Edisto (AGB 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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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Pallfllllil fresh waters of Gatun Lake and swim call was ordered for all hands. The styles of swim-suits - ranging from the near-naked to dungree trousers rolled above the knees - were as varied as the diving forms while a frustrated OOD on the quarterdeck was splashed, mauled, and otherwise hindered in his duty of checking off the aquamen. The ship too received her swim call and the deck hands washed down all her weather decks and bulkheads with fresh water. EDISTO then sailed through a narrow channel down Gaillard Cut toward the Pedro Miguel Locks. For many of us this was perhaps the most beautiful country we were to see during the cruise. On either side of the channel a living jungle unfolded itself before us. Wild animals, birds, parrots, and reptiles scurried behind the trees, saluting us as we invaded their rainforests. The sur- rounding country was incredibly lush, giving most of us a close-up look of the tropics for the first time in our lives. Arriving at the Pedro Miguel locks we prepared to be lowered through a single stage 31 feet to the level of Miraflores Lake. Continuing along this channel for about a mile we entered our last set of locks, the Miraflores, and were dropped' once again, this time in two successive stages a total of 54 feet to the level of the Pacific Ocean. Our goal had been to travel to the west- ward and now, through a geographic fact so difficult to grasp that it appeared an illusion, we found ourselves 27 miles east of our starting point on the Atlantic. We had done in 10 hours time something which sailors in the past had taken many weeks and much risk to do. And we had, done it solely through the availability of one of the most magnificent engineering feats in the world's history, one which, in our own time, had divided the western world. At 2030 local time we moored starboard side to Pier 1 at Rodman Naval Station just outside the city of Panama. We now pre- pared for the rigorous hours of liberty which lay ahead just over the quarterdeck. It was rumored before reaching Panama that we would be greeted with something less than a warm reception because of troubles which the United States had been having in that area. Happily we found not a grain of truth in this. Throughout our stay in Panama we were constantly impressed with the cooperation and freely offered friendship of the natives. We had originally planned to remain only two days but, because of mechanical diffi- culties, found ourselves facing an indefinite stay in Panama. That first night, with liberty expiring shortly, the price of stand- bys skyrocketed. Everywhere they went the lucky men of the liberty sections were be- sieged with tearful pleadings for duty switches. We observed one disconsolate fellow leaning against a bulkhead, quietly sobbing to himself, holding a black address book in one hand. As it turned out, he would have plenty of time to explore the delights of its contents. As the days passed by and we sought and found the attractions Panama City offered for sightseeing, shopping, and other