Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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and the Pacific, and commanding an excellent View of each. There were so many Navy couples there, in connection with the CVE commissionings, that we never lacked for con- genial companionship, consequently, we were never lacking for something to do. Another advantage in staying at either Gear- hart or Seaside was the beautiful drive in to Astoria, with the highway literally banked on both sides with Scotch Broom, its yellow blooms giving you a feeling of driving down a highway of spun gold, through the stately pines and hr of the Coast Range, with Saddle Mouiitaiii rising in the distance. This was, however, a much prettier drive at sunset than at sunrise as many an officer and man from the Lunga Point will agree. During our fitting out, we were constantly stumbling over shipyard workers who were putting the hnal touches to our ship, pointing up this and tightening up that. Despite the general confusion, however, we finished with our work in record time and were ready to put to sea. Consequently, the Crew was given a dance on the hangar deck on the evening of Saturday, 3 june, and it was a most enjoyable occasion. The forward half of the hangar deck had the various signal flags and pennants hang- ing from the bulkheads, forming a very appro- priate and pretty setting for the dance. The Astoria Naval Station Orchestra played for the dance, and many a Krug was cut to smith- ereensw by the jitterbugs of the Lzmga Point. vf Y-vp F Refreshments were served throughout the evening in both the C.P.O. and the Crew Mess to as lovely a group of ladies as ever graced the Lunga Poinl. Sunday, 4 ljune, found most of the Lunga Ptllillf wives en route home or preparing to leave, because Scuttlebutt, straight from the Chow Line, told us that we would soon be getting underway. ANCHORS AWEIGH! Stand Navy down the field, Sail set to the skyl Wttall never change our course, So Army, you steer shy-y-y! Roll up the score, Navy, Anchorjs aweigh! Sail Navy down the field And sink the Army, sink the Army Grey! Hlvlonday, 5J'une 1944: 08-12 Moored as before. Set Condition Baker. 0820 Stationed all special sea details. Made all preparations for getting underway. 0857 Underway from Pier 2, Berth 4, U.S. Naval Station, Astoria, Gregon, on various courses and speeds. Pilot, Lt. Cdr. Clark, at the conn. Captain, Executive Officer and Navigator on the bridge. 0909 Pilot, Lt. Cdr. Hansen, USCG, relieved Pilot, Lt. Cdr. Clark, at the conn. 0944 Exercised at General Quarters. 0957 Sighted blimpg identified as K-87, U.S. Petting umlerwnv lrom .Xslorian 27

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Dance on hangar deck at Astoria. that is needed to adequately outfit and supply a Naval vessel, and there was even more in the warehouses on the adjacent dock. All hands turned to with splendid cooperation, though, and we all worked long days, passing up many liberties in order to speed up our job. Many of the Officers and men had their wives with them, so that, on their liberty nights, they had someone- to rub liniment into their sore muscles and joints, because both officers and men were doing heavy work in trying to finish up with a tough job as soon as possible. The housing situation in the Astoria area was about the same as in every other West Coast port, and Lunga Point wives were scat- tered all up and down the Columbia River, some even staying in Portland, Oregon. Most of our couples, though, were able to find places in either Astoria, Gearhart or Seaside, however, we feel that those who stayed at the Gearhart Hotel, Gearhart, Oregon, were the most fortu- nate of all, because the wartime shortage of labor had made it probably the Oountry's most unique hotel. We were fortunate enough to have gotten rooms there, and it was at the Gearhart that we first operated a passenger elevator, because the Elevator Boy had gone to war. It was also here that we tipped the Bellboy for bringing our bags to our room on arrival, and he promptly drew himself up to his full height and told us with great dignity that it just so happened that he was the Man- ager and Oo-owner of the hotel. The Gear- hart had its own switchboard in the office, but, when you called for ice to be brought to your room, almost invariably you heard the voice of the wife of another Ofhcer saying, UGO get it A Lzmga fjlllillf lovely and lien' Ixus-lmml al :Inner alioarrl ship at ,'XSltll'l2l. yourself, Dearieg itls in the pantryfl lwlany a Navy wife learned to be a switchboard operator at the Gearhart, and Room Service is some- thing we just learned to do without from the very first day. W7hen a guest went to check out, he would nearly always find a Navy wife behind the counter, handling the books