General Leroy Eltinge (AP 154) - Naval Cruise Book

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igerfy in Ma1'Se1'ffeS, France

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that the Pollywogs had been found worthy of the Solemn Mysteries of the Acient Order of Shellbacks. The Jolly Roger was hauled down and the new shellbacks congratulated. We arrived at Melbourne on April 11th and, although we stayed only two days, we had enough liberty to find out we liked the place. The Australians were friendly. We enjoyed their steak and eggs but their warm beer left something to be desired. When we sailed on the 13th the CALLEN was still with us, still struggling to keep up. We went south of Australia and then headed northward. Gun crews were alerted at 0400 daily, for the hours of dawn were when Japanese submarines usually attacked. However, we saw no subs-just the beautiful sunrises over the Indian Qcean. GH of Ceylon we were met by a corvette, H. M. S. RGCKET, which convoyed us to the coast and went up the Hooghly River with us to Calcutta. The Hooghly, which is part of the Ganges, was narrow, muddy, and stinking. Dead bodies floated in it. It was so dirty we shut down our evaporators and used the water in our storage tanks rather than try to make fresh water out of that filthy scum. We anchored at Red jetty on the 27th and debarked our troops by means of river boats. Calcutta was interesting but there wasn't much to do on liberty. We saw the sacred cows and the temples, the shops, and the burning ghats. But it was hot and dusty so we went to the airfconditioned Metro theatre and saw Mrs Miniverf' The Great Eastern Hotel and Firpo's were airfconditioned, too, and we sat there sipping lemon squash until 1700 when drinking hours began. And there was the big beer party at the Red Cross. Calcutta was quite a city. Loaded with troops, nurses and Red Cross workers we started down the river on May 7th. It took us three days to reach the sea as the channel had changed and we ran aground several times. Finally we made it, however, and accompanied by the CALLEN and the ROCKET we went over to Trincomalee, Ceylon, to take on oil. Although we were in Trincomalee only a day, arriving the llth and sailing the 12th, we could see that it was clean, its white houses with their redftile roofs were in contrast to the squalor of Calcutta. The ROCKET left Ceylon with us but when a Jap cruiser and a destroyer were reported in the vicinity she oined units of the British fleet which later sank the two enemy ships. Dryczlockseai. . . Harbor Isiancf Seaff e

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Notre Dame ale fa Garale The CALLEN and We sailed down to Free' mantle and arrived there on the 20th. Here the troops got liberty, too. We Went to Perth but liberty Was only fair, definitely not as good as in Melbourne. From here We sailed on the 23rd and Went over to Manus for fuel, arriv' ing there on june 3rd, TWo destroyer escorts escorted us to Tinian Where We exchanged troops. We spent tWo days there and managed, before We sailed on the 9th, to have a feW beach parties and to get a look at the huge B129 air field. Although the CALLEN Went to Saipan after leaving Tinian, We Went to Guam. While We Were there We saW the cruiser PITTS' BURGH Which had lost her boW in a typhoon. After spending a day exchanging troops, We sailed for Pearl Harbor on the lOth. We stayed at Pearl from the 19th to the 21st, debarking troops and receiving aboard Warfworkers, civilians, headed for the States. Liberty in Pearl Was poor-there Were too many servicemen around. So We Were glad to get back to San Francisco. QThat, by the Way, Was the trip during Which We had baby car' riages on the superstructure deck. Shades of john Paul Jonesjl From the 27th to the 30th We had some of that Stateside liberty and the Market Street commandos Were in their glory. It Wasn't too bad leaving there, though, since We Weren,t going out on another trip but Were headed for Norfolk for repairs. SouthWard We Went, doWn the coast of Central America to Balboa, Canal Zone, Caihealraf at MarSe1'ffeS