Hickox (DD 673) - Naval Cruise Book

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The destroyer — workhorse of the fleet — screening Anyone see the slug? . . . plane guarding Now, First Division, rig high-line to port juardinc

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ITALIC SKY Operating with the Sixth Fleet Fast Carrier Task Group off Sardinia and Corsica, the Hickox became a superior fighting machine. The sonarmen found the subs, and the torpedo- men hit them. The fire controlmen found their targets, the gunnersmates hit them. The radar- men kept us on station, the radiomen and quartermasters kept us informed. The deck- force refueled and replenished us, the supply men kept us fed and payed. The snipes kept us moving. We replenished, replenished and replen- ished again, at all hours of the night and day. The IMC became Public Enemy No. I and kept bellowing Now set the special sea detail on the bridge, in after steering and in the •Engineering spaces or Now Second Division rig out the Motor Whale Boat. We operated with many different ships. The replenishment group looted like New York City at night — lights as far as you could see. Admiral 31 Knot Burke kept us jumping but he couldn ' t frighten the snipes. They stayed right with him all the way. We were openly congratulated by a sub- marine. Carrier personnel thought at times we were going to submerge. We thought the exercise would never end but finally we were detached to proceed inde- pendently to Genoa, Italy. We had worked hard, were dead tired but were proud that we had made good. Mr. Dodge lays down the law Hey, whirlybirdl Any mail for us? Sometimes it was like this . . Fueling at sea . . . all the drama and tenseness of a Hollywood thriller but most of the time it was like this See Mr. Cobb, no pain, no strain. We took 60 doz. eggs on board like this without breaking one.

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