Columbia (CL 56) - Naval Cruise Book

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sea was much easler Early the thlrd mornmg when we got tOpS1dS agaln Bermuda was there a blue green hump m the Chstanee As we ap proaehed the 1sland became greener and whxte roofs appeared The water was a turquo1se color We all stood gogghng at the green and gold troplc splendor of thxs lush l1ttle coral rsland set away by rtself 1n the Atlantre Ocean A dapper pllot 1n flannels and yachtmg cap met us at the approaches to the harbor hopped aboard and dlrected us through a str1ng of coral reefs and 1nto the Bay w1th ease The clean wate1 the thxek green fohage the wh1te sand and the wh1te coral bu1ld1ngs looked llke a mov1e set from Hollywood topped off w1th Br1t1sh flags It was all rnueh too good to waste Shlp s wolk classes and dulls could go to the devll the order of the clay was for l1be1ty and 1ecreat1on an order wrth whlch the entlre shrp s company cornphed wlthout the shghtest s1gn of a struggle A rcereanon party for the standby sect1on was formed of dungaree clad non watch stand ers who had a thlrst for beer baseball and bath Reereauon commenced when the party was herded mto a whaleboat taken ashore to the Naval statlon p1led mto covered trucks cal ted off to the falthest gate and dumped out s1de From there lt was an easy walk to the sw1mm1ng a la mode the four hour h1ke to the beach Just over the h1ll and the three or four thzrty :even ' ' I J 7 l I ' I 1 v l - 5 . , . . . 3 . . . n I A 7 . J I Y . . V X . ing. . V . . , 7 Y l , J l ' l Q . 1 ' 1 9 3 - , - , - 1: A D A ' J ' ' , , ' ' ' recreation field. Looking back on it all, the . . . ,,. . ,, . . 3 K

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sun went down, the ship began to pitch and roll, and several people on board began to wish they had never been born. The ship went on swaying and heaving and more people Calso swaying and heavingj began to wish they had never been born. Most of us had trouble sleep- ing that night. It was like riding a roller coaster with a stomach full of cheap gin. A good many stayed topside. Some of these claimed a fascin- ation for the view. The others, more sick or honest, just hung on to a stanchion and gave it all they had. But the morning brought calm out of pathos. We had hit the Gulf Stream, pleasant weather, and smooth sailing We all breathed sighs of relief doffed our shirts and donned our Skol to bask under the brilliant sun The sea had become very blue under a balmy breeze and a mounting ternperatule The second night at tlznty mf Hill A 7 3 L . , . f ,, ,, 4 .,,, . v W A V , A A 5 1 I ' A 'T' - - .gn lx ' 4 A- ' ,,. rs.. .. r

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baseball games played on one Held at one time-all these may be forgotten, but never to fade is the memory of the beauty of that spectacle, a hundred foamy geysers spraying cold, fragrant beer to the winds. All hands sported happy glows at the end of the day g some were sunburned. The thing about Bermuda that we enjoyed most of all was the liberty. And the most in- teresting sport was the search for pubs not out of bounds. The trip to shore from the COLUM- BIA was nearly an hours' cruise by APC, but no one really cared. Cameras sprouted from the life lines. Hordes of navy men stormed ashore and swooped down on glove and per- fume counters, buying American made goods at only twice the price. Sightseers, exercise fiends, and just plain crazy men rented bicycles and pumped furiously off in all directions, dumbfounding the local citizens by pedalling uphill. Even the mad dogs stayed inside. Horse drawn carriages were enjoyed by those with little respect for their money and by those thirty-eight who were not up to handling a bicycle for some reason or another. For long-distance travel there was the Toonerville Trolley, the three- car railroad guaranteed only to make it from St. George to Somerset before Summer did set. A favored few even managed to procure jeeps and free rides with the SP's. There were very few motor driven vehicles, but those few were intent on downing as many pedestrians as pos- sible to make up for it. They even had a neat trick of sticking to the wrong side of the road, where our boys were pedalling in the opposite direction. There was plenty to see and do in Bermuda. The weather alone was enough to keep all of us contented, aside from swimming at Coral Beach, goggling at the Aquarium, Devil's Hole, and Crystal Cave, window shopping in Hamil- ton, dancing and cavorting in general at the Bel- mont, and gawking at grown men in shorts. The Bermuda gals, few as they were, added pleasantly to the surroundings. Among the best remembered activities of our stay were the