Bunker Hill (CV 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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i xt 9.- ai fr' ef f SUPPLY i i ' A huge and sometimes thankless task was theirs to perform The complex clzaracter mf an aircraft carrier places upon its Supply Department a drvfrsiq of demands and responsibilities that at once defies imagination and excites respect. housands of miles at sea, the sudden need for a powder puff-for a radio- man's helmet !-a set of jeWeler's tools, a three-inch slugging wrench, or ten crisp, untouched dollar bills must be met with equal ease. Pack the average needs of every industry and household of a medium- sized town into a single ship, and you get an approximation of what the Supply De- partment represents. The perplexities of maintaining such a stock of varied supplies, stores and spare parts, and of recording and accounting for each item, are obvious. Exacting thoroughness, precision estimates and keen supervision of distribution must characterize the operation of such a vast or- ganization, and have on the Bunker Hill. The ship's first Supply Officer, Commander C. M. Charneco, took over his duties with consci- entious efhciency upon reporting aboard in early pre-commissioning days, and he gathered about him a stall' of officers and enlisted men who soon put into operation the department ,, - ....-.Q-me-ms.. that has served the ship and its personnel admirably throughout long periods in com- bat areas, far from sources of supply. Tartar to try the mettle of any Supply Department, and particularly one in process of being organized, is the problem of estimat- ing the type and number of replacements necessary for the operation of a new combat aircraft. In this respect Commander Char- neco and his men deserved a heavy hand of applause for the way that they studied failufC reports and requisitions during the early dayS of operation, which resulted in the stocking of correct quantities and types of material needed while operational bugs still were being ironed out in the planes. Such fore- sight, however, was applied to fproblems Of every department. In September, 1944, Lieutenant Command- er E. S. Tharpe reported aboard to relicvv Commander Charneco, highly praising the organization which he took over. The Supply Department, organizationlllfv 'eff ..Li . 'I-Egg' fi' Q, V Tia . v : D-I

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to the department's success include Rod De- Camp, QMlc, Roland Falk, QM1c, C. W. Krenke, QM2c, W. M. Dickson, QM2c, R. A. Lawson, QM2c, and a late-comer, Irving Meissner, QM1c, all of whom com- prise the first team on the bridge. THE BAND: This robust group of sea- going musicians hold the poetic distinction of being able to praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, and they frequently do-all in the course of a day's work. Offering instru- mental support for church services is only a small part of their regular work, and manning gun stations is another of their extracurricular activities. They are easiest remembered, how- ever, for their shipping over music concerts during their in-port routines, and for their spirited jive hours on the flight deck during slack moments in operations at sea. Proof that they are an important part of the Bunker Hill's life came one noon-time in the Gilbert Islands: they were lulling the meridian sun- worshippers with Duke Ellington's Don't Get Around Much Anymore, when the General Quarters call scattered the audience in nothing flat and sent the bandmen to gun stations, leaving brightly-polished instruments ff scattered in their wakes. Said Chief Musician Douglas C. Cameron, band director, When you gotta go, you can't take it with you- not even Duke Ellington. You'd probably be surprised at the crew favorites among perennial requests. Fred- erick Dean, trumpeter deluxe, says, for in- stance, Anvil Chorus heads the list. Tastes also include particular affection for Begin the Beguineu Cmemories attached thereto, they sayj, Jersey Bounce Cat least thirty percent of the crew comes from Frank Hague's statej, and People Will Say We're In Love Ca little number from the show Oklahoma , which has been going great guns on all-but- forgotten Broadwayj. Other members of the hot Bachs include Paul Bowerson, bass and tuba, George Cata- lanotto, drums, Delmar Fleely, trombone, Richard Miller, trumpet, Marvin Schneider, sax, Henry Taylor, clarinet, Joseph Suldo, sax and clarinet, Louis Thomas, trumpet, Billy Tilson, sax and clarinet, Leo Warila, trombone. Added to the musicians at quarters are F rank Banyas, sax, Eustolio Garcia, bari- tone, Elston Hall, sax, Charles Hall, tuba, William Prophet, trumpet, Louis Uzee, French horn, George Meredith, drums. H g . Pf'!s rf 'e ' L i

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falls naturally into four distinct divisions, with each assuming direction of its individual responsibilities but with an interdivisional elasticity essential to departmental efficiency. Disbursing: During the pre-commissioning period and through the ship's first year at sea, the cash drawer was handled by Lieu- tenant Cjgj H. G. Henry Clater lieutenantj, one-time Maryland farmer and all-time expert on budget balancing. Chief Pay Clerk G. M. Chandler, a battleship and cruiser veteran, and slim Henry The Demon Demonbreum, SK1c, were his top-drawer assistants in hand- ling the payrolls of ship and squadron per- sonnel, and the various ship's funds. In August, 1944, Ensign C. F. Jones relieved Lieutenant Henry as Disbursing Ofiicer. Aviation Stores: Lieutenant Kenneth H. McClure, S-1 division oliicer, was placed in charge of Aviation Stores upon reporting aboard in March, 1943, utilizing his commer- cial experience with airlines as well as his duty with the Aviation Supply Detail as NAS, Floyd Bennett Field, New York. Chief Pay Clerk John N. Davis became his first assist- ant, his work in assembling bulk stores prior to the ship's Shakedown playing a large part in his subsequent promotion to Lieutenant Cjgb and transfer to other duty. Chief Clerk W. H. Hargreaves reported aboard as his relief, and joined Chief Pay Clerk B. T. Karnes in that section. Chief Storekeeper, J. Y. Popeye Hayes, ship athletic booster and sometime coach, was the leading hustler in Aviation Stores, com- bining hard-headed practicality with a keen knowledge of red-tape, and directed the work of the men in various storerooms, including J. R. Lauby, B. V. Todd, Storekeepers First Class, and others. ti THE COMMISSARY CONTROL GSK and Commissary: The General Stores division handled all non-specialized sup- plies connected with the operation of the ship, from machinery to pencils, and was or- ganized and first directed by Lieutenant Jack Flannery and Chief Pay Clerk F. E. Bare. To them also fell the responsibility of con- trolling the Commissary and maintaining the mountains of food stores that packed the huge storerooms below. Commissary Steward L. C. Dubois held direct responsibility through the first ten months at sea, before winning pro- motion to Pay Clerk and receiving a transfer. Chief Commissary Steward Willie Rawe then took over the biggest pantry in the world with such extracurricular activities as provid- ing scores of sandwiches nightly for men on watch, keeping Hagons of coffee brewing around the clock, and sending thousands of 1 i 2 1 3 l I ff To 501 doughnuts topside for men held at Flight Quarter and General Quarter stations. Lieu- tenant gl Stan F. Trueblood reported aboard in September of 1944, relieving the States- bound Flannery. Few on the ship are there who have not, at one time or other, contacted the various in- dividuals who run storerooms, keep the records and make out the invoices and orders. To mention but a few, the names of P. B. Roberts and I. E. Bradley, SK1c's, leap to mind-those characters being the reception- ists of the Supply Ofiice before their trans- fers, Bradley leaving as CSK. D. V. Roberts, CSK with China Station duty in his record and a host of sea-stories at tongue's-tip, was