Flint (AE 32) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS FLINT Kit i € And For Those Who Waited . . . It ' s cold on the pier at the Naval Weapons Station. Sometimes it seems an especially evil wind blows up Suisun Bay whenever a large number of people gather there. They began arriving singly or in family groups, the wives, children, lovers and friends who ' d seen their men off on that now distant day in June. Those who ' d been through the experience before tried to reassure those who were new to the experience. Slowly, the groups of people came together, for warmth and companion- ship. The news of the ship ' s delay sent a ripple of concern through the crowd. Already diapers needed changing and children pulled on their mother ' s coats wanting to know when daddy was coming home. Base authorities were sympathetic but helpless to do very much. A warehouse was opened up but it provided little except refuge from the wind. Throughout the morning and into the afternoon they waited, until the grey silhouette of FLINT squeezed through the final bridge. The cold was forgotten as the ship drew slowly closer to the pier. The crowd gathered near the foot of the accomodation ladder waiting for the signal that finally came, then surged up to the ship to be reunited with their men. There were some tears, more laughter and a large measure of love thrown in. But the scene wasn ' t much different than the reunions of families have been throughout the centuries since men first took to the sea. It ' s just in the nature of the calling. 63

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The Longest Day The morning of December 21st dawned on an already awakened and excited crew. The very machinery of the ship seemed to hum with the expectation of our imminent homecoming. Sea detail was scheduled to go very early but most men were on station before the word was passed, straining for a sight of the coastline through an early morning fog we didn ' t doubt would clear up. The wind was fierce and cold, made worse by the fact that just three days earlier a man could still take off his shirt and catch a tan on deck. Then the Captain came over the address system and announced that poor visibility would prevent the ship from entering port on schedule. A groan went through the ship. After seven months separation even the slightest delay hurt, and men revised their estimates of when the fog might lift. In a way it was ironic. After her 21 day transit to the Philippines, FLINT was turned back at the entrance to Subic Bay because of a typhoon warning. But during the rest of the cruise we didn ' t miss a commitment or arrive late for a port visit. Except for that last, longest day. 62

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The Staff Lt. (jg) David L. Williams, Officer in Charge 1 r ' V ¥ Si fl J03 Thomas C. Abate, Editor; Layout and Design, Writing and Photography tn» 100 OSSN Lee Roy Clements, Photographer QMSN Bruce A. Fitch, Photographer The Staff would also like to thank MM3 Terry Mooney for his photos of Japan and OS3 Paul Cogswell, who played Design Devil ' s Advocate. Ill 62 64 WALSWORTH Marceline, Mo., U.S.A.