Wasatch (AGC 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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..,.-1 mx 5 7' , ..., . f f -V it.. - .-X -- e- - - -H IIIIIIllIIIllllll!!!l!Ql!lQQ!!IIlIllIIIIIIIIIIllIIIIIlllllI5Fl-IInup-,Q,-EEFQIM,-'-F-55m,,,.-11 x v Front row: Emerson, Heft, Andrew, O'Donnell, Lt. Riley, Capt. Robertson, Lt. Maynie, Lt. Meyerson, Driscoll, Masten, Heiman, Warren. Second row: Engstrom, Johnson, Inglese, Clark, Chadrjian, Goedecke, De Waay, Connelly, Moore, McCarthy, Graff, ' Sykes. Third row: Coleman, Onofer, Swiss, St.John, Grady, Ross, Dennis, Garrison, Micheal, Cobert, Ralphs, Coppolla. , CA DIVISICN 1 On 25 April 19LA, an Army detachment were grouped around their Commanding Officer, lst Lt. C.E. Robertson, in their barracks at Fort Hamilton, New York, to hear their orders. They were about to become sea-going soldiers. The group consisted of four officers, one. first sergeant, twenty radio operators, nine cryptographers and one teletype repairman. U Actually, none of us knew exactly what the Navy expected from us. Our first view of the type ship that was to be our home for the coming eighteen months was on 25 May at pier two, in South Boston Navy Yard. Apprenensively the group filed up- the gangway of the U.S.S. Mt. Olympus, and in newly learned Naval jargon, requested permiss- ion to come aboard. It was during the shakedown cruise of this ship, in Chesapeake Bay,. that we soon learned that the radio operators were to handle the ship's press and work in Radio Central with Navy radiomen, while the cryptographers worked in the Coding Room. The general purpose of the set-up was to provide communications between Army and Navy during Amphibious operations. .Our crucial test did not come until the Leyte operation when . ' General Krueger and his Sixth Army Staff came aboard. Contact was established and main- tained with the Filipino Guerrilas throughout the operation and our circuits and those of the Sixth Army ashore kept them and the Seventh Fleet in constant radio communication. During this time we became more and more familar with Naval terms and procedures. .De- spite the difference in uniforms, we began to be recognized as tried HOld salts'. Scrubbing and waxing decks were added to our list of accomplishments, and no working party was come g plete without one of us. Even when the Wasatch was drydocked one could find the Army serv- ing as side-cleaners.' Naturally we also took our turn at the beer parties and inter-d1vie- ional activities.l The softball team met all comers,taking occasional defeats in stride, but continually striying to overcome our blueejacketed opponents. But in spite of daily, routine and a common fraternity, our group has remained unique, being subject to Army as well as Navy regulations. ' A a If having an Army Signal Detachment on board a Navy ship to improve the efficiency of amphibious communications was an experiment, then the Eight Signal Detachment feels the venture has been successful. s y IIIIIIIIIIIlllllllIIIIIIIllIllllIIIlIllllllllllllllllllIIH-I-----------eee -

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----5mmm!-Fu..U-ww'wqu..--''-'EEE'H''ii'''H'' ' iiiiiiii!llllllliilliilllllllll------g-I-1 From left tv fright first row Goltz, Chief Goodwin, Ensign Tucker unch. ,Eckert 1 Chief Eager, and Benton. Second row Succio, Uhrich, Kelly, Howard Forsahyflg?r Haskell, and Bivisnano. Third row Barnum, Leffler, Whittaker, Duerschiedt ' Whitfield, Hynes,-and Minser. Not in picture Denson. ', T y' , B DIVISION I It won't be long now, Mr. Tucker, until you'll be leaving us. We did have a swell time of it, though. There was C. W. Morris with his corn cob pipe hat, who helped organize a swell little division. I can still hear them word for Eager, CWT, who played an important part as oil king. We never the importance of his job, until some CWT, hasn't been with us long, but he soon. Benton, WTlc, came aboard when He will be leaving us soon too, going and crooked passingnthen did realize Goodman, 1 beeretiring. we were in a tight spot with no watch standers. out on the point system. Watts, WT2c, lost his of us had a taste of it ourselves. knew you from the old navy. He'll sea bag coming cross country. He didn't mind, though, for he get out of two weeks , work waiting for it. Barnum came after everything was done and now complains of how, hard he worked. Hynes, WT2c, forgot the water had to stay in the gage glass and not out. Will you ever again run into a man who can laugh like he does? He should