Stevenson (DD 645) - Naval Cruise Book

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722 .full jeg With sunny weather, calm seas and favorable winds we started that last leg of our journey to take us back to our beloved Uncle Sugar. We were only a few hours out of Capetown when orders came to search our entire ship since one of the other ships had discovered a stowaway aboard. Some of the more optimistic immediately started their own private search hoping to find a blonde. At that time we had no extra passengers aboard but the situation didn't remain that way very long for Charlie Nold's Iapanese dog, Geisha, presented the Wardroom with two pups. Such excitement-the word was passed for all hands to cease all unnecessary noise on the focsle and soon even the Com- modore was seen to be headed for No. l Upper Handling Room to inspect the new arrivals. Yogi Coleman, our eminent biologist, was busy explaining twenty times a day that it was only normal for the pups to sleep and eat all day. 1 All hands took advantage of the wonderful sunshine to renew their tan. And at night very few let the danger of being hit on the head by a misguided flying fish keep them from enjoying our nightly horse opera at the movies on the fantail. . u Soon we passed St. Helena made famous by Napoleon's exile there. More days went by and finally we passed Ascension Island in the early morning. By- this time all hands were eagerly counting the days and arguing about how many more nights had to be endured before that liberty night in New York. Peacoats were being brushed and aired and the laundry was almost swamped with requests to press my liberty blues. After finally leaving the battlewagons and tanker behind on our final sprint, the engineers gave us an awful scare as Christmas in Bermuda be- came the word. . Finally we resumed our speed and soon left the twinkling lights of Ber- muda in the distance. Our last night was really something. The old Atlantic which had behaved itself to-date decided to give all aboard a final sendoff. Some who had decided that sea duty wasn't so bad soon changed their minds. Through the fog of the morning of December 6th, Ambrose lightship finally appeared dead ahead Cwhich took a terrific load off the Navigator's mindl and all hands braved a howling snowstorm to unload our ammunition at Sandy Hook. No job was done more willingly or quickly for New York lay just ahead. With the ammo finally all off, the STEVE slid up the channel. To those hardy souls who braved the cold to see the Statue of Liberty, only the light was vis- ible. Soon the pilot was aboard and we docked at 33rd Street in Brooklyn. All hands rating liberty lost no time in getting down the gangway and on to the good old land of U.S.A. 67 vase-4.

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