June 26, 1943 All day on board - very quiet and rather tiresome. I watched the loading, which was finished by about 4 or 5 P.M. Eggs, ice cream, fresh meat. ... Atlantic? Australia? India?
No troops [other than the 92nd Evac] came aboard until some officers about 7:30 P.M. The troops will no doubt load after dark and we may leave during the night. A sailor said the storekeeper said that they had taken on more food than for any previous voyage. The crew (?) expect it to be the Atlantic this time! This boat has made it to Australia in 14 days.
The dining room and food are marvelous - tablecloths, silver, good waiters! Today we ate 3 times. From now on I eat at 10:15 and 6:15 on the 4th shift. We will be allowed only 30 minutes.
This boat is probably as tall as a 10 story building at least - top deck (divided), boat deck, then A, B, C, D, E, and 2 or 3 below that. The Pilsner (?) line [Plimsoll line] on the bow is at 28' with a possible 30. 3500 more men should put it down a bit more.
I slept fairly well last night. There is a lot of noise. 6 men in a room 12' x 12' is a bit crowded.
The companion boat to this [the troop ship next to theirs] left this morning.
The official rating is 3900 troops and crew up to 4500 total.
We won't know where we are going for some time. We are said to leave with sealed orders as to the course, which are opened successively as we go along.
There is no hot water for shaving.
June 27, 1943 (Sunday) I was surprised when I woke up this morning about 7:30 to find we were still at the dock. Troops had come aboard all night, however. They (or some at least) came from Camp Stoneman on a ferry.
The gangplank was taken off at 9 A.M. and we cast off about 9:20, the ship backing itself out. We passed under the Golden Gate Bridge about 9:40 and stood out to sea, convoyed by a destroyer and 2 blimps (or dirigibles?) which stayed with us most of the day. It was a little foggy.
... About 11:30 we had our first "abandon ship stations" drill and had some instuctions over the loudspeaker system. 7 shorts and a long by the bells is "It"!
The sea has a fair swell to it at times and quite a few have already been sick! So far (at 7:35 P.M.) I'm still fine!
At 3 P.M. we had another drill.
We passed quite a few ships at first. This baby really steps along!
We were given "Australia" books [perhaps a copy of the book found at http:www.scribd.com/doc/29729334/WWII-1943-Australia-Pocket-Guide] Maybe we'll go there! We were also given a very neat ditty bag containing a pencil, tablet of paper, deck of cards, "housewife" (of needles, thread, buttons, pins, etc.), shoe cloth, pack of cigarettes, gum, pocket edition book, razor blades, shoe laces - this from the Red Cross of East Chicago.
The meals continue to be simply marvelous! I hope I can continue to enjoy them.
They call our life preservers our best friend while on ship!
Sea water is hard to wash in! We get 2 buckets of fresh a day for the 6 of us to wash in.
We have been going chiefly SW all day.
July 1, 1943 (Thursday) Adams puts us 130° west and 18° north, southeast of Hawaii, and 2300 miles from Frisco ..., so maybe we are making about 24 knots an hour.
We are in the scattered sunshine today and it is much warmer. The calisthenics this morning were dillies. ...
This morning we had a mild flurry of excitement. About 8:30 I went on deck and everyone was looking off to port at a ship. The guns were all uncovered and trained on it. It looked like a ship similar to ours. They began blinking messages and we turned away after a while.
July 2, 1943 (Thursday [actually Friday]) It rained hard during the night. This morning the sea was quite calm, only a few gentle swells. ...
Time certainly does hang heavily! I've read a lot of detective stories. Another abandon ship stations drill.
Last night I watched the phosphorescence in the water. It was not so very brilliant, but quite beautiful.
The weather continues to be very sticky and hot.
This morning I had a haircut.
I wonder if Beth is to Trinidad yet. Damn the war!
She must have been, because on 8 July 1943 Beth wrote from Warrensburg, MO, where she is visiting her parents:
Dear Mary X.
... I had a tiresome trip home but all went well. ... The boys did mighty well. They are really sweet youngsters. Trinidad was tough. All people asked too many questions and I had a hard time finding time to do necessary work. ... Dutchie [their dachshund] was so glad to see me. He is so fat he is a monstrosity but he is happy and they love him to pieces so I don't care if he does die young! ...
