Cascade (AD 16) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 62 of the 1944 volume:

f -% ■-— --m ,1 Am: ■ _ ; 4: ■t ri fe-= if Foreword IT IS OT LIKELY THAT A MAN WILL FORGET A YEAR OF HIS LIFE. BUT THE MONTHS DO PASS AND MEMORIES DO FADE. IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY REMEMBER THE DAYS AND NIGHTS, THE WINDS AND THE RAINS, THE BOAT CALLS, THE CHIPPING HAMMERS, THE ALARMS, THE TIMES OF WAITING . . . AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO SHARED THE EXPERIENCES HEREIN PORTRAYED . . . WE HAVE PREPARED THIS BOOK ABOUT A SHIP. ITS PAGES WILL HELP TO TELL THE STORY OF A YEAR OF LIFE FOR THE MEN ABOARD HER. MOSTLY IT WILL BE CONTENT TO TELL OF SUCH AMUSEMENT AS THEY FOUND, AND SUCH SMALL PLEASURES AS THEY CONTRIVED. HERE WILL BE PUT DOWN THE NAMES AND HERE SEEN THE FACES OF THOSE WHO FOR THIS WHILE WERE SHIPMATES. EVEN AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF WAR — PERHAPS THE MORE SO BECAUSE THE BACK- GROUND WAS WHAT IT WAS — THESE ARE THE THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED . . . — THE EDITORS. Page One The Year Book Staff EDVTOW ASSISTAM KDIIOK AKTISTS , IMI()T()(;i{AI ' lli;i CONTKIIU TOI?S YKOMAN HI SINKSS MA A(;i;i{ CENSOR IMUMI (, Al) ISOKS .CH MM.MN W . A. ll lll l. .Lt. F. . K Z H A. Hali.er. Pir. Ic D. A. Brewster. S2c J. D. Wilkinson, Sic W. K. Gr-andbirc, Y3c .J. C. WlEHSdlKM. I ' I...M2.- F. V. FiiKK.. l ' h..M2 - Lt. J.J. Mc.Glade l.T. (jgi A. C. Fleehart Lt. (jfii P. E. Newman Macii. V. L. Mki.ton J. A. Harris, Ylr K. II. Kki.i.v S2i- Lt. (j l J. 1.. PvRRWTO Lr-( ' ii n. 1). O. Ml Ri.iN . .... C. C. Cai.dwki.i.. Pill. H. J. Scwi.oN. I ' llr. I( I ' .if-.- T„, Table of Contents INTRODUCTORY Foreword ... The Staff ... The Table of Contents . . . Our Skipper l-l SECTION I San Francisco . . . The Commissioning Ceremony ... Commissioning Dance . . . Trip to San Diego .5-10 SECTION II Hawaii . . . Around the Island . . . Softljall Tournament . . . The Luau ... A Letter Home , 11-20 SECTION III The High Seas . . . Plan of the Day . . . History of the Crossing- of-the-Line . . . Story of the U.S.S. CASCADE ' S Crossing . . . Crossing-the-Line Pictures . . . Ship ' s Certificate 21-34 SECTION IV Advanced Base . . . Liberty Ashore . . . Cruise of the Nancy Lee . . . Talent Night . . . Rigging for Church . . . Visit of the Natives ... Fishing from the Fartail ... It Raineth Rain 35-45 SECTION V Ship ' s Company . . . The Captain and Heads of Departments . . . Wardroom Officers . . . Warrant Officers . . . Chief Petty Officers . . . Crew . . . Shops and Offices . . . Chatter . . . Some Girl Friends . . . V-Mail 47-61 AUTOGRAPHS 62,63 GOLDEN GATE _ 64 Page Three Our C pt li I ' dfir I ' dlir Section I Sdn Francisco roinX - slJ . [i@jSS J k ■i mi: GolJen Qnkfi. Bridge _ t « _ ' T mr ' The Commissioning ' plll , I .S.S. CASCADE was placeil in commission ut San Kranois™. Cali- 1 fi.rnia. on Manli 12, 1943. in tin- prrsmit- of llu- families anil friends of lier new crew, ll was llien llial Captain S. K. Oiiden. readint: llie orders lie liail received from the Navy IleparlnienI and ureelinn lite ofliei-rs and men wlio wonid -irve under liim. oRieially assumed lommand. iee-Ailniiral Jolin W . (Ireenslade. I SN. Commandant of the Twelfth Naval District and tlie Western Sea Frontier, was llie Ccinimissioninn Officer, and Captain Milton S. Davis, I SN, I ' ort Director, was the Master of Ceremonies. Cluests present on this occasion included Mrs. Alma Spreekels .  l. I ' residenI, .San l- ' rancisco I -at:n ' for .Service Men; Captain t!. O. Kelt. I SN ; Captain J. Vi . Fowler. I SN: Mr. I ' . L. Josylyn, .Marine Kn(iini-. ' r. and Mr. M. J. Kyan. Naval . rchilect: lr. 1.. V. Delhi. Vice-l ' resident, anil Mr. O. II. Kiliirle. Production .Superintendent of W i lern I ' ipi- and .Steel Co.; Mr. C. K. Niched-. Manujier (d Construction, Mr. I ' aul Tlnnnpv.n, Assi-ianl Maiia(;er of Construction, and .Mr. L. 1.. White, Constniclion .Superintendent of Malson .Navittalion Company. The cl.n lru •tion of the C.S.S. CA.SCADK was he)iun liy the Western I ' ipc and -Steel Corporation at South .San Frani-isco. and the contract for completion and litlinn out the shi| lor M-a was awardc.l to the Mal-on Navijiation (!ompany of .San Francisco. The phoioKraph on ihi- pane, taken from ' a vanla);) ' point aliove the IhiuI deck, shows the ••liip ' s i-onipany at (ii ' iieral Mu ler ilurinn the ( ommissioniii); Officer ' s address. K few minutes later, on coinmanil from Cominandi-r 11. K. Itanlen, the K -eiltive Officer, officers and men aliout faceil to salute a- the col.oi. were hoisted for the iirst lime over the Navy ' s newe-l .l.-li.. .i inidti. The -hiill •.ouiidinii of the lloal wain ' s jiipe set the watch Slarlioard. Fir t Section and ihe routine whicli ha- follownl till d ihe -hip ' , life I§..m. SJ. ' . ' ' Down Mexico ay THAT STICKKK on the windsliifld of the row car (renieml)er? I wasn ' t there just to be stared at. V u took to heart what it said and held her down lo thirty-five for the first five hundred mile: easing her in praduallv. w i h an car cocked for strange squeaks and u accustomed r:;tlle . It is the same way with a ship. Vou don ' t just pile in the crew, pull up the Jacob ' s Ladder, and put out for China witli all the steam you can rowd in the boilers. You let the old girl take it easy for a spell, letting her kind of get set for tlie jar of those long Pacific rollers smacking up against her bow. In case you ever build a ship on your own — just in case — vou will do well to sail her around the lake orce or twice to see if you remembered to weld the right places. We took just sucii a trij) in A.I). 16 — sliding down the coast to put in at another sunny i ' i I California port. San Diego. Letting down the hook in the harbor there made it a kind of homecoming for some of the fellows, for it was in San Diego they had had their boot training. Dago they called it — and the way they said it was crusted with salt. Aboard the I .S.S. CA.SCADK they were already mariners from away back. We had made the home port, also, of Dr. Odiornc. our senior Denial Officer. It was in the waters oflT San Diego he had so firmly established his reputation as a baiter-of-hooks and a puller-in of borito. There was quite a lot to see in San Diego. And a couple of hundred thousand other sailors and marines were there before us. seeing it. ou could make fair headwav in anv selected direction, though, if vou gave up the sidewalk and took to the middle of the street. One of the items on mv list of thir -s lo be done was to go oul lo iKilloa Park and pav mv warm respects to Ngagi. the gorilla. Hut the trolley took a little longer than I had bargained for. and when I arrived the zoo-keeper had gone home for su|)per. I did? ' l even hiive a chance lo leave my card. I ' ve bee i sorrv about that part since, because the papers say iNgagi has only recently gone to be with his honorable ancestors. My own private undertaking was an e.xpedilion lo Tia Juana, Republic of Mexico. They told us on the ship that the hills we could see lo the south were the hills of Mexico. One doesn ' t jusi stand still when some one says, Those are the hills of Mexico. The international bus schedule was a bit uncertain, and quite a number of the men reported best results had been obtained by standing demurely on the highway. Hul I chose the bus, and was rewarded bv ihe privilege of giving my seat lo a lady both coming and going. If I had been holding an anvil in ea li band I am sure I would have bounced up just the same. She was really |)relty — the second one. I mean. The was ill Tia Juana it was i|iiilc IkiI. Tia Juana probably ne er really has had a chance to be an ordinary town. Il has had no choice but to go through its act of being difTerent. just lo satisfy the acres of people who would be disappointed if it turned out lo be an ordii ary town with drug stores an l barber shops. It was hot the day I was there, cry ibals ub.il ibc poster sai l. Willi I was cry sorry aboul llic biiJKlL ' lil. riir were going to have oiu real bull. Ihil it was going lo begin m VMck Irom Tuesday. This inlelligciicc was har l lo take because Iin a matador a heart. Al least a jiicador. iiil I v oiild like lo have befii there lo throw my mantilla in ihe ring and gii