First, I will give you a short career history of myself.  I enlisted in this  wonderful U.S. Navy as an Apprentice Seaman on November 17th, 1941, which was  just three weeks before December 7th (Pearl Harbor).  I was first assigned to  duty aboard the light cruiser, USS St. Louis (CL-49) in January, 1942.  Three  months later, an appendectomy sent me to the Navy Hospital in Mare Island,  California, and subsequently I was assigned to duty aboard WEST POINT in May,  1942.  My first view of this beautiful ship was when she was setting in the  shipyard drydock having her bottom scraped and painted.

She was a big ship for those days--723 feet long and 91 feet wide.  Built in 1938 in Newport News, Virginia, by the United States Lines as a luxury liner   she was christened S.S.. AMERICA as the company's Flagship, leased to the   U.S. Navy for war duty in 1941 and renamed USS WEST POINT, and put back into   luxury liner service with U.S. Lines in 1946.

After that the ownership of WEST POINT changed hands several times as did her   name.  A more complete history of this ship after her wartime duties can be   found at website www.users.zetnet.co.uk/australis.  Australis was one of her   subsequent names.

I came aboard as a 17 year old Seaman Recruit and was immediately assigned to duty in the Captain's Office as a yeoman (clerical) where I worked for the   next three years.  One of my duties during this time was to keep the ship's   Roster of Officers updated and to this date I can still recall the names of   many of those officers.  Bill, I cannot recall your grandfather's name being   on that Roster.  Perhaps he was not a commissioned officer while aboard the   West Point but subsequently was commissioned and later attained the rank of   Lieutenant Commander; however, I could be wrong about this.  There were over   800 in the ship's crew and some 40 officers.

I served three years on board until April 1945.  During that time she made three complete trips around the world traveling over 400,000 miles and   transporting more that 350,000 troops to and from all war zones.

I left the ship as a Yeoman First Class (Pay Grade E-6) for a tour of Shore  Duty in New York City where I subsequently was promoted to Chief Yeoman and  reenlisted for another four years.  After 17 years in the Navy and 12 years  as a Chief Petty Officer I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the  right time and was commisssioned an Ensign.  During the next 13 years I was  promoted through the ranks to Lieutenant Commander.  After a total of 30  years service in 1971 the Navy finally said, "Williams, you are going to have
to get out now."

We enjoyed some wonderful duty asignments in the Navy.  Two years in   Istanbul, Turkey, where a daughter was born; two years in Paris, France,   where a son was born; two years in Naples, Italy; and two years in the 60's   aboard the wonderful Heavy Cruiser, USS NEWPORT NEWS.  My most interesting   tour of duty was as the Admiral's Writer for Admiral Arleigh Burke when he   was the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon in 1958.  That was where I   was "lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time" and was   promoted to commissioned officer rank. 

(Mac) McLain:

My Navy history isn't at all spectacular, but here it is.

I was drafted into the Navy from Newark, NJ, went to Great Lakes, IL boot  camp on January 12, 1944. When we first arrived at boot camp, our company  of over 100 men were asked if anyone could type. Three of us could type and  as soon as we demonstrated that fact, were made Yeoman 3rd Class on the  spot and put to work in the office. So I was deprived from a lot of tough,  cold work outside. The snow was knee deep out there.

I was shipped to Camp Shoemaker (near San Francisco) to await assignment.  After about six weeks, working part time in the office there, was  transferred to the USS WEST POINT AP23, a large troop ship, for duty in the  Pacific (and later in the Atlantic).

On April 27, 1944 (my first trip), we had 500 WAC's and 7,000 GI's aboard.  The WAC's were for Sydney, Australia and the GI's for Milne Bay, New  Guinea. Several hundred Aussies were loaded in Sydney, also headed for  Milne Bay.

I had several jobs (concurrently) aboard the ship: Editor of the Pointer's  Pup, the ship's mimeographed newspaper; working in the Executive Office;  and helping update code books in the Radio Shack.

From Milne Bay on May 20, 1944, we sailed to Crostobol (Canal Zone), arriving there on June 7, 1944. After refueling there, we sailed on through  the canal and up the coast to Boston, where 7,706 troops were loaded for  transportation to The Firth of Clyde (Greenock) Scotland. We departed on  27th of June, arriving in Greenock on July 3rd, 1944.

We not only carried troops over to Europe, we transported wounded back from there. The ship made it in either five or six days, one way, and used  100,000 gallons of fuel oil a day. Our capacity was 1,100,000 gallons of  fuel oil and the tanks were filled with sea water as soon as they were  empty (for ballast).

The WEST POINT never traveled in convoy, and zig-zagged in irregular  patterns to foil submarines. On one voyage, we transported the 101st  Airborne Division to Greenock, returned to Boston, loaded some more troops  and took them to Greenock and picked up 101st Airborne wounded. That's how  quick they were into battle after arriving there.

This routine was repeated many times over several months. Sometimes the  troops were carried to Liverpool, England. On November 19, 1944, we were  scheduled for Newport News re-fitting. Twin mount five-inch guns were  mounted fore and aft and the newest radar technology (sonar) was installed.

