Shea (DM 30) - Naval Cruise Book

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Handsome Chief Stretch Procknow, hailing from San Antonio, will CTIWUYS be remembered for his thoughtfulness towards the men working under him. Hyphen Gibbons-Neff, our first class, was the photographers pride and joy as exemplified by that picture in the Philadelphia Bulletin. He brings to mind these thoughts: Aversion. to having his picture taken with a Hula-dancer, contagious chuckle, out- standing artist's ability, knowing his rate, a true pipe-smoker, his good humor on mid-Watches, his heroic efforts in aiding the wounded. There has been a great deal of discussion about a nick- name for our youngest QM, Katy has stuck. His winning smile has been an inspiration to all of us. Random memories include easy-going, hates to get up, late to relieve, the banker, the gen- erous QM, king of the IV circuit, and fearless under fire. Pappy Hicks, spark plug of the gang, one of the nicest fellows we've ever met. Pappy brings to mind subtle wit of humor, patience personified, sea stories deluxe, never gets excited, loves his coffee and will talk for three hours about his family on the slightest provocation. William Morris Calhoun, better known to his shipmates as Sack- Coon , the Philadelphia Van lohnson-, is of course our prize athlete, the erstwhile Frank Merriwell of the QMs really took the boys to town on VI night, holds the chipping championship, and carries the torch for Radnor on high, over the seven seas. E. l. Miller, QM'2fc USN was the shining light of the QM gang. He was our outstanding Quartermaster and the most proficient helmsman who ever swung a ship through perilous hours. Eddy was badly wounded on May 4th but in his true and typical fighting spirit fought his way back to health and we know Eddy Will make a success of anything he tackles, He is that kind of a guy. The Grand Rapids master salesman lohn L. Dok, QM3fc USN, the Adonis of the group, the man who knows how and gets more leave and liberty than any man aboard, the boy who will be lost to us if the Hollywood producers ever get a look at him. The Great lohn L., who is everybody's friend, and our nominee for the sharpest QM who ever came out of Bainbridge. Carrigan, LE., QM3fc USNR, the father and social adviser of our fair group, is commonly known as Mr. Carrigan., Bostonian-the man who never forgets he is in the advertising business, Red is remembered for that dignified and beautiful beard he wore during our tour of the Pacific. The argument Red and the old man had about shaving it off will also be remembered as one of the greatest since Webster beat Mr ...,,,,......................,..........,..,...... Newly assigned to the ship are the follovqing men.: Already their powerful personalities have made a deep impression on us, Speed Simmons from Lincoln, Nebraska, has endeared himself with the gang by his ready wit and apt descriptions of hallucinations in three quarter time. We like Fred and are glad to have him aboard. Sunshine Burge, the California Kid, claims he will find relief for his nostalgia only when he re- turns to Sunny California. l-le's the boy who is trying to convince us that he voluntarily gave up permanent shore duty in Boston to sail the Qcean Blue. Sometime get him to give you his version of Boston town's history, NSD Dorwart, better known as The Shadow has graced our group with a new excellence in stand- ards of the art of promotion, This boy from Lancaster can d-o more work in less time than any sailor we ever saw, he says. Our days at sea may slip from our memories but we'll wager that the officers of the SHEA will be haunted for many long years by ghastly thoughts of KHOW the devil could we have ever got along without the Quartermastersll Milford F. Spruill, QM3fc.

