Dauphin (APA 97) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 12 text:

1 H. E. TALMADGE, Lieut.. U.S.N.R. EXECUTIVE OFFICER 23 September 1944 to II September 1945 McRAE, GEORGIA C. F. WYMORE. Lieut., U.S.N.R. EXECUTIVE OFFICER 11 September 1945 FIRST LIEUTENANT 19 April -10 September 1945 GUNNERY OFFICER 23 September 1944-19 April 1945 JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI

Page 11 text:

FORT PIERCE TRAMMING BOAT GROUP Ft. Pierce, Florida, was the Amphibious Training Center of the Atlantic Fleet and it was here on 8 June 1944 that one hundred and twenty enlisted men and twelve officers began their training in amphibious warfare. From the start, rugged was a mild word. Classes in navigation, seamanship, gunnery, communications, recognition, engineer- ing, and ship to shore occupied the first three weeks of intensive primary training. Mosquitoes, sand flies and what have you dedicated their lives to making it miserable for all concerned. Inspection after inspection, occasion- ally followed by a forty-eight hour pass, eased the pain somewhat, while all hands digested the cities of Palm Beach and Miami. Practical work in the boats ensued for ten weeks. Boat handling slowly improved, competi- tion became keen, the group more coherent. High surf, long hours in the blazing sun, circling until that minute, all-night ship to shores with the beach party, put us wise to amphibious ways. Opera- tion with other boat groups, the Army, demolition teams, scouts and raiders. Group 161 said good-bye to the island off Flor- ida ' s coast, the sand flies, the jetty, the six mile buoy and Coon Island on 20 September 1944. With orders to report to the Dauphin, then lying in Baltimore harbor, the L division looked for- ward to a new phase of both personal and Navy life, a strange one and one which the remainder of this year book well pictures. BEACH PARTY The prime purpose of the Beach Party was to work jointly with Army or Marine Corps in Am- phibious operations, to land with the assault troops, evacuate the wounded, keep the incoming boats in their designated slots, handle ship to shore, visual and radio communications and to keep the beach clear so men and equipment could move without congestion. Preparation for such a diversified assortment of tasks required a lot of training and the men of the beach party got just that. For eight weeks they received intensified beach training under simulated battle conditions, then several months of tactical and strategical maneu- vers. This training included learning the basic fundamentals of demolition, becoming acquainted with underwater diving gear, and firing the differ- ent types of weapons. Instructions and practice with hand grenades, bazookas, and all types of guns from the 45 calibre pistol to the 3-inch all purpose gun made all hands familiar with their weapons of offense. Most of the fellows qualified as expert riflemen and helped establish a range firing record for the 30 calibre carbine at 100 and 200 yards, using all firing positions. The Beach Parly with this training and their simulated battle experiences under their belts, boarded the Dauphin ready to fulfill their assign- ment as an integral part of the ship ' s organization. LAUNCHING AT SPARROWS POINT FORT PIERCE. FLORIDA On the morning of June 10, 1944, the Dauphin stood ready for christening at the Bethlehem-Sparrows Point, Md., Shipyard. Miss Carolyn Conway, student nurse at the Staten Island Hospital and daughter of Captain Granville Conway, Deputy Administrator of the War Shipping Administration, had been chosen as sponsor, and after a brief and fitting ceremony our ship was launched with the traditional bottle of champagne. . . . The U.S.S. Dauphin slid down the ways, righted herself, and proudly joined the society of ships destined for the United States Navy.

Page 13 text:

DEPARTMENTS and ACTIVITIES ON THE SHIP