Columbia (CL 56) - Naval Cruise Book

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Out of the mist and fog on the 12th day of June, three ships of CRUDIV 14 sailed into the beautiful sunbathed harbor of Halifax. It was sunbathed because the Gods which controlled such things knew that Shaky Jake and the starboard watch section would be on liberty that afternoon. The welcome given us by the Haligonians was in reality one of the finest that could be imagined. The motto of the Nova Scotians seemed to be that nothing was too good for the ofhcers and men of the U. S. Navy,', and they immediately set out to prove their sincerity by doing everything possible for us. The facili- ties of the army, the navy, and the RCAF bases were put at our disposal, and their habi- tants gave us the warmest of greetings. The first evening ashore was highlighted by one dance at the gymnasium of HMCS Stadacona for all officers, and one at Dalhousie for the enlisted men. Hundreds of very charm- ing and personable young ladies were at these affairs to entertain us. It was at these parties that we learned of that wonderful combination of l8Wy beer and ham sandwiches. The second evening ashore, after a round of cocktail parties for the officers, brought forth another dance at Dalhousie University, this time for the officers. The third evening of liberty was spent by many not on the beach but back aboard the ship, recuperating from the previous two nights. 1 We were also fortunate in that HMCS Warrior was tied up in the harbor during our stay. This afforded us the chance to visit a Canadian ship, which opportunity was used to its fullest extent by some eager beavers, intent upon furthering their knowledge of U. S.- Canadian Naval Relations, and interested in the Canadian Navy's experiment of making various fruit juices available to the oflicers' guests anytime, day or night. To sightseers and sports enthusiasts also Hali- fax offered no mean attractions: the Public Gardens and the old Citadel for a look at old Halifax, and bowling, tennis, fishing, sailing, badminton, and swimming courtesy HMCS Stadacona facilities. Future Byron Nelson's spent happy-though costly and sometimes wet -hours hunting errant golf balls in the forests of the Ashburn Country Club, and hoping that

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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!

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the last slice hadn't hit the Captain, who was also playing there. For the eager ones who wanted to make sure they literally stood their watches that night, saddle horses were available. In the realm of baseball, the Columbia nine took the Warrior team-just barely, that is- after being rained out once. And to make the activity library complete, those who contem- plated that most popular pastime of all, namely, eating a good steak ashore, were met with that wonderful Canadian innovation, Meatless Friday. At first we actually were quite amazed at the very generous hospitality of these people but the motive for their actions finally came out when a Flight Leftenant was approached through the medium of slightly alcoholic bever- N l fi 6 ti Q A Ol u V7 - A M H ,, i ' ' ill lzlllalll BUT OF COURSH I APPRESHIRTE' 1 TH-s CANADIAN Hoe.vHPa1-Au'rv! ages. It seemed that what with the advent of the Atomic Bomb and the Russian scare, the Haligonians didn't know quite what to expect when the COLUMBIA, the CLEVELAND, and the MONTPELIER with the DENVER trailing behind, came into the relatively quiet port. A shrewd plan which enlisted the aid of the entire populace was evolved by means of which the Haligonians proceeded to make the procuring of liquid refreshments and amiable companions a very easy matter. By inducing us to imbibe of strange potions, they thought that they would keep us unfit for manning our vessels, and thus the menace of the COLUM- BIA, the CLEVELAND, and the MONT- PELIER with the DENVER trailing behind, was dissipated-and we do mean dissipated! Although there were several things that may have puzzled us, such as the delightful relation- ship between the Canadian and American dollar which made it seem as though they were giving us money when we made a purchase, we all agree that the city of Halifax outdid itself in generosity and goodwill. The kindness with which the Nova Scotians treated us is something we will not forget for a very long time. It was indeed with regret that we hoisted our glasses for the last toast, and then in turn were hoisted aboard our ship, and off of this soil for good.