Columbus (CA 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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i i i. , ' ■ ■ t e, the salty and slightly sober sailors of the sleepless Third Division have had it, got it, and still don ' t want it. If there is anything on your nnind with regard to doing some- thing interesting, seeing something dull, or going someplace in a hurry, see us. If we can ' t help you it ' s useless to go on living. Let us say, for Instance, you wish to make use of our airfield. If you have some spare vehicles wandering aimlessly about, use our parking lot, alias, junk yard. If you feel athletic, then our ballfield is yours. If by chance you hear bells, our boxing ring is yours too. For those who have been bitten by the movie bug, our outdoor theatre is at your disposal, no fee, just bring your own chair. For those who are short, light, and homely, we have a sunbathing beach in warm weather, guaranteed to make you look tall, dark and handsome. For you who are already tall, dark, and handsome, we have enough work to make you crippled, pale and beat-up. Any barges, gigs, or motor-launches you wish unlaunched, there is a boot pool to accommodate them. If by chance you ' re city bred and long for the aroma of a city dump, we have that too. In fact it has been made possible for you by the consideration of the Third Division and our boss, the US Navy, to have a backyard on the fantail to go with this home away from home. Now I ask you, where could you get so much for so little? We may not be the smartest, sharpest or the smoothest running, but at least we are typical sailors. Presiding over this organized confusion is LTJG Deeley, our division officer, and his able assistant, ENS Carey, our junior division officer. Mr. Deeley Is a very quiet spoken witty man who is well thought of by the men under him. Mr. Carey is a man of great faith — that is, he believes that besides a large capacity for liquor and the female sex, the average sailor has somewhat of a mental capacity too. Our leading petty officer is C. K. Miles, a first class boatswaln ' s- mate who can be often found having a cup of coffee in the first class mess. With regard to having anyone outstanding in the division, we don ' t. If however, there is anyone who has time to oecome outstanding he can ' t be working very hard at his regular duties.

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he writing of this article for the Cruise Book reminds us that the memorable cruise is quickly coming to an end. Some of the boys in the Fighting Fourth are anxious to get back home, while the other steamers are wishing that we were going back to France or Genova. Under the guidance of LTJG Gebhardt as division officer and ENS Cordell as junior division officer, the Fourth Division had proudly held its title as a smooth and efficient working division. One might think that J. C. Cleary, BM2, LPO, is always cracking the whip to keep the boys working. We in the division know that it isn ' t like that at all, because the men themselves are striving for one thing, and that Is to uphold their reputation as a 4.0 division. Whenever you visit any of the Fourth Division spaces, whether It be the main deck, frames fifty-three to seventy-four, 01 level. Admiral ' s country, officer ' s country, living compartment, or as high up as the foremast, you will always find them living up to COLUMBUS standards. Our gun gang under the supervision of Ford, GMI, maintains the forward 5 battery. When we man our battle stations, have no fear of air attacks, for the smooth coordination of our gun crews, and excellent condition of the guns makes the forward 5 battery outstanding In gunnery throughout the ship. Engagement Ring D. Grow takes the spotlight In the lovers department. Whenever a bright moment is needed you can depend on R. Myott and J. D. Murphy for a hilarious laugh. J. P. Hennessy Is our shutter bug and we also have been blessed with our share of steamers or liberty hounds. A familiar threesome is J. C. Cleary, R. P. Russo and R. A. Watson. D. S. Champagne always cheers us up with his charming smile. If anyone happens to find a whaleboat floating around somewhere in the Med kindly Inform BMC Grace, for we seem to have misplaced ours. Now that this cruise is over, we can talk about the many wonderful places the COLUMBUS has taken us. This cruise shall forever be part of our fondest memories.