Photos from First Cruise

Album 5 Photos Contributed by Ralph Hackbarth

The work day for many SAs and SNs begins when "Sweepers, man your brooms. Clean sweepdown fore and aft is piped and announced by the Boatswains Mate of the Watch

The assigned men report to the main deck and begin the morning ritual as shown in the following photos.
Busy Hands are Happy Hands
The men are wearing their foul weather jackets to keep the early morning chill off their bodies.

In the backbround is the Carrier that had an explosion shortly before we arrived in Boston Navy Yard

Tools of the trade, brooms, sqeegees, and swabs

Satisfaction From A Job Well Done

Most men fresh out of boot camp get assigned to the deck force but then decide they would do some kind of specialized work when they become Seamen. This is called striking for a rate.

Here are Ralph Hackbarth and Carl Nenn, having succeeded in becoming Cook Strikers.
Occasionally, when cooking in heavy seas, the dark side of a cook is revealed and shows up in photos

Relaxing in the berthing compartment
at the end of the watch

A little R&R works well to relieve the stress for Austin and Hackbarth
With too much R&R some Sailors collect Sailor Art

Room with a view please.

The Tachen Islands Operation

Approaching the Landing Beach

A full load of refugees on the tank deck

Heading for Formosa

Refugees on deck for scheduled fresh air break

One sniff of the tank deck area and you know why the fresh air break

Off loading the refugees at Formosa

Don't know who was happier. The crew or the refugees?

Hong Kong Mary and her crew worked for the ship using Sampans

Hong Kong Marys' crew painting the water line

Back in San Diego you never had to wait for a liberty boat to bring you back to the ship at the end of liberty. Water taxi service was available. During WWII the sailors called these boats nickle snatchers.

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