RECOLLECTIONS

Hugh Saine 1988

“ I remember .” (Walter)

I was assigned to the Swanson as a result of Jerry Asble (Ships Cook) wife Becky becoming pregnant and this is the reason why !

During Boot Camp at the Naval Operating Base Norfolk, Virginia, five of us recruits formed a rather unique musical group. We provided a lot of entertainment on the base and elsewhere around Norfolk.

The Base Chaplain was impressed with our group and had our names removed from orders assigning us to the Battleship USS New York and we were retained at the Naval Operating Base for the next several months. While there we were assigned minor chores such as on-base patrol, taking care of in-coming recruits and playing music whenever and wherever the Chaplain directed.

During this period Jerry Asble married his fiancée Becky and after a few months his wife was with child and needed medical attention. As a good Navy wife Becky reported to the Navy Doctors. So this brought Jerry to somebody attention and in turn our band! We were informed that we were long overdue for sea!

Our violin player Pat Rhyne was assigned elsewhere but Jerry Asble, Bill Holsomback, Bill Arnold and I were ordered to the commissioning detail and were among the very first seaman to be assigned to the Swanson.

The four of us played music for our ships launching Mrs Claude Swanson was there to christen the Swanson by breaking a bottle of champagne on her bow. One of the songs we played was: “She’ll be coming round the mountain."

Soon I began to meet some very fine people, and together in the future we were to experience interesting, exciting, and dangerous times. One strongly impressed me as being honest, sincere, devoted and aggressive. He asked me to consider becoming a Signalman . His name was none other than “Jack Sloan”. Having been in the Boy Scouts, already knowing Morse Code, semaphore and most flags, it seemed natural for me to accept the offer. I received much encouragement from Chief Kitchell CQM, Signalman Trigg, Varaski and Quartermasters Coombs, Plemmons and many others.

I remember being chosen as Orderly for Rear Admiral William H. Allen during our commissioning ceremonies on 29 May 1941. I remember when I was transferred from the Swanson I was Signalman2/c.