and cash register just as though she were regularly employed there. They just all pitched in and helped where they were needed, and it seems they were needed ust about everywhere except in the kitchen and dining room and as maids. And speaking of the dining room, you were a total stranger if the waitresses didn't call you by your first name on your second day there, and, of course, they were always expected to join the Navy couples in the bar for a beer after dinner, and the bar tender was practically always a guest of the hotel. lXfIixing drinks, handling the cash register and cracking ice gave the guests invaluable training forjobs after the war. Probably due to insufficient ration points, they served no lunch at the Gearhart, but the Manager himself served coffee to the wives every afternoon before the big stone fire- place in the lounge. We assume that he felt he simply must give the wives some rest from their daily chores about the hotel. Not only was the Gearhart Hotel unique, but it was a real pleasure to have been fortunate enough to stay there. There was a spirit of hospitality and congeniality there that has made us determined to go back for another visit after the war. lt was a very spacious and comfortable hotel and has long enjoyed an ex- cellent reputation as a resort hotel, being situated mid-way between its own golf course

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Navy. IOO5 Passed from Inland to Inter- national waters. lOO6 Secured from General Quarters. Set Condition IH, Section 3, 1021 Pilot, Lt. Cdr. Hansen, USCG, left the ship. Took departure on course I3IOiT and p.g.e. 1110 cfc to 164OT and p.g.c.,' The above log entry was not needed to con- vince everyone that we were finally underway on our ccMaiden Voyagef, Notable among those who needed only the pitch and roll of the Lunga Point to convince them that something new had suddenly come into their lives were Lieutenants DeAngelis and Ray, as well as many men scattered throughout the Crew's Quarters trying in vain to calm the seas by laying flat on their stomachs in their bunks, with their agonized heads burrowing futilely into their pillows for comfort, which was no- where to be found. It was during this period that Lt. DeAnge1is introduced a new piece of gear to be carried topside to the open Bridge Top: Seattle from a row boat, bottom: Seattle from air, showing Bremerton ferry. VVateh just a plain bucket. After erossing the Columbia River Bar, we by the Ullieer-of-the-Deck when relieving the , found ourselves in the Paeifie for the first time. 'lihe Paeiiie was everything but what its name implies, however, and our ship pitched and tossed like a cork in the mountainous waves, and the plates of the ship resounded with a boom throughout that first night at sea as they gave under the impact of the heavy seas. lt was, therefore, a relief to all, and particularly those unhappy Usea-sick sailorsf' when we entered the quiet and peaceful waters of Puget Sound the next morning. For the next few days, we enjoyed smooth sailing in what is probably the most picturesque sound in the world, while we called at Port Townsend, lllahee, Bremerton and other points in Puget Sound, taking on various stores, ammunition and other gear, and going through various tests of precision instruments preparatory to our Shakedown Cruise, which was next in our schedule. As we cruised along through the narrow straits of Puget Sound we could not help but feel that we were being allowed much the same view as met the eyes of Captain John Smith as he brought his ships into Jamestown, in the Colony of Virginia, in 1607, because the beau- tiful pines, Hrs and spruce so typical of that beautiful northwest country came right down to the crystal clear wateras edge, as virgin in appearance as one could possibly hope to see. Despite the fact that huge lumber mills were humming beyond the hills and that we were cruising through waters that are literally a highway of commerce between the United States, Canada and Alaska, the view that met our eyes convinced us in our own minds that we were the Hrst ship to chart a course through that panorama of evergreen beauty. While we enjoyed the cruise from a scenic standpoint, we had hardly gotten underway from Astoria when we were made to realize that this cruise was not only a preliminary to our shakedown, but that it was the beginning of an indoctrination period that was to grow in its intensity until such time as all hands had been trained to do the job for which they were best Htted and to do thatxjob well. Drills of all kinds were the order of the day-..,GQnQ-ral Quarters, Fire Drill, Collision Drill, Abandon SIUP Drill and many other exercises that, thOrOLlgh1Y mastered, would enable us to fight our Shlp SUCCessfully when we had reached that