Walke (DD 723) - Naval Cruise Book

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T CROSSING THE LINE Down with the slu'lllmau'ks, was the cry uttered by a small band of men as WfXl.Kl'i neared the equatgf in January. This was the beginning of the polliwog revolt, and altliougli short-lived, the uprising was a respectable one. Armed with buckets of Water and fire hoses, the group of polliwogs, those men who had not previously crossed the equa- tor, advanced on a large assembly of members of King Neptune's realm. Being badly outnumbered, the polliwogs fought a futile but valiant battle. They soon were forced to retreat, and they spent the rest of the day and night licking their wounds and awaiting the fateful morn. The day of reckoning arrived all too soon, and as it turned out, the scurvy polliwogs were more than repaid for their belligerence. When Davy ,lones and Neptunus Rex arrived they soon discovered that WALKE carried several men unworthy of entry into the royal domain. Sea slugs, eels, skates, squids, and scuts were despised by Neptune, but second only to polliwogs. Charges were written on each of the lowly crea- tures, and they were quickly brought to trial before the king. There, he, together with the Commanding Officer, the Royal Princess, Davy Jones, and others, decided Whether the polliwogs could possibly be cleansed by a thorough initiation. Through the mercy of Rex, all of WALKE'S creatures were al- lowed to go through the initiation. They received the wrath of all the shellbacks, plus the individually fine tortures afforded by the Royal Barber, Doctor, and Executioners. Polliwogs were tested in the coffin, the stockade, the electric chair, the tank, and finally, the garbage chute. The latter was the true test, and some of the candidates nearly failed there in their attempts to join the ranks of shellbacks. All were accepted, however, into the realm on that long and trying day. WALKE crossed the line with 21 Clean bill of health, and King Neptune left the ship, knowing that it contained only men Worthy Of his 1'0yal trust. Later in the cruise, we picked up a few more polliwogs. These even lowlier creatures were dCHlt with fairly, but harshly, on our second trip iid0Wn underf' How do you plead? Royal Court KI..

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THE CRUISE JKIII lllllllllllllllllllllfillH PEARL HARBOR The first port of call after leaving Long Beach was Pearl Harbor, located in the island of Oahu. We spent two days there, refueling and loading stores in preparation for the long cruise ahead. Not all of our time was spent in working, however, and during liberty hours we saw the sights of the island. Probably the most famous spot on Oahu is Waikiki Beach, on the eastern edge of Honolulu. Here, luxurious hotels, modern stores, and exotic night spots line the main street and beach. It is a tourist center, but a fine one, indeed. For those who were able to get away from the city, the island unfolded beautiful coves and bays, and heavy tropical vegetation reaching down to the water's edge. After seeing Oahu alone, it was easy to see why the Hawaiian Islands are the uParadise Islands of the Pacific. When we took in our lines, we knew that the cruise had started in earnest. We knew, too, that Pearl would be the first real sign of home, when, six months later, we would be fin- ishing the cruise.

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