Wetdown

"Our daily routine was sky defense one hour before dawn, and sky defense an hour before sunset - that was when we were most likely to be attacked.

We had three meals every day, and there was a geedunk stand (soda fountain) open several times a day.

We were always cleaning topside and below decks. The Showboat was a well-kept ship. It also kept you from becoming bored.

We had training almost every day at the loading machine.

There were movies every night in the mess halls. They would start the movie in the starboard mess hall number 1, then as a reel finished, they would run it over to the port side mess hall number 2. It was hot and crowded and smoky, but it was something to help pass the evenings.

Our laundry was done twice a week. You would place your dirty clothes in a net bag, close it with your laundry pin (it had your I.D. on it), and they would wash the clothes and dry them in the bag. If you mixed your colors, you had tie-dyed them.

Games like Acey-Deucey, checkers, and cards were played. Of course, there was always gambling. Craps and poker games were common, but strictly against the law.

They would only pay us $5.00 a payday while we were at sea, to prevent you from gambling all your money away.

There was a barbershop, (haircuts were 15 cents), a cobbler shop, a tailor shop, post office, and ship's service.

We had a mechanical COW, not just powdered milk, but made milk that almost tasted like the real thing. It took the mess cooks about 24 hours to make enough to serve at breakfast.

While at sea during the Guadalcanal campaign, we had to fuel often, sometimes as often as every three days. Out of nowhere a tanker would show up and we would take on fuel from her. While we were fueling on one side, we would fuel destroyers on the other. This was always a big event, as the tanker usually had mail for us and other supplies we might need. They would rig a breaches buoy and transfer things over to us. We would send them our outgoing mail along with ice cream and other goodies.

Below deck it was HOT, no air conditioning. Air was taken from topside and blown into the living compartments. At night when you slept in your bunk, you sweat; your mattress would get real damp. When you got up, the first thing you did was cover up your mattress with a fireproof cover. This would be almost airtight. After a few weeks your bunk became pretty ripe. First chance you had, the ship would air bedding. You would take your bedding topside and air it. I had a large air duck alongside my bunk. I cut a small hole in it and fitted a piece of a tin can to divert some air onto me. It helped.

There was always coffee in the galley, and when on late watches you could get a pitcher of coffee and bring it up to your watch. We had to stand four-hour watches in the 5-inch mounts. There were some mounts manned at all times. After so long, the skipper (captain) allowed us to sleep some while on watch. One man always had to be awake with the headphones on while the rest dozed. You had to stay outside the mount in case for some reason the mount or gun moved, so you wouldn't get injured.

Because we were so fast and able to keep up with the carriers, we were assigned to their group and afforded them anti-aircraft protection.

The ship's routine kept on in spite of everything else, topside was always kept swept down, and chipping and painting never stopped. We were fighting another enemy - RUST."

- William R. Taylor

Painting never stopped

"Usually about 5:45am, high up on the bridge over the Ship's public announcement system, a boatswain's mate piped the call to rise and shine, a bugler sounded reveille, and the boatswain's mate then announced - Reveille, reveille for all hands.

The men arose, dressed, and triced up their berth. When you trice up your berth, you make up your bed, fold the blanket and place it on one end. You secure your bedding with the two white canvas straps attached to the berth. You then lift up the outside of the berth and move the chain from the outer to the inner hook. Tricing up creates more room in this crowded compartment.

Men having watch from midnight until 4:00am could sleep until 7:00am. You tied a piece of toilet paper to your berth so that when the Master-at-Arms came through he would not bang your berth with a billy club.

It was 6:00am and most of the crew began sweeping down the living compartments before turning their attention to the decks. The First Lieutenant determined what type of cleaning would be done to the outside decks such as sweeping, scrubbing, or mopping. The engineering gang would be cleaning their areas.

About 7:00am, the boatswain's mate pipes and the bugler sounded chow call followed by the boatswain announcing chow time.

At approximately 7:55am, the boatswain and bugler sounded assembly call which let the crew know that Quarters was approaching.

At 8:00am, Quarters sounded and everybody assembled on deck by division in their assigned place. The section leader reported who was present, absent, sick, etc. to the division petty officer who then passed the information onto the division officer (lieutenant or lieutenant junior grade). The division officers conferred with the department head. The seven department heads met with the Executive Officer to review the plan of the day and be informed of any changes or special instructions. The word then passed back down the chain of command.

If the day was to be routine, then the crew might only muster at their stations.

At 8:30am, the crew would turn to and begin the work of the day. Sometimes classes would be held to teach new skills.

Lunch call came at noon; work commenced again at 1:00pm; and the crew knocked off around 4:30pm. Men could go to their berthing area at this time and relax until dinner call at 5:00pm.

After dinner, men might play cards, acey-deucy, checkers, write and read letters from home, visit with friends, or perhaps view the movie that a destroyer dropped off during a refueling stop. Movies were shown down in the mess decks, in safe zones with the captain's permission. The mess decks became crowded, hot, smoky, smelly spaces. Lights out came at 9:45pm. About a third of your mates would be standing watch from midnight to 4:00am and then another third stood watch from 4:00am until 8:00am. Their sleep came later."

- Paul A. Wieser