zlc hot tamales in the grand slaml. I wish now ' had had my pinmc taken silling in one of llio c painted carls willi llic buiro . and llie back- drop of,jj... acti. As il stands now, I realize all I have lo oiler by way of proof ihat I was reallv llierc is this, my sworn . ervi ' ind the sketch appended above which shows me taking il easy on my hnrifniia. Mister, il -viis hnl ihe dav I was in Tia Jiiana. ' « ' - 7V I Section 11 1 Hi = ■K7 ' ! EHP - = ? ■ n ■■i E=___ ■---- J ■■■ ■ S J t ■ SSHIEl ' t mM pj I H S t tjZ B «-— . . tffm ' •hr M 1 sw uim - K ' l P mjI rj BL fc z ' JBtW ' dmi f 1 jm DK i ' S RmH Ste fv m :Ji w Around the Island TTK CAI.I.Kl) THKM ai..iiii l-tlii--l?laii l U  . hut llic routi- lakcn. tliou :h ruutitlulxiut. was hardly circular. There was one place the l)us wduld have to have Ijeen part mountain goal to get around, and at that point we prudently made a detour. Four trips were made all together, with about 250 men of the ship getting a chatiie to see the sights. Each section had a turn at it. and then there was one final expedition to take care of those who may not have been able to go when their sections rated liberty. The Pearl Harbor Mus Drivers ' Association provided the busses, some of which had springs. This was the route which took us perhaps a hundred miles in the day: into town, up .Nuuanu Valley, to the Pali, back through the I niversity grounds, a slop at The Breakers for a coke, around Diamond and Koko Heads. W aimea IJeach for a swim and lunch, then on out in the afternoon along the windward side to the Mormon Temple, through Haleiwa and Wahiawa to Richardson Landing, and back to the ship on No. I motor launch. There were two high |)laces that were high spots on tlie trip — -the Pali (1700 ' 1 and VXaliiawa. And there were two low places that were high spots — the beach and the Blowhole. Is that quite clear? The Blowhole, lo speak of that, entered into the spirit of the thing by showing off each time we stopped. Of course there are always those who insist upon a demonstration. Dr. Smisek, for example, was politely sceptical as to its spoul- abiiily, and like a true dentist was not content until he could stoop over and gaze into the very mouth of it. We are delighted to report the good doctor got an eyefuU. In point of fad. he got an earfull, a shirt full, and his shoes full. It was. as some- one truly said, worth the price of admission. It was withal pleasing to the eye. Well, we wrung him out and fluttered his shorts from one of the windshield gadgets for a while, and toward noon he was ])retty well dried out. Thcv say that after that the Chaplain tried to hire Dr. Smisek to make the trip each time on a fixed-fee basis, to show the men just how the Blowhole worked, but when the lime for subse(|uent trips approached the Lieutenant was always unaccountably busy pulling teeth. The view from the Pali was quite a thing, too. It was rather windy when the lour conductor was describing the battle which had taken place there when King Kamehameha pushed the army over ihe cliff, but as near as I get it. it was this way: The king on Maui was having to take a lot of guff and innuendo from the king on Oahu. And so the king on Maui got his gang of spear-toting liolohus together and came over to Oahu to dust off the king of Oahu. Well, the king of Oahu got wind of it and took a powder up the valley, and they were laying for him and simply rubbed him out. So that made the king from Maui a big shot, and he figured the concession on bath towels at Waikiki was a good proposition, and just muscled in. That ' s the way 1 got it. But as 1 say. it was windy. I ' ve been trying to figure out several things aboul the round-lhe-Island trip since the time I went on it, and these are ihev : 1. Who was il forgot lo bring along the (i|iiMicr for the Coca-liola bottles? 2. Why was one of ihc ship ' s dentists bu ulicn it was suggested he come along and show us ihe Blowhole? ' .i. Why did those young men in seats three, four, five, six and seven whistle when we drove through the grounds of the I niversilv? All 1 could see was just some of the young ladij-s of the establishment. 4. When we came around the southwest corner of the Mormon Temple lo thai big banyan tree, why did everybody take it into his head to sit down an l rest? .S. Why was it so hard to find any pla -e selling pineapples when all along were fields of such fine ones? (). Where do vou get a recpic-l lilaiik for | cinKincnl dul at the Wainici itcinh I SO Club? In answering ihcsc cpicsti may write in some dclail rc Is please write on one sidi- (ling qui-stiori Number Si . f II It |iaper oiiIn In. V ' ( ( ' Tni ' hi Softball Tournament HARDBALL is a game played with leather mitts, gusto, and a hard ball. Softball is like hardball only it is played with gusto and a soft ball. You play it on a diamond with a pitcher ' s box and regular bases made of canvas. Otherwise you use a Seaman Second for home plate and skivy shirts for bases. A run is scored when the man on third comes home after the ball is hit with a contrivance known as the bat. If the ball is knocked over the fence that is a home run. and if you are keeping score you can either jot down home run then or wait until the fisticufiuig ' s over. In any case when a home run has been committed it is considered good form to pound the man on the back when he goes over to get a drink after crossing the home platter or plate. When you have a number of teams on the field you do not usually let more than two teams play at a time on the same diamond. Otherwise, it is confusing. A tournament is a good idea. For the U.S.S. CASCADE we arranged a tournament. With eleven teams entered, we started out on an ambitious round-robin sched- ule which called for each team to play every other team — the games to be played at Richardson Center. However, when the schedule was about half completed, the admirals had a meeting and decided the CASCADE should anchor farther south and nearer Tokyo. I guess they didn ' t know we still had some games left to play. The place to which they sent us had never even heard of baseball, apparently, although we might have gotten up a brisk game of cricket if the coconut trees hadn ' t been so thick. As a matter of fact the palm trees were so close together the mosquitoes carrying dengue fever had to break formation and fly single file to get through. And the island was so small that the catcher would have had to carry a life preserver to chase foul balls. Rather than let the trophies lose their polish we decided to call the tournament on the basis of the games then played, and make the awards. This was done on a night when the band played topside. Well, now, to get down to the facts. These were the teams entered : ► ' — M Team Entered by Acey-Deuceys First Division Sloppy Shods Second Division Otto ' s All Stars. ...Third Division Dah Dits Fourth Division PowERHOUSERS Fifth Division Commandos Team Entered by War Heads Sixth Division Naturals Seventh Division Hot Shots Eighth Division Four B ' s Ninth Division Blood Hounds Tenth Division ...Eleventh Division We will not go further into statistics than this. Statistics make dull reading. Don ' t you think so, too? (The fact that the writer ' s Division ended the season with a straight 000 percentage has absolutely nothing to do with it.) Suffice it to say, gentle reader, that the winning team was the Eleventh Division ' s Commandos. This team won all its encounters. The runner-up was the Ninth Division ' s entry — winning the toss-up from the Fifth Division, which had tied for second place. If the teams had all seen the trophies before the season started, they might have tried harder. These were exceedingly handsome, as the illustration printed else- where in this volume amply proves. The first place plaque was silver solder on wood. The plaque awarded the runner-up was polished aluminum on wood. They were tossed off by the foundry in an odd moment, Mr. Erhardt pouring. The plaques now adorn the respective Division headquarters. You might stop in at the Supply Office or the Carpenter Shop and see them some time when you have a yen to play this game which is played with gusto and a regulation, out- seam, horsehide-covered. triple-stitched, sojt ball. Page Th irieen ..y.V) ;;j - ■- ■ ' ■■y ' ■: J-f- rtwM s vi! . i?  