Deuel (APA 160) - Naval Cruise Book

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THIRD DIVISION THE DOMAIN of the Third Division is the after area of the ship including the fantail, number five hatch, the steering engines, and the jumbo boom. Here again the excellent seamanship that a well-run ship of this type demands is evident on every side. The other deck divisions operate booms also but the king of them all is the large 35-ton boom used to work number five hatch and also used to raise and lower the two large LCM ' s which are stowed on top of the hatch. It is a very ticklish job to handle these boats but the deftness with which they are coaxed from their skids and lowered to the water by the highly trained team of the Third Division is a sight to behold. Most of the large vehicles that the assault troops need ashore are stowed in No. 5 and must needs be unloaded at every landing. It is a difficult feat to jockey a ten wheeled monster of a truck out of the hold and set it in a pitching landing craft alongside requiring excellent team work and a mastery of the art of cargo handling. Both these qualities are pos- sessed to a high degree by the Third Division as exemplified ' by their fine record through operations Mainbrace and Longstep and the landings on Sar- dinia. nrh« GetMi Hanar Man. Itumrm, my lads. Moak awaon wltb birth- dcnr caka. FirtI row, left to right: SN CallUian, SN J. E. Mott, SN R. E. Crom, SN V. McCaffery, SN J. R. Grandstaff, SN J. D. Sulti, SA P. F. Witheri. . . . SicohJ rom, Itft to right: BM3 R. A. Naicrs, SA D. Dey, BM3 W. J. Heegan, BM2 G. R. Mott, BMC R. L. Cross, BMl H. R. Smith, SA G. J. Huber, SA E. C. Cooper. . . . ThirJ rotu, left to right: ENS S. T. Paczkow- ski, SN L. T. Mowl, SN T. H. Breisler, BMJ J. T. Hall. SN D. T. Smeal, SN E. S. Lambrechts, SN G. N. Piters, SA C. E. Halliwell, BM2 E. B. Vincent, SN R. C. Valrath, SN S. J. Nlcastro, ENS. O. R. Billion.

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SECOND DIVISION THE MIGHTY SECOND, the largest deck di- vision on the ship, has a job proportional to the number of men in the division. The whole midship section of the ship is their responsibility and a never ending task it is, too. Besides the cleanliness and up- keep of their spaces, they must also work two of the four main cargo hatches and raise and lower better than two-thirds of the ship ' s landing crafts. This handling of the ship ' s boats is a skill in which the men of the Second Division have become experts. The sf eed with which the ship ' s boats are lowered prior to a landing attest to their proficiency. It is not only at the time of landings that their skill is called upon but many times in the middle of the night these men are called out to hoist boats because of bad weather and they have never failed to do the job with dispatch in spite of the wind and rain and darkness. The speed and ease with which the Second Di- vision handles cargo is another proof that they- are sailors in the true sense of the word. In order to complete her mission an attack transport must not only be able to put the assault troops oh the beach but must supply them with tools with which to fight and with supplies to enable the m to keep fighting. For this reason a constant flow of cargo must be maintained and the Second Division stands ever ready with the necessary skill and experience to keep that life line moving. Firil row, left to right: A. R. Minuzzi, D. A. KoKI, J. J. Ver- io, A. T. McGill, W. Fiiher, Sr., R. J. Cardinal. . . . Sfcond raw: J. G. Morrii, B. J. Milton, R. L. Montgomery, R. H. Becker, R. C. Wathburn, R, C. Jett, R. H. Edge, R. V. Harp, A. A. Pou- lin, Jr. . . . Third raw: Lt. (jg) Weber, J. E. Ostruth, P. G. Mor- ton, G. F. Lehner, E. Lujnia, E. E. Hall, K. L. Caquelin, BMC F. Morri . fin raw, left to right: J. L. Borgette, J. H. Pendleton, V A. Luttrell, J. E. McKinna, G H. Newman. . . . Second row. F. C. Boyer, R. C. Bunyard, J Oiterhout, R. J. McGranahin C. E. Stuart, G. S- Hornketh, B. A. Gordy, J. D. Feckno. . . Third row: ENS Brownrigg. H J. Vickery, F. M. Hyer, G. 1 Lehner, A. C. Fleener, W. J Takaci, D. P. Errigo, L. A. Palmer, BMl S. McNease.

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BOAT-GROUP DIVISION THE ALMOST overwhelming task of maintaining and operating the ship ' s twenty-six boats falls on the capable shoulders of the newly formed Boat- Group Division. It is a never ending task and one that, instead of being easier when in port, mounts to almost staggering proportions at that time. It is the men of the Boat-Group Division who make it possible for the crew and officers of the ship to make liberty in the ports we hit. Operating in all types of weather and often all night these men see to it that everyone hits the beach and is able to return. But it is during a landing operation that the boat crews come into their own. The prime end for an attack transport is to land assault troops on a hostile beach and the men who run the boats make this possible. Out in the boats for long hours at a tifiie, often wet and cold, these men lead a far from easy life — but ask him if he would like to switch and you can be sure of a resounding — NO ! When the ship is underway again the huge job of getting the boats ready for the next port commences, for who can tell what call may be made for boats. They will be needed for liberty runs, routine errands, and possibly as cargo lighters for the replenishment of the whole fleet. It has been said of women and can be as truly said of the Boat Group — Their- work is never done. first raw, Ujt to right: H. V. Holcomb, D. P. Urban, A. H. Reinhart, W. H. Broomhead, Jr.. C. R. Norrii, R. H. Shaw, L Kirkland, J. T. Ellis. . . . Sec ond roui, lilt to right: A. De- francii, R. F. Huckini, E. J. Cook, L. C. James, BMC L. H Schaffer, BMC J. L. Pestsinger, D. A. Hall, L. D. Jackson, W. L. Krebs. . . . ThirJ row, left to right: M. F. Needham, ' W. H. Price, N. H. Jessop, W. C. Plum, R. H. Miller, J. H. Gamcl, J. D. Naichajan, L. E. Bromler, W. H. Bigclow, Jr. Sprucing up the gig.