Just a note to let everyone know how relieved I was to be assigned to the PC 1132.
My previous ship was the USS General Mark L. Hershey, Personnel Carrier.
Because I passed my QM 2/c tests, I was rated "In Excess of Ships Complement" and was assigned to Treasure Island for the purpose of putting another ship into Commission.
Tough duty-- a desk watch from 0100 to 0130 every 3rd day.!! If the phone rang, answer it. If not, and your watch was over, you could leave, even if no relief showed for duty-Unlimited Liberty except for duty hours.
I had a girl friend in Berkeley-- so we had a lot of fun in San Francisco.
I would go to Kaiser Shipyards and watch the ship being built.
But on one visit, they were cutting the ship up for scrap, and the next thing happened, I was on a huge draft headed for the southern Phillipine Islands.
The base was huge, and still under construction.
At morning muster one of the petty officers said "I want 10 volunteers- You and You and You-- etc. He collected our ID Cards and led us to a cement mixing operation consisting of a truck mounted mixer, and piles of sand, gravel, and cement. And- Oh Yes- Plenty of "Irish Baby Buggies"--IE Heavy Construction Wheelbarrows.
Transient Personnel "Rates " were left "Hanging on the entrance gatepost of the base" so far as base assignments were concerned.
The pour site was about 1/3 of a mile away, with a path of 2 x 12's for a runway for the wheelbarrows. No Gloves, only a Navy white hat, and lots of cement.
At the end of the day, my hands were sore, but bearable. By the end of the 2nd day, they were bleeding from the abrasion of the sand and cement on the wooden wheelbarrow handles.
At Muster the next morning, I told the petty officer I needed to go to Sick Bay because my hands were so sore. He returned my ID and I was given light duty- The only time in my Navy Career I saw the inside of a sick bay.-- But, you can only imagine the relief I felt when I reported aboard The PC 1132. Regular sea duty at last! I think that they were waiting for me, for no more than had I reported for duty, than the gangway watch sang out--
"The Quartermaster is aboard" and immediately the Officer of the Deck called out "CAST OFF ALL LINES"-- and we headed out into the entrance of Manilla bay for patrol duty. A similar scenario happened when I reported for duty aboard the Hershey. So, I sign off--"Cast off all lines."
Keep up the good work.
Stuart Tidwell