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| THE 43RD NCB,1942-1945 |
| BATTALION OFFICERS |
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| HISTORY OF THE BATTALION |
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KODIAK
Since the day when they "broke boot" in Davisville, RI, on Thursday, November 12, 1942, the men of the 43rd NCB saw three years packed with hard work, play, wonderful liberties and leaves, and a lot of traveling.
Veterans of the 43rd will never forget the day they passed in review for the first time in Davisville. A lot of them saw snow for the first time on that Thursday, the 12th of November. They then began to "sweat it out" at Port Hueneme in December of that year. When they arrived at Seattle, that meant only one thing--Alaska! It was a jittery bunch of greenhorns who set sail from Seattle in January of 1943. They could all visualize an enemy sub poking its periscope out of the icy waters. Some of the boys almost broke their necks tearing up the ladder when the first practice alarm was sounded; they thought it was the real thing. But their fears were unfounded when their ship, the Wharton, pushed through the ice-packed bay into Kodiak.
At first glance, Kodiak looked like the last outpost of civilization--nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye could see. Their first big surprise came when the truck carrying them to their area passed a taxi cab! Another surprise awaited them when they had their first chow that night at NAS. Instead of a roughly constructed barn with planks for tables and boxes for seats, they found an ultra-modern cafeteria with a 16-piece dance orchestra serenading them! Things began to get rugged after that. They had to build their own chow hall, then slip and slide a quarter of a mile downhill to reach it from the barracks. It was a hard winter there on the hill and down at the peninsula and at Bell's Flats. When the spring thaw came, a whole new world opened up before their eyes. The ice melted from the mountains, and hundreds of varieties of wild flowers sprung up as if by magic. That made their stay a little more enjoyable.
Working six days a week and drilling on Sunday mornings was the routine for the men of the 43rd in Kodiak. At the end of the summer of 1943, everyone started giving odds on when they'd leave for the States. They soon found it was still a long way off. Winter came again, with sleet, rain, and everlasting MUD! Then, their projects nearing completion, things began to slack off, and they had time to think about going home!
CAMP PARKS AND PORT HUENEME
Stateside, again! Work-weary groups of Seabees, after 13 months spent in the rain, mud, ice and snow, and sunshine of the far north, returned to the States in January and February of 1944. Seattle looked wonderful as they nosed into the harbor. The days in Kodiak seemed to melt into the distant past as they realized the happier prospects of the immediate future. Seattle was literally taken by storm as the 43rd hit the city from all sides in the first tast of those sweet pleasures they had been looking forward to for the past year.
First a 30 day leave from Camp Parks: by every conceivable means of transportation, the men sped homeward for a well deserved rest, with an attempt to catch up on all they had been missing. Camp Parks was really a let down after the 30-day leave, but they soon adjusted to the "garden spot" of California. At Camp Parks, for the first time in their Seabee careers, they actually had a chow hall that was close to the barracks, and a ship's store that was well stocked and not too far away. They'd attend colors every morning on the blacktop---it was a thrill to them to watch Old Glory being raised every morning, while the ship's bell struck eight times.
Liberty was terric around Oakland and San Francisco. They will never forget the quiet dignity and restful charm of Oakland's leading cultural center, "Charlie Tye's". The people were very hospitable, and the California girls were "really neat"!
Of course, just as they were settled nicely at Camp Parks, and getting to know their way around, Uncle Sam jerked his thumb to the south. On the move again, this time to Port Hueneme, their old hangout in 1942. They rolled into Hueneme early in the morning of May 8, 1944. Military training began in earnest. To the rifle range they hiked, returning with sore feet to end all sore feet. More practice with the carbine, pitching tents for the millionth time, and marching. One of the biggest surprises of their hitch occurred with the announcement that they were to have a 15-day embarkation leave. Less than 2 months after their 30-day leave, they were heading home again for another "breather". Returning from this leave, they hit a new high in "financial embarrassment", brought sharply into focus by the conspicuous absence of the perennial "four-five-six" games. For the moneyed mates, Hollywood and LA held innumerable charms. The wolf call echoed from Hollywood and Vine to Sixth and Main! Center for the jookin' brethren was the famous Palladium Ballroom on Sunset Boulevard, where unhappy doggies and gyrenes were shoved aside by the jive-conscious jitterbugs of the 43rd!
At Camp Rousseau, they acquired a new commander, Lt. Comdr. A. F. Williams, who replaced their old skipper, Comdr. Dunlap. They lost many of the old gang by transfers while back in the states, but an influx of new men soon brought them back to quota.
At last, the long awaited signal came, and they shoved off again for foreign parts. But there wasn't the tenseness on the latest voyage that was so conspicuous on the first. Veterans, by golly!
| History of the 43rd, Part II | Tribute to Steve |
| Members of the 43rd | War Years: In The Navy |
| Navy Trivia | USN Pins | The Home Front | A Seabees Scrapbook |
