HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 22 VOL 7
FEBRUARY 22ND 2008
WEATHER; CCCOLD, MED HUMIDITY, 33/44 DEGREES
GAS; I HAVEN’T BEEN TO TOWN SO I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANY PRICES.
ANOTHER DAY TO COLD TO DO ANYTHING OUTSIDE.
GLENDA DIDN’T GO TO WORK TODAY AND DIDN’T TAKE HALEY JO TO SCHOOL SO WE DIDN’T HAVE TO PICK HER UP! MOM STAYED BUSY IN THE KITCHEN AND MADE A BIG POT OF CLAMB CHOWDER! I HAD TWO BOWLS FOR DINNER AND ALMOST HAD A THIRD BUT KNEW IT WOULD MAKE ME UNCOMFORTABLE SO, I’LL HAVE MORE TOMORROW! MOM ALSO MADE A COUPLE OF LOVES OF BREAD! WE HAD AN AUTOMATIC BREAD MACHINE BUT IT VIBRATED IT SELF OFF THE SINK THE OTHER DAY AND BROKE THE GLASS DOME ALL TO PIECES SO IT WAS THROWN IN THE DUMPSTER! I DON’T KNOW WHEN MOM WILL BUY ANOTHER ONE? SHE MAY NOT SHE MAKES GOOD BREAD USING THE OLD BREAD PANS!
THE AUTOMATIC MACHINE WAS GOOD FOR PUTTING THE INGREDIENTS IN AND SET THE TIMER FOR WHAT YOU’RE MAKING AND LISTEN FOR THE “I’M DONE” BEEPER! OR YOU COULD LEAVE AND GET BACK WHEN THE BREAD/ROLLS WERE FINISHED!
MORE RANDOM THOUGHTS
I DON’T MIND THE RAT RACE, BUT I COULD DO WITH A LITTLE MORE CHEESE.
I HAD TO GIVE UP JOGGING FOR MY HEALTH, MY THIGHS KEPT RUBBING TOGETHER AND SETTING MY PANTY HOSE ON FIRE.
AMAZING! YOU JUST HANG SOMETHING IN YOUR CLOSET FOR A WHILE AND IT SHRINKS TWO SIZES.
IT IS BAD TO SUPPRESS LAUGHTER, IT GOES BACK DOWN AND SPREADS TO YOUR HIPS.
AGE IS IMPORTANT ONLY IF YOU’RE CHEESE.
THE ONLY TIME A WOMAN WISHES SHE WERE A YEAR OLDER IS WHEN SHE’S EXPECTING A BABY.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS MEANS NO-IRON CLOTHES.
INSIDE OF MOST OF US IS A THIN PERSON STRUGGLING TO GET OUT, BUT SHE CAN USUALLY BE SEDATED WITH A FEW PIECES OF CHOCOLATE CAKE.
CAN IT BE A MISTAKE THAT “STRESSED” IS “DESERTS” SPELLED BACKWARDS?
SEEN IT ALL, DONE IT ALL, CAN’T REMEMBER MOST OF IT.
THOSE WHO LIVE BY THE SWORD GET SHOT BY THOSE WHO DON’T.
HONK IF YOU LOVE PEACE AND QUIET.
PARDON MY DRIVING, I’M RELOADING.
DESPITE THE HIGH COST OF LIVING, HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW IT REMAINS SO POPULAR?
NOTHING IS FOOLPROOF TO A SUFFICIENTLY TALENTED FOOL.
THESE ARE FROM DEBS FUN PAGES
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
HERE’S AN ARTICLE ABOUT MY TIME IN THE USNR!
ENLISTED APRIL 1946, IN JUNE 1946 I WAS SENT ON A CRUISE ABOARD THE USS BADOEING STRAITS CVE 116 AN ESCORT “JEEP” AIRCRAFT CARRIER! I WAS SENT ON THIS CRUISE BECAUSE I ANSWERED A QUESTION ON MY ENLISTMENT SHEET; “WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO AS A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY?” I ANSWERED I WANTED TO BE A NAVAL AVIATOR! THAT ALL ENDED WHEN I LOST THE SIGHT OUT OF MY LEFT EYE IN THE 1950 AUTO ACCIDENT!
