LST (925) - Naval Cruise Book

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LEST WE FORGET lt was warm that morning of Iuly fifteenthas we stood at attention in our clean white uniforms, but we didn't feel the heat very much. We were all thinking-wondering just what the next year, or the next two years, would mean to each of us as a member of the crew of the ship we were about to put into commission. Could we have had the ability to see into the future, some of us would have felt our stomachs sink as we heard Lieutenant Commander Smith accept the LST 925 for the United States Navy: others of us would have be- come eager for the experiences that were ahead, as we heard Bos'n Floyd McDaniel Furr read the order which directed him to assume command. At 0946 Navy Time the commission pen- nant was hoisted aloft and the 'first command was given, Mr, Cooke, set the watch. No one remembered the hour, and few remembered the day. Those were not important things to remember. This was the beginning of a rather intimate life within a very confined space which would grow smaller with time. lt was this begin- ning that we did remember. Work on the new LST which lay alongside the Marginal Loading Pier at Bethlehem l-lingham Shipyards had stopped for a few minutes during the commissioning ceremony, but as soon as. the last prayer was con- cluded workers again swarmed over the ship, swabbing on paint, welding and chipping, and installing numer- ous items of miscellaneous equip- ment in a last mad rush. Soon she would be complete in every detail and would go to sea. lt would be up to us to sail her, yet only,a handful of us had ever been to sea before. Undoubtedly our first trip would prove an adventuresome experiment. We turned in late that nightp some of us might as well not have turned in at all. There was too much going on. Workers tramped about in the ship all night, and everything was still in an uproar. All hands set the special sea de- tail. lt took quite a while to get the word passed around the first time. The officer of the deck was afraid of committing a calamitous error and didn't get the ball rolling very fast. His messenger almost got lost below, but the special sea detail was finally set. At least the first entry l-L B. Smith made in the quartermaster's notebook asserted this accomplishment. After successfully backing away from the pier Cand without knocking it overlb we slowly picked our way through Boston Harbor and a short while later tied up for the purpose of deperming. Iuly 17 We cast off without too much diffi- culty this morning and headed for Commonwealth Pier Five. As we eased in past the transport West Point she began to lower her davits, but realized her mistake before we were hoisted aboard. Tomorrow we would put in a full day loading pro- visions, and tomorrow Louie Frietas would be logged as the first man ACL. . Iuly 20 Hasul joined up with us today, and as he came up the gangway he was preceded by one hundred and thirty- two pipe wrenches which the COD, Mr. Poyle, tried to steer into the arm- ory. Dog began to eat dog as far as supplies were concerned. Louie's sea bag was sent ashore this morningp Louie returned this afternoon. His tim- ing was a little off, but he would sail with us tomorrow. Slated to leave Boston in a traditional fog, the radar would get its first big chance. Now let's see, who knows how to work that stuff, anyway? L

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down every time the anchor comes up. Looks like the hiccup cure is good for sea-sickness, too. Eh, Hoov- er! All right! Hit the deck. Hey you! Drop your - and grab your - l You know there is something mighty fun- ny about an MAA. Perhaps it is be- cause of the fact that he wasn't born, but just quarried. For example, take Schmidt. He is about the mostincon- siderate human being alive in the morning, especially if he knows you have ben out to a late church social. Please get out of your sacks fel- lows, 95 .... GUS.. ..., G. And a mighty bellow sends Pappy Iensen's sweet and sour running for cover, tails twitching. You know, Iensen can spend hours telling you about that time in-, and when I was, and every story ends up with a tattoo. That black panther must remind him of some cute little cat with sharp claws. I wonder if he really thinks the Hula Girl is worth what she cost him? I You'd never know it, but there are two people aboard who know some- thing about Minnesota and The Great Inland Empire. Gne of them is smart enough just to keep his mouth shut and avoid all embarrass- OUR COMMON PRAYER Now I lay me down to nap, . With someone's feet next to my map. Please let some other sailor take The mid-watch, or the four to eight. Lord, guard me in my tired sleep, And keep this old bucket, the 925, moving along smoothly o'er the briny deep. I pray no air raids me will wake, But let me sleep 'till dawn doth break. I'll dream of eating Sirloin steak, And top it off with Hoover's cake. God keep us while we move at large, And let us hit no ammo barge. I wish it were a feather bed, The sack whereon I rest my head, A bed away from all these scenes, Of' horror and of half-baked beans. I'd rather live in army camps Than swab at night by battle lamps, ment, but the other is consatntly wal- lowing through the land of lakes, singing its praises in rugged bar- ber shop, and dreaming of those delicious steaks he is going to diet on when he gets back home. But then it takes a pretty healthy kid to stand those cold winters. With Mr. White on leave, the wardroom ice- box has finally gotten cooled down below the freezing point for the first time since leaving Lingayen Gulf. It's just a matter of will power, my boy! You can ask Yung Yoe. Our Captain existed on stewed bread crusts and roast celery leaves for more than a week. He wasn't going to let his appetite get the better of his figure, no sir! But he almost was kept in the Americas as an essential entertainer. The Panamanian Gov- ernment was seriously considering retaining him. lt can be ,seen easily that our crew is made up of a bunch of normal, healthy Americans. A few of them have suffered NO ill effects from the war, and one says he is going to re- fuse the bonus, but these are excep- tions. You can say safely, therefore, that we are all typical examples of Uncle Sam's Wartime Navy: land- lubbers at heart. Gr work all day for Iip-Ioint-Ioe Where Gooding's smoke would never blow. I wish that gobs had clean washed clothes, But God, Thou knowest all our woes. Please take me home, I'll promise then I'll never sign for four again. I'll trade my blues and khaki boots For one of Brooklyn's new Zoot. Suits. Our Father, who art in Washington, Please grant that I may get away From food served on a metal tray, Please add a point most every day , For things we've done the Navy way. If you'll forgive my awful past, Those things for which I went to mast, I'll be the best lad 'neath the sun. I pray you'll not this year refuse To send me on a homeward cruise.

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Iuly 23 Yesterday we tinkered with our new toy. One man was lost over- board, at least Clemons and Thorn- ton thought so, but they finally put the small boats back. Again the port booby hatch caught fire. Quite a fire hazard, that booby hatch. Bender an- ticipated collison drill and was ready with the mats before breakfast. Last night Doc I-lagenbush reassembled his vi b r a t i n g-alternating-oscillator and finally saw something in the radar. We really don't think he knew what it was, but we changed course three d egrees anyway, and this morning we reached ATB Little Creek. Shumake claimed it wasn't really so little, but Crestol disagreed, rather violently. l-le was going to stab Shu- make, in a friendly manner, but de- cided to think it over all by himself. Iuly 24 Off for Cornfield Point where the next ten days became rather busy ones. The Chief practiced kedging the stern anchor, O'Brien forgot all about a certain hatch at GQ but was not too badly mangled, and the alarm was sounded for the first gen- uine fire. Geering passed the word that this was NO DRILL, but all the excitement subsided when we found that a reversed galley blower was the cause of all the smoke. Schmidt reluctantly put his rescue breather back, and Mote admitted he had been practicing. We had a little col- lision with the 1023 one night and almost tore one of her bow doors off. Five days in the Navy Yard would fix our starboard davit. No complaints were registered. On the morning be- fore we left Cornfield Point we made our full power trials and found that from going ahead flank we could- stop dead in the water in one and one-half minutes. Some brakes! August 4 We tied up in the Portsmouth Navy Yard today. Rose and D e r r i n g e r wanted to go moose hunting up north The Commission Pennant Wa.s H oisted Aloftv