T, i«rfe 15■!!e?. Js; sa   ■ti -. A Letter Home On ii iaril L.S.S. CsM-ade ALL AT SEA I S imr here in the Pacific) August. 1943 Drar (jiiisiii Ili ' pziliali: Well, here we are al last where we were going when we lefl where we were. As a matter i f fact we ' ve heen here for quite a while now, and I guess 1 owe Null a nicr lonn li-ller to ti-ll ynu all almut it. Not that I want to add to the work of the censors. They seem to lie well, meaning chaps and I don ' t want to burden them unduly. In this connection it occurs to me that it would assist them somewhat if I have a try at censoring this letter myself. There ' ll be a couple of things they will want crossed out, and I mij:lit as well dn that as I go along. First of all. I know Inm anxious you are to hear all alniut my ship. Naturally, I can ' t give you the exact dimensions. But. incluiling the length, it is somewhere between HHH and IHHB ' ' ' ' ' long. This is, however, without considering the width. You can get a fair idi-a of what that is when I tell you that if the ship were placed sideways in a certain-sized space, it would very likely reach from here to there. . ccording to recent estimates the vessel ' s gross displacement is approxi- mately half or twice what you think it is. This is calculated in short tons of iiiurse. L.ong tons are extra this year. You will also be interested to know that llie ship is so arranged mechanically as to move through the water with the forward eml going first, and the after part afterward. S ime idea of this fine lialaiice in design lan lie gained when you notice how tiie upper decks are to l c found above the lower, and the ingenious way the port side of the ship was built just to the left of starboard. It is propelled by propellers, its living spaces are used for living in, and it is lit with lights. I know you ' ve iirard a lot of things about the acrommodalions provided for the crew on this type of ship. I ' m afraid I ' ll have to set you right on that. It is simply not true that as a first-class Second Class seaman 1 have a suite of rooms with a private shower and band-embroidered bath towels and that my personal steward ' s name is Fredericks. I don ' t know how such things get slarled. Il just i n ' l sn. Ili nanii- is Hastings. One of till- nicer things about the ship is the way they let you sleep late in the a.m. We are permitted to sleep until haljpasi (imagine!) on weekdays and even later on .Sundays and holidays. But here again it is not quite perfect. There is a man who comes around every morning right at the hour mentioned anil passes the remark to pli-ase get up ir he ' ll toss us over the side. There have been tiini-s whin lir has lii-en very ungentlenianlN. c all gel so provoked at him. Anil I -irniiK niii i lill ynn about til noiiri liing. For breakfast wr Iiim- | Fill ilinnrr we have a large lirl|iiri;; ..I pi-r till ' main dish is usuallv I HHH hint. It IS iinilorinly food and often WllB — •- • ' I I ' il ' uig hot. HUHH I ' I iilssiliilc. Fur  , lia r ■■■i instead. but not often.) I am purliriilarly fond of the tiesserts. Thi- chief steward is a splniiliil fellow ami lie nearly always tops them olT with a poonful of yummy c al«ii ban- a gnat many sports. There is one  |Hirt played on the deck in which we divide up into one team. It is playe l with a long stick with a kind of a biinili of cloth on ibe end and u pail of  ali ' r and soap and  ■ ' walk I ' lif!,! ' Eif htei ' n all over the deck pushing down with thr stick with ihe- clulh mi ihc end. Competition in this is very keen. We play it for quite a wliile every morning. Then there is another game they let us play in the kitchen in which they give all the players a small knife and a basket of some kind of round vegetable. The object of this game is to see who can peel them the fastest. I don ' t know whether you can understand the rules of the game from my description of it, but it is the most fun. They let us do our own washing, too. Some of the boatswain ' s mates prefer Lux and the master-at-arms swears by Rinso, but they can ' t make me switch from Ivory. I ' m saving the wrappers so I can win the Buick sedan when they have the contest in 1951. I like Ivory Soap because it always keeps my dunga- rees and canvas underthings so dainty and fresh. We also have a Juke Box which plays 24 records at a time. Not all at the same time, mind you, but at seemly intervals. Golly, I could just sit there all day and put in nickels and watch the neon lights go on and off. It ' ll even play I Want To Go Back To Where I Came From with an accordion accompani- ment. They won ' t let us play horseshoes on the ship, but did I tell yl u about the Soda Fountain? Well, we have one — with separate handles for all the flavors. It is quite crowded usually with a long line of customers. At first I used to stand in line with the others, but that was before I figured out the angle. My strategy was to slowly become the fast friend of the young man who runs it. And now — pfft, whenever I want to, and without any waiting at all I march right up and he lets me have a good lick (ui his ice cream cone. I ' ll never forget the day it had nuts in it. As you must know, we have a regular daily schedule we follow on the ship. First, there is reveille in the morning. Then we turn to for ship ' s work. At noon we line up for chow. In the afternoon there is ship ' s work. And at night we hit the sack. When this goes on for a couple of fortnights one begins to sense a certain sameness about it after a while — as you can well understand. Accordingly, when the Fourth of July arrived this year there was a general feeling throughout the ship that — warfare or no warfare — we ought for just once do something a little different and really celebrate. So, on the morning of the Fourth, bright and early, there was reveille. After which we turned to heartily for ship ' s work. Then promptly at noon we lined up and had chow. In the afternoon there was a full program of ship ' s work. And that night, to a man, we hit the sack. It wasn ' t much, but I can assure you it was a wonder- ful relief from the same old routine. I know you are anxious to hn l out where we are. and 1 wish 1 coultl tell you right out — Papeete or Kansas City — just like that. But the best I can do is to tell you what the people say when they meet you on the street: ugh-ugh, hi toots, gesunheit, aloha, actios, banzai, skoal. (Please choose any two.) Now you have something to work on. I ' m glad to be able to write that I ' ve studied that book by Mr. D. Carnegie you told me about, and that as a result I ' ve won some good friends on the ship. I ' m sure I could have managed without the book, though. You know how utterly ■■■■HUH- Hill- a ' devastatingly ■■■■ I can be when I want to. As for that, I even have a speaking acquaintance with the Executive Officer. You see, there is a list they make up each day — a kind of honor roll — for doing anything particularly outstanding. They call it being on report and everybody on the list is especially asked to appear before the Executive Officer. I -A 1 Pnrre Nineteen .u ti • { w Wi-ll I ' ve i-arnrd a pla ' - on litis list quiU- frrqurnlly fnr arcumplishmrnU uf various kinds, anil raih timi- llic Y.xec singirs m - out (rum ihr olhrre and says. Well, 1 see you ' ve been placed on re| ort again. I say. Ve ,  ir. Ami lie says, Why. of all llie HIHH ' ' ■ ' ' ' lat liave you (o say for yourself? . nd I say, Nothing, Sir. We keep on ihalling back and forth like that. . s I say, we have a speaking arc|uaintanee. It is Inn- that now and then heing on a ship has its to-be-furgollen moments. l!ut in general it is a HHI life. I uould have missed it for anything. If I have any complaint at all it is that the Navy seems to be so very male. On my particular ship, for example, the crev is prac tically all masculine. In fact. I am obliged to say there are no ladies on lioanl at all. Or within signalling ili-lance- either by semaphori ' or blinker. Frankly. I have been rather surprised at this. Do you remember that poster ilown by the posloHice showing that pretty Wave with a sailor on one side and a Marine sergeant on the other? The water in the background looked a great ileal like the water I ' ve seen so many cubic miles of lately. 