Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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wifh a cool drink of Soufh African brandy or gin. The drink was very differenf in fasfe from fhe usual American beer or bourbon, buf if had much fhe same effecf. People in Bombay were sfrange in appearance and cusfoms. On fhe sfreefs women could be seen wearing a small iewel in fhe side of fhe nose iusf as in fhe Sfafes women wore earrings. Women also wore saris which fhey gracefully draped around fhem. Some of fhe saris were embroid- ered in a fine gold fhread and cosf 'hundreds of dollars. ln confrasf fo fhe expensive garmenfs were fhe mulfifudes of penniless beggars. Everyone walked around fhe sacred cows, and fhe killing of fhem was considered a sin. Such men as enjoyed playing fhe horses found fhaf Bombay had a beaufiful racefrack, buf fhe ponies were nofin fhe same class wifh fhose on fracks of Sanfa Anifa. , There were many femples, rich in gold, silver, and iewels, for fhe sailors fo admire. Crawford Markef, where one could buy anyfhing from flowers fo monkeys was an unusual sighf. The bazaar consisfed of peddlers on fhe sfreef, shops which were mere sfalls, and elaborafe silver shops. The ship sailed from fhe land of fhe hobba hobba and bum boafs in company wifh fhe Mariposa . Less fhan fwelve hours affer depar- fure, an ammunifion ship, near which fhe ship had been moored, blew up, sinking and damaging several ships and sfarfing large fires on fhe shoreline. Had fhe Mounf Vernon been fhere she would probably have suffered serious damage. Among fhe passengers embarked af Bombay were a group of lndian Hindus, whose cusfoms and mode of life offered an inferesfing sighf on shipboard. Since if was necessary for fhem fo cook fheir own food, fhey sef abouf if af once. Only prompf acfion prevenfed fheir building an open fire on fhe deck forward on B deck. They were fhen faken fo fhe galley where fhey prepared fheir own dishes, while fhe ship's cooks looked on in amazemenf. Few of fhe crew envied fhe passengers fheir meals. Their sfaple dief consisfed of curry and rice cooked wifh fish-heads. Sfeaming away from Bombay was nof wifhouf ifs fense feeling of ex- pecfafion, for af fhaf fime fhere exisfed a serious submarine menace in fhe lndian ocean and fhe Gulf of Aden. Several ships had been recenfly forpedoed. The frip from Bombay fo fhe Sfafes was bound fo be long. Thaf, no one doubfed. When fhe ship, almosf home, made a wide sweeping furn and headed soufheasf, all hope of an early arrival was doomed. Where was fhe ship going? Hadn'f fhe cruise, already a monfh af sea, been long enough? Why was fhe ship diverfing? Diver+ing, fhaf was if! , fhe scufflebuff sfreamed forfh. Righf if was. On May I4, fhe Mounf Vernon enfered fhe Panama Canal, ending her Pacific fravels.

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During fhe long weelcs of fhe Pacific voyage, fhe afhlefic program of fhe ship was ufilized fo ifs maximum exfenf. War had empfied fhe swim- ming pool and broughf fhe space and equipmenf devofed fo recreafion 'ro a minimum, buf due fo ample deck space, ahlefic compefifion proved pracfical and popular. lnferesf of fhe ship's commanding officers had always been reflecfed in shipboard afhlefics. One had been exfremely inferesfed in fhe fradi- fional Navy sporf of boxing. Anofher, whose inferesf followed volleyball, had nofified officers of any such games by sending an orderly wifh fhe message: Capfain's complimenfs. Volleyball will begin on fhe arena in five minufes. During fhe Pacific cruise, however, baslcefball caughf fhe inferesf of fhe crew and passangers, and, wifh fhe acfive supporf of fhe commanding officer, became fhe cenfer of fhe mosf far-reaching afhlefic program fhe ship had seen. Such afhlefic pursuifs were in addifion fo an exfensive program of calisfhenics each morning which lcepf fhe officers and men in fop physical condifion. The Pacific cruise saw fhe firsf of fhe baslcefball fournamenfs, consisf- ing of compefifion befween divisions. Corpsmen of fhe H division and declc hands of fhe Second division rafed as fhe fop feams in fhe inifial round of play. Wifh fhe developmenf of scores of experf players, an All-Ship feam was organized for compefifion wifh passengers as well as feams from ofher ships. Alfhough many sfrong Army feams were de- veloped aboard, only fhree fimes were fhe passengers successful in de- feafing fhe ship's enlisfed squads. ln fhe years fo follow approximafely fhirfy of 'rhese Army-Navy games were played aboard. When fhe vessel sfeamed info fhe Aflanfic, weafher condifions, alfhough offen unfavor- able, seldom caused cancellafion of fhe program, and games were played many fimes in almosf freezing femperafures.