WE HAD 25 WWII AIRCRAFT ABOARD, 10 F6F GRUMMAN HELLCATS, 10 TBM GRUMMAN AVENGER TORPEDO BOMBERS (THE “M” SIGNIFIES IT WAS BUIT BY MARTIN) 5 SB2C-5 CURTIS HELLDIVER (THE -5 WAS BUILT BY FAIRCHILD LIMITED AIRCRAFT IN CANADA)!
THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WHEN I GOT ABOARD WAS THE LONG FRESH SEA WATER FLOWING COMMODE IN THE HEAD. THERE WERE TWO OF THEM ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER , 5 SEATS ON EACH ONE THE SEA WATER WAS FLOWING CONSTANTLY! I LEARNED REAL QUICK TO TRY AND GET THE SEAT AT THE END WHERE THE WATER CAME IN! THE OLDER GUYS WOULD GET THE FIRST SEAT AND WAD UP SMALL BALLS OF TOILET PAPER, LIGHT IT AND DROP IT IN THE FLOWING WATER! IF YOU SAW IT YOU MIGHT STAND UP FAST ENOUGH, IF NOT YOU GOT THE EFFECT OF FLAMES IN THE WATER, ENOUGH SAID I’M SURE!
MY FIRST DUTY WAS BEING ASSIGNED TO A GUN CREW; THE FIRST GUN WE WERE TRAIND TO OPERATE WAS THE QUAD 40 MM ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS, THIS GUN WAS OF THE “BOFFERS” DESIGN! I CAN REMEMBER MY DAD TELLING ABOUT THE “BOFFERS”! HE SERVED ON THE USS CALIFORNIA IN THE ATLANTIC FLEET! THE CALIFORNIA WAS CHOSEN TO TEST A NEW ANTI AIRCRAFT GUN, THE 40 MM TWIN MOUNT “BOFFERS”! HE ALSO RELATED TO US HOW THE DESIGN OF THE GUN WAS SNEAKED OUT OF I THINK SWITZERLAND ON POST CARDS. THE PLANS WERE DRAWN ON THE POST CARDS WITH LEMON JUICE INK WHICH WHEN HEAT IS APPLIED TO IT, BECOMES VISIBLE! YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW MANY POST CARDS IT TOOK TO GET THE COMPLETE BLUE PRINTS? WHEN YOU SEE THEM FIRING IN FILMS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FIRING TOGETHER, IF THEY’RE NOT THERE WAS A MISS FIRE AND THEY GOT OUT OF SYNC! THEY’VE BEEN GIVEN NICK NAMES; “THE CHICAGO PIANO”, “POM-POM GUN” THEY WERE IN WHAT WAS CALLED A GUN TUB. MY FIRST POSITION WAS AIMER, AFTER FIRING 10 ROUNDS THEY MOVED EVERYONE AROUND TO THE LEFT SO I BECAME THE TRAINER FOR THE NEXT 10 ROUNDS, THEN THE LOADER FOR THE NEXT 10 ROUNDS THEN BACK TO AIMER. WE WENT AROUND 5 TIMES AND BECAME PREATY GOOD ON THIS GUN! EACH GUN CREW HAD A DIFFERENT COLOR PAINTED ON THE TIP OF THE SHELLS SO WHEN THE TARGET WAS RECOVERED THEY COULD TELL BY THE MARK AROUND THE HOLE WHO DID WHAT! THE TARGET WAS TOWED BY A TBM AVENGER AROUND 2,500 YARDS FROM THE SHIP AND 1,500 FEET ALTITUDE AT 150 MPH, IT MADE AS MANY PASSES AS NECESSARY FOR GUNNERY PRACTICE!
