Dart writes a chatty little one-pager to Dot just before setting to work hauling all the gear off the ship. He explains that a “yard overhaul” involves painting and insulating every part of the vessel, so the crew is moving to barracks and the ropes, wire, tools, and spare parts will go to a warehouse. This little tidbit of information surprises me, because it sounds like the Navy has decided to save the Haggard. I can’t imagine why they’d go to all the trouble of painting and insulating a ship they plan to cut into pieces and melt down.

The volume of mail has dropped significantly since they arrived, but he was so thrilled to get that load of letters in Panama (I guess he’s allowed to use the name now) that he’s not complaining.

He reports having a pleasant, yet unremarkable liberty last night. “These two cities are not too bad, for a man of stingy habits and prosaic desires. Quite pretty, in fact.” Could he mean Norfolk and Virginia Beach? And why is there a prohibition from revealing his location to loved ones? Curious, this Navy.

No letters tomorrow, but they’ll both be back on the 10th.