RECALLING THE 1940's ABOARD THE TANEY

By WARREN HARTMAN

"SHARING HIS REMEMBRANCES"

Extracted from the Oct 11 1994 Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Inc. Page 3

USCGC TANEY (WHEC-37) (Later Picture) - Courtesy of Jerry Lentz

• No gum or wooden matches aboard ship -- Only the Bosn's whistle --

• Steaming moonless nights trailing a florescent wake.

• A 4" swastika painted on the bow while chipping the anchor

• Holy stoning the teakwood decks at 6 a.m.

• Sleeping on deck hot nights --

• White glove and sea bag inspections --

• Pressing our uniforms under G.I. mattresses --

• Surf landings in a 22' whale boat --

• Gooney birds so thick on atolls walking was difficult --

• 0 Blueberry Hill, " You are my Sunshine, Jersey Bounce, San Antonio Rose" on all the jukeboxes --

• Dungaree and Aloha shirt liberties --

• Sick Bay's APC cure-all pills--

• Sea stores cigarettes at $1.00 a carton.

• A most bewildering experience was putting a chipping hammer through the hull, requiring dry-dock.
• A most embarrassing experience was when our port gangway was rusted solid, requiring the black gang to free it up, on my duty station. (Note: "black gang" refers boiler room men who use to shovel coal.)
• My most feared duty was our boarding party of four on a Japanese patrol boat on fire.
• My happiest memory was returning to Bremerton, Navy Yard in 1943 and seeing my dad.
• My most humbling memories were sunrises and sunsets in the South Pacific of crimson and gold.
• My most inspiring experience was Church Call on #3 hatch, when nearly 1000 G.I's would attend.
• A favorite old sailors' adage, "Red sky at night, sailors' delight, Red in the morning, sailors' warring." Often proved true.
• Ships proudest moment was being awarded the "Big E."

• The "Dawn Phase" alarm at 0400 hours: Ships most vulnerable.
• Losing our motor whaleboat in the surf.
• Offloading food to a starving leper colony.
• Dropping depth charges before our RI.M's were up.
• Throwing a gunners mate striker overboard for washing the coffee pot.
• Sighting a floating mine while rigging our paravancs.
• Sighting an inbound torpedo wake.
• Running aground at night on an atoll.
• Hitting a submerged object and sinking our 40' picket boat.
• Seeing a B-17 shot down by friendly fire.
• The terrifying experience of a typhoon.
• Seeing 16" rounds passing overhead during island bombardments.
• My cousin dying on Luzon.
• Our Chinese cook trying to interrogate a Japanese prisoner.
• "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" our ships song.
• Daily chow of powdered potatoes, eggs, milk and Spam.
• The good smell of approaching land.
• Graceful albatross and porpoises following the ship.
• Fireballs dancing on yardarms during an electrical storm.
• Baloney and cheese sandwiches during rough weather.
• Four-hour gun watches that seemed endless.
• Sudden refreshing rain squalls in the South Pacific.
• Our 38 year old skipper we called "The Old Man"
• Our chief's famous saying, "Run she might, but shine she must."
• After a storm, our deck was littered by flying fish.

=Warren=

- Reprinted courtesy of Vern Toler and the Taney Association

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