Mail call at last! Dart got four letters from Dot, each of which thrills him as much as the first one he ever got. The most recent of hers was written March 15. Considering that these letters have been sitting uncollected in port for several days, that’s mighty fine service from the U. S. post office.

Tomorrow is Easter, and they’re scheduled to have a rare “holiday routine.” That only happens when all the work is caught up and there’s something special going on. There will be “divine services” on a hospital ship anchored nearby. I presume that other ships can send boats over there for the men who want to attend. Maybe they even broadcast the service over ships’ P.A. systems.

There’s been a change in censorship regulations, but there’ll be no changes in what he can report in his letters home. I guess the guys can now write about things that happened prior to January 1, but since Dart didn’t board the ship until after that, he must remain mum on his whereabouts and activities.

Dot would scream if she could see him now. He’s writing this letter while sitting atop an actual live depth charge. He’ll have to move inside soon because they’ve just lowered the flag in the last moment of the setting sun. “Tonight’s sunset, now rapidly waning, was a beaut. All pink and blue and gold for a while, now purple and gold. Here and there, the black, evil silhouette of a ship ruins it. If the ships had sails or were covered with anything but guns and gray paint, the scene would be romantic.”

In a recent letter, he had told his folks about the little islands where they have liberty.  His mother wrote back that it would be great if he and Dot could return after the war and see the beautiful spots he has visited. Then he gets a letter from Dot, suggesting that she’d like to see the place he’d described and maybe it would be a perfect location for a honeymoon. Dart says he’d been thinking all these same things. “Sounds like a conspiracy.”

During a storm the other day, the crew entertained themselves by imagining the post-war development of these “useless islands and atolls.” They were planning to build a huge resort here. By using chartered ocean-liners, they could charge high fares to transport tourists for a week or more of entertainment. They could provide “swimming, dancing, gambling and various forms of sin.” The “ocean-liners” will be converted aircraft carriers. Oh, the plans they have for their floating hotels! “Horseback riding, tennis, golf and shuffleboard on the flight deck. Swimming, dancing, theaters on the hangar deck. Shops, restaurants, 3-room efficiency suites and 6 to 8-room mansions partitioned off in the massive innards.”

He continues on another matter. “Enough of this flub-dub, We must get to the more serious business at hand – that of making love. That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life – make love to you. Mom says, and I quote ‘Glad Dot likes Ohio. Maybe after the Big Day you’ll live nearby and run in to see us real often.’ Sounds hokey, doesn’t it?” (Yes, hokey and sweet and wonderful!)

He must depart to write to his parents before the water is turned on for the evening “shower hour.” In addition to showering and shaving, he hopes to wash some clothes because the ship’s laundry will be closed for a week for painting.

“Goodnight, my Darling. Don’t ever forget for a moment how much I love you. I can never tell you how much that is and how much I miss you.”