MEMORANDUM FROM THE CAPTAIN TO ALL HANDS:                            18 August 1945

I have been in connand of the INDIANA for nearly four months, and in that tine we have done almost
everything in the book and more too. Every Jap plane that has come near us has been shot down, the
shores of Japan have been pounded with everything our big guns could put out and every demand from
high authority has been accomplished with cheerful efficiency. I could not have wished for a better ship's
company than the one attached to the INDIANA. You have assisted in the accomplishment of a
mammoth undertaking. Now that the last of our enemies has surrendered, we must go through that
transition period so necessary between wartime and peacetime. It is a tremendous task but can be
accomplished very easily with the cheerful cooperation of all hands. I an listing below some of the more
important points that you should bear in mind.

OUR PRESENT STATUS
Though the Japanese have surrendered, the occupation of their homeland has not yet begun. The
collapse of Hirohito's empire was expected; but not with such suddenness. It will require considerable
time before allied occupationa1 forces can be completely organized and landed. in order to enforce the
peace terms. At present we have not boon informed as to just what part the INDIANA will play in this
enforcement. It can be expected that the Third Fleet, of which we are a part, will be required to remain
in readiness in Japanese waters and support the occupational forces until they are well established ashore
and no further naval support is needed. This may be for some time during which we cannot relax our
vigilance nor our state of readiness. As to the possibilities of the INDIANA returning to the states, it
would be a good guess to say that some ships of the Third Fleet will return in the very near future. It is
hoped that we will be lucky enough to be included. At any rate, as the occupation of Japan progresses
the need for the fleet as a supporting force will become less and less and the possibility of our getting
home will become greater and greater.

CLEANLINESS AND PRESERVATION
All of you all know the high state of battle efficiency we have been required to maintain in the past.
All hands have reacted to enemy battle demands in a manner which was most commendable. The
INDIANA has never failed to repulse an enemy attack. During these periods of long readiness
watches, it has been necessary to neglect, to a certain extent, the cleanliness and preservation
requirements so important to a ship such as the INDIANA. When the INDIANA was commissioned,
the Japs were riding high and every ship we had was badly needed and little tine was allowed for
anything except getting the guns ready to shoot. She is a clean ship and better than holds her own with
other ships of her class. In addition to being a clean ship, the Indiana can be smart as well. Now is the
time to give that first beauty treatment. Each man should make his cleaning station a thing of personal
pride. Watches should be light and the weather favorable. Remember, the more time utilized now in
whipping everything into shape, the more time there will be for relaxation when we get hone, because,
then, we will want light work and heavy leave and liberty.

NEATNESS OF PERSON
Condition one-easy. There is nothing like it to make you sleep in your clothes on the deck, live
on sandwiches, grow long hair, and long faces. We have thought of nothing but licking the Japs now for
a long long time. Thank God, that's over. We have plenty of time now to revert back to our normal
American way of neatness of person. The first step necessary to bring this about is a clean locker full of
clean clothes. Change into those clean clothes often. There have been tines when just as you have settled
comfortably in the barber*s chair, bang, goes "Air Defense". We don*t expect to have that to contend
with any longer, so visit the barber shop regularly.

YOUR LANGUAGE
Some carelessness about the use of profanity and otherwise unacceptable language has been noted
about the ship. It is habit forming just like anything else, though you nay not realize it at the time. We
don't want the folks back hone to hear it, yet, if it is a habit, a slip of the tongue, at the wrong time in
the wrong place,. will be most embarrassing. Let's break that habit now. A good policy is to remind each
other.

OBEDIENCE TO PETTY OFFICERS
In the past few months there has been a growing tendency toward disobedience of orders given by petty
officers. Obedience is the most prominent and also the most important of your military duties. It means
willingness to obey and to be subject to restraint, control and command. It is the fundamental bases upon
which a military service is built. A man-of-war is a very complicated mechanism and requires attention to
many details in order that its mission may be successfully carried out. The petty officers are the men who
have been appointed to see that these details are taken care of. If you are not obedient to the orders of
your petty officers, some part of that mechanism is sure to fail. Someone else has to carry your part of
the load. Every good petty officer has earned his rate and learned his job by obeying and copying the
good traits of petty officers placed over him.

Think it over and let each of us do our part to maintain a clean, smart and happy ship.

FRANCIS P. OLD,
Captain, U.S. Navy,
Commanding

Last Updated 06 October 2000