Iowa (BB 61) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 17 text:

gi ,X wi' A f,li....4...r-lil X if? 571251173111 ,..-., i Y: -5.7 ' , Xx gf 'SUI' V-X MS! ......ff M M Q X ffm LAW 5 , V' -53? I k J UST X., X 5 NXWCZ 7 X N X Q. ,X ,X ff ,, NX 6 .yi J '41 'Xi X , , 1 ' ff l x f M N I A t W W Qi

Page 16 text:

, t. bl ran Mishaps were many that first night. Toilets failed to flush, then unaccoun '1 y . were lost. Compart- over. Some of us ventured short distances from our bunki, and , drif d ' to ments grew unbearably hot, then chilly and drafly. Orlmaned scabags tc m ll . hidden comets, and couldn't be found. But here and there sprang UP homflv tout cs that dispelled the strangeness. A few lonely coffee p0lS 3PPcarcd' warmmg hearts an stomachs with their cheery bubbling. A galley detail was mobilized, and started throw- . . . . I ing together sandwiches for a midnight snack. Someone broke out a movie pr0jCC Of, and willing hands rigged a movie screen on the main dedc aft. The Boatswam made a fast inspection of our disorder, growling ferociously, and cveffone Slmled happlly' ... - usion was the wami sense of a ship coming alive. the morning of August 25th, the Commander of the San Francisco serve Fleet said Captain Smedberg, I place the IOWA in your charge. 'cd, I assume command, and ordered the Boatswain to set the watch. is as alive again. work to do. Guns were unlimbered and cleaned of preservative. Huge milled to a jeweler's precision, were flushed out with loving care. And 1... ll ' . , 6 as the myriad started, one by one, the ship's hidden pulse started its indefin- able beat. On September 17th, less than a month after our transport arrived, we steamed proudly through the Golden Gate on our successful engineering trials. We went through the rugged miracle that transfonns raw lads from the farm into a trained man-of-war's crew. It was a dragging grind of endless training. Drill, drill, and drill some more-until we wanted to chuck the whole deal. Over our heads, in- creasing the pressure, hung the knowledge of the disasters that awaited a mistake. An instant's relaxation in a boilennan's vigilance could wreck a boiler and set us back priceless months. A careless spark could touch off a powder magazine and kill us all. So the training went on. And then one day things started to click. For weeks there was no noticeable progress, and suddenly everything fitted together and made sense. lVe had a ship! histor . II -I . ..--a-u,....'a.-u..-0...-g..e...-.,-. fn-sin-v .., , ,

Page 18 text:

,, ,,.,,,. ,. . ..,..,........ .vw -..-1--,Y---1-ramp-Q-siwv.-M , , Q.. ' - y...-W., . i V N i 1. Q x .L I' 1 f 1 w- x f x I I 1 . 5 A i Z 2 3 5 Q 1 1 5 2 2 E . Q 5 Q , lg IQ ' 3,57 : 1 5-53 ' 3 ,. .Qi 57 si 54 ff? 59' 53' 35: ig . i ,AV , 55a 425- :gg ,K W 5 Es 4. :K , HI ill Ai ,gl 'i ? 1 , 1 3 Q qw- , ..g.-,-..-...W-.... we vac. ,f -1... Quan.-.:.....,...-....f..x.4.,,,.., .....-... ,., ,V ,. .. , W M,