Pawcatuck (AO 108) - Naval Cruise Book

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Q QP4' 'C 'uri CJ J sometimes joking manner. Another boatswain was Rayford Norris mentioned previously as a man from Texas which is enough said. The City of Brotherly Love gave us Bob O'Brien and from out west in Colorado came Herman Wegener who made his rate during the cruise and who got a 4-F classification from his draft board while on the Pawcatuck. And last but not least, in size that is, is former Navy diver from Key West, Florida, W. C. Fisher, sometimes referred to as Fender Belly. Jim Lassiter, the first class boatswain's mate, was a former supermarket manager in his home town of Golfport, Mississippi. Jim has said the only concerns he was ever employed by were the supermarket and the U. S. Navy. He was in the Navy during the second world war and was called back during the Korean conflict. Buck Buchan, BM2, joined the Navy in 1941 and has been a boatswain almost since the beginning. His voice was very familiar in the forward deck compartment where every morning was heard, Revielle, Reviellu, up all hands. Heave out and trice up. Everybody goes. 'A A Getting back to the seamen in the deck department, there was Herb Rice from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, who was aboard three weeks before any of the boatswain's mates knew what he looked like, such was the confusion during and after the yard period before coming to the Med and the fact that Herb was sleeping in operations compartment due to the unsettled conditions at that time. Johnny Adams from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was a great lover of football and basketball. It was Johnny's job to keep the Captain's deck painted and clean. Another basketball man was John Blau from Cincinnati, all-state for Ohio. Also from the Buckeye State was Willie Brumfield from the town of Miller. L It was surprising and interesting to shipmates to learn many of their buddies could speak and understand Italian and French well enough to converse with the natives easily. Vincent C. Proya was one who could speak Italian fluently. He had the pleasure ,of visiting some of his kinfolk during the various stays in Naples. Rosario Carini visited his grandparents while the ship was in Augusta, Sicily, where he says he met cousins by the dozens. While in France, Tom Doucette was the outstanding Frenchman during liberty on the Riviera. Some of the mess cooks from the Deck Department during the cruise were Russ Berglund who worked in Chief's Quarters most of the time during the cruise. Russ was noted for his New England accent and red hair. Another outstand- ing personality serving out the chow was Leon Zeidman from Detroit, Michigan. Zidy lost a couple of teeth once by biting into a piece of, cornbread. There just has to be softer cornbread or tougher teeth made in the future, that's all. ' I191

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istics make themselves known. For instance, there was Willie Mesko, the Pittsburgh Pulverizer, a real racketeer. Sam, as he was also known, was very interested in making the third class Personnelman rate. Sam kept making funny scratchings all over everything in the First Lieutenant's office and there began to be a question -of sanity until someone discovered it was shorthand. The deck force of a U. S. Navy ship has a reputation of not being the easiest job in the service, but Merlin Walter Neumeyer, better known as Fuzzy, was heard to offer a dissenting opinion when he remarked, This deck force is a cinch compared to that junk yard I used to work in. Every organization must have its share of those un- accountable individuals called Brooklynites and Texans and the deck force of the USS Pawcatuck had a lion's share during the 1952 Mediterranean cruise. The most outstanding Texan, or at least the tallest and most typical was Carl McNeese from Baytown. Another less verbal citizen of the Lone Star State was George Gordon -who attended Texas A 8zM. Rayford Norris was another to bear that proud distinction. Norris was a lover of Dagwood type sandwiches. He was a familiar sight, gayly skipping across the cargo deck after aifull meal with a sandwich a mile high in each hand. It would be a shame to leave out Merlin Whitfield in the list of Texans because he tried so hard to hold up the good name of Texas for all to see, especially his New England friend from Massachusetts, Phil Englehardt, who sometimes showed signslof doubting the greatness of Texas. Exponents of the Dodgers were the trio of Steflie Broderick, Charlie Fager, and Rag Mop Rodriquez. From them the crew of the Pawcatuck enjoyed the privilege of learning why Brooklyn is the ,best state in the union, and hearing the familiar old refrain, I want to go to Flatbush when I die because that's heaven to me. With the greatest effort, a few 'of the boys from the hinterlands were able to get their two cents worth in about their native abode. There was Will Earley from Long Island, a cheery personality, never blue, always smiling and joking, telling all who might listen that all Long Islanders are aristocrats, that New Jersey is a swampy wasteland and that Brooklynites are very right when they call themselves bums. A few words about the third' class boatswain's mates. Seaman Pete Peterson made his first rate just before .leaving for the Med, and was so delighted he passed around cigars, even in the wardroom. Seaman Pete was one of the most cheerful persons imaginable during the whole trip. He probably doesn't know how not to smile and laugh. BM3 Bob Johnston was an extremely quiet person at times, secluding himself from the others with a cup' of coffee and his pipe for a few moments of quiet solitude, but when spoken to by a shipmate, he would always reply in a friendly, f18 two

