Wasatch (AGC 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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1 J J 1 i 1 Q BY R. H. JENKINS, RM1C V, Here's a few words about the Gophers three decks below who handle a good part of 1 4 the ship's communications. Contrary to popular belief, radiomen do work. This subject 2 is questioned by all hands, except the 'Sparktricians', who of course know they are the 3 most expendible division on the ship. What would a communication ship do without a comm - V 5 nication Department? Submit your answers-to the Chaplain.. - I . we have some characters in Radio Central. Nobody as yet has blown his top over l A copying code, so the number one position is still open. .'PudgieN Krantz has pulled his Brownsville style on the Japs over here in Japan by 'Banging 'em on the headn and making some-good deals. Senor Rodriquez is doing o.k. too. The current topic in Radio One at the present time is, Ula or is not Rodriguez a Jap? He's picking up the lingo mighty quick. a Uwillie the whipn is living up to his name these days. Have you noticed the fellows cringe 2 when he comes on watch? Watch out Willie we'll all be PFC's again soon And who was the ' . - - BUY who, when someone told him WQBKW, sent back WQPZ QBKN on one of the circuits???? So that's the kind of stuff th h ese sc ools put out. I think you fellows will all agree with me that we all miss,nSchnookyN Cooper but at least now we have Jo twenty four hours a day Still - O think our big Jo pot is somewhere on the bottom out here. You know fellows I get awful tired y ,of seeing Cnief Klein running around this place so if youlll turn in your contributions at the Su ' ' d k ' ' ' ' ' pvr s es we ll buy him a pair of skates as soon as we hit Stateside. Also some W cigarettes. fG.A.K. please notel. Yeah man this old radio shack-has come up in the world from the time of commissioning. None of us ever dreamed we'd handle the amount of traff' w d'd d ' ic e 1 uring the Leyte operation. f What a time we had! Remember the day Mac told the guy on 355 to send a boat after radio messages instead of giving him them on the circuit? And the time the radioman from the Currituck came over and found out we were classifying urgent messages into, hot, routine and deferred. He thought we were all crazy. Do you guys remember Popeye, Donald Duck and Ding grosby on 2716 kos back in Hollandia? I'd like to see some of those boys who partic- a ft p e a er they get out of Portsmouth . A I Don t have m ch,room on this page so will have to cut the story short. After seven- teen months out here in the Pacific I know those gals in the States a re going to look good.

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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

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'ls-..-....- s-.. --Afetrx .. .. ...- .,,,,,., ' CS DIVISICDN BY L. A. VALLEE, SM 2C The CS division was formulated in the latter part of April, ,l9L.l., at Newport, R.I.... The new-born division consisted of eleven rated men, eight signal strikers and a comm. officer. Many of these men were new and had never been aboard a ship before. The crew went aboard the U.S.S. WASATCH on May 20, l9hh, to put their ship into commission and along went the CS Division. It wasn't until they reached Milne Bay in New.Guinea that the bridge force was really operating as an efficient and expedient unit. we were then ready to take our first flag aboard, which was Commander of Task Force 76's Rear Admiral Barbey. When Rear Admiral Barbey came aboard, rumors began to take form immediately. we were going to hit the Celebes or Borneo, one man said we were going to hit the Halmaheras, John Miller, SM3c, our pro- ficient scuttle-butter, went so far as to say we were hitting the Philippines--We hit Morotai. Operation after operation followed Morotai, until finally Japan and never once did the bridge force slacken in their efficiency, which contributed m ch to the traditions upheld by the U.S.S. WASATCH. During all these months in the Pacific many changes were made, both in personnel and ship. Many men were rated or transferred, and some Were sent home on the point system. One change which affected everyone was when the ship's bridge was remodeled at Manus. We lost the one thing thing we treasured most--our coffee shack. The coffee shack was a cubicle of about twelve feet in length, eight feet in width and six and a half feet in height. Besides being the handling center for visual traffic, it was the meeting place for signalmen. In the shack, discussions of every nature were held, from the female sex to the buying of a new automobile. It was sad indeed when they took our shack away, it had senti- mental value. ' we are due to go home soon, which means the loss of more men by the point system. we won't forget the witticism of Chief Green or his birds. Let me explain what a bird is. A bird is an ingenious affair made completely of paper folded symmetrical at proper angles so as to form a swan-like appearance. Movement is acquired by placing the index finger and thumb of the left hand on the neck, the index finger and thumb of the right hand on the tail. By a backward and forward motion of the right hand, the wings begin flapping in a bird-like manner. I believe the prime purpose of this contraption is to drive the maker insane, unless the process has already taken place. we won't forget such fellows as Mel Young, who can out-argue anyone, silent Sy Kauzcka, who thought it was all for the good of science, of the enormous appetites of Dom Fortunate, Ray Unger, and Dave Meehan, of Ben Thomason, who wouldn't utter a wrong word if his life depended on it, but who was always ready to hear about the birds and the bees, of Kondik, the bookworm, Vernon Connors, the bridge politician, Leroy Parrish and his salty tales, Sardonic Houchin, who still has three years to do, witty Jim Hurley, who has an answer for everything, cheerful WJuicy' Martin, Treverton, our country dude who knows everything about cows, Neve and his pet cow, and last but not least, Mr. Hanson our college prof and athlete. Working and living with these boys throughout all these months in the Pacific was truly a pleasure and privilege, These are days and memories we will never forget.