Tortuga (LSD 26) - Naval Cruise Book

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I guess we loaded just about everything the Navy had that would fit in our well deck during those first few months . . . and if you think the boys on the wingwalls weren't just a little dubious when that first LSU came toward them at about five knots you're sadly mistaken. Sure, I griped at the training exercises. Who didn't? But we got the feel of the thing, anyway. 1 - - The first LSU --- as it actually was By Christmas somebody in PhibPac operations' took a big black pin out of a drawer, stuck it on a chart, and decided it was time the mighty T put out to sea. Wesaid goodbye to the States on Decem- ber 29th, with Vice Admiral Kiland paying us a special visit to wish us well on our journey west. Here we go . next stop . . . Pearl! tNew Year's Eve was pretty quiet last year. I had the mid-watch, myselfj. I Page Ten if C 7 fl, . K I C , Lai ,A ,, 6, '31 tunica The first LSU --- as we thought it would be Sick? You've never seen so much misery in one small space in your life as on our second trip to Bremerton to pick up LSU's. As a matter of fact, it was just about the roughest weather we encountered on our whole cruise. By the time we 'got back, though, our SA's had be- come SALT'S, and a couple of them rolled so much as they walked down Broadway that it looked as if the Grant Hotel were underway! , Outward Bound! I fwipm

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1 i ? 1 k 4... L. . 4' it 'Q . 3 X I M V . t , p 3 e...,, gi if ' U , aa f 3 I . . 2 ik 03i,JDiA, lf ' . il A -1:- 290 - -was ,F -f A uv' C . ,. A , A A A N ,E'75Y5R ' , ,,,f,,ee , ei Wg? son! ouaeo BRENERTON So this is an LSD, I said to myself. Well, what do you know! A fellow told me they ballasted down like a dry-dock and still could make sixteen knots with the laundry secured, so I didn't know what to expect. Anyway, we all stood up in our blues while the Admiral gave us a pat on the back and the commis- sioning pennant was run up, and then beat it into dungarees on the double to get her into shape to sail. Mothball fleet, they said. Why the moths had even set up a quarterdeck watch to pipe us aboard! The guys kept coming in from every- where . . . from other stations, from civilian life, and there were even a couple we felt sure had crawled up from under Pier 3. A good bunch, though! Nobody too happy about leaving home and the little woman, but you got the feeling they'd all be behind you if you ever really needed help. Sure, the feather merchants growled at the ones who couldn't forget the good old days on the USS NOGO in '35, but that's the Navy for you. You can't change it, and maybe you wouldn't want to. The Commissioning Ceremony Page Nine

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, . , ' . . gf ' 5 ,. ,153 -,-'L - - - ' s . ., - T' ' .' 1 f ' -fi , -ss? -5 ,y '11 ' Ji e ' ' , 1 L' ' - . ' ,.Abb 3 2.,, J . . Q' ,gffg I .5 . ,J X' V ff UY f -k . V. ' sn 1 V. W s -sg fv sw, - -5 -f 9 T k f da . U. 5 , ' I C39 Nc . PEARL HARBOR M619 0 ff P I v ? , P 0 .41 -22 ,Y K gli' Ei 'elif A 33 in o . 47 .5 an co 2, ' S5 'W INF!!-'tnnilua 2' WaiKiKi Beach This was a break, and I don't mean ybe!' The fleet wasn't in . . . it was out, way out . . . and we had the place all to our- selves. The Royal Hawaiian . . . the beach at Waikiki . . . aaaaaaaah, this is the. life! And here's a stopper for you! While we were tied up at the dock in Pearl our ship's ma A 1. '-1' - wheel disappeared! No kidding . '. 3 and you can bet lt d1n't Just walk away, either. The Q ' divers went down to the bottom to have a t look . . . but even they couldn't find it. Now 1 somebody knows the full story here. Pm not saying who it was . . . as a matter of fact I X don't even know . . . but 'for my money he'd yg, 'ik -. Q better keep quiet about lt for a long, long x JK . ,Xu time. So it meant .another week 1n Pearl? 1 std! i , So you can feel mighty lonely all by your- 'N self at the end of that long green table. 5' I ,,, g Yes, Hawaii's a wonderful place. I'd like to go back there sometime. Want to come g I A1 g :ig along? e 1,-' , Zffff UW- 5 aaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ,..i.',. i tf f ' ' .P .. . , . . , . , , f'1 V t f i ..:,, ,v., .,.. H ,A .VV Qi T lti 'aif 2 ...T 2 . - ,.... . ....s. 5 54 Q .f'r ' -' 8994 V.. ya eh X 54, 9 9 foes' aaaaaaaaaaiaaaaaa 9 C5 The Naval Station Page Eleven