Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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occasion for their use. It was time to leave. The ship pulled out for Aden, Arabia. Life aboard resunned its usual routine. The empty passageways were both re- lieving and haunting. The peak of the volcano that was Aden appeared, and grew larger until, moored In the shadow of the towering mountain, the ship sent lib- erty parties ashore In motor launches. As soon as the sailors reached the beach they were deluged by a swarm of taxi drivers, money changers, jewelry merchants, and beggars — Bakseesh Bakseesh!! Mothers offered their children for sale. After an hour ' s haggling over the fares and points of Interest, the cabs set out to show off Aden, travel- ling from the port city, Lawahi, over the rise toward the narrow passage through the mountains. This pass was the Needle ' s Eye , hopefully con- nected with the Needle ' s Eye mentioned in the Bible. It was too nar- row for more than one cab at a time, and the drivers, horns screaming, raced for the pass, each side hoping to be first, and trusting to brakes to stop the cars in time in event of a tie. As the sailors entered Crater City, the real Aden, it appeared to them that long ago time had politely, but firmly stopped. Houses made from sun-dried mud, traversed by twisting, narrow lanes filled with Jews,

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view. The planes could be heard overhead searching for the ship. They came over in waves, forty in all. The M.V. tied up to debark troops. A British oil tanker came along- side to fuel. The tanker ' s claim was that every ship she had fueled had been lost within three weeks. The M.V. ruined her record by staying afloat. Bartering for souvenirs began between both ships. The crew wanted Singapore mementos, the British wanted cigarettes. There was no liberty, as the city was under enemy siege but somehow all hands managed to get off the ship. Dog fights between Jap and British planes became commonplace. Thursday morning 15 January is the day still discussed. At 0945 an air raid alarm sent the ship to General Quarters. All morning, tense with excitement, the ship waited, the gun crews aware that our guns were not enough. It was still cloudy. All the city lay in complete silence. At 1230, Condition II was set. Half the battle stations crews went to chow. The chow line had just grown from the after mess hall out onto the fan tail, when a Jap plane dropped six bombs. Fortunately they landed in a field about a hundred yards from the ship. The ominous sight was their pattern: the exact length of the ship. The gunner ' s mates were to keep the guns ready for action for the next four years. This was the only

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Turks, Arabs, and goats, gave off a stench that soon benunnbed the nos- trils. It was necessary to barter for purchases here. If the dealer asked $300.00, one offered $3.00, and eventually the two agreed on a price of about $30.00. Still, the winner of the deal was always the shopkeeper. The crew soon voted Aden the training ground for all Pawnbrokers. Com- mander Darden, Lt. Cdr. Esling, Norman Wachel, Herb Lundmark, and A. C. Woodward escorted the butcher, Joe Karem as interpreter, to purchase native rugs from Crater City. He spoke Arabic, and proved