Columbia (CL 56) - Naval Cruise Book

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is appropo completed this course, that it most certainly is impossible. The watches were very interesting to stand. One man remarked, 'Tll never understand why they say stand watches since most of the watches I have ever 'stood' were sat. Upon entering the shack we were handed a copy of communi- cation order No. 13-46 which put the skids on any ideas we might have had about tuning in a New York station for Stan Shaw 'gThe all night record man. Since that was the case, we would settle down and curl up with our little copy of Comm. Instructions. When we awoke two hours later with an aching wrist, we would find it was about time to be relieved so we began to ask all sorts of stupid questions to show that we were interested in radio. When we didn't receive an answer after repeating the third time, we concluded that perhaps the super- visor was too busy to bother us. Besides why should we wake him up. Some were lucky. They didn't have to stand a signal watch. They would wait in the com- partment for the aspiring signal oificers to come OH watch. It was a little messy with that ice melting from their noses but they always had exciting tales to tell. It seems that the signalmen had a better time on liberty than the radiomen. Most of the receiving of messages was done in Radio One and the transmitters and RBO fthe ball game boysj receivers were located in Radio Two. Down in the bowels of the ship in some incovenient place was tucked Radio Three which is mainly for emergencies. The TBS ftalk between shipsj may be operated from practically anywhere on the ship. Under- way, the bridge usually operated it for tactical operations. V The Communications Department did a fine job but was handicapped by lack of suiiicient time to give more than a smattering of ignor- ance to the ignorant. After some time on board, the extent of said time depending on the squad we were in, we were all exposed to the rigors of the Engineer- ing Department. From the sunlight and air of the upper decks, we were herded down, down, down, into the black depths of the ship's bowels, there to learn the science of the Engineering Gang. From dawn to dusk we were in classes, large open forums in which the instructor told us the war history of the COLUMBIA, their own personal records, or the type of women to be found in Fall River. But from this, and a sprinkling of drawings, we were able to glean some gems of information that, together with our previous training, tended to make the tasks twenty-six .4 in

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officers learned with disappointment that a red light displayed aboard ship had quite a different meaning than our experiences ashore had led us to expect. Our weary heads were filled with still more mental notes, such as red over white, fishing at nightf' and white over red, pilot ahead. The rules themselves we found to be comparatively simple, but the exceptions to those rules proved to be an endless source of frustration. Many usually diligent students were overheard fervently praying that they might never have to navigate on the Red River of the North, which seems to be gov- erned solely by the exceptions. As seems to be the policy of every depart- ment, everything that was not covered in our instruction periods was fully covered on the test. Most of us felt that we were fully as sorry to leave C 81 R as C gl R was to see us leave. Gentlemen, the function of Naval Com- munications is to provide-er-ah-welL it is all contained in the book called Communications Instructions, Anything you want to know is in this book and you are not supposed to memorize it. That was our introduction to Naval Communications as taught during our memorable cruise. Each squad was assigned to communications for one week, and during that period, we learned all there was to know about Naval Communications as taught by Slover, Stone and Sirap fParis spelled backwarddstrictly for ef- fectj. All phases of communications from sig- nalling to the proper form of letters was cov- ered. It might seem to the observant reader that this is an impossibility. Take it from those who have successfully fanother question mark twenty-five

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that were thrust on us from dusk to dawn a little less on the intelligible side. In the A Division, Mr. Kuhlken presiding, we were initiated into the mysteries of the Ice Machines, the Evaporators, and the Air Con- ditioning Units. One enjoyable feature was the discovery of Joe by one of our number, and the pause that refreshes that all hands joined in on. When the B Division passed before our eyes, it was as something from the brain of Jules Verne, what with the maze of pipes, cables, extensions, lines, and catwalks. Here, too, we were introduced to the art of bilge cleaning, and the undeveloped potentialities of the common wire brush if used correctly and ambitiously. All this under the expert super- vision of some grinning enlisted man. E Division and Electrician Howard's talks- on parallels and bus bars was duck soup for some of us-The EE's. For the rest it was just the former-parallels and bus bars. From the stem to the stem we followed cables that ran from one black box to another black box, through bulkheads, allies, passageways, heads, and the WAVE barracks, and nodded sagely as the doughty Electrician explained how the for- ward generator had to be raised to higher speed to take up the surge. Most of us knew what speed meant. It was in the teeming stronghold of M Division that we learned one of the closest guarded secrets of the Navy-why they need so many men. Two must watch every third man as he accomplishes his task. Careful and detailed instruction in this art was given to each student oHicer when he reported for his watch, and then he was put on a watch of his own- generally watching the pressure gauge of a secured pump. But in spite of sleepless nights, mental anguish, lack of air and light, and a general rundown in health, we were all able to make it through the month, and retained enough vim, vigor, and vitality to celebrate at the end. On the cold morning of the 13th of April, 1946, the Columbia was anchored in Nar- ragansett Bay. All hands were assembled on the fantail to witness the awarding of the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon to the USS