Columbia (CL 56) - Naval Cruise Book

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. ...Ln Up from the depths of the deep south, from Charleston, the Queen-City of Magnolia Land, the mighty cruiser COLUMBIA fstill panting from its 32-knot speed runj came steaming through the narrows to the Empire City of the New World. Coming to Pier 51 on the port side of Manhattan Island, the COLUMBIA slid into its berth and scarce had the strains of the bugle call announcing liberty died away and the third repeater hoisted when down the brows came a rushing stream of officers and men eager to sample the strange and exotic de- lights of the mysterious city called New York. We once again had come from the sweet drawl of the southern y'all to the melodic youse- all of the north. As a liberty town New York will long be re- membered as the spot where the Port watch section of student officers, rising to the occasion in a spirit of outstanding gallantry took only one in four, that their less fortunate brethren the Starboard watch might have as much time as possible for liberty and recreation by which to recover from the horrors of the past. Those of us who were fortunate enough to ind a native New Yorker to brief us on the intricacies of the city's layout and hence did not lose ourselves in the maze of subways, made our way immediately to the center of town and the Great White Way. For those who had never been to the big city before, sightseeing was in order-such spots as - The Bowery, Greenwich Village, Rocke- feller Center and the Empire State Observatory Roof, echoed with the joyous shouts of our happy comrades. Those cosmopolites among us who knew of city life from past experiences, could be found in any of the many malt- shops along the avenues sipping the various beverages served by proficient waiters expecting a large remuneration, or else discoursing on world affairs with intellectual young ladies whom we are told, frequent such spots. Those of us interested in the drama and the arts had the chance of a lifetime by receiving the opportunity of seeing the current successes of Broadway. Harvey,,' Born Yesterday and the musicals- Oklahoma, Carousel, Billion forty-fiie

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lengthen, fall in at the end, get another carton. It was rumored that this was the Hrst line not dragged by the chow line moochers. Finally all the cars were emptied, the bodies mangled during the scramble picked up, and the dock swept down. Then lunch-and after carrying aboard roasts, canned turkey, cake flour, and pineapple, how welcome was the Spam, cold beans, weak coffee and belayed liberty. A tribute from the grateful people of the City of Columbia, South Carolina, to her name- sake, the gallant Cruiser, the USS COLUMBIA, whose glorious record has brought new lustre to a proud name. This compliment to our ship was printed on the program for USS COLUMBIA Day, Charleston, S. C., 2 June 194-6. The good people of Columbia, S. C., while lauding the record of the living, did not forget our departed heroes. As a token of their re- forty-four rnembrance, the citizens of Columbia presented a wreath of magnolia leaves and Howers, fit- tingly decorated with a patriotic ribbon, which they requested to be placed upon the broad waters of the Atlantic. This ceremony was conducted on the fore- castle of the Gem,' at 1500 on 5 June 1946. Father Thomas H. Bodie, the ship's chaplain, opened the ceremony by conducting the stu- dent oflicers in the singing of the Navy Hymn, Eternal Father Strong to Save, and then he delivered a brief address. After a few appro- priate words, Captain B. B. Adell, USN, placed the wreath on the waters. The guard of honor Hred three volleys in concluding the ceremony. The significance of this and similar events held aboard the USS COLUMBIA, should make us all realize that death is not the end, and death is not to remain a sorrowful memory. The man who has a true spiritual perspective will readily grasp the note of expectancy in the following poem by Samuel Johnson: Catch, then, oh catch the transient hour: Improve each moment as it flies! Life's a short summer, man a flower 3 He dies-alas! How soon he dies.

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fort y-six Dollar Baby, etc. were visited by many of the officers and men of the COLUMBIA, not to mention such spots as the Aquarium fwith Les Brownj, the 400 and Benny Goodman, or the centers of art and culture in Greenwich Village where we could relax to the soft, sweet music we all love so well. Tickets to the ball games were also made available whereby we were accorded the rare privilege of seeing the Yankees in action. Of course, no visit to the City would be com- plete without a pilgrimage to the grandaddy of all amusement parks-Coney Island. General visiting by civilians was allowed on board ship as in Charleston. Those in the duty and standby sections not occupied elsewhere or getting permission from the OOD for rather frequent phone calls were only too happy to entertain and guide the visitors about the 4:56 59 One of the most wonderful of the innovations of this modern world was generally agreed to be-the subway system of New York. Through the IRT and the BMT we were carried to our destination within the very minimum of time. After several embarkings and debarkings, bark- ings at by conductors, and just plain growlings by the crowds pushing us in one side.and out the other, we became experts in the field of sub- wayology. We found that we could shove and squeeze and hold open the closing doors with our bare hands along with the most hardened of the natives. While at first some of us were slightly disap- pointed that we didn't have more time to spend in New York, in the end most of us found that the number of days of liberty equaled the amount of cash on hand to spend per day. As our home slid from her berth into the Hudson and set sail once again for the open sea, we stood at quarters and as we watched the majestic Statue of Liberty fade into the dis- tance, all of us bowed our heads with the com- mon thought that- You could give the whole damned city back to the Indians-but don't, ,cause we'll be back some day!