LEON’S WARTIME EXPERIENCES

LEON EMERSON
USS YUMA ATF 94
Leonemerson2@socal.rr.com <mailto:Leonemerson2@socal.rr.com>

Midway, 1944.

We pulled in to Midway atoll and anchored.  While anchored, we saw a lot of fish in the crystal clear water. We had no fishing gear.

I got the idea that we could put a pin on a string and I might land one. I got some canned corn, a safety pin and dangled it down into the school of fish on a long white string. Soon I had hooked a sizable sea bass, which appeared to weigh about a pound. The water was very warm. The fish did not fight at all.

I played it along for some minutes and it did not pull hard enough to straighten out the pin and get away. It finally got tired. I gently led it around to the gangway, walked down the ladder and lifted the fish out of the water with my hands. It was quite a feat I thought with that string and safety pin. In any event I caught my fish.

I cleaned the fish. The cook cooked it that night for me and a couple of buddies. I still remember how good it was.
The end of another fish story.

Sydney Australia - 1944 - USS YUMA ATF - 94
"THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN BEER CAPER"

When the USS YUMA got to Sydney, Australia, the whole crew fell in love with the Aussie Beer. It was the best beer we had ever tasted.

We got orders to go to Noumea, New Caldonia. In loading our provisions, the crew requested of the Skipper, Lt Hayes, to allow us to take a supply of beer for liberty in the Islands.

It was “illegal” to bring alcohol aboard a navy ship or drink while underway, as we all knew. By this time, we were getting a little raunchy and the word “G.I.” was something that appeared in the Blue Jackets Manual. We knew we would not hit a real liberty port for many months. It was our turn to join the War. Things were still hot in the South Pacific area. (Noumea was within bombing range of the Japanese. “Washing Machine Charley” came over almost every night - the engine of the recon plane sounded just like a “washing machine”.

Finally the skipper relented. He offered us a deal. We could buy enough beer to fill the brig. The brig was not to be locked. The Master at Arms must take an inventory of the beer every morning. The moment that one bottle was missing, the whole beer cargo was to go overboard. We all agreed. We knew that none of us would do such a thing, as every man aboard our ship was honorable and honest.

Sure enough, we did not make it to New Caldonia when the Master at Arms reported that there was some beer missing from the Brig.

The Old Man passed the word over the PA System that all hands that was not on watch to form a supply chain and pass every case of beer up the ladder and over the side. We were all mad as hell, but that was our deal.

However true to his word and promise, every last case of that beer went over the side of the ship. We were a bunch of sad sacks all day long. We could taste every dram of that beer as it went over. Needless to say, we were also very mad at an unknown shipmate.

We never did find out what happened to the missing beer or our culprit. We had a few suspicions but no one was talking.
That was the end of the Great Beer Caper.
 

1943 - USS YUMA ATF 94 - NOUMEA, NEW CALDONIA

We pulled into the beautiful harbor of Noumea. It was a great anchorage completely surrounded by a long spit of land. All of the land and hills on every side was a reddish color as if there were painted that way. I think there was a large aluminum mine there, or so it appeared.

Noumea was a French protectorate. We docked alongside a flotilla of Destroyers, as there were not enough docks to accommodate all the ships.

The Chief Cook, (also the authorized purchasing agent) went to the supply dump with a work detail to get food and supplies. It was guarded by a detail of Marines.

He was walking around with his requisition list when he spotted a bunch of casks of medicine alcohol. (There was a large mobile military hospital there). He ordered the truck around and directed the work party to load one of the casks aboard the truck (right under the very watchful eye of the marine guard).

He came back to the ship that evening and informed the Skipper of his find. The Captain could see the “handwriting on the wall”. He gave an order that as we were only going to be there a few days and only 10% of the crew was allowed off the ship at any one time for liberty, that all of the alcohol had to be consumed that night and the next night.

We passed the word to the rest of the destroyer’s crews that we were going to have a party and to bring fruit juice for mixings. They crowded onto our fantail that evening. The Cook brought out a great cauldron and we mixed that fruit juice with the balance of the contents of the medicinal cask.  WHAT A PUNCH!

Those of us aboard the ships in the nest that night had one memorable party. I don’t remember too much about it but we talked about it for months. It was a party to end all parties.
 

NUMEA, NEW CALDONIA - USS YUMA ATF - 94
“BEWARE THE TOMATS”

At Noumea, it was the custom when we drew liberty (only 10% of each ships crew each day was allowed ashore) that each man got two cans of American Beer, but we had to go to the fenced in “Stockade” to drink and enjoy our beer. However, if we chose, we could go into the small native village of Noumea for liberty if we chose.

On day, Land, (a six foot signal man), “Pee Wee” Eaves and myself drew liberty.

We decided to go into the village rather than go to the stockade for the free beer.

Noumea was just a few degrees below the equator and extremely hot during the day. We had to report back to the boat docks at 4 pm to return to the ship.

We drifted around awhile, saw all there was to see in the village and then settled into a small palm frond covered bar with no walls. There was one lady bartender who spoke sparse English. They had lots of rum and tomatoes, which was, grown on the island, but little else. She told us the favorite drink of the “yanks” was “Tomats”, a mixture of tomato juice and rum.

We ordered three, then six, and repeated several times. I think each of us drank about a dozen.  We could not feel any effects of the alcohol. We felt that the native bartender was feeding us only water. We complained. She warned us but kept serving us and we kept ordering them.

About 3:30 PM, scarcely feeling the effects of our drinks, we decided it was time to head for the boat docks. There were no paved streets; all had about three inches of fine dust.

We walked out in the street and very very hot sun.

Land says, “I don’t feel so good” and fell flat of his face in the dust.

Pee Wee reached down to pick him up muttering that “Land could never hold his liquor” and he fell flat out in the dust.

That is the last I remember until I awoke next morning very dirty and very dusty.