have, gone in for opera. Whittaker, WT2c, will be married soon to Elsie. Does he look I I like a person who could settle down to family life like he says he will? I guess Elsie will decide that. It's hard to say if Forshay will go out. He does have a a contented look and really believes he's cut out for navy life. Howard will be back in the grocery business in a few more months. He has decided after a lot of deep. I thinking that he wouldn't trade the grocery business for a navy career. Whitfield, Flc, is looking forward to going back to the farm. Someday, he says, he will own his own. Succio, WT3c, is going out and back to his machinist job. You would think Kelly, Flc, being a tin can sailor, would want to ship over, but he's going back to Oklahoma. Minser will go out too, so he says, and I'm not sure that he isn't con- T templating marriage. Duerschiedt, Flc, will probably stay around for about twentyf years. Urich, B2c, is talking about going out, but I guess he is just lonesome for his wife and little girl and who can blame him? Leffler has quite a novel career behind him, but he's going out to run his father's furniture store. It'e really hard to say what Denson will do for he's as changeable as the weather, but I think you will agree he's in to stay. Bisignano, will soon be taking over the oil king 1' job. One thing for sure, he's big enough, all 220 pounds df him. It seems that with the exercise he's getting going up and down the ladders he'd reduce, but he's still gaining. Haskell will be getting hitched as soon as he gets home. He has only 31 points, but he likes the fireroom. So, Mr. Tucker, we all say goodbye, and bon voyage, ' 'e -'rf -H ' r - -- , , - - -f1- 'Zi b. .:.:s: '-

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Front row: Robinson, D. Smith, Ruth J.F. Smith Q ggggtegzegel Biagzo, Walker, Giffen., Middle row: WJ?a3or:l:gnTczewgzjngldzrfo, Pfoertner mgztersogndgadgel Heaton, See, Rentachler' Goodyear' Lester' Fay' uartin' Bode Ed i M Ki , r w c , Purdy, Petrlck, Sutton, Piciachia, Terry. Back row: 2 1' 'f C HWY, Raed. Crm. Pam-oth, Par-zych, sem-racks, Williams, Quunn. CC DIVISICDN BY W. PFOERTNER, RDM 2C 8: J. MORRISON. RDM 2C The C.I.C. of the Wasatch started with the assignment of sixteen men who graduated from the Radar Operators School at Point Loma, California. After graduation the group t aveled to Ne rt Rhode Island where it joined the C.I.C. officers and more enlisted r wpo personnel. There we received more training aboard the U.S.S. Chilton and later attended the C.I.C. Group Training Center at Brigantine, N.J. During this period of training, Lt.CjgD Ware was in charge of the group. He was later replaced by Lt. Frederick, the present division officer. Upon completion of this training, the group reported for duty aboard the Wasatch. After the Morotai operation, we were joined by six more men, also Point Loma graduates, and by men transferred, by request, into the division, thereby completing the present C.I.C. Many changes were made and new methods learned from experience, and by incorporating these changes, the group was molded into a smoothly functioning team. The C.I.C. team is charged with the responsibility of keeping the C.0. and higher commands informed of the location, identity and movement of friendly and enemy aircraft, and surface ships within the area, this usually being about 100 miles in radius. Target d f 1 e and navigation indication, control of aircraft ln the area, both offensive and e sns v , are also required of the C.I.C. All combat information from all available sources must be evaluated and quickly disseminated to the flag, the com anding officer and to other stations concerned. To facil- l i f rmation is passed by ltate the assembly and transmitting of this information, vo ce n o means of interior communications circuits. d l es otherwise in distress back to their bases, and lending Guiding lost planes, an p an any assistance possible to any planes in the area, is another duty of the C.I.C. This has i or at night been of great assistance to pilots flying in heavy fog, ra n, . In closing, we might add that the team has received several compliments and Wwell donesn from other ghipg, Plghgg under this C.I.C.'s control at Leyte were credited with shooting down over 200 Japs, and that isn't bad. L an---.--F------N ....................s.a.s,.:.:4f3a-, V-Q, ,-l,..f -A it ' 1 ,:,,-g., nf. ,.-gg ' W g v f .- .-l. ,..g. wa...-m-p---.-...........-.-..asg.:,:..-: ' -A -1:..:- - '- -- -5.-.,,.. , ... tj fl, ,bl 0 A: -up