Razorback (SS 394) - Naval Cruise Book

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i I l l l r I 5 TOP RIGHT: Scene from the grounds at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel: TOP LEFT: Diamond Head: BOTTOM LEFT: More Ground Scenes: BOT- TOM: Muscle Builders at the Hotel.

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HAWAll REST AND RECUPERATION AT THE ROYAL the When the submarine enters the channel and , hatches are opened, there is an air of anticipallofl throughout the boat, for the Df0SPeCf of two Weeks in civilization is a welcome thouQl1f- The band awaits at the dock to play a few welcom- ing numbers, the lines are passed and secured, alnd old friends call from one submarine to another, l'lOWCl you make out this trip? , We heard you went down, Pete, Loan me five till we get paid, eff?- While all this goes on, a welcoming committee Of station officers comes aboard, and for the next few minutes there is more handshaking and backslapping among the wearers of the gold than you would expect at a political rally the night before election. After long weeks at sea, fresh fruit and ice cream seem to hit the right spot, and there is plenty of it, so everybody digs right in. It sure tastes good! Most important of all is the arrival of the mail, several sacks of it. As there has been no mail service while at sea, distribution of the letters is impatiently awaited, For awhile there isn't much else being done, for the question uppermost in every man's mind is, How are things at home? Few of the fellows answer any mail immediately, for most of them have written while at sea, and their letters have gone off with the return trip of the mail truck. While waiting for pay line to be called, laundry is taken topside and last minute packing is done. After being paid, everyone is all set for the trucks that will take the crew to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in the morning. g Although first-timers will find that Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian are not all they are cracked up to be, and the visions of hula girls and a beautiful beach sprinkled with a liberal number of wahines exist only in the minds of ambitious press agents and travel bureaus, submarine sailors are always glad to pull into Pearl Harbor for refit and recuperation. The rea- son is that there are only two places more like the life they left behind-the States or Australia-and as a substitute for these, Honolulu is preferable to a deso- late stretch of sand and coral. The Royal Hawaiian is well equipped as a rest Center. Some of the beds have Beauty Rest mattresses but the fellows who are not fortunate enough to sedure Such soft beds are satisfied to sleep in regulation double decker bunks. At least they do not roll. Laundry service is much too slow, so the bath tubs do double duty. During the day, most of them are utilized for soaking and scrubbing whites, and it is a common sight to see sailors making the rounds of their ship- mates' rooms in search of an empty bathtub- The beer garden is easily the most popular of the many attractions. With music from a popular Navy orchestra, tables and chairs for the weary a shelter to keep off the rain or hot sun, and a plentiful sup l of beer and sandwiches at regular prices, a patron uigfall has to sweat out a long line to reach the bar. Y The beach is discouraging. It has a fishy odor the water is dirty, and bits of rubbish and seaweed are Strung along the edge of the water. Sharp coral adds a further hazard, and makes the wearing of shoes in the water almost a necessity. However, sun bathing is popular, even though the crowds are overwhelmingly male Surf boarding is a sport for which Waikiki beach conditions are ideal, and many sailors become proficient at it. Other diversions, too numerous to recall, include archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, wrestling, weight lifting, and apparatus work, all under a staff of competent instructors, with the usual run of indoor sports, such as pool, ping pong, etc. The movies, shown twice a day, are well patronized, and occasional stage shows and smokers are featured. The grounds afford an unequalled opportunity for pictures with a tropical setting, and on Sundays the shutter fiends literally stop the Sunday Hula show in their mad hunt for pictures to make the folks back home sit up and take notice. The canteen is crowded with those who would rather have a coke than something stronger, those who slept too late for breakfast and want something to tide them over 'til the next meal, and those who are just killing time until the beer garden opens. Last, but not least, the ship's service store provides minor necessities, but many a sailor, sending home souvenirs of Hawaii, for- gets to remove the 'Made in Brooklyn' label from his hula skirt. lt might be said that the Royal has everything ex- cept a date bureau and social facilities. lt provides everything but what the submarine sailor desires most, a taste of civilian life. So, while visiting sailors from surface ships tax the entertainment facilities of the hotel, the vast majority of submarine sailors take in civilian movies, eat and drink at inflated prices in places like Lau Yee Chau's, P. Y. Chong's, Chicken Corner, The Wagon Wheel, and on down the line to Sad Sam's and the Seven Seas, for the same reason, they avoid the U.S.O. and other recreation centers. There may be a few girls, but there are a few hundred sailors, and the odds are too long, However, though few succeed in getting dates, every- one lexcepting married sailors, of coursel enjoys try- ing, and many a party is recalled time after time when the sub is at sea again, and the story grows each time it is retold. The island has its many beauty spots, and many of the fellows have spent a lot of time sightseeing, al- flf0UQl'l eVSry0ne says that it isn't even in the running with the scenery back home. At the end of the recuperation period, when we leave the hotel to return to the submarine, it is with a ,Vague feeling that we have been cheated of some- Tl'l WQ, fhaf it haSn't been up to expectations, and yet the trouble may be that we expected too much, and fllaf Dart of the fault may be our own, kl'lOWeV9V, it is with a feeling of reluctance that we tat e our leave of the place, and many hours at sea will be passed with tales, both real and imaginary, Of VY at we did on our last stay at the Royal, and ambi- tious plans of what to do next time.

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X 1 OCTOBER AI945 ATHLETIC COHPUDYI ON USS MUSKALLUNBE USS RAZORBACK AT Ml own n c. n Annex won BY USU HAZORBACK fs-ii PWESENTED T0 CAPTAIN CD, BROWN AND CREW OFTHE USS RAIORBICK FUR VICTORIOUS ATHLETIC WNVUTUW on-1? bonu P0190 X J U LY DOH AYHLEUC convevmon USS RAZOR BAC K MWDWPMY R 8 R ANN!! NON BY U55 RAZORBACK ws ' I U55 Tu.sFlsH ar '