Saratoga (CV 3) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 12 text:

15:-'7 , , .A an- f..,,, Q C!ll'iJl'771Il5 Parly on ffm Hangar Dffk Flying: Furmfzfffm l -M 1 Landing Planes in Flf ll 0 - 1' . , gl png mn! 711, .Marutffgu nw ln!! IHQ- ' Km

Page 11 text:

The radio equipment of the ship includes the latest and best facilities in that field. The main transmitter is the most powerful of any vessel in the Navy. The range of receiving sets may be indicated when it is added that the ship received the messages of the Australian flight plane Southern Cross all the way to Honolulu in l1ay, 1928. ln connection with aviation, the ship maintains an aerological labora- tory which receives and transmits weather reports from and to other vessels, as well as prepares weather maps for aircraft leaving on extended flights. ln addition to the physical efficiency of the ship, the ship's company is well looked after from the standpoint of health. The ship has an excellent general ward, dispensary, refraction room, diet kitchen, isolation ward, operating room, surgical dressing room, dental office, examining room, etc., and facilities for X-ray and laboratory work. The interior of the Saratoga is different from the space below decks in other Naval vessels. in that there are stowage spaces for airplanes, fully equipped aircraft, machine, and carpenter shops, a laboratory for testing enginesg shops for fabric work doping and paintingp and sheet metal, plumbing, and sewing shops. ln addition there are many compartments. Of these, 117 are assigned to the Supply Department, 51 are for storage of technical aviation mater- ialg 70 are assigned for ship's general stores, equipment, and provisionsg and 16 are utilized for the galley, bake shop, butcher shop, general mess issue room, and clothing issue room. The largest of these rooms, the general issue room, carries some 4,000 different items of supplies in general use throughout the ship, including aviation repair and overhaul shops. The commissary department of the ship is fully equipped to take care of the complement of 1450 enlisted men in the ship's force and the 334 additional men in the aviation squadrons. That this is no small matter may be judged by the following: In one week with the Squadron personnel off the ship, the following supplies are required: 6,000 pounds of flour, 9,400 pounds of various kinds of meat, 700 dozen eggs, 3,000 pounds tinned vegetables, 1,000 pounds tinned fruit, 6,000 pounds fresh fruit, 700 pounds coffee, 1,000 pounds butter, 2,000 pounds milk, and 3,000 pounds of sugar. The coffee is made in three 120-gallon coffee urns. The galley is equipped with nine 80-gallon steam kettles and two 60-gallon steam kettles, electric ovens, etc. There is a special compartment set aside for Crewls Reading Room, Reception Room, and Ladies' Rest Room. In the Reception Room, en- listed personnel may write, read, or meet their civilian friends and guests. Copies of some thirty different magazines may be found in the racks. Qver 2,000 volumes of both fiction and non-fiction books are ready for circula- tion. A moving picture film is shown every night on the Hangar Deck. Church is rigged and Divine Service is conducted every Sunday by the Chaplain attached to the ship. Special family days are celebrated on Christ- mas and Easter Sunday to which the Ship's Company are encouraged to invite their families and friends. Every effort is made to render the lot of the Bluejacket a happy one and to keep him in a high state of morale. All of which contributes toward unselfish and enthusiastic service. The Ship of Happy Landings, the name frequently applied to the Saratoga, is not an empty title. All hands strive to make her just that. I Nine

Page 13 text:

hat e id in anama VISIT to Panama signified different things to different men. To some sailors it meant an opportunity to do some high pressured shopping and souvenir hunting, to a wise few it meant sight seeing, acquiring information about new faces and new things, and to still others it meant Jimmie Deanls, Kelly's Ritz, Bradyls Tipperary and a long distance View of Cocoanut Grove. If you were among the shoppers and Souvenir hunters we hope you visited the Commissary Store in Balboa and purchased linens for mother or wife. In case you bought there you were sure to get what you paid for. The small shops run by Chinese, Hindus and Panamanians along Avenida Central gave you ample opportunity to test your bargaining skill, dickering or bartering ability. But in these shops kimonas for Sweetheart were to be had in abundance, to say nothing of the silk unmen- tionables which the fair sex delights to have. NIaduro's, the French Bazar, Antonio's and New China are dependable and if you got her a bottle of perfume, pocket book or native jewelry, you will be received with open arms. Of course, there are cer- tain merchants along the avenue who never fail to profit from the well known fact that mercerized cotton or rayon when treated with beer looks much like silk. This deceiving trans- formation is accomplished by getting the beer inside the buyer. VVe know Saratoga shoppers were too clever for this. Shipls Service did very well by us. hlany men went home hearing Gifts bought only on board where they .rocured good E1 H IH . 7 . p PH goods at fair prices. Hundreds of our men found the HY equipped and ready to cater to their wants and needs. Here, and at the Community Club House they were able to swim, bowl, see moviesy write letters, enjoy American prepared food and get a Chocolate soda. The Ancon Cafeteria proved a good place to eat. Sight See-ing The HPlane Talk carried some pertinent information relative to sight seeing while on the Isthmus. lf you boarded a Bus at the NYU and deposited the small sum of fifty cents you are thinking back on some sights worthy of being remembered, ln old Panama, the haunts of Nlorgan came toimind. The stop at the Cathedral and before the Golden Altar caused you to pause in reverence. Balboa Nlonument, the Zoo with its Central American menagerie, the French Plaza, Presidentls Palace and National Theatre all contributed to give you an idea of new places and different ways of doing things. A special trip to hfladden Dam and a run out to Pedro Nliguel Locks would have provided cause to make you proud you were an American, to see such engineering skill. The Panama Railroad which crosses the Isthmus gave a chosen few an opportunity to see the intervening country, Gatun Lake, Cristobal, Colon, Coco Solo Naval Base and the Atlantic. Remember, many people pay fancy prices to visit the Canal Zone. Uncle Sam made the trip possible for you as a part of the day's work. Here's hoping you enjoyed it! Eleven