1 was sure it was till- Pacific. But, you know, I ' ve been wnndering if maybe that picture wasn ' t taken on the Allantir. I keep my eyes peeled but 1 haven ' t seen anything like tliat on. or above, or beneath the salt water out here. Sometimes I can just shut my eyes and imagine myself wafting gallantly up to a Wave, or pairing off with a Spar, or meandering in the moonlight with a lady Marine. But when I open them again it ' s morning and there ' s that fi ' llow who says he ' s going to loss us overboard if we don ' t hit the deck — and on the double. May the plague take him. Well, I know you ' ve been anxious to hear how things were going, anil I ' m :lail to have had this chance to tell you all about the ship and everything. I ' m- tried In piii it ilown as carefully as I conlil. I guess this will about have Id  iliil it ll|i t i n.iH. l very best to you and all at home. Please write when you can. Anyway, iiii ran be s ' jre that it ' s mischief I ' m keeping out of. I venture to remain. Your I son I I brother) ( husband i I father I i uncle I i cousin • I friend) ( Oneand-Only ) (Signed) Wanta C. Markktstkhet, S. 2 c. Ship ' s Company. I .S.S. C. SC. DE. I I I ' ll tr til  ri(r iiinrr often. ' I iiiir pelling is gelling belter. I I IIm i the old Chevy holding up? I 1 Civr ni ln i to the twins. I I It niu l n- liinr to put nets rnolldi; unr  llli ill. ' |inlrll IMirki ' t-.. I I Any lurk with your ictory Carden? I I Don ' t sit under the apple tree. I I I IwiM ' not brrii illing iindir llic apple tree. I I What will we do for snow oiil hire tlii l!hri tii ' . . Ih ' iir kinil Cfiisors: ill my grey suit- you know, the im siirr it uill lir nil right In mvii litis hrcnus our Chaplaiit hrl ml me ivrilr il. ■Iffrrliniialrh , (Initialed) W. C. M., S 2 c. I ' lifif Til filly U.S.S. CASCADE Friday November 19, 1943 50 -Me ' PIAN OF THE DAY 0500 0534 0614 0625 0645 0800 0815 0830 1200 1430 1530 - 1700 - 1805 - 1825 - 1327 - 1930 - 1940 - 1945 - Reveille. General Quarters. Sunrise. Secure from General Quarters. Light ship. Breakfast. Muster on stations. All divisions make reports before 0830, Turn to. Sweep down all weather decks. Sick call. CROSSING THE LINE ceremonies, with His Majesty King Neptunus Rei and staff in command. Lunch. First Aid instruction in after messing compartment for all 7th division men not on watch and stragglers from 8th division. Section I and II Sky and Surface Lookouts and Talkers muster in the after mess hall for instructions. Ensign Selgler in charge. TESTIMONIAL DINNER in honor of His Majesty Neptunus Rex, King of the Raging Main. Prepare to darken ship. General :iuarters. Sunset. Darken ship. Secure from General Quarters. Llovie call. Movies. DUTY SECTION: Officers: Censors: Crew: Third. Groups One and Three. Fourth. ADDITIONAL ORDERS: In accordance with the custom of edl seafaring men, due ge and obeisance will be rendered to His Majesty King NEP- ..;S REX and His Royal Court in whose Royal Domain this oourag- .ds ship and loyal crew now sail. • if.E. BARDEN, Commander, USNR, Ezeoutive Officer. Puf,e Tiirnty-two Crossing the Line (Quoted from ' ' Naval Customs, Traditions and Usage, by Leland P. Lovelte) t: I HE boisterous ceremonies of crossing the line are of such ancient vintage that their deriva- tion is lost. It is well known that ceremonies took place long ago when the ship crossed the thirtieth parallel, and also when going through the Straits of Gibraltar. These early ceremonies were of the rough- est sort and were, to a great extent, supposed to try the crew to determine whether or not the novices on their first cruise could endure the hardships of a life at sea. Then, as is the custom of the present time, it was pri- marily a crew ' s party. The Vikings were reported at an early date to carry out these ceremonies on crossing certain parallels. It is highly probable that the present- day ceremony was passed on to the Angles, Saxons, and Normans from the Vikings. At an earlier date, ceremonies of propitiation were carried on. Neptune, the mythological god of the seas, was appeased by the seamen, and marks of respect were paid those of his underwater domain. It is plausible that a part of the ceremony grew out of traditions of other days, even though sailors had come to doubt the existence of Neptune. Nevertheless, Nep- tunus Rex is today the majesty who rules in the cere- monies. Those who have crossed the line are called Shell- backs. These Sons of Neptune compose the cast for the present-day ceremonies. It is a curious fact of human nature, but men will suffer a very severe initiation in order to be permitted to inflict the same on other men. Sailormen treasure the certificate which testifies that in Latitude 00-00 and Longitude and usually addressed to all Mermaids, Sea Serpents, Whales, Porpoises, Dolphins, Skates, Eels, Suckers, Lobsters, Crabs, Polliwogs, and other living things of the sea (Name) i i r j has been found worthy to be numbered as one of our trusty Shellbacks, has been gathered to our fold and duly initiated into the solemn mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep. ' ' Usually the ceremonies of the modern Navy .le picturesque, and with the exception of the discomfort of a good wetting in the tank, a slight shock of elec- tricity from the Devil, and the shaving ceremony, the initiation cannot be called extremely rough. The eldest and most dignified member of the crew is usually selected as Neptunus Rex: his first assi;.. . is Davy Jones. Her Highness Amphitrite is usuallv a good looking young seaman who will appe the deshabille of seaweed and rope yarns, ii. irt in general consist of the Royal Scribe, the Royal Doctor, the Royal Dentist, and other names that suii ... i.. of the party. The Bears have the difficult task of round- ing up the uninitiated, and also standing dousing watches in the canvas water tank. The night before the ship crosses the custom that Davy Jones shall appear on L message to the Captain from His Majesty, Rex, stating at what time he wants the ship hove t the reception of the Royal Party, and wi;.. . summons for certain men to appear before him. This reception of Davy Jones usually t and may be made most impressive, i and amid a glare of lights and a whirl oi wa. Jones emerges from the hawse or is hoiste bows to deliver his message. He is usual! the Captain and Officer of the Deck on the Bridge. Page Twenty-three Crossing the Line TUF. afternoon of November 18, 1943, the U.S.S. (lASCADK . . . plowing the seas toward one of the thousands of atolls that dot the ocean below the Kquator and west of the Date Line . . . picked up on the radar two for eign objects thought to be un- friendly. A short lime later, the forward l((i)kout made out two objects which looked for all the world like men approaching the ship. When the quartermaster trained the spyglass on them they were discovered to be none other than Davy Jones, Scribe of His Majesty Nki ' - TUNUS K .X. and his lru tv pal. Peg Leg. It is pKiiiabIc that if the ship ' s latitude at that moment liad been considered the identity of these visitors would have at oner ' ue to mind. A .ig ttilliiii li;iiling (listaiicc. Davy was hearc I mil Wliai -hip ' . ' ' and when the word was mega . Honed i)a( k llial it was the U.S.S. CASCADK, he immediately countered with, By what authority of powers above or powers below does this hip sail within the realm i ' niperial Majesty? This last 1. (I Minic tall explaining and (laplain Ogdei- ■ better to wail until Davy and I ' eg Leg bad made their appearance on deck via the hawse pipe befor ■ :ying. Our Skipper then gave our ini-sion a- being lUt of a strictly lirst-class ship IkiuikI lor llic war zone. Knowing the wisdom that lay in keeping in the good graces of his visitors, he added he had hoped to have the pleasure of meeting Davy and his sovereign Neptunl ' S Re. , and that he had on hoard a large and slimy mess of landlubbers, including him- self, the Executive Officer, and more than .SO per cent of bis oiricer . Daw Jones forthwith issued a summons for the appearance of the vile slime on the morrow, and at the same lime he admonished all loyal Shellbacks to be prepared to welcome their Ruler. He was just bid- ding goodbye to the (Captain and preparing to return to the Royal (lourt