Wasatch (AGC 9) - Naval Cruise Book

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-,-,,- .,...,...-4.-1-ye-em-free-- - , 4'-Q'-- ff - . . . . Left to right lst row Walters, Dillon, Ch. Rad. Elec. Zamba, Rad. Elec. Stirn, Rad F160 Jeffress, Ens. Pease CDiv. Officerj, Lt.CjgD Butsko, Ch. Rad. Elec. EhramJ13U, Ullman: 5 Baird 2nd row Bissanti, Treder, Vuksich, Rabern, Butiste, Miller, Bohren, 8 Zieg 3rd row Lancaster, Pringle, Nordquist, Leitner, Journeau, Piehuta, Tosches, Wilsey, Salnon Q Miller THE FACULTY: Chief Dillon. Romeo Gilman. V Radar Zieg. Muscles Bohren. Champ Tosches. Star Treder. Flash Vuksich. Zoot Leitner. Sheik Butiste. Teach Nordquist Killer Miller. Pop Pringle. Poet Wilsey. Uncle Salmon. Daddy Piehuta. Slim Lancaster. Battery Baird. PT BISSANTI. Tyrone Journeau Horn Rabern. Chest Walters. Husky Miller. Spuds Bonino. CT DIVISION OUR ALMA MATER WRADIO TECHNA THE Msssas. tPEASE EHRAMJIAN ZAMBA , THE SENIORS Howyah Doin ? My wife's latest pic. Ever Beents Nebraska. The Reynoldsville Star. Now, in Baltimore... I Those Green Bay Packers. THE JUNIORS Wot terrific chow.!. Back to the tree. Wanna play cards? Any questions ? Wow! that Rita Hayworth It's a girl! To be, or not to bel I was at Pearl Harbor. THE SOPHOMORES Lookit this mustache. I wanna go homel Who's got liberty? THE FROSH ' What's the show? Which hold this time? Me and the captain. Radar is impractical. P Anything to paint? I need ten points. fl955I Garbage man. Soda jerk.. Sheep herder. Scoutmaster. WPA. X Chimney Sweep. Unemployed. Junk dealer. Shoe'salesman. Street Cleaner Taxi-driver. Organ grinder. Boot black. Ditch digger. Bartender. Hod carrier. Sailor. Radio technician Piano tuner. Bricklayer. Tightrope walker Tap dancer. Singing waiter A I

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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.

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F,..l u First row, left to right, Hosler, Evans, Snyder, CSpCXJ Greathouse, Lieut. H.S. Edwards, ShC1k N.L. McKenzie, CY Misquez, Parker, Battista. Second row, Higginbotham, Robertson, Jensen, Lindell, Devine, Salmond, Woods, Badzik, Eaten, Wheeler. Third row, Spudis, Grieco, Murray, Rhoads, Mahan, Pokrzywa, Cohen, Bradley, Mercer, Waters, Grainger, Transferred or not present at time of picture, Petrini, Murphy, Sigford, Watson, Hodes, Tram el, Picciotto. CX DIVISION CX Division is composed of Yeomen, Printers, Mailmen, Photographers and Map Repro- duction Specialists. To the Yeomen falls the task of keeping up the ship's records, aid- ing in communications and managing the library. They did their best work when the point system of discharge was introduced, ably led by the high-point Yeomen. The printers fought the war by throwing a continuous salvo of millions of printed forms at the enem , including an occasional burst of phone books and mess chits. They consented to print up discharge forms for the crew, also, when finally convinced that they were not yet civilians, hh points or no. The Photographers banged away with their cameras at friend or foe, and obtained a fine pictorial record of the ship's voyage and personnel and notable visitors. The Mailmen...well, we always had the Mailman, but not always the mail. They did their' utmost to deliver the mail in the best tradition, even though they had more than mere calamities of nature to stay them in the swift completion of their duties, so they deserve a lot of credit. The Map Reproduction Unit drew up and printed some 100,000 maps and charts incidental to landing operations, and in addition ran off about a million of various forms for fleet and shore establishments. - It is strange that the peaceful Cwowll atmosphere of CX produced one of the fighting- est indoor teams on the ship, for CX ran off with the ship's company championship. The boys who performed the feat were: Grieco, Bradley, Jensen, Snyder, Murphy, Grainger, Wheeler, Misquez, Cohen, Battista, Higginbotham. They were sometimes aided by UHappyWNGusW Edwards, and sometimes decidedly NOT. CX also placed three men on the ship's baseball team. Athlet- ics and recreation were apparently the best liked features of the Navy life, getting up for quarters and working parties the least. Among some of the more entertaining athletic events within the division were the in-Q promptu sparring matches between Billy Waters Cfisticuffer extraordinaryl and all comers. Other bouts were staged frequently by Jensen and Wheeler, both students of the Wslap, slug, sick bayn school of mauling. Foot races were always wen by Grainger, but being always run in the course of answering chow call, no claim for distinction is allowed. Highly color- X ful and well heckled broad-jump matches were always won by Salmond amid acrimonious debate. CThe competition never had a chance.J 'Snake-slipn Charlie Snyder got most of his exercise sharpening pencils to figure his points. Occasionally he would lay down on the deck and wrestle, he always insisted on getting on the bottom, for some reason. Sigford preferred the hamm r thro,,,,man, man, what destruction! Mahan spent m eh time making coffee for all eongagtantg and himself, and in such quantities that he must have had the leprechauns in to help him drink it...We did not drink it all, Mike. Eaten whittled away the moments in prac- ticing the gentler arts of reading and painting, producing exotic maidens, landscapes and P.38l8...but mostly P-38's, we are afraid that everybody knows our Evans Cyes, the printer Evansl. He could find things to crab about in Paradise, but genius is genius and should be recognized, we nominate Evans: nChief Bitcher of the Pacific Fleet'. or--''E- ' '' ''ll''''I'S'II'Iiii!!IlIIIHI!IH1IHIlInIlllllllllIIll!!!!!lgnmllJ