like Chief Boilermaker Duval undertook the training of the new men. Contrasting strongly with the compact engineering plants of most Navy ships, the abundant space, harmonious arrangement of the machin- ery, simplicity and ease of operation immediately impressed the machin- ists, firemen, and water tenders as good duty . Many of the older Navy men marveled at the push button engine room elevator. By now, the black gang had a complete understanding of the entire

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Expecting the worst, but excited by the spirit of adventure, the farm- ers, lumberjacks, and office workers of California, Michigan, and Mis- souri became the ship ' s crew. With chow down that evening, the ship sailed, bound for Panama and the Canal. During the days that followed, the men could not be- lieve they were not dreaming. They were supposed to be fighting men, swab jockeys or engineers; they were, in reality, passengers on a cruise. The merchant crew operated the ship; the Navy men familiarized them- selves with the decks. Working parties were formed to acquaint the men with The Navy Method . The long lasting feud between the Reg- ulars and the Feather Merchants started. The men worked hard at sleep- ing in deck chairs or sun bathing beside the outdoor pool. Everyone was up early at the arrival at the Canal. All cameras were confiscated and all work was stopped at the entrance. A good close up of the tropics was an answer to the yen of all would be Tarians. Bets were made on the strength of the electric mules which pulled the ship through the locks. The tremendous engineering feat of the cuts im- pressed the men. A constant lookout was kept for alligators that were supposed to Inhabit the lakes, but none was seen. The next few days provided distant views of the Islands of the Carib- bean. The pattern of life began to change with the Inauguration of personnel and bag inspections.

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routine. They relieved the merchant crew. The staff of engineering officers, however, accepted Navy commissions and remained aboard. In addition to their regular duties, the cooks, bakers, and mess cooks made up a bucket brigade carrying water aboard. Stores arrived and the deck hands had the job of moving them aboard. There were endless lines of deck men padding up and down the gang- way. This was the end of the luxury cruise. There were incessant calls for fire watches, watches which lasted twelve hours, and which began again as soon as one was secured. Men who rated liberty were known to have gone ashore with twenty-five cents in their pockets and slept on park benches all night in order to avoid staying aboard and standing a fire watch. The men agreed that they should have been born with brooms in their hands. From up all hands until taps was forgot, it was a constant sweep down, first one side and then the other. How the men could cause so much sweeping could never be understood. As soon as one area had been swept, another was in need of care. With the arrival of stores came the expectation of a cessation of the sweeping. Not so was the case. The lines of men carrying supplies trudged up and down the gangway, sweeping down between trips. Toward the end of the ship ' s stay in the Navy Yard, the memorable