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er Providence, R, I., boy, is Norman And?-lrlsen,GrC5NffiQc,Agigr3thThere,Sy not much I can Say better knownutolxm ewgting this little Story, 'CEditor's note: Eashtul here-after, Ct ' 11 from Dorchester, Mass., and: in civilian lite was AnolY is Oflglgli 'Teaching profession, in Providence. Andy is an engaged m it H, and his handiwork is displayed in almost every excellentfcrla S'1'i? Good matured, affable, Andy has been Father Ceocririi-slsouri ariedsgulide to manY Cf Wcflfwmld Son of the SHEA' That teacher's instinct will come to the torell William Feichik, SPWC, better known to the gang Us Lime Willie comes from lohnstown, Penns-ylvania. Willie took care of . ,I W ll knew enough to get out of Will'ie's grudywvjhi-?ThSrgdeC1?eSnieraleQruarters alarm was sounded. I won-aer if Mary still loves him? . SF3f I th b tom Orlando, Florida. We all agree thatllncieekilitiii a 'lovgr ofehidnsabk. What a lOb to get him Out Of lt- We really feel sorry for his wife. She must have her troubles! Norborne Murray, Slfc, is a rebel from Mobile, Alabama. What an appetite! It will cost him money if he ever goes! back to civilian life. Oh, well, we will let him worry about that angle though he doesn't appear to worry too much. Arthur Esposito, Slfc, was from Schenectady, N, Y. Arthur WCiS one of the boys who made the supreme sacrifice, by giving his life for our country while in fbattle at Okinawa. Arthur was a popu- lar boy and very much liked. His- good disposition, loyalty to his country and ship and that winning smile of his will never be forgotten. We sure have missed him in our shop, M. T. McDowell, S'2fc, comes from the City of Brotherly Love- Philadelphia, Don't say his initials too fast or you may get the ,wrong meaning. I d-on't know what we would do without Mac, as he is one of those fellows who can always manage to make you laugh and forget your troubles. And what a politician! From now on there will be many changes. Back to civilian life for some, another hitch for others. Let's hope that we will all meet again some dayi, so until then smooth sailing and happy landing. Norman Anderson, CMZXC, USNR. QUARTERMASTERS Quartermaster's the hardest rate to make in the Navy, it is said. Actually, the duties of a QM embrace a half dozen or more rates plus various duties that require eight hands and four legs when thin s are h ' ' ' g umming. The QM talents include the following arts and artifices: Navigation and Steward's Mate, Aerographer and Paintscraper, Signalman and Electrician Publication Ex ert , P and Switchboard Operator, Author and Soothsayer, Yeoman and Lens Paper Manuf t P -, ac urer, hilosopher and Errand Boy, Executive Secretary and Office Boy, expert procurer and Bos'n mate striker and a walking information service. Other than these tasks all we do is relax, an art at which we are also quite expert. Every time we have special sea detail or G.Q., we play a mock football game on the bridge and in the pilot house the OM versus the lunior Commandos. We seldom win, being outweighed, Oh! What a madhouse the 'bridge is during the busy hours! The Captain roars commands, the TBS and MN roaring out messages, hoots, howls and garbled Wilcos and Rogers come howling out of a half dozen voice tubes, telephones, each with a nerve-racking buzz of its own, keep ringing, the boys -on the pelorus shouting bearings to the navigatorg all these combined with lack of space and about a dozen Junior commandos doing the mile run! on a forty yard semi-circular track using the QMS and talkers for practice hurdles. Oh, we QMS don't have many hash marks but we sure develop a complex from so many teeth marks. How I'd like to have a copy of one of Gibbons-Neff's 0015 dissertations on Bridge watches, etc., or perhaps that quiet discourse of Chief Proknow's, so softly and smoothly spoken., entitled uls there no end to this torture? , The QMS prided themselves on th i ft f ' t' th '- afbility to handle a difficult and e r um Y O' Organize! lpn' eu 1 g very responsible job with ease by proper timing and he t t - ar y eamwork. Never a gang had a better PPSS'-Lf F- CBGHHYD Stapleton, lr. He was regular , That's the highest tribute for a man in any walk of life. -l 34 l-

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COMBAT, AYE , By Charles M. white, RdM2fc The story of Combat aboard the Sl-IEA has been a very interesting one, filled with all those requisites which should make a narrative based on war experiences and human in- terest readable. But, unfortunately, there is no Ernie Pyle or Paul Gallico aboard to relate them to you. However, the story should be told and it is hoped that through these amateurish lines some account of Combat and the boys who have given its being can be recounted for those who may be interested. A This tale is n-ot without sorrow, as it is of war, and war creates scenes of horror and ghastliness that even the imagi- nations could never -anticipate. The Radar gang knows these things first hand now, and are saddened when they remember the penalty exacted of the group and the pain and suffering attendant to it. To Iohnnie Rowland we dedicate these lines-not that they are needed as a constant reminder that he was a mem- ber of the Combat team at Okinawa-for no one who knew Iohn could forget the swell fellow he was, as a shipmate and a pal ashore. His was an unusual personality, very even tempered and collected at all times. He was abreast of every situation, and had that virtuous qual-ity of being on good terms at all times with his associates. And he was an artist. A brush in his hand anid he became a creative genius. ln the early days of the ship's career when every- thing was new and in the raw , so