Knapp (DD 653) - Naval Cruise Book

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'NW S 34 I ee 1 r f ' 'Y B 5, 741 lst ROW: G. B. Griffin, F. L. Mason, H. L. Emerson, W. H. Lcbford, K. W. Dillinger, F. J. Bizzocco 2nd Row: G. E. Perry, J. A, orefiee, R. J. Carver, T. M. Davies, R. C. Abner, J- Webb 3rd Row: B. Gregorio, M. A. Suitor, T. Teggart, U. R. Cancro, T. E. Edick, -7' C- Marks gs gif! So much deck -e mul so murl: pain! ..4,i...g

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This is the story of the men that make up the first and second division deck rorce. They are sup- posedly the hardest working gang on the ship, but whether they work harder making coffee or chipping Paint, we are not quite sure. QMaybe it's a draw j. We are about to venture ott on a journey to dis- tant lands, aboard our so-called MAGIC CARPET. So, it's all aboard for our crew of forty men. At the wheel is Mr. Bump DAY, in charge or this itinerary, and in the co-pilots seat is Mr. Choo Choo ALLEN. Cruiser', LEDFORD BMC, gives the order to ullstakes fore-and aft and we find ourselves air- Egme. The shi starts out with no immediate troubles until the word, is passed Secure the ship for rough weather . oe Pot, LAIRD runs for the coffee mess, and Candy Bar LOFTNESS, and his sidekick 'Little Sam MARTIN are having themselves a time trying to stow LOFTY's main source of food. We find ourselves landing our carpet in japan, and the first one off is Baldy DILLINGER who hotfoots it up to the hilln, to get the layout of the land. Bobo' BOWMAN and Bones RILING took their hard earned money and invested it in a grow- ing enterprise, the Harbor Bar. It seems as though they forgot to inform their shipmate Terror,' Mc- CORKLE of their purchase because he proceeded to tear their interest down. They were fortunate, though, to have the patronization of HUGHIE HUGHES, who is of fair size and has a large capa- city for good old Niplpon. Also investing their pay while in this wonderfu Far East is Big I. LAWVSON who bought and occupied one seat in the Missouri Bar, Woody MILLINER who owns half of the Peace Hotel, and Coffee Cup BROVVN, the onky man who payed fifteen hundred yen for a cup of co - fee.QHow many did he buy?j. Boats CONSTABLE went ashore with two hundred yen but couldn't seem to find anything that cheap. A few of the crew tried learning the ways of the japanese in hopes that maybe they'd be able to re- turn. There was Lover SUITOR, the one man most ada ted to this kind of liberty, and Lightfoot BRSWN, who turned pro in the art of japanese dancin . . It's Eli hands back aboard again as we leave this land of enchantment for some other interesting place. 'Slee FYE has the carpet all swipt down, and as usualplle did it with his eyes close . His close-run- ning second up forward, jet WEBB, who found out that they use brooms topside as well as below and Our Magic Carpet the rumor has it, he likes ice cream and stronger drinks when available. Alongside comes our Slllaxlel' carpet which we call the g1gi', and it is piloted by hbaltyv MARKS, and his assistants Butterball BROWN, and Sneakers IOHNSON. Next on our itinerary is Italy, and setting down there, we are mobbed by friends of Easy BILLOCO, Wine Spout CANCRO, and Big IOHN OREFICE. Rfter spending some time ashore Rocky MASON, and Sly SLIM DAVIE came back with a sizeable amount of rocks. Boston Benny DIGREGORIO went looking for some of his relatives, and Farmer KOKER went to check with the farm bureau and find out what the a icultural situation was. As we leave Itaif tears are in the eyes of all who were met by their relatives, and those claiming that this was their homeland. Running Lights PERRY, and Eyes EDICK should have stayed over here, be- cause they were noted for their bargaining in the Far East. QThey certainly could have made a 'ving herel. Stopping a short time in Arabia Spot COLE- MAN claims the title of the onl one aboard who drank Pepsi Cola in the middle oty the desert. We find ourselves setting down in S ain and there to welcome Wahoo EMERON is tlie ueen of Bel 'um. fLucky gu Huh?l TEGGART todlc the title ofqthe stores working party, and assisting him is Uppy UPTON. Airborne again after a brief stay here, we head for Portugal where Big jim BROADICK gave his shoulder to the cause. 'Tack Hammern HEIGES was thankful for that. Bring 'em back' ABNER could have used a little of this assistance in some of the places we've been, too. Now on our way back to the states 'F at Boy' GORHAM is thinking of the 88 he's been saving for. BILLY JACKSON can truthfully say he pulle gedunk liberties and PaPa-san PETERSEN is anxiousl awaiting our return to get a glimpse at the ' l he has not yet seen. Gear Locker CARVER, who lggeps the gear locker so well, he can't find anything is sweating an inspection when we return. Woe is he! l Dummy Up TRIPLETT is worrying whether the girls will notice all the freckles he has accumu- lated. This about ends our itinerary and the story of the men that make up the first and second division deck force, the hardest working gang on the ship - we think! l l And this is a calm day Z 7 f ,yi 1 ' - -.MA ,ry I hifi I s ilfaczzffff W1 Polata no less

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The Engineering Department These hundred-odd men must be of strong cha- racter to emerge from the depths and answer to such calls as Snipes and Blackgangn without flinching, but remember that this is not common clay. They represent numerous rates and are molded into Eve basic groups, BT's MM's ShipHtter,s, A gang, and Electricians. Besides getting you there and back , which is too Often taken for granted, the boys attempt to pro- vide and maintain whatever comforts can be jammed into 376 feet for 300 men. This is not an easy job when one considers there are 300 men waiting to offer suggestions. The maintenance and creative work may vary from replacing the element of the chief's toaster to finishing the Spud Locker or any other UHEINEALTN. Damage Control and allied personnel manage to keep busy during regular hours, but it is during GQ that these people really shine. If the hull con- tinues to grunt and groan their work may be become more important as the weeks pass. ....... . It's a big department with varied people doing varied jobs but not so big or varied that the Black- gang spirit can be penetrated. -Alh- Z Q 1 if