Wasp (CV 18) - Naval Cruise Book

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afvtff LW 'W WELL-MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN NORFOLK

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How fat can a gal get? Too fat to .pass through the Panama Canal. That's how fat. It would be a long trip around South America or South Africa, so we got orders to tighten tvtOMMA's girdle and transit the Suez Canal. We did that at Port Said the northern port of the canal. The passage was a quiet gliding trip for most of us. Captain Henry and operating crew had a tense, alert time, but most of us could rubberneck to our hearts content. Only, there was not much to rubber-neck at! The Suez Canal is a long shallow ditch-straight as a surveyors' line and linked by occasional lakes or side canals. Ships in those side canals, shunted off for us to pass, were a most amusing sight. Only a mast or bridge showed, as if the ships were buried in sand. On both sides to the horizons we sow sand and more sand, varied by a few mirages, and, now and then, by a small oasis. Once in awhile we would see on Arabian or an African, depending on which way we looked, come loping along on a camel, or maybe sitting on his donkey, quite undisturbed by the steel monster of a carrier. That is, both he and his donkey were undisturbed. It did not take us long to begin to feel impatient, and we were very pleased to see the city of Suez, the southern port of the canal, for MOMMA could let her breath out a little. At Suez we dropped our pilot and the ship plunged into the Red Sea... which turned out to be as blue as any other. For a time the Family Bible became a travel guide book, as discussions were held concerning Mount Sinai and the crossing of the Red Sea by Moses. But a sailor looks to ports of call, so we began to discuss the possibilities of Colombo, our next one. The discussion became more and more animated as we crossed the Indian Ocean and wondered how much liberty we would get. Sure! We like the sea, but not this much of it all at once. MOMMA and POPPA kept us on the iob though, with a promise of liberty at our first oriental port. urs' l Q i il if ,vi W! F . .T h' 11... -rg: is SEE THE WORLD... THROUGH BINOCULARS.