On December 6, 1944 we returned to Boston. Several enlisted men (me  included) were playing poker where the super secret sonar gear had just been installed. Our ship's Captain New and the Admiral of the Naval  District came in to look at the sonar stuff. The captain was startled and  embarassed to see us in there. Only three people had keys to the door, and
Chief Radarman Barney Fisler was one of them, sitting there at the table.  Captain said: "Barney, I want you in my office in 10 minutes." But nothing  really happened to Fisler. He later made Warrant Officer.

After this episode, we loaded troops and were off on three separate trips  from Boston to Marseilles, Merz-el-Kebir North Africa and Naples, Italy.

On the same day that Franklin D. Roosevelt died I was aboard another troop   transport on my way to Torquay, England, where I had been re-assigned for   temporary duty with the Navy CB's. After about a month of living in a tent,   moved on to London for duty (with Admiral Ghormley, Commander, US Naval   Forces in Germany or ComNavForGer) until the war in Europe was over.

Our headquarters in London were in Regent Street and we were quartered in  the Regent Palace Hotel (which isn't as elegant as the name sounds).  Immediately after the war in Europe was over the group moved over to  Frankfurt. We had a motor caravan with 14 vehicles, and I drove one of  them. It was quite an exerience driving through the devastated areas of  France and Germany. I particularly remember Aachen, which was completely  leveled.

In the Frankfurt ComNavForGer fenced compound, I had duty in the Officer   Personnel office. Attached to our command (for administrative purposes)  were the lawyers and others associated with the Office of Strategic  Services (OSS). Admiral Ghormley had a commodore and about 7 Naval Captains  and their forces under his command.

I had the opportunity to go on leave twice in Europe. Once to Lugano,   Switzerland, and the other to Zermatt, Switzerland. Great tourist places.

As soon as I had enough points to get out of the Navy I did so, returning  to my job as a newspaper printer.

There really isn't anything outstanding about my Naval service. I  thoroughly enjoyed it, though.

Regards,

Winton B. (Mac) McLain

Bud Shortridge

I actually joined the Navy prior to my graduation from High School, which occurred in 1956. There was a group of us from Fort Wayne, Indiana that left the city by bus bound for Indianapolis on June of the above year all going to see the world, via the Navy. The group spent a day in Indianapolis, signed papers, physical check, and all the other things that go on when joining the military, then headed by train to Bainbridge MD. Oh yes good ole Bainbridge, MD. Well I was there for three months for "Boot Camp." This of course is where they attempt to turn a boy into some form of a man, or at least this is what we were told. An you know what, the Navy sure worked hard at this task, I'm not going to say we were men at the end of the ordeal, but we sure did change in a lot of ways.

> Ok, after boot camp I got orders to report to Port Hueneme, Calif. This base is a Sea Bee Base, which at that time had a "Drafting School," and I was sent to this school because of some artistic talent that the Navy felt that I possessed. Not really sure at how long I was at this school, but I graduated and then received orders to diving school on the east coast, which again I guess the Navy felt I had an interest in, and I really did enjoy diving as a hobby. Once out of diving school I received orders to proceed to Key West, Fl.

Once in Key West, I was assigned to S.A.D D. (Surface anti-Submarine Development Detachment). At the time I was given the job to observe, gather data on a variety of, and other types of weapons connected to Submarines. I would go out on Sub's as well as surface vessels, gather data by observing 35 mm films from instruments, and then compile this into illustrations for Navy brass. The illustrations would be made into posters, charts, grafts, and any observant material that could illustrate what the weapon would or could do. Some of the vessels that I was able to go out on were the USS BUSHNELL (AS-15), USS HOWARD W. GILMORE (AS-16), USS ARCHERFISH (SS-311), and USS NAUTILUS (SSN-571), there were several others but over the years I just simply forgot their names. Some I would spend a few days on, others I would be on just for one day, and then there were others, as with the NAUTILUS that I mainly looked at data that they provided, and then I converted the data to whatever > was needed. I believe I was at Key West about two years, and then received orders for sea duty aboard a converted minesweeper USS SHELDRAKE (AGS-19).

This particular vessel was a survey ship, which at the time had some civilians aboard, and a crew of divers. Our home port was Brooklyn New York, never was there a whole heck of a lot, it seems we were always running up and down the east coast, but never into port. We did a lot of surveying of the bottom of the ocean, collecting water samples, ocean floor samples, running a PDR (precision depth recorder), and tracking the different warm currents of the Atlantic. As I understand it, this was all for the purpose of the placement of listening devices, and some future mine warfare. It was terribly interesting work, I enjoyed every dive that I made, and wished now that I had stayed in the Navy as a career sailor. I knew I enjoyed the Navy, but I didn't know how much until I was out and away from it.

I spent a total of about five and half years in the Navy and really enjoyed every minute of it. I was the typical sailor, a beer in one hand and a lady in the other. I live life to the fullest then, and I continue to do so, but the Navy provided me with a purpose that was very satisfying to me, and I will never forget the experiences that the Navy afforded me to be a part of.

Bud Shortridge