when a slimy polliwog got com- pletelv out of hand and dashed up to Davy Jones to announce himself a being Kiijiis Jones, and to say that he was undoubtedly a distant cousin of Davy ' s and he felt certain that automaticallv made him a member of the Ancient Order of the Deep. To sav thai llii- nvcrlurc made an unfavorable im- pression upon Daw Jones is putting it mildl . He immediately ordered that this obstreperous being sliouKI be placed in irons to await the coming of His Maje t who. he predicted, would deal with bin) in a proper fashion. Our (lourt will be a jml court. .said he. and vou can expect jiisl as much as you deserve. ' illi ibal l)a N and I ' c l.c:; lid ilown the b.iu c I ' nfif T n rill • - jour pipe and disappeared into the sea. The U.S.S. CASCADE continued on her course at a steady gait of so-and-so many knots. Came the dawn. In the early hours of which all junior Polliwog officers were posted as lookouts at strategic points about the ship — uniform of the day . . . raincoats, helmets, and diving shoes. Each was given a station, with explicit instructions to sing out whe i King Neptune was sighted. Quite a bit of concern was manifest over the unmilitary way these lookouts stood their stations, and each was promised additional charges would be brought against him, with confinement in the stocks the predictable penalty. Shortly after 0900 the neighing of seahorses and the lusty call of King Neptune was heard on the ship. All hands were at once called to quarters and His Royal Highness Neptunus Rex, Ruler of the Raging Main and All Things Therein, came aboard with his Royal Court. There was the Queen, looking younger than she has in years; the Royal Princess, so beautiful that words fail us (they had already failed her) ; the Royal ' Baby, crying for this and that and getting everything. And to complete the entourage there were the Judges and the Prosecutors, the Royal Torturers, the Royal Elec- tricians, Barbers, Bears, Cops, and all others of the Royal Staff. After greeting the Captain his Most Royal Highness inspected the crew — paying particular attention to all those who had come for the first time into his Domain. After the inspection, both he and the Royal Court pro- ceeded to the Throne Room set up aft of the Bridge Deck, and without further ado opened Court. Those called to appear before the Court first were the worst offenders: all those who had on any occasion, whether real or imagined, wilfully disobeyed any law- ful order or whim of any Shellback; those who had at any time or place made derogatory remarks about the Royal Person, or in any manrer sions upon the Queen, the Princess, « jya The Court, being just, these slimy oi ' ender- ,ii given without exception what might Le l. fe works. Then came the less obnoxious offenders, and then that great army of those slimy creatures who shared the unspeakable joint crime of being Polliwogs — even worse than that, polliwogs. Pouring these into the hopper ' • great batches the wheels of justice ground relentle? on — the Court upholding throughout the day its proud boast that it had never lost a case, the Royal Barber and the Royal Bears all having fun — quantities of it. It was not until the middle of the afternoon that all landlubbers had received their just desserts, and had been formally initiated into the Mysteries of the Royal and Ancient Order of the Deep. So far as could oe ascertained without actually committing mayhem, not a single slimy Polliwog remained at large on the ship. All had been tracked down and transfor.ied in the space of a single day into salty, swaggering Shellbacks. After all hands had taken what steps tlit, deemed necessary to de-grease and de-tar ( high-test gasoline is not. recommended) and had regained some measure of their former dignity, all sat down to a specie nner in honor of His Royal Highness. Havin his rolls some 900 names. His Majesty was leased with the day ' s work and was seen to eat a i. .ty meal. After all available viands had jjeen disposed of, Neptlnus Rex bade all hands a fond farewell. Then we all embraced the Princess in par ' his Impe- rial and Highly Exalted Majesty rei to his home in the briny deep. And as he went over th e there rang in his ears the hunting refrain of the n,;w Shell- back. Note jiisl let me get mv hands on a . ■ ' Polli- ivog . . . than irhich there is nothing slimier. Page Tuenly-five Section W I k ' ttiA . i M All Essay on Wadiiig Ashore On Lil)ertv at Advanced Base E Kl{ shall it f a rherished memory lo the men of the CASCADE — going: asihore on a certain South Seas atoll. lime sped bv. despite our efTorts to stay it in its flight and linger there forever. (). jovous recollection I The silvery moon spilling its beauteous firandeur across the shimmering lagoon while the beckoning palms • ' oned and subtle maiden voices put care to (light and soft maiden touch caressed away all woe of war. Ikiy! Those Bob Ho])e movies were really good. Then there were the liberties ashore. There we gaily hunted for shells and swam and hunted for shells. Iv was all that a man could ask for. How well I recall our carefree Acme beer parties. What a jolly - ' •■IK «.• made with our cargo of frozen beverage. The nice part of it was that the chill could be counted on .V. oe oH the blessed stuff when we got ashore. Where else could we have had boiled beer? Yes. it was warmish mere. But recall the dainty shower that so often gently cooled the exuberant merry-makers. How consoling it vas to know that though quickly wet you would be quickly dry — if ever that blamed substance stopped cascading down. Ah, rapturous Coconut Isles. In no other place would joy. if not pursued, pursue. If we didn ' t go after pleasure, pleasure came to us. It is to be recalled how on one occasion the entire ship ' s company was spent with w, ' of merry-making. On this day not one man liad dcparlcd fioni the ship, so surfeited were we with merri- ment. However, that was not the South Seas way. When shortly after dawn the natives saw that we rollicking fellows ' lie Cascade were not coming ashore to spend the day in song and feast and dance from sun-up to down as w..s our wont, they were disconsolate. But their disappointment was short-lived and native ingenuity found a way. They came to us. In T-boats and F-boats. in I ' -boats and X-boats they came lo us. Fore and aft, port and stai ' board, up the gangway, up the rigging, through the ports, they clambered aboard. It was a day! Dancing  d singing, singing and dancing, we were a happy throng. Sadly in the setting sun we waved goodbye as our fr ' ' « merged into the dusk, their enchanting songs floating back dreamily in farewell. rill able natives were a people apart. What dear and simple lnlk lUc were. What a nai e custom they had of b rtering their wares. Boy! Did we ever take them over. Imagine, a real shell necklace for only four d ..ven though vou could get the same thing at Woolworth ' s for fifteen cents plus tax. still this was the real !1 liin. I fimiic I | iil over the best deal of anvone. although (.lomniander Barden did seem V ' ' ,i while. Oil wont iiclieve it, but I got a genuine ofT-nf-a-bird feather fan. And all it cost .lie was Motor 1. ■ nch No. 1. Zounds! Did we take them o cr! ' - ' ibject, in writing whereof I have put pen to paper, was is Liberty. 