Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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first Navy ship s ince the middle thirties. The crew explored every res- taurant and nnilk bar in the city. James McCracken drove one waitress to distraction by asking for chocolate sauce, strawberries, and marsh- mallow put over ice cream, delicately balanced on two banana halves. She threw up her hands and walked away with the comment, These Yanks, They ' ll eat anything! Souvenirs consisted of greenstone or wood Maori Tickies, and Para shell articles. The men were excited to see a whole town full of white women in modern clothes — women who were friendly. It was nice too, to see men in pants, instead of table cloth Lava Lavas trailing below men ' s conventional suit coats. While everyone enjoyed Wellington, they were overjoyed when the ship pulled out. This time she was headed for the States. Passengers and ship ' s company alike were in a jovial, talkative mood. Even Cap- tain Beary, usually a grave quiet man, chatted freely with anyone who came his way. Rope yarn Sundays were not necessary to keep up the morale. Tuesday, 3! March 1942, five months after she had left Boston on the voyage which was to take her around the world, the ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. She was home! - - »=

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FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. San Francisco was to represent America to the crew. Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge meant stateside liberty! Fourteen trips to the islands of the Pacific climaxed in a return to the city. Always a favorite port of the crew, San Francisco afforded a rollick- ing time, despite the fact that money disappeared in a short period. Stories have been told of sailors greasing the rails of the cable cars, making the descent of California Street uninterrupted, and much faster than usual. Rationing of golf balls limited the joy of playing on the city ' s golf links, particularly with the dog leg hole leading into the ocean. Swim- ming was too cool for comfort after the men became accustomed to the South Pacific beaches. An hour before sunset the ship ' s personnel mingled with the crowd gathered at the Top of the Mark , selecting the choice window seats and watching the night creep up on the city. Later in the evenings the International Settlement felt the presence of the Mount Vernon ' gang. Nellie Nelson announced his arrival in one bar filled with Coast Guardsmen by shouting, Standby, shallow water. Let the deep blue sea