General Leroy Eltinge (AP 154) - Naval Cruise Book

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i 3 t X Ship and Her Trave S Q X 1 s 4 1 1 1 On February 21st 1945 the GENERAL LERQY ELTINGE was com 7-'-'F-F 7 missioned at San Francisco When we fell in on top of Hatch No 5 for the ceremony the hand was playing and visitors were athered in the 20mm gun tubs The ship was presented to Captain Wakefield and he replied with a short speech of thanks After the chaplain gave the henediction the commissioning pennant was run up We were through with ceremony and ready for work F here was plenty of that we went across the hay and loaded stores for 48 hackhreaking hours in an all hands evolution During the days that follow ed there was much to he done to get things squared away in readiness for the shakedown cruise. At last on March 4th we got underway for San Pedro. Un the way down we held speed runs gunnery exercises and dozens of other tests to find out everything we could about our new ship. And everything went well. After we reached San Pedro we went out for more gunnery exercises and for simulated straicing attacks and things still went welll. We were ready for sea. We left Pedro on March 23rd with troops nurses and Red Cross workers hound for Calcutta. Accompanying us was the GENERAL CALLEN whose inability to keep up to our speed provided grounds for heckling whenever we afterwards met her in port. The two of us sailed southwest through glassy smooth waters and sunshine filled days. It was hot even at night so the troops slept topside,

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EXECUTIVE QEEICERS CGMDR. M. L. KELLEY, USN February 21'Ju1y 21, 1945 COMDR. G. E, CSX, USN Ju1y 21fAugust 22, 1945 LT. COMDR. A. 1. RCCHE, USNR Qbelovvj August 22 to decommissioning Commander A1eXanc1erson at his cabin desk CHAPLAIN R. P. BELL Lieutenant Cj.g.j, USNR MAJOR HASTING, USA

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Ahqq , y y, . .,V f so - r y. - i. s fcuffq Tempfes , jammed into every empty space, since vve Were blacked out, it Was impossible to avoid stepping on at least a fevv of them While Walking around the decks or relieving the Watch. Easter morning, April lst, divine services Were held on the Equator and that afternoon Crossing the Line deviltry Went on. Neptunus Rex and his party of shellhaclcs ran up the Jolly Roger and took over the ship. Qver the puhlic address system came a hloodfcurdling Warning to all PollyW0gS. Then King Neptune, his queen Cone of the nurses and a cruel Witch at thatj, and his court made their rounds. Pollyvvogs were tried hy the court, found guilty, and sentenced, Haircuts, or rather, scalpingS, and paddlings were .doled out plenty. And finally Neptunus Rex announced over the P. A. system