I had two letters from Gene waiting for me in Wbg. One was written from Camp Stoneman the day he called me and one was written on the boat. Both had been censored and the date on the 2nd was all that was removed. He said he had been all over the place (boat) and it was most interesting. They had been asked to leave very few places!! ... How I hope he has a good trip. Of course I can't wait to hear of his safe arrival. ...
Much love, Elisabeth
We are all acutely and constantly conscious of the possibilities of having to abandon ship and believe me we enter into the spirit of our drill! Last evening the ship gave a peculiar lurch. We all stopped dead still and listened, ready to grab for our shirts, canteen belts and life preservers.
July 3, 1943 (Saturday) We probably crossed the equator today about 1315. Nope! There is no black line! And we're not going downhill, that I can see. There have been none of the usual monkeyshines with Father Neptune. The barber told me that one trip everybody on board had his hair clipped off so that they looked like a load of convicts going to Australia, as the original bunch. I still have my moustache too. ...
It is just a year today that I entered the army. And a lot of water has gone past since then. I hope I'll be home with my Honey before another year, but I'd be afraid to bet on it.
July 4, 1943 (Sunday) I forgot to turn my watch back last night so I was up at 6:30 and it is a long time until breakfast at 10:15! ...
Church today. Everyone sitting on the floor of what formerly was the library. Sang an old Navy hymn #128 in the Army-Navy hymnal.
July 6, 1943 (Tuesday) Mother's birthday today.
Talk on malaria. I resolve to take my atabrine. I don't want "falciparum" malaria [the most serious form of malaria] ...!
July 8, 1943 (Thursday) We lost another hour last night (really gained for watches are set back). Ordinarily we would change the date also, but we are waiting until we cross the 180° line, instead of [changing] according to the map. We are now directly west of Brisbane [Australia]. We are doing considerably more zig-zagging.
This is the first time this ship has carried any army personnel. Always before it has been Marines and sailors. It was gone for 60+ days last trip, gathering (finally) some 2000 sick and wounded on its return. The ship's doctor said they have a much smaller sick call with us than with Marines! He was also surprised at how little athlete's foot there is compared to Marines. ...
It is clearing rapidly in this cooler weather! ... We are near the Aldrich Deep - 30,930 feet! ...
I saw a whale spout twice and barely stick part of himself out of the water, about 1/4 mile off the starboard, last evening. He must have been a small whale, at that! We change dates tonight.
July 9, 1943 Lost Friday the 9th!
July 10, 1943 (Saturday) This week has had no Friday so far as we are concerned! There came out yesterday (Thursday) a notice from the commander of troops saying that on Friday the nurses would be confined to quarters, and that 25 would be detailed for KP! Big joke!
Scuttlebutt has it that we will arrive Monday noon - 2 days more. Probably that is in error. ...
We have 2 new converts to chess - Ed and Niemyer. Now all 6 of us play in this room.
July 11, 1943 (Sunday) On a trip such as this one can appreciate the meaing of the hymn "Safely thru Another Night". Last evening a flare was sighted a long ways off. But we didn't stop! Survivors?
We won't be in before Tuesday. This morning I saw a school of porpoises playing along, jumping out of the water.
We turned our watches back another hour last night. ... Our food continues to be excellent.
Church again - our Padre at 2 P.M., in the "library". This ship must have been something of a luxury ship. We certainly are lucky to be on it and not a regular troop ship.
I'll have charge of the baggage detail unloading.
These long evenings! It was dark by 6 P.M. I'm so darn lonesome for Beth. I hate to think of how long the time may be before I see her again.
July 12, 1943 (Monday) Last night was the worst one for pitching around, but still nothing like a storm. We are probably still 350 miles from port. This morning about 9 a minesweeper (?) came up and blinked at us and is our escort. It is now cruising ahead of us. Golly but it can travel fast!
Another change in time last night. We had our last boat drill yesterday. We plan to tip our waiter $3 apiece, and likewise our steward. I wonder where we'll go on landing and what we'll do. Rumors have it India and the Solomons.
Tonight I saw the light house lights after supper (about 7 P.M.). We'll soon be in the harbor. With all the zig-zag, we must have gone over 8000 miles in about 14 1/2 days, roughly.
I thought the darn boat was going to capsize about 9 P.M. Everyone rushed to the port side to see the land, the boat was light from oil consumed and kept that way to go up the river, and we were making sharp turns.
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| Brisbane, Australia |
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