Edisto (AGB 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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We got underway with combination BAKER on the line and under the pater- nal guidance of our OpOrder. The fresh October sea-breeze carried the spray from forecastle to fantail, performing once again the baptismal rite which is as old as man's association with the sea. We took Boston Lightship serenely to starboard, rounded Cape Race, and steadied on a southerly course. Now EDISTO began to plunge and rear in the troughs of the open Atlantic and it soon became obvious to the neophytes that finding one's sea legs was a matter of survival, not of mere whim. For late A that first night the stormy North Atlantic gave us all a taste of its hidden vagaries. We altered course to the east and next day, when it was all over, we had, among other things, a paper-pulp factory in the library. I And so we sailed on into the balmy seas of the Gulf Stream current. In the evenings the moon would rise heavy and full in the heavens and the navigator never lacked stars. We dropped off to sleep nights believing that, at long last, the Navy was livingup to its recruiting posters., We were all beginning to get that salty feeling - at peace with Conrad and Melville. Alas, we were not to loll in our reverie long. Late one night, from the very bowels of the ship itself, there belched forth great clouds of black smoke amid a shower of sparks. On the bridge a red handle was depressed and the clamor- ous CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG of the General Quarters alarm reached far down into our sleepy minds and drew forth our consciousness for duty. Our disgruntled stack, alarmed at the prospect of spending months in the frigid Antarctic, spewed its hot gases into the evening sky. ' Then we all went back to bed. Next day, as we passed through the magical West Indies, the below decks quarters grew too oppressive for sleep. Accordingly, we gathered our blankets and pillows and repaired to the main deck for an evening or two of cool slumber. We got more than we bargained for in the latter department. EDISTO, rocking and rolling her way across the seas, rocked once too often and rolled once too far. In an instant, before most of us were awake enough to cry, Oh-Oh! , we were drenched with thousands of gallons of sea water. Next day, minus clothes, wallets, keys, and assorted pairs of shoes, the crew hung its soggy blankets on the life lines to steam and steam under the hot tropical sun. Not all the nights were like that, however. Some evenings, Molands and Haines combined to blast out some fairly serviceable reproductions of America's finest country music. The twang of the,strings matched the twang of the noses as the melodious strains of, Cold, Cold, Heart drifted up to the sometimes unappreciative ears of the OOD on the bridge. By the time the hazy outlines of Colon appeared, heralding our entrance to the world- famous Panama Canal, those who had had doubts were now convinced that there was certainly more to this business of going to sea than could ever be found in books.

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EDISTO, back from the Arctic in mid August, faced the challenge of preparing for the lengthy, important cruise to the Antarc- tic, as part of Task Force 43, in support of the U.S. Antarctic Research Project. In addition to the food, fuel, and ammu- nition supplies necessary to the operation of the ship itself, we embarked several cryptic boxes of scientific gear, a bathy- thermograph team, and our now familiar com- patriots of HUTRON 4 and their gaudy flying machines. Day after day the slab- sided gray trucks rolled to the side of the ship as working party after working party was called away to cope with the influx of stores. The Officer-of-the-Deck was forced to deal with angry division officers who saw their whole department leave on one working party. In reply to the queries, the OOD could only say, This stuff has to come aboardf' As the days shortened for our leave- taking, our already ragged supply officer was harassed a good deal more with higher and higher priorities. Sometimes he disap- peared into the benighted confines of Bld. 149 at Charlestown for such long periods that we began to doubt he should ever return departure - that the system. had, at last, swallowed the man. However, and let history judge our fortune, he always did reappear, albeit with a sheaf of papers and a look of utter con- sternation mingled with disbelief. Finally, the last truck had been emptied and there were no more to take its place. This signalled the end of the preparations and the beginning of the cruise. Early on the morning of 28 October 1960, members of the engineering department were already hard at work upon their sailing- day duties. Steam, fresh water, and electric shore supply were cut off and the ship be- came an entity, depending on no one for her needs. She remained shackled to the un- familiar land only by her doubled-up morning lines. Soon these too were reduced so that only six single strands of manila held her. At 1010 local time on that sunny New England morning, before a crowd of friends, relatives, and idly curious, we hauled aboard and stowed our last line. The ship, even in those calm harbor waters began 21 gentle rolling motion which told those of US who had sailed her before that EDISTO W215 truly underway .

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On November 5 EDISTO passed inside the breakwater of Limon Bay and anchored awaiting clearance to proceed with her transit of the Panama Canal. It was not going to be, as some of us thought merely a matter of steaming straight through the locks. Before allowing our ship to pass, it was necessary to embark an official boarding party from the Panama Canal Company who would check our papers and receive vital information regarding our draft, displacement, and cargo. In addition to the normal round of paperwork we welcomed aboard several students and instructors from various South American military academies. Shortly after the arrival of the latter, LTJG Richardson, our bi-lingual Operations Officer, could be observed on the starboard side of the boat deck, Spanish-English dictionary in one hand and in the other a stick with which he was scratching meaningless circles on the deck. However, the President's people-to-people program eventually recovered. After the formalities had been concluded we hoisted anchor and steamed down Limon Bay to Gatun Locks. In three successive stages we were raised a total of 85 feet to the level of Gatun Lake. Thekchamber doors moved slowly under the power of a small engine with an incredible gear ratio of over 1200 to one. Within the locks we were moved forward by small electric donkey engines running on tracks paralleling our advance. We thus arrived in the kms b0Zl7Zfjl bound westward ff for zz rendelvozzs with mimi and marlon bmmio