1 do feel strongly about this: Had ,. F.Sc, been one of our stalwart crew, never never would he have given tongue to ■( .imme Liberty .;nme death. No. friend. His dilemma would ha f been completely std cd fur hiiii. TIliI ininioilal -pce li . have begun, (), death, where is thy stingy Pa e Till The Cruise of the Nancy Lee J WE LEFT the ship in an F-boat at about six bells. We numbered some seventy souls in the Nancy Lee all told, with every man jack of us looking fit and ready for any kind of salt water adventuring. We were at least twice as rugged as we appeared to be, and what we appeared to be was plenty. There was a cutlass in every belt. We put off in a freshening breeze, foaming along with all the canvas we could crowd on — mizzen, foregallant, topgallant, main- sail, with just a tiny tuck in the jib. At the helm was Mr. Nord, salty as they come, his great mop of hair flying back like a mane from under his sou ' wester. For supercargo on the main deck we had a cream can full of drinking water, and the Ninth Division was in the bilges. Running before the wind we set our course northwest by west across the lagoon. Lookouts were posted c the top of the ramp to keep an eye peeled for the first land and to watch for privateers. For these last we had our smoothbore muzzle-loaders filled with rusty nails and a couple of buckets of gravel. In about an hour wl took a sunsight and I computed our location on the back of an old envelope. As nearly as I could puzzle it o ' we were spang in the middle of the lagoon. Distrusting these newfangled navigating contraptions I then figu it out again by dead reckoning. And just to make sure I double-checked by peering at the reef which coulr ' plainly seen all around. My computations appeared to be correct. I never have had a mite of trouble w ' .lavigating as long as I can see a few palm trees here and there. About 1430 we made a landfall off the port quarter, and the lusty cry of land ho! sounded through i.i rigging. It was our island. Immediately the lads fell to on the capstan, pulling in the scuppers and unfurling the spud locker. We quickly ran down the jib, and reefed in the foretopgallant. And then I directed the crew to lay aft on the fantail, just on general principles. We set the watch — mine had been wound regularly L.jv still kept losing time. Then the larboard helmsman heaved the lead for a sounding. We were in mighty near a fathom of water. So we dropped the hook, hove to. and put down the ramp. Our crew at once went ashore and scattered on their several bloodthirsty errands. For my part, I carefully unfolded the map the pirate had given me, and taking my collapsible self-spading spade I went off to find the black forked tree. Just as soon as I found it I walked fifty paces in a certain • xon, wet my left forefinger, held it up to the wind, and began to dig like one possessed. Meanwhile, and throughout the afternoon, the laws of nature were operating inexorably. The tides. I mean. I calculate as how it isn ' t fitting to argufy with running water. If the tide has got to go out ther ' t has got to go, and no backtalk. Well, it went. I should judge the Nancy Lee to weigh about 19 tons stripped. There came a time when aboui 18 of her 19 tons were up all comfy on the sand. What the coxswain was doing who stayed with her to see that such eventualities did not eventualize I don ' t rightly know. But I think he was busy hoisting the sjinnaker and belaying the last word. In any event, bust my binnacle and reef my mainsail, if when I arrived back the boat not bringing the box of solid gold guineas ( apparently it wasn ' t a map the pirate had given me ..ut an old oleomargarine wrapper) I didn ' t find the Nancy Lee high and dry on the beach sunning herself - a pink umbrella. After my blood pressure had gone down, I found by mv chronometer that it was time to go, -o we hallooed the lads and we went aboard, putting up all the sail we could manage. Tlie Nancy Lee did not move an inch. Then Skipper Nord and the Padre were seen to hold a very hurried conference. And immediately ai • word came loud and clear, All hands over the side, bear a hand and push. With that all hands ■• ■ i ■,. - ..le side, we waited for the precise moment until a small wave came along to help, and then we ; ' • The Nancy Lee did not budge. This so disheartened some of the heavers that they went up higher on the beach and sat do ' — a jumper tree. Upon the rest of us who were heaving ho darkness and weariness came to rest like twin doves. ' • until 2000 hours that the tide decided it had played squat tag with us long enough and came in i. eventually got back to the ship, and somebodv there had some victuals for us which we ate with reli-n peanut butter. Well, that was the cruise of the F-boat Nancy Lee. We made it there. We made it back. 1 calculate as now Captain Bligh himself couldn ' t have done any better. We used a special kind of reckoning both ways. We used dead reckoning to get there, and when we got back we were about dead, I reckon. I am very glad to say that the F-boat from another ship which had likewise chosen the same sandy beach to let down its ramp upon did not get off that night, nor for three days afterward. And all of us old salts know why: they just don ' t put the stuff in these young fellows nowadays like they used to. Now when was a lad, I mind the time when. . . . r ! ' Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas Author ' s Note: Any resemblance to any other poem, living or deceased, is purely intentional. ' Twas the night before Christmas and all through the ship Not a sailor was stirring, not even a drip. The socks were all hung in the space round about In the hope that the ventilator might dry them out. All Seamen First Class were snug in their beds Wliile visions of Market Street darned through their heads. And I in my nightgown, the O.D. in his cap. Had just settled down for a short mid- Salch nap. hen out on the boat deck there arose such a clatter Tlial I bounced out the hatchway to see what was the matter. On the doul)le up liie ladder 1 went like a rocket. Tlic knee on mv game leg ncarlv pulled out its socket. llic moonlight on the bosom of the sleepv lagoon Resembled a dessert you could eat with a spoon; There were the destroyers tied alongside in threes, A couple of barges, and about four D.E. ' s; Hut this. I assure you. was not the main reason 1 tore up the port ladder this holiday season. For out on the boat deck at frame fifty-eight. Was a sight that you can ' t see this side Coldcn Cfate; Evidently because of the area he covers Santa ( laus has turned over a few routes Iti others — There in a twin-engined auto-giro Was 1 .VV Sanlii Clan-, all laiin to go! ' « ; ■ I hirly-- ifiht And I feel we must add this one word additional : She was strictly not wearing the costume traditional. She was not clad in furs, this gay captivator, (This year they don ' t wear furs below the Equator) She wore a lava-lava and a fetching sunshade, Which her many attractions conveniently displayed. She was prettier by twice than the pictures pinned up In the galley, the tool room, and the ship ' s barber shop. She ran straight up to me and gave me a hug That was like being wrapped in a soft bearskin rug. We had quite a chat, as we stood there together, About the crop outlook and the good flying weather. Though she had in her knapsack lots of trinkets and toys Brought along to make happy all good sailor boys, They can have all these presents to distribute about — Just give me the lady and I ' ll go without! If she ' ll be my Santa, then I say loud and clear It ' ll be a merry Christmas every day of the year! Then, though I rather wished she would stay a lot longer — • At least for the duration 1 1 can ' t put it stronger) — She confided she had other errands to run As part of her job on Santa ' s Route One. She flashed me a smile like a thousand-watt light And gave me a look as she kissed me Goodnight. Then she climbed on the wing of her flying-machine, And revved up the motors, turned on the si-rene; I watched her take off in the bright moonlit sky, She waved at me fondly, and I too waved Goodbye. But ' ere she departed, to disappear in the blue, I decoded this message which I pass on to you For she sent you this dispatch, this delectable maid : A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL WHO ARE ON THE CASCADE ! December 23, 1943. ge Thirty-nine Talent Night Between the dark and the daylight, Ifhen the night is beginning to lower, (.omes a jeature oj the ship ' s recreation Thai is known as the Talent Hour. From the porthole I see in the spotlight. ■isceniHng the plaljorm there, lirnve jMUtATT and laughing Kl.lTOWSKI And Morgan with golden hair. Polite applause from the boat deck, .t thunder of applause from the hatch. I can tell by the dial of the joke-gauge That Behi.kk ' s uncorked a new batch! IHAT which Was given out under the spotlight on the topside was customarily called Talent Night. Although letimes afterward you said ■talent with a rising inflection, like this — talent nights e had our ups 1 downs. Hut it was fine of the fellows to pitch in and help out the way they did. Ineie was a ready-made place for such festivities in the day ' s schedule. With evening chow finishing when ' 1 the movies beginning when they do, there was a sizable interval betwixt and between, it being loo darl • ' - read and not yet dark enough for turning on the projectors. This interval was admirably suited to music- ' i fversions, alleged impersonations, and other blandishments for eye and ear. ,i, way and another there was a good deal of variety, and quite an impressive list of performers. This ,. age does not provide sufficient space for the pictures of all of iheni. but immortalized here are the members of the Ship ' s Quartet (Jarratt, Miller. Donnelly, and IJennettl. two harnionizers from the Sick Bay ( Madsen and I, and assorted talent from the Fifth Division (Smith. Rowan. Johnson, and Dziedziak). The last- ,.