Dart shares an interesting anecdote about an incident yesterday. “We had a real chaplain for our church services. We borrowed him for the afternoon from one of the ships we’re operating with. We pulled up to the other ship with our bow about 100 feet from her stern, and to the side of it. They shot a light line to us and we pulled over a heavy line. On that heavy line was a pulley and a ‘bo’sun’s chair,’ a little seat like a swing. In the bo’sun’s seat sat the good padre’, grinning from the midst of his life jacket and clutching a large gold altar cross. We pulled him across the gap, over the turbulent, rushing water. He alighted dry and happy.”
Dart tells how the crew had decorated their ship’s little fantail with draped cloth, benches brought up from the mess and an improvised altar. The chaplain brought over some hymnals and mimeographed programs and led the group in good singing before delivering a good and timely sermon. All of this sounds like Yankee ingenuity put to fine use.
He describes a watch he has daily now. It’s always the same three fire control guys, plus one of a rotating group of officers. They hang out in the “castle,” high atop the ship and shoot the breeze. Favorite topics include past liberties, cars, and the Navy. They never talk about women – “at least never more than four hours at a time.” (Did I mention it’s a four-hour watch?) Today they were running through all the quizzes from a recent Reader’s Digest, from vocabulary and spelling to general knowledge.
He tells Dot that this morning a couple of the “strikers,” (same rate as Dart) who have been on board a couple of months longer than he has, took their Fire Controlmen Third Class tests. Word is the test was a doozie! Dart may have a chance to take it in another three or four months.
The scuttlebutt on the ship is that they should be receiving mail very soon. He’s eager to hear from Dot, of course, but he’s also looking forward to a letter from her folks in response to his asking them for their blessing on his engagement to Dot.
Speaking of the engagement, does she want to have a hand in picking out the ring? To his way of thinking, if she’s going to be wearing it for quite some time, she ought to have a say it what it looks like.
He’s eager to hear when in September she’ll report to Kent, if she decides to go through with her plan to attend there. He’s working up a couple of ideas for his leave and for their engagement announcement, but timing will determine how much comes to fruition. “We may just make connections, or just miss them, or we may be able to be leisurely about the whole arrangements.” How intriguing! It’s sounding more and more like a September leave is in the cards. How can that be? There’s still a war on!
In her April 3 letter, Dot suggested a rain check for their long walk in the country. Dart thinks that’s a good idea and he’ll leave the location to Dot. Ohio or Connecticut?
Almost time for another watch, so he must go.
