Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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rl! 5 . . . t . . 0 ft 4 -: ,.,, , f' 1 ' +ff.,gffq , W -5 eg.. H. , i were, all together about thirty of and the held wide open lor gossip dis- of the latest styles, the lata st hair-do, ,Qu latest book, and the new movies lihe was at 1300, howtvcr it w'is 1700 j the tlme they returned to Long Bt.'1l.l1xjLlSf tallied out U 'lhtre is no doubt but that that luncheon was the starter for m my friend- ships because, even that night in the hotels oi Long Beach the gals started all over again, talking about the han-do that hadnt quite set when they left the Rendc zvous Room. After necessary work had bee n completed on our ship most of our wives followed us on down to Dago from where we were scheduled to operate for several weeks and after another frantic rush to hnd rooms, most of the wives settled down to wait, because that is just what they were doing a good part of the time there We went out on short cruises, lasting from two to ten days, going through various exercises and tests, and of course, our wives never knew when we were coming back' so each time we came in we got just about as big a thrill as we did on returning from our Shake- down Cruise Lunga Point wives could be found in almost every hotel and apartment house in Dago and Coronado therefore, the Lunga Point was al- ways very much in evidence around the U.S Grant Hotel and the El Cortez in Dago and the del Coronado in Coronado In fact, our men and their wives could be found almost any- where you went in that area. Our stay in the San Diego area was not only a pleasant and happy one, but also an interest- ing one, since many availed themselves of the opportunity to visit places of interest in the vicinity while on liberty, not the least interest- ing of which were Tia uana and Agua Cal- iente, Mexico. There, one could see the races on Sunday afternoons or spend an evening browsing around the many gift shops of Tia Juana, buying leather goods and Mexican silver, after a delicious dinner at the American Club, highlighted by one of those tempting Romaine salads. The San Diego area was a most pleasant one in which to be from another standpointfthe fact that it is truly the Cross-roads of the Navy There is seldom a day passes that you don't run into friends you have known some- where else 1n the Navy or in civilian life. This IS particularly true at the del Coronado Hotel, over in C oronado, where almost everyone feels pt ilk etly at home, walking into the lovely and sp icious, high-domed dining room or into the C oektail I ounge, because you are almost Cer . X y . -LE J Q1 . - - I- JJ., I 1 .. g X' fe 0 f ' -Q! .- ff uh' tain to meet up with friends even before you have had a chance to sit down. This only adds to the gaiety that seems always prevalent at this charming hotel VC-83 REPORTS ABOARD On 16 August, our Squadron, Composite Squadron Eighty-Five CVC 85D reported aboard for duty and we promptly got under- way to qualify them. Right from the start they made a most favorable impression on us, and they went about their ' Shakedown aboard the Lunga Point with a seriousness of purpose that was bound to have been most pleasing to our Old Man. From that point on, until we left on our business trip a good part of the time for the next several weeks was devoted entirely to shaking down our Squadron. We made several short cruises with them, and they left the ship once for a couple of days special training at one of our nearby land bases. They worked hard and long, and were really shaping up into a fine Squadron, but, because of the intensity of their work, we of the Ship's Com- pany were unable to get acquainted with them as quickly as we would have liked. We were determined to operate as one, so we decided to have a CVE 94-VC 85 Dutch Treatn Cock- tail Party at the Ofhccrls Club, North Island. The party was given in the Sun Room of the Club on Wednesday, 4 October, and it was a 47 .. if .3 -1 ,,. ,. , 5' 'Yr , ., ,Q , ., .,. , .

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orous Debutante at the Stork Club to those boys that morning. Having disembarked our passengers and un- loaded our cargo of planes, liberty started for the Port Watch at 1600, and that night the telephone lines were busy from Coronado and c'Dago to all sections of the country, as Ltmga Point men awaited their turn in line to call their wives and families. It being pretty well under- stood that we would be in and around Dago and Long Beach for several weeks at least, many Lunga Point wives were given orders to return to that area with least possible delay, since many of them had returned to their homes, scattered all over the country, after we shoved off from Astoria on 5 June, exactly two months before. The next day, 6 August, we got underway for Terminal Island, Long Beach, Calif., where r,.,7.....,.,...,,,-Wi ..,. -.......-- . Y, , Two views of Captain at personnel inspection, North Island. we were to go into the Yarcl to lincl outqjust how well we had shaken her tlownf' Most ofthe men spent their first few :lays there trying to lind a room, any kind ol' a rooni, for their wives, because the housing situation was something terrible. lN4any a wife was en route, not know- ing where she would stay, however, they were all taken care of one way or another, either in hotels, apartment houses or private homes. Wllile at Long Beach all hands were offered Eve days leave, with most of the single men go- ing to Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Francisco and San Diego, and most of the married men remaining in Long Beach with their families. Quite a few Ltmga Point men were able to get rooms at the Hotel Hilton or the Villa Riviera in Long Beach, while those in the upper bracketw stayed at the Biltmore