Columbia (CL 56) - Naval Cruise Book

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days fone of which we spent shooting S304-.22 worth of 20mm shells at a floating mine fsome still say that the Hydrographic Office will be bitter for yearsl and then up went the cry Sighted Mine, Sank Sameuj the rest of which were spent washing bulkheads, scraping paint, repainting, and titivating around in gen- eral, we greeted Charleston, S. C., on the first of June. Yankees suggested that quarters for coming into port be general quarters, but we managed to pass Fort Sumter and creep through the cattails and muddy water to our pier with- out incident. As usual when reaching port, thought turned to how and when we could get off the ship, and liberty call brought forth hordes of gray and white garbed men surging down the gang- plank and starting the trek to town, regardless of the 99.970 humidity. For sightseers, there was the old residential district around the Bat- tery with its ornate ironwork, the old slave market, and innumerable old churches, for sun-lovers, there was Folley Beach and the Isle of Palms g for the thirsty, there was either soda fountain products or sympathy. Primary eve- ning entertainment was dances, attended by about 100 local belles, plus an equal number of lassies imported from Columbia, along with about 100 chaperones armed with impressive forty-two muster lists. In all justice we must admit that the Southerners do not exaggerate when they describe the beauty of their womanhood. Standby liberty was not granted fit says herej, and for those who remained aboard was the not too onerous task of guiding the visiting citizenry of Charleston who swarmed aboard all three days of our stay, and trying to impress them with our salt. Beribboned seamen told them that It was Hell at Lingayen Gulf, and fuzzy-cheeked Ensigns told of the mechan- ical intricacies of rigging paravanes, conning procedure, and what the funny-looking baskets were on the masts-besides explaining to wide- eyed youngsters just how far and how fast the various guns could shoot. As always, the stock escape of 'A . . . Sorry. That's restricted in- formation. was used whenever the going got too tough. More difficult was the job of pre- venting little Rebels armed with Screwdrivers from taking souveniers, and convincing dis- charged Bosun' Mates that they really knew all about the ground tackle, but these obstacles too were met with Columbian fortitude. The next day, officially proclaimed USS COLUMBIA Day, brought forth the antici- pated oratory and the presence of many south-

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fir, 4 L .QQ LL the ship was still floating, and no tugs, targets or airplanes were lost. In fact the target so painfully constructed, papered and equipped with radar reflectors, was parked on the fantail for the whole time as an annoyance to movie- goers, and later torn down and stowed. We were pleased to find that we could safely fire and we were pleased that we had done as well as we had with as little background as We had. No official comment was made other than praise for ingenious methods of loading, Firing, and aiming that we constantly devised on our own, so that we guess everyone was at least satisfied. All through playing Cops and Robbers in wintry Casco Bay, the good ship COLUMBIA once more steamed toward the land of mint juleps, plantations, southern belles, and Con- federate money. Leaving the less fortunate members of CRUDIV 14- stuck in dingy old New York, we prepared to negotiate with the Rebels. After traveling in spirals for three .lg -'fc ,

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ern luminaries, including the Governor of South Carolina, the Commandant of the Sixth Naval District, mayors and ex-mayors of Columbia and Charleston, and two bands. The ship was presented two dozen silver goblets Ccontents not disclosedj and a magnolia wreath, and we reciprocated by presenting a battle flag. Speech-making was brought to an end with a few remarks by Captain Adell, and the playing of America concluded the ceremonies. Gradu- ally the spectators left, and favorably impressed, we hope. In spite of the fact that we felt like wet blotters most of the time, and that our living compartments had the air of an over- heated gymnasium, we enjoyed our sample of southern hospitality. And besides, think of the money we saved by not going to New York right away! . . . And then came the time to pay the piper. For two months we had been enjoying those delicious G. I. meals, and now we had to re- plenish the supplies. fYou canit just eat the shingles, you know.j Consequently, we were greeted that fateful Monday morning by five freight cars crowding the Charleston dock, and all hands turned to to bring the 93 tons of chow aboard. Even the Master At Arms force turned out to make sure that everyone was working-an unnecessary precaution, of course. What a scene of industry we presented to the Southern eyes! Long lines of men carefully avoiding the crates of potatoes and sacks of Hour nearby, and eagerly awaiting the next car- ton of Post Toasties. But when the light stuff was gone, they pitched in on the heavier goods with equal enthusiasm, even to the extent of dropping a crate or two of juicy oranges in their haste. In fact one stevedore was so hasty that he had to let go of his box three times before it finally cracked open. 'Round and 'round we went through the cycle: carry a carton aboard, rest up with a cigarette, fall back in line to get up on the dock, take a couple of glasses of lemonade while waiting for the line in front of the cars to -Q., ll .giants 'Trl' forty-three