f the dolphin s tail oft 1 . the Waves like Wind-b1S51VnG512S2ed0bev1es of silvery flYinQ fiSh dog-like mammalian heads to asfutegcirilgwmflflyl Seals SWQH1' bfi' tchess. The familiar coastal gulls skylarkin oveehcmslg hnes of and vociferously voicing the h ' g I eq ' plummet ty of land. Dove-like red-tailedrtfopihpblgggdgggrrfsqirlels mdlcqted p and down the aquatic highway paused and favored tlie TSSFI ings urious wide berthed circle before going on their mysterious xgqic C1 Y ys. But king of all creatures, personif in the s ' ' of sea, was the great brownyalgatrosspllgbdpriedyl?ffgtggtiftinlenipty on just aft and above the Lady's rounded poop. Hour after hourqdl Y Rpt day, the great bird effortlessly kept up the 15-knot pace with the deilbecf er beqtof his wings varied only by graceful wheeling and soarin ln th blmke 'est of nights, the lonely lifebuoy watch on the fantail would witlgijlunseeiigfi GC - be vaguely conscious of the muted Wraith purposely making his wa ogneyed ibn with the ship to some unknown destiny. ' Y an P. , Now that the heretofore ever-present danger of torpedo explosion was eliminated, the Dutchessmen no longer were apprehensive of the lethal flash burn lintense heat of explosion frying the skinl. Working stripped to the waist in the coolish air, the 'l98 men 'enjoyed soaking in the warm sunshine as they chipped rust, tarred the rigging, cleaned and painted, and generally refur- bished 'the Lady topside and below decks. The Htwin devils of Material ln- spection and Captain's Personnel Inspection which the crew regarded as does a hospital patient look upon an enema-unpleasant but probably necessary-- revealed to the Commanding Officer that the personnel and material of the Gung l-lo ship would in mid-demobilization compare favorably with any other Vessel encountered-be she APA, cruiser, carrier or tugboat. Although the enemy was obliterated, it would be a long time before the vigilance of the anti-mine lookouts could be relaxed. Month by month the vagaries of wind and current were carrying these deadly spheres to the far- thest reaches of the seven seas. By this time, the watches habitually made sure of water-tight door closure and, as during the war years, all hands kept their life jackets always at hand for the possible moment of abandon ship. B' ,After finding the supposedly windy Gulf of Tehuantepec fMexico-Guate- 'mfllal Very mild in comparison to the North Pacific, the H98' commenced to en- counter more and more ships converging on the Isthmus of Panama. Appar- QHUY, Ci goodishare of the war-time Pacific Fleet was making its way eastward fOr decommissioning. VV ith the NW wind and the California current pushing her stern from above and below the water line, the Lively Lady's Navigator and 'll fngineer were astounded to find that she was making her greatest speed- -15ff2' knots-through the even tropic waters. On the evening of the 9th of Feb- bv m0lFY', almost before the Dutchessmen were settled to the sea routine, the wide- lY known winking beam of Cape Mala light marked the entrance to the Gulf ot 'Panama . i I ' 't d iq 'nto the anchorage, the lush Y morning, as the 98 ma e er waY 1 n H about the blue Gd dark greenery of the Panamanian mountains were an f h f 1 Waters which were knifed here and there with the white rot o Cali! A dozen ships awaited their turn to go through the canal...DL1I'11'1Q e tlge traffic had been mainly westward to the Soutl?hPSSf1g Irglggfigi ast the Atlantic was commencing to fill up W1 P t the parrows built sister ships were simultaneously' THOVIHQ mo A th h d begun in the cold gray t vii: end their careers where GY C1 h d the Dauphm QAPA 97, The Ad CAPA Qll was a daY U 90 theaslubmarine docks across from Balboa The ShelbY not too many doIYS Uslem 5 WCIS tier i , i I 'wi .. 4 i 5 ll Q Q. ' 'in 3, , 1 . 'irq Q35
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discovery island of S S 1 . it 2 into the Atlantic. By ihgI18iht,11idOr1Q-and commited OP her leaden Atlantic coloration. if Ifgritngvgf FSU hqdiurned not sufficiently moderate the pe 1 t' if Warm Gulf ter For the first time in G Year fthe rg llighdamp chill of a North 11 I 1 I e ' eqvy foul weather gear from head to fodlfcarifisraljlecfggltirkirid thilfnf . I V, Sudden cold, he hoped the rapid tem 1 - - Cm S ore enduring rather than to lay him low.pem me Vcmcmon Wculd make he gray morning punctuated with raw ra' f th 1 chess returned exactly one year after she hald Csaileil ffgdh Cghlrebruclry' Hampton Roads, and Norfolk. The Lady found Hamptoli? Rocidgpiifblfi than ever in 1944, even when the bi convo ss ' - J way through a forest of ships' masts gdtnd loogin1gV?1rr'?c1?dfn . Plck- .Shallow beset Hampton Roads, and finding the deep draf+' Gnchglcross the Old Girl finally had Uto drop hook hard by Newport Nkews-5 from the Navdl OPSTUUHQ Base. The-.Gray Lady stilled her screw lpropellerl that had driven her through 82,180 miles of water. All hands prepared to rest qlang with their ship. X 'L As is often the case with adversity marking the way of the sea, the wind blewup and commenced pushing ships about like toys in the crowded anchor- ages. .The men of the fleet were called upon to look a1ive as each ship was Closely flanked on all sides by other ships or by treacherously shallow mud flats. Once again, the Dutchessmen manned their sea watches and started turning the screw preparatory to getting underway if the Lively Lady dragged anchor or if any of the dozens of other ships were blown down on her. All hands were experienced enough now to understand the old nautical adage that the safest place for a ship was at sea. As the wind accelerated to 40 and 50 knots, the ship control personnel fervently wished the 98 was at sea. Other ships. reported dragging anchor, but with devoted attention on the part of her people, the Constant Lady successfully rode out the blow as she had done many times before. I , With the dawn and calming weather, the Dutchessmen looked about them ar the low tidewater land and the distant smoke pall of Norfolk, and realized that they were in the States for good. Most of the Gung 1-lo men would never have the United States again. Voicing this view was apt to provoke some- Whqf humorously contentious discussion in the compartments by some of the more facetious as to whether the local area should be considered in the States 01' not. The final concensus was expressed in the view that as long-as.any lo- 1Y in the United States could be reached by telephone from a district, that region could be considered continental. S Dutchess now had to accustom herself to -East Coast practicesg wherelrl dncisco separatees were debarked in 30 minutes and customs clearance mfflediate, three days were required before the Lady 'was able to SGCUT'-9 clearance and debark the 19 men of Demobilization Increment Ten-V 011 February 22. 1 Lady made her onerous trip threading through the crowded anchor- buary 22, moored to Pier 4, Naval Operdfing Bflsefbcind Conggingig ng process of off-loading all the consuma e Sup , . t. For a week all diversified gear that the Dutchessmen hdd assembled during the past year .went ashore.uggie 1013 :SSE giaaii r dx of the LCMS' The Cargo bcoms of me Sel 't d'nous as mcludin ammunition small arms life wickets gas mas if' Q mejn ming and small stores, Welfare gem' medlccfl eqmp i . . ti u 1 1 lnglng into the waiting. box cars and barges gf mil 1, r , lkslj M n ' . ' . i . C617
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