in Los Angeles. Actually, we had one representative from our ship in that upper bracket. It mattered not to us of the 'cproletariatfa though, because we could get to Los Angeles on the Pacific Electric in forty-five minutes. In any event, it was here at Long Beach that many lasting friend- ships were made amongst the wives of the Lunga Point men, friendships that were going to mean much to them during their lonely hours awaiting our return from the fighting front later on. One event in particular did much to cement the friendships amongst the wives of the officers, and that was the luncheon that MI'S. Wasliburn gave for them in the Rendez- vous Room of the Biltmore in Los Angeles dur- ing our Long Beach sojourn. We husbands, of course, did not rate,' the luncheon, but were told all about the delicious food, the lovely centerpiece, and some of the gossip that night. ' vi-s Q--at . Personnel inspection, North Island. ' 3, 3 E A i 5 i i E l

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great success. Practically all of the officers illifl their wives were present, and it allordedusueli a pleasant atmosphere for us to get 2lCC1ll2llllli'd in that we are convinced that that party played a definite role in making us work so well to- gether in the long months of combat that followed. Most of the couples remained at the Club for dinner following the party,'getti11g together in informal groups. Captain and Mrs. Washburn, Commander and lXIrs. East- wold and Lieutenant Commander Herriman, the Squadron Commander, occupied the 'fhead table. The only bad thing about the party is the fact that, as we sit here pounding out this story just off the shores of Okinawa, we can just taste those great big hunks of lobster that literally covered the Hors d'oevres platters, while all we have to look forward to for dinner tonight is more pork chops, because we've al- ready seen the apple sauce on the tables in the Wardroom. It was while operating off 'Dago that we learned about HTHE CHAIR.', Until this particular occasion, no one had paid any spec- ial attention to that high chair that occupied a good part of the space on the enclosed part of the bridge. It looked comfortable enough, and, no doubt, had been sat in by many an OOD during the long, dark hours of the Mid Watch, however, Lt. Tippett, our popular Second Division Officer, was found enjoying its comfort on the Forenoon Watch by our Skipper one day, and the Old Man told him off as follows to wit Quote Young Man, Ijll have you know that it took me twenty-five years to earn the privilege of sitting in that chair. That chair is the CAPTAIN'S CHAIR, and no one else is to sit in it. If I ever catch anyone else sitting in my chair he will enjoy the pri- vilege of counting rivets in his Stateroom for two weeks Unquote. The word spread rapidly about THE CHAIR,', and to this day, no one has been caught occupying the Captainis Chair, probably because the Captain, by this time, has sufiicient confidence in his OOD's not to bother about coming to the bridge during the Mid Watch. The only draw-back to our stay in the Dago area was nothing new in the life of a Navy man, it was not knowing when we were shoving off on our business trip, so that our wives could make train reservations home. Scuttlebutt had it that we would get underway about 1 5 Septem- ber, therefore, most of the Lunga Point wives crowded the ticket offices of the Santa Fe, liiiiuii l'z111ili1' gititl SUllillt'I'll l'at'ifir', hoping to get 1'ese1'x'11li1111s 5Ulllti'XX'llf'l't' iii the neighbgf. l111111lt1lill111l tlzxte. NNY- had 21 right good break i11 this respect. llUXNl'X'K'I'. It seerrls that some of the lllt'll Lllilll their wires had gotten rooms at the gh-I tI111'111'1111lt1 l'l11t1'l, z111'11111g' them being Cfaptziiii and Mrs. lN'z1sl1l1111'11. Along about 111 Septeiiiher, Mrs. W'z1sl1l111r11 casually rg- 1l'12'll'lit'Cl to Stlllit' of the wives that she had CHD- eellecl her 1'ese1'x'z1li1111s for Seattle for the 15th, By 11111111 the next clay the l't'Sl'I'YEifl0HS of allithe LIIIIKQII li'u1'11l wires had been ezincelled. Close tabiwas kept on Mrs. W'z.1sl1b1.11'11 thereafter, and, when she let it out that she had made res- ervations home for I7 October. the railroad ticket ofliees were again filled with the wives of our officers and men, inaking reservations for Hon or about the Vjlll. That time, Mrs. Wasliliurn did11't cancel her reservations, darn it, so, after fond farewells to wives and swectliearts, on Tojo, Here VVe Come! f'Monday, 16 October 1944: 12-16 Moored as before. 1231 Lighted off No. 3 boiler. I5I5 Made all preparations for getting underway. 1520 Pilot, H. N. Krog, came aboard. 1527 Got underway for Pearl Harbor in obedience to ComFairWestCoast dispatch o1o of 251702. Pilot at the conn. Captain, Executive Officer and Navigator on the bridge. Standard speed. Standing out of San Diego Harbor on various courses and speeds conforming to the channel. 1556 Pilot left the ship. Captain at the conn. 1559 Passed between Points Loma and Zuniga. Entered International watersf' We were finally en route to Pearl Harbor, and all of us felt pretty confident that our peri- od of indoctrination was rapidly coming to an end, and that we would soon bc showing those Sons of Heaven how the Lnnga Point could dish it outf' And there was good reason for that feeling, because we were, for the first time, cruising as a part of newly-formed CarDiv 29, with Rear Admiral C. T. c'Cal', Durgin, USN, in the capacity of ComCarDiv 29. The other ships in our Division were the U.S.S. Alakin Island CCVE 935, U.S.S. B2'.1mnrckSea CCVE 951, and the U.S.S. Salamaua CCVE 965, with our' Flag being in the fllakin Island. We felt very much at home, now, because we had come to know the officers and men of the other ships in our division just about as well as we knew each