Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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rouline. They relieved lhe merchanf crew. The sfaff of engineering omcers. however, accepfed Navy commissions and remained aboard. ln addihon fo fheir regular dufies, lhe coolcs, balrers, and mess coolcs made up a buclcel' brigade carrying waler aboard. Sfores arrived and fhe declc hands had fhe iob of moving +hem aboard. There were endless lines of declc men padding up and down +he gan gn way. This was fhe end of fhe luxury cruise. There were incessanf calls for fire wafches, wafches which lasfed fwelve hours, and which began again as soon as one was secured. Men who rafed liberl' fo have gone ashore wilh +wen+y-Five cenls in 'rheir poclcels and slep'I' on parlc benches all nighf in order fo avoid slaying aboard and sfanding a fire walch. The men agreed 'rhaf lhey should have been born wilh brooms in fheir hands. From up all hands unlil raps was forgof, il' was a cons+an+ sweep down, lirsf one side and fhen +he o+her. How 'rhe men could cause so much sweeping could never be underslood. As soon as one area had been swepf, ano'rher was in need of care. Wilh l'he arrival of sfores came fhe expecfafion of a cessalion of +he sweeping. Noi so was fhe case. The lines of men carrying supplies frudged up and down +he gangway, sweeping down befween frips. y were known Toward 'rhe end of lhe ship's s'ray in +he Navy Yard, fhe memorable

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D The enfrance +o +he Delaware River had everyone hanging over The rail again. The ship +ied up al' +he Philadelphia Navy Yard. On I6 June +he ship was commissioned. Capfain D. B. Beary assumed command. Chaos descended wifh a shifl' in'ro dungarees. Everyihing loose WGS removed from +he ship. The merchanr crew lefi, +he Navy crew moved info lheir vacared living spaces. They 'rurned fo, removing furnilure, packing po+s and pans, rolling carpe+s. The yard workmen descended wiih +heir fools and commenced a mefhodical sfripping of 'rhe ship. Alfhough many inexperienced men had been included in +he drafi of fh ' ' e engineering personnel, 'rhe Black gang was buili' around rafings and men who had received ample experience in o+her fle'e+ unifs. SuCl1 fh were e men from fhe cruisers As'roria , S+. Louis , and Minneap0- lis and +he auxiliaries AH'air and Boreas . Men like Chi T B 'l aker e on erm Duval under+ook 'rhe 'rraining of +he new men Conirasfing sfrongly wifh rhe compaci engineering planls of m0S+ Navy ships, +he abundani space, harmonious arrangemenl' of 'rhe machin- er O Nl 0 O D l y, sump lcily and ease of operahon nmmedialely impressed The machin- isis, firemen, and wa+er fenders as good du+y . Many of +he older- Navy men m l d ' arvee al' fhe push buHon engine room elevafor. By now, fhe black gang had a compleie undersfanding of +he eniire

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