Mount Vernon (AP 22) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 76 text:

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Page 75 text:

L ii 2 c is is .gr Ugg xi is E Y 2 .Ti 1 V M X S Qi? V ' In 1 it i in 6 ? , ,M ,T fp T E yi S i i V K '.,h' V I K? X C 67 is X s , 0 N, ge t Aff .s ,xx . W , 7 Viv., ffl i ' 'ESQ , S will Q I 4 4? ' , ff f 5 2 ? 4 . , I 1 I , A. i4 fi : A J 1 :W K it 3 , if 231 K , ,,, 5, , or f Vg, , W, ,K K 2 Q . ,, f fs .V f T ,V X 5 X, ,figs f , , ' I .. . 5 ' , 1 4 lv: V fm yi. 4 , if fix! fail 5 I s i T ' Jn A ' A 1 1 T OPERATIONS ATLANTIC were, for fhe mos+ par+, varied. A+ +imes, +he seas mounied and showed power unsuspec+edp +he waves 'rossed +he ship as if she were a piece of wood: +hey sprayed eighfy-five 'Fee+ +o her highesl' deck: fhey slowed her iravel. Such was fhe 'rrip of 'rhe Big Roll a+ which +ime +he ship lisfed +hir'ry-+wo degrees before righiing herself. A+ 'rimes, however, 'rhe silence and 'rhe calm were hypno+ic: fhe sea broughf back memories of fhe quiel lake off in The woods ai' home.

Page 77 text:

0 qnce in a while, fhe wind blew 'rhe wrong direcfion from fhe Bosfon Fish Pier, or from fhe ferfilizer planf in Norfolk, buf fhe greafer porfion of fhe fume, fhe breezes were from fhe sea, wifhouf fhe benefif or dis- comforf of having crossed land in fhe immediafe vicinify. Mosf of fhe fime spenf on Aflanfic Operafions was spenf ON fhe Aflanfic, shuffling our froops befween Bosfon, New York Cify, and Norfolk on fhe sfafeside and Liverpool, Naples, and Marseilles over fhere. Cccasionally, fhe rou- fine was pleasanfly inferrupfed by deviafion fo anofher porf of call: Glas- gow, Oran, or Gibralfar or by a varied passenger lisf. Red Cross Workers, en roufe fo fhe European Theafre ioined 'rhe ship's company in posf-vicfory dances on fhe sun deck. USO froupes pre- senfed fheir producfions for fhe enferfainmenf of all presenf. Casualfies we carried, supplying fhem wifh complefe medical service uninferrupfed befween foreign and home base. Displaced persons we carried fo fheir homelands: prisoners we carried fo our land. All foreign porfs of call showed physical affecfs of war and bombings. They revealed, foo, fhe hisfory, archifecfure, and culfure of fhe people. The froops which sformed fhe Normandy beachheads D Day were reinforced by men en roufe fo England aboard fhe Mounf Vernon and fhe ofher ships under fhe command of fhe Naval Transporf Service lAf- lanficl fhaf day. She became one of fhe span of ships across fhe ocean, an imporfanf one. Six fhousand men a frip guaranfeed her imporfance as a froop carrier. These men embarked af Bosfon, buf fhey were fhe men of fhe Easfern cifies and fhe Wesfern plains, fhe Norfhern facfories and fhe Soufhern hills. The rnaiorify of froops and passenger personnel carried expressed fheir approval or disapproval of fhe ship verbally.. One, an officer of fhe lfalian forces, however, leaped overboard wifh suicide or escape fo a passing ship as his infenf. Adroif ship handling by Lieufenanf Kayser and expedifious lowering and operafing of fhe mofor whaleboaf by Cox- swain Hughes resulfed in a successful rescue af sea. Following fhe orders of Radio Washingfon, on 26 January l945, fhe Mounf Vernon alfered her course and proceeded fhrough cold fog fo sfand by a fanker afire af sea. Preparafions for boarding wifh fire gear were complefed, buf noi' carried ouf as fhe Moun+ Vernon was ordered relieved by a Coasf Guard fire boaf. The relief arrived only affer all hands aboard were benumbed by cold.