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and has also lived 1n Columbia the capital of the Palmetto state Being fond of his own Jokes, he was addlcted to laughing at each one When a friend made a remark concerning th1s Wise Guys 1mmed1ate retort was I l1ke my Jokes Of part1cular lnterest to his shlpmates was his Wonderful capacity of wr1t1ng love letters, especially the one composed entirely of song t1tlGS There always has to be one of those guys who IS fond of misleading new arrivals on board with errands and advice of the left handed monkey wrench type Bob Wheeler from El Paso Colorado was the new Seaman s headache 1n tlus field with utterances such We need two volunteers to clean barnacles off the screws or go get me a bushel of square knots Ensign McHugh was the victim of goings on of this k1nd one mght not long after his arrival on board when the Executive Oiiicer sent him out to find the water l1ne which was lying loose on deck The officers and men of the Pawcatuck are to be con- gratulated on the wonderful safety record during. the Med cruise especially tlre deck force because of the more hazard- ous work that has to be performed by that department The only accident of any consequence to prove 1nJur1ous to a deck force person was when D1ck Empson broke hi nose a few weeks before sailing for the Med which neces- s1tated his being 1n the hospltal a few weeks This however was not caused by hazardous work but resulted when Empy and part of the shlp met during a little basketball practice on the well deck Another unfortunate occurance as a result of basketball was when Will Woolard lost a one hundred dollar watch over the Slde, which made him very sa The ambitions and desires heard expressed by navy men out at sea are endless and believe 1t or not do not always concern the distaif side Of course the ladies always seem to keep themselves foremost in the minds of the men but once 1n a while the conversatlon wanders to other thlngs the fellows have left behind or hope for when they get back Gene Vail was a great exponent of the sport of stock car racing Chud Fosher from Coopersv1lle New York was desirous of becomlng a state policeman when he gets out of the Navy Bruce Phelps from Florence Alabama was a pressman from his dads newspaper the Florence Times Wlthout exception everyone was looking forward to being home back with the folks to tell them of their experiences and the places that were seen during the trip Frank Boyer who was having a big church wedding upon return to the United States probably didn t have time to do much of that but the others with nothing quite as time consuming during leave could be expected to relate to their loved ones gathered about them the high spots of the voyage Wlnfield Rau took the fastest vehicle headed in the directlon of Baltlmore Maryland to be with h1s wife and son Hewey Thornsbury made a beehne for North Spring West Virginia and so l1ke an open fan busses trains cars and planes scattered Pawcatuckers north east south and west for a few days each to his respective home town After traveling more than 20,000 mll6S on the good ship Pawcatuck, what's a few hundred miles? Sallors are noted for fondness of travel, but the traveling they like best is when it's 1n the dlrection of home.' . ' I20. . . . . 1 I a I ' . , . . . . . , - - u ' , 1 ' 11 ' ' ' ' . Q n a 0 , . . . . . - , ' I 0 7 7 , . . - u ZS, 77 cr 77 ' . . . . . . . 0 s ' 1 , . H . . 11 . . . . ,1 1 . . . . . L. . S 1 . . . . . . ' 1 1 as 11 . . . . . . , I u I I d. ., . . . . . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . . . ' ' 1 1 . . . ' 1 1 ' 1 Q 0 . . 1 1 . . . , ' 1 . . , . . . ' Q 4 I 1 1 , 7 1 . 1 1 1 1 1 1 . ' u . . . ' - . . I I