Mid 1949, we were operating out of Pearl with UTE (Underway Training Unit)and COMSUBPAC. We were training on the procedure of attacking submarines, Capt. Robert R. Carter in command of the ship. We had an arrogant Ensign at the CON training on How to Attack a submarine. We had made three or four runs with-out a hit or even a close miss. Beebe stuck his head out of the Sonar shack and asked the Captain, " We made 3 perfect runs and all misses. What is going on out there?" He knew that the Captain was not at the CON. Captain Carter was sitting in his chair with his baseball cap over his eyes half asleep (acting). He looked over at Beebe and said "Do you think you could do better?". A moment later Beebe came out of the shack and took over the CON from this bewildered Ensign. He made an hedgehog run and up came the bubble in the middle of the circle. A hit. Beebe gave up the CON and returned to the Sonar Shack. The befuddled Engin. looked at Captain Carter who said " Mr, that is how you do it?"
New Years Eve 1949/50, we were tied up at the Baker dock at the Naval Station Pearl. My buddies, Gerald Graham and Gerald King were my seniors by 3 and 5 days. As the junior radioman I was stuck with the duty and couldn’t go ashore. It really ticked me off. The ships crew was very small that night. The duty quartermaster, an radar man and myself were the only ones in our division aboard that night. Sullivan, the cook, had baked a ham and we had it in the radio shack eating trying to figure out how we were going to celebrate New Years. Some yelled at us to answer the blinkers from the other ships in the harbor. When we got to signal bridge we noticed that all our lights were out except the running lights on the yard arm. We went to the big 24 inch light on the port side. It was dead. The small light was also dead. Ensign Shanhouse came out on the port wing about that time and wanted to know what we were doing. We told him. He said this ship was not going to "light up" and do anything stupid like the other ships. We said this is New Years Eve. No Go. He went back to the wardroom. We answered the ships our dilemma with the yard arm lights, then went into the radio shack ate more ham and pondered our dilemma. The quartermaster said the only thing he found was the very pistol in the chart room next to CIC. . We checked it out and sure enough there the very pistol was. At least we could shoot the darn thing at midnight. Only trouble was, we couldn’t find the shells. Shanhouse apparently hid them too. About that time someone broke the pistol open and there was one in the chamber. Well at least we could shot one shot. So up onto the signal bridge we went in front of the pilot house where we could shoot the very pistol. We had awnings covering the stern portion of the ship and also the bow. Well it was coming up on midnight and we were counting down when who should show up but Ensign Shanhouse just as the quartermaster raised his arm to fire. Shanhouse grabbed his arm and pulled it down and the pistol was fired right on to the bow awning. Shanhouse to our amazement, jumped over on to that awning and began to try and put those little sparklers out with his had. As it was they were rolling back towards him and he was hopping around like a jack rabbit trying to get away from them. We started to laugh our heads off. If he had left well enough alone the sparklers would have rolled off into the water. The next day Captain Carter asked us what happened. We told him and all he did was shake his head.
I was ticked off by Pinky and Gerry sticking me with the duty on New Years Eve and giving me a hard time so I decided to get back at them. With the help of the others that were stuck on board that night with me. We took all the mattress off the bunks and hauled them up to the CIC shack and I locked my self in and slept there. When my buddies came back to the ship, they had just the springs to sack out on. In their state, anyplace was ok. The next morning before they could find me, I was ashore on liberty.
Lt. Tamassia was the engineering officer aboard the Spangler. He was one of the best officers and respected by all hands. The snipes thought he was outstanding. I do not ever recall he getting up set with anyone. He was one of the most even tempered men (officers) I have ever had the privilege to serve with.
It was a hot July evening and we were tied up along side Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. I was on the mid-watch in between Fox skeds so I went out on the port side of the boat deck. To my surprise, there were two snipes, drunk as a skunk, in our little dingy paddling around along side. The line to the dingy had a lot of play in it so they thought they were relative free, which they were not. One of them had an officers cover. He also was standing up barking commands to the fellow shipmate who was paddling with a piece of wood we used as a paddle. Well they came to end of their “rope” and the snip standing went into the drink. Now the water alongside Ford Island was the dirtiest you would find anyplace. The oil on top is thick and gooey. The fellows swam over to the rope ladder we had over the side and came up on board. The hat that one had on was a mess. They apparently discussed what to do. A moment later they disappeared and I just guessed they returned the cover to the ward room. I waited a few minutes to be sure they were gone then I went down to the ward room and sure enough that officers hat was in its place dripping oil and water and a real mess. I checked the name in it and it was Lt. Tamassia’s.
I never heard a peep out of anyone, the two snipes or Mr Tamassia except that “How in the world did my hat get this way”. I do not think I told anyone of that incident for years.
A lot of events occur during the Mid-Watch. Most of them are funny then and now. This one occurred one such night. We were tied up at the Baker docks in Pearl. Two drunks came staggering up towards the ship from the direction of the stern. Both had been restricted to the base for fighting, they were cousins and always fighting each other especially when they had a few drinks in them. One stopped and sat on one of the Bull-locks that we secure the ships lines to at the stern of the ship. The other staggered aboard and went to the stern by our depth charge racks. The one on shore proceeded to throw bottles of beer to his cousin. The bottles fell into the water, fortunately, all but one. The cousin on board did catch that one and only bottle. His buddy/cousin then came aboard. They were both standing together when the Master of Arms came up out of the stern compartment and saw them with that beer bottle in their hands.
No this Master at Arms was not very swift, he was a 2 hash mark 3rd class Boatswain. He wore his white hat on the bridge of his nose and swaggered and pulled his authority when he could. He tried to bully everyone. Most of the folks ignored him much to his frustrations. He also was noted for the tattoos he had. On the cheeks of his rear was tattooed “ Stand Clear, Twin Screws”, but more about that later.
He yelled for those two drunks to “Come here”. They did. He must have forgot where he was cause he tried to step back and instead he fell back, down that compartments ladder. When he hit the bottom, he was out cold. The two drunks just stood there staring down the hatch. I came up at that time and told them to first throw that bottle of beer over the side and go get the roving patrol and tell the quarter deck watch to get the pharmacist mate. I went down the ladder and saw that the MA was not bleeding and breathing OK. About that time the pharmacist came up in his skivvies and checked him out. He was out cold. I told everyone that I saw him fall down the ladder, leaving out the details of the beer etc. I saw no reason to tell that to anyone. The pharmacist mate decided the best was to put him in his bunk and let him sleep. He told the quarter deck/roving patrol to check on him every once in awhile and any problems to call him.
The next morning the MA filed a report that these two drunks and hit him and knocked him down the hatch. They denied that they touched him. The Exec. called me in to the ward room and asked me what I saw. I told him I saw everything, that the two drunks were walking up to the MA and he took a step back and down he went. The MA was mad as a hornet at me and became angry until the Exec. shut him up. The MA never mentioned the beer bottle and neither did I. Later that day I was routing messages and saw Capt. Carter. He asked me to tell him the whole story and leave out nothing. I asked him if I did would he punish the two drunks? He said tell me the story and I’ll decide. So told him what had happened. He laughed and told me that since they threw the beer bottle over the side and they didn’t hit the MA that he would take it no further.