War Diary of Richard A. Steele

Another Wedding Anniversary at Sea

 

Cook The Florist - My father sent him $5 to send flowers to my mother.

 

Sunday, July 22, 1945 – Went after mail at 9:30. Got a letter from Ethel and 1 from Judy requesting another turtle. One died, I guess that was sent from Frisco. It was a cute note. At 1:30 P.M. we had special sea detail and shoved off.  While trying to hoist the starboard LCVP aboard the cable jammed between the shive and we had a hell of a time clearing it. Shipfitters have got to rig an entire new cable – a hell of a hard and messy job.  We just got the thing cleared as we passed out of the P.H. channel into the Pacific.  We are going to Okinawa via Enewetak and Saipan – a 3800-mile trip. Clear skies and hot – it’s awful. Hot below decks all the time. We got no pay so next pay will be double one. Good thing because I owe 24 bucks. Ethel’s letters have given me a lift. What a swell girl I’ve got for a wife. But can she rile me up! The war is in its final stages I’d say and as I go really into it I feel we’ll make the final invasion of Japan itself – or possibly China – and I feel good about it.  The allies – US, Britain, Russia are putting the heat on Japan now – telling her to quit or be utterly destructed.  Our big B29 super fortresses are daily bombing the hell out of her. Our capital ships are lying unopposed off Tokyo and shelling it. Carrier task forces are raiding everyday and messing up Japan proper.  I don’t see how they can last the year out. And I hope they don’t.  I want to get into some action and then I want to go home for good and have a better married life then ever before.  So as we leave Hawaii and comparative safety behind, I have no qualms and am glad to at last be able to actually do something to help in this war and blast those yellow rats to the hell they started on Dec. 7^th 1941.  We fired back on route tonight at sleeves drawn by planes. We are getting plenty of firing now and I hope it proves us in good stead – me for the sack – got 12-4 AM watch tonight.

 

Monday, July 23, 1945 – Not much to add today. The sea was like glass all night and today. Hot and clear and no wind. I’ve stood my last underway watch, I guess.  Mr. King, 1^st Lt. informed me he’s making Quintel a cox and he’ll take over my section III which suits me fine. Quintel is a damn good boy and good worker. I think he’ll make a good cox. And am glad to see him get it.  Today we worked all day rigging a small boat cable for the starboard boat – a hell of a job.

 

Tues Jul 24 – Underway as before. Course 250 degrees or about 600 miles out of Hawaii. We are now on our way to Eniwetok, the northernmost atoll in the Marshall Island group. Ought to make it about next Wed or Thur I guess.  Today Ski and I and some of the seamen finished rigging the new cable on the starboard LCVP and let it hang by the new cable to test to socket we made. I’ve learned a lot about cable work that I’ve never seen before yet had to pretend I knew all about.  After completing that we had to dray out a huge tarpaulin and stretch it from the boat deck forward of the superstructure over the cargo hatch to the trucks to give the troops a shady place to lay around! We had to use block and tackles and chain falls with lots of 2” line – a hell of a job and did we sweat! Boy, it’s really hot and the sun is wicked! I’m really tanned all over now.  After we did that, about 3 o’clock I had a novel swim. We climbed down through the hatch in the 41-gun tub down the ladders on the bow doors and had a swim in a space about 10 ft wide shaped like a triangle. The water swishes in through the bow door hinges and keeps about 5 ft of water between the ramp and the doors. The water is continually moving through it and is very refreshing. The temp is about 80 but after this terrific heat and sun it feels good.  There were 8 of us in at once which is pretty crowded. I went down alone later and actually could swim. One can get about 2 good strokes to cross it. Our food now is lousy. We have crackers and peanut butter and 1 sandwich plus luke-warm lemon tea. And soon we’ll get Army K rations we are told. I’m not writing to Ethel daily now because there is no sense in it.  When we get to Enewetak I’ll send a letter and try via code to tell her but I guess it’ll be a pretty brief letter and I hardly expect I’ll be getting any from her for quite awhile. Sure miss that girl. Oh what a day when we’re together again.  I want about 5 days alone with her in New York, then about two weeks up at Winnipesaukee with her and the kids, then a about a week kicking around home. Then go to work. I see ____ got the BPD captaincy. A lousy political deal. To hell with the Police Dept. Having no watches to stand makes it a lot better – so far – I got a good night’s sleep last night and it makes a hell of a difference. Each evening I go up on the bow where it’s cool and write this diary. The troops are getting noisy and smelly and living conditions aren’t pleasant. Yet, I feel wonderful physically. I attribute it to not have any liquor and even on liberty being damn moderate. Also lack of any sex life, I guess makes me feel better too although I’d much rather be having it. That I really miss awful. After 14 years of marriage to a swell girl it’s tough to take life without her.  But I’m glad I’m out here now and on my way to do something in this war. I hope the ship does a good job. Then I’ll be anxious to go home.  We get no radio news now or anything. So I don’t know how the war goes or hardly what day it is. Each day seems the same.  My repair party #2 (Damage Control) now has to muster in crew’s quarters aft and we don’t like it a damn bit being below decks during action. But Mr. King says we must, so we must! More bullshit on the 899. Although my health is good, I seem to have more sinus headaches and at times are terrific. At night lately, I’ve been awakened by them aching right over my eyes.  My toes are bothering me off and on and the varicose veins in my legs are about the same, but come on double.  I’d like to get the sinus and veins fixed before I get discharged.

 

Wednesday, July 25^th 1945 – My 14^th wedding anniversary and Andy’s 5^th birthday and here I am a good 6000 miles from them- a hell of an anniversary.  I only hope it’s more pleasant for Ethel and the next one – our 15^th we’ll be together. I’ve missed two now – our 13^th last year and this one,  I hope Charley Cook sent the flowers I sent the $5.00 to him for. I never heard from him acknowledging it. I only hope he doesn’t forget.  I love that girl so and every year I guess I’ll feel that way more and more. Last night the moon was big and full and in her last letter she said she’d be looking at it. I saw it rise at 8 P.M. But we are 6 hours behind her time so it was 2 P.M. and I hope she was in bed. I kept the date and did a lot of reminiscing. It sure was beautiful to see only 12 degrees above the equator – big and bright with a calm sea.  Two days ago we had shots in the arm, 2 of them – 1 for cholera and 1 for bubonic plague – maybe we go to China? The big trouble with this ship is the slow speed it travels – 10 knots – most of the time 8 – it makes this Pacific that much bigger and the trips between points awful long.  Today I worked all A.M. cleaning and putting washers on all our fire fighting equipment to get in shape for real use when necessary.  In the P.M. we did general cleaning and had gas masks issued to us.  Had G.Q. at 4:30 and a gas drill. Took a dip down in the bow ramp. Really getting hot now. The water temp is up to 82.~

 

  A letter to Judy sent from Seattle on July 5, 1945