„ . , ,( g larger cast which put on a first-rale, under-the-big-lent show one Sunday night. Talen ii ' he topside programs ranged from Marra ( Sweepers, man your brooms. Clean and sweep down, from the . ' ' back! ) through the inimitable Mr. Shea and Mr. Pruden doing an old-timer act. to Morgan and r.I. giving out simultaneously on the harmonica, galley spoons, and the guitar. Several other shi|)s also provided us with boatdeck entertainment. Some of it. to say the very least, was unpred ' ' Ijle. I mind the lime, for an inslance. when the nejjhew of Moris KarlolT cul a few capers. There was one al red-headed Ensign pianist who on two dilTerent occasions lifted our ship ' s piano out of its hum- - icnce of being pounded on by the messcooks. He coaxed some melodies out of it which were reallv 4.0. to these regular under-the-spotliglit ilcni- tlieic will be remembered also the spet ' ial broadcasts of layers from the 21) mm. ( li| |iiri)j idom. ;iri l llic liiie prc-movie concerls of the ship ' s band. ' « « • F„rl Rigging for Church yiS REGULARLY as circumstances have permitted during the past - year, divine services have been held on the ship. This has meant practically every Sunday since the ship was commis- sioned. The hour appointed has usually been 1000. but there have been times when adjustments had to be made to fit situations. As, for example, there was one Sunday when the ship was coming to anchor just at Church Call, with all sea details on station. It seemed better to change the plan and make church that particular day a Vesper service in the late afternoon. Included in the ship ' s commissioning allowance was a metal pulpit. Navy issue. This served very well as a beginning toward the church gear which was thought desirable. The ship ' s carpenters gave full cooperation in this project by constructing a folding altar, a cross, candlesticks, and a kneeling bench for use at Communion. Subsequently hymnals were secured, curtains were purchased to enclose the compartment, a fine Gulbr organ was given the ship by an interested San Franciscan on behalf of his two young sons, a Communio provided by the Chaplain ' s denomination, and a beautiful triptych for the altar was forwarded by th ' Committee for the Army and Navy — the donor being a New Hampshire woman. When services were first begun on the ship after commissioning, the rigging was done in the for hall, this compartment having as one advantage a slight slope in the seating area. That space soon pn .v. too small, however, and the larger after mess hall has since been used. Especially worthwhile, in reviewing the past year, has been the contribution made to the servi; men in the way of music. Besides soloists — both vocal and instrumental — this has included the sing... - i Ship ' s Choir, and the frequent appearances of the Ship ' s Quartet. The assistan ce of the ship ' s printers has liivc wise been much appreciated in preparing a printed order of service which could include items of general interest and yet be of a size to fit into an envelope for mailing. Many of those attending the services wdt ' sending the bulletins home. Whenever possible arrangements have been made for Catholic Chaplains of the Fleet to c „ aboard for services, with ready cooperation always forthcoming from the Chaplains when available. For or -nd of four- teen weeks during the past year it was possible to hold a Catholic service aboard every Sunud . The pictures included on this page show Chaplain Nicholas with Captain J. W. Moore. Pacific F aplain, taken when the latter was aboard for the morning service in November. The center picture of tti lower panel shows Chaplain Moore again, with the altar triptvch visible in the background. The third picture ■ ' ' Massey at the organ, and the fourth was taken on Christmas Sunday morning to show the tree which was the Christmas decorations in the compartment. With the nearest fir tree some thousands of miles noun the tree was constructed of palm fronds brought from the beach. As a ship responsible in a number of ways for the welfare of other smaller craft attached CASCADE has welcomed the opportunity it has to provide religious services also, and church larly come aboard to share in the Sunday worship. The fact that the men of these ships withou. to us has provided an added incentive for making the compartment and the service as worshipful .. the n ,- I Qrty-one Notes on Fishing From the Fantail A PASTIME of many abuaril wliile we were at Advanced Base was fishinp over the side of the ship. Apparently, after a ship has l)epn at anchor for a while small fish gather round to feed on what the garbage-grinder sends toward the ixillom. The social life of the smaller fish in turn attracts larger ones which are not above making a meal of small fry for breakfast. In the first few days after we came to anchor, luck was poor. Perhaps this can be accounted for bv the lad that not much was known as to what kind of bait was most tantalizing, or what was the best depth of water in which to suspend bail and book for the most spectacular results. Or possibly the word just hadn ' t gotten fl ' iund that all sizes of indigent fish could expect a handout alongside that speedy-looking ship which e into the harbor. At any rate, the catching of the first few fish weighing a pound or so was n much wahooing and beating of the breast. In fact, a prize put up by the Welfare Office for the . ght weighing over five pounds went unclaimed for about a fortnight. ... after the anglers had learned a few tricks from experience scarcely a day went by that seven, ten, or pounders were not landed — or decked, ' to use a more exact word. Occasionally, big ones weighing •inds or better were caught. Which, considering the handicaps of fishing with a handline from high Htpr and among other ships and boats, is a feat not to be Catching a fish of such proportions is an event to be .n-tom circuit. for certain what the size may have been of the really jre hooked but never seen. Looking mournfully heavy-test line, however, or a straightencd-out hook, the ..d conjure up a picture of a fish weighing (|uite as much - ' nn. There was definite proof that such out-size fellows ion. The divers .say that during the blasting opera- nd,, . i.iL I., nnel a fish resembling a sea bass and weighing more than four huiu ' red pounds was brought to the surface with a large • ' ones. The big l)ov bad been stunned and was readiiv .et the picture: My informant tells me that one fisher- .( had somehow succeeded in getting a big one on top ' oard side. The fish seemed not too aware he was rtive. Hut there came a lime when he realized .jnds, and in thai i[i.