Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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view. The planes could be heard overhead searching for fhe ship. They came over in waves, forfy in all. The M.V. fied up fo debarlc froops. A Brifish oil fanlcer came along- side fo fuel. The +anlcer's claim was fhaf every ship she had fueled had been losf wifhin fhree weeks. The M.V. ruined her record by sfaying afloaf. Barfering for souvenirs began befween bofh ships. The crew wanfed Singapore memenfos, fhe Brifish wanfed cigareffes. There was no liberfy, as fhe cify was under enemy siege buf somehow all hands managed fo gef off fhe ship. Dog fighfs befween Jap and Brifish planes became commonplace. ' Thursday morning I5 January is fhe day sfill discussed. Af 0945 an air raid alarm senf fhe ship fo General Quarfers. .All morning, fense wifh excifemenf, fhe ship waifed, fhe gun crews aware fhaf our guns were nof enough. If was sfill cloudy. All fhe cify lay in complefe silence. Af I230, Condifion ll was sef. Half fhe baffle sfafions crews wenf fo chow. The chow line had iusf grown from fhe affer mess hall ouf onfo fhe fan fail, when a Jap plane dropped six bombs. Forfunafely fhey landed in a field abouf a hundred yards from fhe ship. The ominous sighf was fheir paffern: fhe exacf lengfh of fhe ship. The gunner's mafes were fo lceep fhe guns ready for acfion for fhe nexf four years. This was fhe only J 'im' swf' f

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occasion for fheir use. H' was +ime 'ro leave. The ship pulled our for Aden, Arabia. Life aboard resumed i+s usual rourine. The empfy passageways were bo+h re- lieving and haunring. The ealc of fhe volcano lhal was Aden appeared, and grew larger P un'I'il, moored in +he shadow of 'rhe lowering mounlain, +he ship seni' Irb- erry parries ashore in mo'ror launches. As soon' as lhe sailors reached rhe beach 'rhey were deluged by a swarm of +axi drivers, money changers, -' u iewelry merchanrs, and beggars- Balcseesh Balcseesh.. Morhers offered lheir children for sale. Afrer an hour's haggling over d l- fhe fares and poinls of inreresl, rhe cabs ser our +o show off A en, 'rrave ling from +he por+ ciry, Lawahi, over +he rise roward +he narrow passage o 0 ll I ll h F 'ihrough fhe mounrams. This pass was rhe Needle s Eye , ope u y + d '1'h fhe Needle's Eye menrioned in rhe Bible. I+ was foo nar- nec e wr row for more 'rhan one cab a+ a lime, and lhe drivers, horns screaming, raced for rhe pass, each side hoping fo be firsr, and 'rrusfing +o brakes +o srop 'rhe cars in 'rime in evenr of a +ie. ' ' d rh As lhe sailors en+ered Craler Clry, 1'he real Aden, 11' appeare +o em 1'ha+ long ago 'lime had polilely, bui' firmly sfopped. Houses made from ' ' 'll d '+h J sun-dried mud, fraversed by fwrshng, narrow lanes fn e wr ews,