to speak, lohn's services were in constant d-em-and through-out the' ship where letter- ing, or any decorative painting were required. The ship's insignia on No. 1 stack, which Rowland designed from an idea conceived by Commander Kirkpatrick, and the Iap flags on the Director remain as a memorial to him and his work with paints, and during the extensive overhaul and repair work to the ship at Philadelphia, the greatest care was used that Iohn's creations were not defaced or marred, and today, after a three-month yard availability they are as fresh and expressive as that day in the anchorage at Kerama Rhetto. His resting place there on Hagushi Beach beside those many Blue Iackets who als-o gave all humanly possible is a hallowed spot and all bow in silent tribute. Combat's team which embarked with the SHEA that day in September of '44 has changed many times, Lots of great. fellows have been in CIC at different times, but in the Navy it is difficult to retain any group intact for long and CIC has been no exception. When the crew was formed in Norfolk at Unit X the Combat team was drawn mostly from the pool of qualified strikers. Four men from the Radar School at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., McClendon, Bates, Boisclair, and lacksong four men f . . . rom the school at Virginia Beach, Va., Dolack, Williams, gglers . Rowland was one ef these, hdvlnfg been separated from an earlier class at Virginia Beach due to some time he put up in a Norfolk h r ' ' OSDHCII fOr -C111 Operation. The other three were fellows with a little time in and were the only ones who had been t . o sea and had any real experience. Cranford and Boudrie had been strikers in the tin can fl t Williamson, and White, and four stra ee and had seen some action. But the man who had really been around and knew what the score was and liked to relate his experiences on the deep was that able Petty Officer, Boot Mclfennq. He was to be our leading petty officer with that Radarman Third t. ra ing he had. Boot had put the BELLEAU WOOD into commis- sion and had been aboard the Elattop during all of her P .f. . . . acl ic campaigns up to that time- He had quite a repertoire -i 36 of sea stories and was a master at relating them. But GVGFY' one liked the Boot and he proved himself a real senior P.O. He was a friend to all the boYS, and Without doubt Wcfs the mggt popular man with all the fellows who had been in the sHEA's cic team. The shakedown was a novel experience for the gang. For the first time some ideas of the practical use of the gear was learned since the time in school when only a general idea of the thing was learned, and the making Of Cf Well- organized CIC team was well underwaY- Another lesson unleqmednp to this time was trying to live on dehydrated potatoes, dehydrated eggs, dehydrated milk, and other appe- tizing menus not common with the boys heretofore. None will soon forget those delectable sandwiches of juicy hunks of boiled beef, with the enormous portions of yellowed greasy fat between two slices of that bread with the peculiar bluish purple border-a delicious temptation to the boys whose stomachs were none too stable. Poor Lee Boisclair. He went below one time after putting out to sea and that was sufficient for him. Some evidence has been sought showing that Lee did go below to eat again but everything points to the fact that he spent all the time at sea upon some old mail 'bags in the vicinity of No. l stack. It was learned there that if the crew could survive the rigors of Bermuda, they were ready for anything the laps had without fear of defeat. Upon return to Norfolk the first of the many personnel changes started. Lee Boisclair was transferred to the De- stroyer RHIND in exchange for a Radarman Zfc, and Dariel Welch same aboard to supplant McKenna as senior man, Ed Williams had not g-one on the shakedown. He had been having some trouble with his stomach, which seemed to be aggravated considerably as time for shoving off neared, and he was sent to the hospital the day before leaving. But upon returning to Norfolk for post-shakedown check, Ed was on han-d and came back aboard only to remain a couple of days when he was transferred to some shore station, and that was the last we saw of Ed, a swell fellow who was well liked by the entire group. He was a great character who saw that none of the minutes dragged by monotonously. Was quite a comic and entertainer and everyone wished that, Ed might have gone along with the ship, And all regretted that Boisclair had to be sacrificed to make way for a rated man. The team had alread-y had a shakeup and Cranford, who was earlier transferred to the Radio Tech group as a striker, was transferred to a new command along with Wil-liams. Boudrie also was shifted to the RT's and a short time later made his third class rating. Iackson, upon re- quest, was relieved of his Combat watches in order that he might devote ful'l time to his new station as ship's barber. After Welch came aboard another second class with more time in than Welch was sent as senior man and Lee Ellis remains to this day in that capacity. Lee had been aboard two ships prior to this, a carrier and a can, and from Brigantine Hotel. He came to the SHEA on transfer was quite experienced and was a valuable addition to the s-hip, not only from the standpoint of his ability, but his knack at handling a gang as senior P.O. And on Radar none has been as proficient as he in finding the targets interpreting them as friendlies or bogeys, and developing the plots on them. Lots of switches have been experimented with but it always came back to the fact that none could handle the mechanism like Ellis. After some libertylin Panama, which all the boys en- 1.E