- lanl his mood changed and he decided to open distance. Heading oil in the general direction of IJali he -l -j i up the water as if llic old boy with ihc pitchfork „ after him. As indeed he may have been. And when he ■ic end of the line, and that was all th e line there was. he ■it a stroke but snajiped il like you would a piece of well- iioked •• If anybody would Icll nic thai fish was slill a-lraveling. ' iformant, I ' d belie c liiin! . the specimens nio-t I ici|ncrill c ;iuglil in llic iiigoon al v-iail, boniio, lima. There were also grouper , sc;i bass, waliiHi . b. ' rracud.., sipiid. red snappers, sharks, devilfish, ' f bcautifulh r dored small fish. This lis! could continue ad infinitum. There are lots of fish in the sea. And they all have cousins at Advance Bases. A technical note on baits: The best baits have been pieces of red beef or other meat for the big ones down deep that get away, small live fish — especially the round, chubby ones — for bonito and tuna; small pieces of meat or canned fish mixed with flour paste or bread dough for yellowtail. One method of catching live bait, besides trying and trying with a single small hook, is to use a snag line with a dozen or more bare hooks along it, and jerking it up through the fish when they are bunched together. The secret here is not to let them know what vou have in mind. TOIuKi — 28 povmis (.tripped); ISNOTH — 46 lnoh OT«rall( TEETH — wall dovslopodi REFLBX3S-- noraali DISFOSinON — gsntlei FAklU STATUS — baohelori HOBBIES — swlimiB , eating doughl) ll« ) HEASOM FOK DEIUSE — fooled around USS CASCADBIIJ Summary In normal times (have they ever been? will they ever be again?! one can believe the lagoon .. equally well suited for casting, trolling, or still fishing. Some supply officer or other seems to have stoc ' ' waters with a great variety of fish — both large and small. I venture the statement that if this lagoon co . plunked down, palm trees and all, somewhere along our east coast — say nine miles off Sandy Hook, New it would make a fisherman ' s paradise. In any event, quite a splash. But, of course, one doesn ' t know w) ' would say. Until they ' re willing to lug it that far they can h ' vou might jot it down in your little book as a place  Harvey to visit — if by any chance you should not wa real holiday of it and come along yourself. You can teli candor there are still more fish here. Because, contrary ' fantail opinion, the U.S.S. CASCADE did 710 catch thf ' FLASH! March 29, 1941 — Advap- vance Base. — Before a wildly r ' lery, and after a thirty-minute • fishing from a harge alongside, Sknmiore. J. T., WT3c, pulled in a heautiful 48-lh tuna this date. He succeeded in hringing the i., . fish to gaff despite the enthusiastic coaching, of at least half his spectators. This is a new record for fish actually landed on the U.S.S. CASCADE. Skidmore was at once hurried off for rest and quiet in sick l)ay and cannot he reached for comment. It Raiiieth Rain I.N ANY adequate treatment of a fci-linical ubje ■ such as this, one does well to lay the foundation with a little some- thing from old Noah Webster. Noah ' s definition of rain is given forthwith, quote: To pour, as from the clouds; to hesitow profusely; shed copiously. I ncjuote. In this, as in certain other intimate matters, Noah errs in being too conservative. Even a definition which takes in as much territory as his falls short of the actual as observed at Advanced Base. The old boy should have said, To pour, as from buckets; to bestow profusely, as out of barrels; to shed copiously, as for example nine inches in the half-hour. The phenomenon of rain as experienced hereabout can best be conveyed i)y a brace of incidents «lucli revolve around the persons of two esteemed members of the ship ' s company. To wit: One night, during one of the milder rainstorms. Lt. (jgl Krhardt wa holding the fort as Officer of the Deck. He was wearing three raincoats, with (luarterniasters holding umi)re!las both port and starboard, and was keeping dry as best he could. Then suddenly and unmistakai)ly during the roar of the downpour he heard a clumping on the gangway. Who goes there? he called in the manner approved by If ' alch Officer ' s Guide. It ' s only me, sir, he heard a weak voice reply. Flashing his battle lantern full over the side. Officer of the Deck Krhardt observe 1, sal ion swimming up the gangway. The poor fish still thought the gangway was a waterfall until the J.O.O.D. itaked Im to produce his liberty card. On anolhf occasion — a very rainy afternoon — it is recalled the ship went into Condition One when the Boatswain ' s Mate o ' the Watch reported what he swore to be a periscope approaching the ship. The big calibres fore and aft ..re all ready to open fire when an Electrician ' s Mate from the Fifth Division came tearing up to the Quarterdeck to say that it wasn ' t a submarine after all but just Niimiier 3 motor whale boat returning from a Guard Mail trip to Coconut Pier. The Coxswain of the boat, in explaining the situation afterward, said it was probably Mr. Oder ' s head which was mistaken for a periscope because at the lime it was the only thing above water. It is reported that .Mr. Yoder got a letter of r ' |)rinian(l from .SecNav for im])crsonaling a sui niarii c willioul jiroper authority. After a span of months in the place it has at last been decided to everyone ' s satisfaction whv the ( .•VSCADF. was sent to th particular port. The lads in the spud locker figure that HulVrs judged the ( ASt ADK to be a water barge becau. of its name, and would in- wi-il iidaptcd for ibi- [ircscnl duty. Well, now that we ' re here we don ' t mind loo niucii ly more. You car ' i. when you ' ve got webbed feet . . ic lliing. sf don ' l gel pcl(ble between our toes -• - Mft '  , ' (■ Forty-six becTion • • ' « ;(■ Fijty-luo ALL WIVES, MOTHERS, SWEETHEARTS, FRIENDS — WHOSOE ' ER YE BE WHO IVRITE US LETTERS , . . ; I iU ' ST LIEUT .ICHAI D L h mT ■ STATION 12 PW ATC _ PM APO 952 iCiSCO, CALIF. A -: 2 VIA AIR MAIL ARK PLEEHART r f- .. -- :a,. ' :a; |S iiJai ' toM ifi| C O FLEET POSTOFFICE 3AN F!iANCIS?(j_, OF ALL EXPEDITIONS ,.,ADE OVER A SHIP ' S SIDE, NONE ARE MRE MOMENTOUS THAN THOSE THE l lAIL-aERK MAI Eo. GO IMG, HE TAKES ASHORE THE OUTPOURED HEARTS OF A THOUSAND K.EN. RETURNING - IF THE PLANES HAVE FLO ' VN THAT DAY - HE BRINGS MISSIVES THAT CAN .AKE THEIR READERS GLOiV AT SUPPER L I KE VEtt I TABLE ' FJREFLY CAGES. THE .TORD3 ARE COI.iMONPLACE ENOUGH. DE. ' RE3T JOHN: NOW THAT THE . 1ILDREN ARE IN BED I TAKE UP MY PEN TO rRITE TO YOU... THE ' :VINTER 13 MILD IhIS YEAR... THE CHILDREN ARE ' flELL... WE ALL MI3S YOU SO... HO V VERVv COI.:i ON PLACE THE ' ORDS. , , ' AND YET HC.V l AniCALLY FOR EACH MAN D(5 ir LON WAY. HOV CHANGED THE HEAVING WORLD OF SKY NO .LONGER DO ' ,VE SLIDE FORLORNLY DO V! ! THE HILLS OF TUl ' .BLED WATER. NO LONGER 13 THE HORIZON DARK OR THE FUTURE FORBIDDING. ON TWO THIN SHEETS OF PAfER. STRANGELY. 13 SOMETHING AS SATISFYING A3 BREAD ' ICN ONE 13 HUNGRY NOT YET HAVE I SEEN THE CELESTIAL CURI BUT, IF THEY GIVE TO f.E THE CHOOSING, THE BANK NOT HEAVEN WILL BE THESE LETTERS FROi; HOME! BE GAREFUl, hi. JCKS. THAT BAG YOU CARRY - GUARD IT WELL., ' IT IS NOT GREY CANVAS ONLY AS YOU IMAGINE. IF YOU CARRIED UP THE GANGWAY SAC OF GOLD, YOU WOULD NOT BE BRINGING GREATER TREASURE. THIS IS WHAT I SAY: IF I V EKE THE GENERAL AN ARV.Y OR A CAPTAIN OF A SHIP, ON THE (..ORNING OF THE i WE ENGAGED THE ENEMY THERE WOULD BE HAJ.. AND EGGS FOR BREAKFAST. AND ON EACH TRAY OR BY EACH PLATE I ' D PU ' A LETTER. AND ON THAT DAY - YOU li ' .AY WRITE IT L ' I WOULD BE THE VICTORY... f. -.r.N. K .: V- -MAIL 4 N N ir-is : ili o K V -e.: :-:mm ' - ' -- ' Great Day in the Morning Golden Gate! W hen they named you ' ' golden ' ' the San Franciscans named you well. You ive miracultnis entry into a goodly and a remembered land. Iloir often, lying at some far anc hor, have you risen before us waking and sleeping. Distant, desired, beckoning, you have been half dream, half hope — all mirage . . . When we beheld you last the California sun was hid- den and a fog was drifting in from the sea. lloir tnany fogs have blanketed you since then only you can Anoir for we have wearied with counting the days. But fog never was that could veil your brightness, seen in our mifif ' .s fond eye. Standing in from the sea some day ((rreat Day. come swiftly) in a very fog of fogs you will justify yitur name and be for us a golden gate. The sptins of your arching bridge touch land, and that land is of one piece with Home! U ith his feet on the land, the exulting sailor slututs. his need is but for stout sIhu ' s to carry him along the familiar rtuids whether they le ad near or far. (). dreamed-of shining. Golden gate I Celestial por- tal, heareidy aperture. T t approach ■     an itnutm- ing tide shall be our endeavor. Hut should the tide be flowing out too strong for a tired ship, swirl it ever .so .stvift we shall go over the barnacled side ami push. Surely a tlnmsand men. yearning for home, could move leviathan against an ebbing tide . . . if it be tlint tide flons thrttugh a C olden Gate . . . -W. IN. I ' age Si x I Y- 1 our 3JT! r T ! ' « 5 ' V-: FHANCISCO