After graduation from the Naval Acadamey on 06 June 1940, he was the sole Forty assignee to USS WASP and recalled from graduation vacation to dwaddle in Boston harbor and await the tender mercies of C.O. J.W. (Blackjack) Reeves and the charms of North Atlantic Neutrality patrols.
In 1942-43, it was USS INDIANA commissioning and high speed transit to the South Pacific to support Guadalcanal ops. Thereafter it was precommissioning USS MONTEREY in Philly with a great gang aboard including a subsequent President of the US -- one Jerry Ford whom Scott broke in as OOD -- and also a future SECDEF, Tom Gates, the ACI officer. They made a rapid transit to Central South Pacific parts for the big push to Guam/Okinawa.
PG School in Annapolis then beckoned and coincided with the end of WW II, but it also heralded service in the big BBs: NORTH CAROLINA, NEW JERSEY and BATDIV staff, Midshipman cruising, all with post-war undermanned crews, no picnic.
In 1948, the long sufferingseafarer was waylaid by Thelma Freeman of His Majesty's British Consulate, Norfolk, and diplomatically absconded to the hinterlands of Halifax, NS, to get married amongst the hospitable RCN. There valiant attempts were made to instruct the "Long Cs" in US communications & tactics at HMCS STADACONA. This tour, needless to say, provided great bliss.
Numerous communication-amphib assignments provided the background for arrivals of Mary, William J., and Cecilia. With these attendant duties, ALAMO (LSD-33) provided too much Far East cruising and became a last sea duty tour so that a Pentagon stint of timewasting teapot tempests provided transition to USS OUTSIDE in 1962, where ITT/COMPUTER SCIENCES proved much less exciting but a more rewarding home and family lifestyle. Post-war peacetime endeavors to simplify and to make DCA world-wide C&C communications more efficient/economical through simulation studies were interesting and challenging to Bill, if not to God, country and the DCA. Post-retirement employment ended with Raytheon where a reunion with some of the old Blues of Class of Forty was most pleasant.
Second retirement is easy to take between Florida, Bethany Beach, McLean and San Diego/Annapolis reunions. Staying healthy long enough to enjoy Northern VA area associations with the 1940 USNA group poses the only problem.
