Stevenson (DD 645) - Naval Cruise Book

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f emailanccz iganllmuecf 'On the outskirts of town, the Sultan's Palace draws the primary interest of any sightseer. An immense mansion with its carved figures of bronze and stone embellishing its exterior, surrounded by acres of green earth, a private pool for goldfish, and three military guards, clearly signified the wealth and importance of the man who symbolized these religious, political and financiai aspects of his race. On the perimeter of Casablanca, the Americans had es- tablished their air base, its fields packed with bombers and fighters ready for use, others still crated, undoubtedly some of which made the same 3500 mile journey we had just completed. On the shoreline, stretching north and south, one could see a maze of striped canvas tents, a bivouac of ,French colonial troops, who kept their horses nearby in groups, some taking theirs into the surf and bathing them. The second route leading back into the city brought us past the American Army field hospital, where soldiers, wounded in the fighting further north, were taken for medical treatment and recuperation. f Moving through the shopping district once more, we could see 'a glare of lights shining brightly from the square, defying the possibilities of a sudden air attack. It was night and time for revelry, the attitude of Casablanca's inhab- itants seven nights a week. Le Cafe Internationale was transformed from its cheerful, clean and quiet atmosphere of early afternoon to a noisy, smoky hall, smelling of beer, cheap wine and tobacco. ' Retracing the course of the boulevard, there were few people to be seen. The beggars had cleared their squatting places in the street and had slunk away to their quarters, sleeping out the night in some dark alley, doorway or gutter of the Medina. Leaving the cab where we had hired it, we passed through the gates fronting the landing pier and boarded a boat for return to the Stevenson. Riding toward the ship, we noticed the absence of the native rowboats and pilot boats but the other identifying marks made the harbor familiar looking even in the darkness. Qzdvmlzizfz On the fourth of the five trips this ship made to Casablanca we were for- tunate in being detailed to proceed with part of our convoy up through the Straits of Gibraltar. Upon entering the Straits the convoy was taken over by British escorts and proceeded to their destination at ports farther eastward in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile we were ordered to tie up at the dock for re- fueling. Though, our stay was short it was a memorable one. Onlyftwo sections were allowed to go ashore owing. to the fact that a certain percentage of the ship's crew had to remain aboard during wartime as a security measure. How- ever, the fellows who went ashore had an enjoyable time. 15

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Qiiwlim awww The town was small and the narrow streets were lined with shops ranging from tea-rooms and bakeries to novelty shops and cabarets, the latter being patronized largely by the Stevenson's crew, barring no one from that category. The night life at Gib , Cas the British sevicemen call itlwas centered around the cabarets and proved very interesting to all of us. They couldn't compare with our American night clubs but the hospitality that was offered was very much appreciated. ' In one of the cabarets the music was furnished by an all-girl orchestra. The gowns they wore appeared to date back to the last war and we might add that some of the girls appeared to date from that period also, if not earlier. Nevertheless theirattempts at God Bless America , You Are My Sunshine , and other songs were inspiring to us all. The monotony of long days at sea and the ever present submarine menace seemed to be remote in those few pleasant hours. Our worries 'were completely forgotten. Some of the more ambitious members of our crew attempted a hike to the top of the famous rock. Upon their return they told of the wonderful View to be had from the top of the rock, of the high rolling mountains of Spain on one side, and the coast of Africa on the other. While tied up to the dock we were honored in having the well-known news- paperman, Iohn Hersey, come aboard. l-le was to make the return trip to New York with us. As a' result, the Stevenson and her bell were mentioned in his book, A Bell for Adano, and also in the movie version. Our Skipper, who at that time was Capt. Wilson, and a famous war correspondent undertook an expedition to the peak on the ship's motorscooter. Coming back they met up with a little hard luck, the scooter hit a rock on the dirt road and both driver and passenger went sprawling over the ground. They were fortunate in not being injured except for a few bruises but the motorscooter was out of commis- sion for a while. All in all the hospitality shown to the American sailors at Gibraltar was gratifying just as it has been at the other British ports where this ship has called. The fluid state of international relationship seems to have been solid- ified. After making a total of five round trips across the Atlantic inthe ten month period following her shakedown cruise, the Squadron received orders to report to the commander, Seventh Fleet, in the Southwest Pacific where the Steve was to take part in General MacArthur's historic dash up the New Guinea coast as a unit of the.Seventh Amphibious Force. Even today she is known to her crew as 'fthe Galloping Ghost of the New Guinea Coast. The Steve during her con- voying of the much-needed merchantmen across the Atlantic, made several attacks on enemy submarines detected by sound contacts but none material- ized into a confirmed kill. However not one of the slow merchant ships she was convoying was lost while the Steve was escorting them even though this was duringlthe peak of the Nazi submarine offensive against Allied shipping. 17