THE NEXT GUN FOR US WAS THE 20 MM SINGLE MOUNT WE FIRED 200 ROUNDS WITH THIS GUN 25 AT A TIME, EXCEPT FOR THE VIBRATION THIS WAS A REAL FINE GUN! IT TRAVERSED IN ALL DIRECTIONS AND HAD A FIRING BLOCK OUT IF IT WAS MOVED TO CLOSE TO THE SIDE OF THE SHIP TO INTERUPT THE FIRNG! IT HAD THE COLOR CODE TOO!
THERE WERE TWO 1INCH RAPID FIRE GUNS MOUNTED ON EACH SIDE OF THE HANGER DECK FIRING OUT OF THE WEATHER OPENINGS, THEY WERE PERMANENTLY MOUNTED AND COULD ONLY TRACK TO LEFT AND RIGHT! THEY ALSO HAD A FIRING BLOCK ON THEM! I ASSUMED THEY WERE JUST FOR MORE FIRE POWER AND COULD BE EFFECTIVE TO KNOCK DOWN LOW FLYING TORPEDO BOMBERS! IF THERE WAS ANOTHER SHIP WITHIN 10,000 YARDS OF THE SIDE OF THE SHIP FIRING NONE OF THE GUNS COULD FIRE IF THEY WERE BELOW A LEVEL POINT WITH THE WATER! THE TBM WOULD MAKE A LOW PASS ABOUT 1000 YARDS FROM THE SHIP AT 300 FEET ABOVE THE WATER FOR THESE GUNS! THESE GUNS HAD THE COLOR CODE ALSO
NOW WE GOT A CRACK AT THE BIG BOYS; THERE WERE TWO 5 INCH 38s MOUNTED ON THE FAN TAIL! ONE FIRING TO PORT THE OTHER TO STARBOARD! IF YOU MULTIPLY 38X5 IT WILL GIVE YOU THE LENGTH OF THE BARREL! THERE WAS A PLACK ON THE BULK HEAD BETWEEN THE GUN MOUNTS THAT READ; “THE MEN NAMED HERE HAVE BEEN CREDITED WITH SHOOTING DOWN ENEMY AIRCRAFT FROM 35,000 FEET,” I DON’T REMEMBER THE BATTLE, COULD HAVE BEEN MIDWAY OR CORAL SEA BUT ONE THING IS SURE, THEY DON’T PUT THESE PLACKS UP FOR THE FUN OF IT AND YOU KNOW THE “ENEMY AIRCRAFT” WERE JAPANESE!
THERE AGAIN, MY FIRST POSITION WAS AIMER, THEN TRAINER, THEN LOADER AND THEN AS GUN CAPTAIN GIVING THE ORDER TO FIRE WHEN THE AIMER AND TRAINER WERE LOCKED ON A TARGET! WE HAD ASBESTOS GLOVES TO CATCH THE EMPTY SHELL CASING WHEN IT POPPED OUT OF THE BREECH! WE WERE SHOOTING AT A WOODEN TARGET TOWED BY A DESTROYER ON A 2,000 FOOT LINE ABOUT 1 MILE FROM THE SHIP! MY GUN HAD TWO NEAR MISSES BUT CLOSE ENOUGH TO DO SOME DAMAGE TO A SHIPS HULL AT OR BELOW THE WATER LINE!
I GOT TO EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF BEING CATAPULTED FROM THE SHIP AND THEN LANDING BACK ABOARD! THE PILOT OF ONE OF THE TBMs DREW THE SERIAL NUMBER OF ONE OF THE RECRUITS TO RIDE AS RADIOMAN ON HIS AIRCRAFT MAKING THE MAIL RUN TO SAN DIEGO AND I WAS THE LUCKY SEAMAN!
IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN IN A TBM, THE RADIOMAN/NAVIGATOR SETS ON THE LEFT DOWN LOW BEHIND THE PILOT, THERE’S A SMALL WINDOW RIGHT BY HIS HEADSO HE CAN LOOKOUT AND SEE ANY DAMAGE DURING A COMBAT SITUATION! THERE’S ANOTHER WINDOW ON THE OPOSITE SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE! THE BALL TURRANT GUNNER IS UP IN HIS POSITION, IF NECESSARY, ANOTHER CREWMAN, THE BOMBARDIER/TORPEDOMAN IS IN ANOTHER SEAT AND CAN MAN A 30 CAL., MACHINE GUN THAT FIRES OUT OF THE LOWER WINDOW WHERE THE FUSELAGE TAKES A BEND UP IN FRONT OF THE TAIL WHEEL AND ARRESTOR HOOK!
I WAS SEATED IN THE SEAT WITH THE RADIO THAT WAS TUNED TO A SAN DIEGO MUSIC STATION THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THE PILOT USED TO BRING HIM TO THE BASE WHERE WE WERE TO LAND, NORTH ISLAND NAVAL AIR STATION! HE JUST FOLLOWED HIS “RADIO COMPASS HEADING”. THE JAPANESE USED THE SAME THING TO GUIDE THEM TO PEARL HARBOR ON DECEMBER 7TH, 1941!
WHEN I HEARD THE PILOT SAY SOMETHING INTO THE PASSAGEWAY FROM THE CREW COMPARTMENT TO THE PILOT, I LEANED OUT OF MY SEAT TO ASK HIM TO REPEAT WHAT HE SAID WHEN THE CATAPULT FIRED, IT’S A GOOD THING THERE IS A 4-5 INCH THICK LEATHER COVERED ROUND HEAD REST WHERE MY HEAD HIT THE BULKHEAD! I FOUND OUT AFTER WE GOT IN THE AIR THE PILOT HAD SAID, ”EVERYBODY READY? HERE WE GO”!
AS I SAID THE PILOT SET UP HIGH AND THERE’S A PASSAGE WAY UP TO HIM. UNDER HIM IS THE BOMB BAY WHERE THE TORPEDO OR BOMBS ARE HELD FOR DROPPING! I THINK I’M REMEMBERING THIS THE WAY IT WAS, THAT’S BEEN ALMOST 61-62 YEARS AGO! MY BROTHER JERRY COULD CORRECT ME ON THE LAYOUT OF THE TBM/TBF AVENGER SINCE HE HAD FLOWN IN THEM FROM MUNDA AND BOGAINVILLE ISLANDS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC DURING WWII!
AS ON EVERY NAVAL SHIP THE “OLD SALTS” PULL ALL KINDS OF TRICKS ON THE NEW RECRUITS! THE BADOEING STRAITS WAS NO EXCEPTION;
MY FIRS TRIP AROUND THE SHIP WAS LOOKING FOR “CHARLEY NOBLE”. I WENT FROM THE CHAIN LOCKER IN THE BOWELS OF THE BOW TO THE FAN TAIL AND THE POOP DECK! THE POOP DECK IS A SMALL DECK OVER THE MAIN DECK AT THE STERN OF A SHIP AND WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT TO DEFLECT A HIGH WAVE FROM CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE MAIN DECK!
I FOUND OUT “CHARLEY NOBLE” IS THE GALLEY STACK!
WE WERE PUT ON A SCRAPE AND REPAINT DETAIL AND THE CHIEF SENT ME TO THE SHIPS STORES TO GET A CAN OF STRIPED PAINT! I WAS WISE TO THIS ONE AND BROUGHT BACK A CAN OF WHITE AND A CAN OF BLACK! HE SMILED AND ASKED ME WHERE I GOT THE INFORMATION AND I TOLD HIM MY DAD WAS AN OLD SALT FROM WWI AND SERVED ABOARD THE USS CALIFORNIA, HE NEVER BOTHERED ME AFTER THAT!
I KNOW THIS MAY NOT INTEREST ALL OF YOU BUT, IT IS A PART OF MY YOUNGER YEARS!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE.
HOWARD
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