The Holly chieftain., 1920-01-22
Tells of His First Cruise
In Southern Waters.
WAS IN CUBAN WATERS
EARLY IN DECEMBER
On Board U. S. S. Alabat and Gets
Some Real Sea Experience in
Helping Distressed Vessel OF
Coral Reef Near Old Sienfuegas.

THE following letter is from O.
Blake Pierce, youngest son of Mr..
and Mrs. J. A. Pierce Blake IS an
apprentice seaman on the U. S. s.
Alabat, and in the following letter
tells of his first cruise. Editor.
On Board U. S. S. Alabat, close to
Sienfuegas, Cuba, Dec. 5-Dear
y Mother is going off this eve
ming so will tell you little of my
experiences. l have had a real adj
venture, though mild one, on my
first trip We left New Port News
week ago Monday at o'clock.
Saturday we came into sight of
Cuba and turned Westward along
her southern edge, keeping pretty
close to shore. Outside of a
stranded steamer on the east end
of the island there was nothing
worth noticing. We kept pretty
close to land till Sunday afternoon,
when we reached point where the
shore bends inward, and we headed
starlight, soon passing out of sight
of land.
Sunday evening we had song SER
vices and movies in the mess hall
While we were watching the movies
Captain Thompson, the skipper,
came below and asked for two A. B.
Iseamen Two of the instructors
volunteered. Then he stated that
he had just received S. 0 S. and
that he wanted two A. BIS liable
bodied seaman, usually called able
seasman especially by recruits) for
lookouts. We all started for the
deck but he said not to get eX-
cited so we sat down and watched
the show. After the show we went
up to the forward deck and watch
ed the ship. The Alabat had her
search light on top of the pilot
house playing over the water and
after a while we caught flash of
light from the other boat. We kept
on a course which kept her well
to the starboard and played over
the water with the searchlight
looking for boats. Ten men were
chosen to man a life boat and told
to stand by and wait orders.
was one of them.
Finally we began to draw near
and we started to signal with
lights. I couldn't catch much of it
but got the rest later. She asked
us to stand by until morning and
gave us her name which was Lake
Port The life boat crew stood for
while and then they told us to
turn in but that they might call
us and for us to know what was
meant
Nothing happened that night and
the next morning we got straight
ened out. The Lake Port was
aground. Shoal water showed green
al md acfn rf h
beyond was q coral reef and break
ers. She lay on an even keel and
looked O. X, though she is steel
ship about 260 feet long and draws
about 16 feet of water as she is
loaded, | believe She lay in about
~ feet of water.
We Unanswered around while
after one of their officers had called
on Captain Thompson and got as
close to her as possible. We mov-
ed slowly and kept heaving the lead
until we hit about five fathOms of
water and then anchored.
We stretched 3-inch hauser g.
inch circumference MANILA rOpe).
After lot of trouble we finally
got 3-inch steel cable pulled
across. / was out in one of the
Lake Port life boats helping at this
and after we thought everything
was O. K the AIabat got her pro.
pellers foul OF the cable and had to
drop. it so we lowered away and
pulled the whole length of the
cable lab ut u mile) across the
boat so that we could get the end
That was about the hardest work |
ever did and when we found the end
the Alabat threw over hauser to
fasten it to. Then she almost cap
sized us and then proceeded to give
us the scare of our lives when she
started to draw the hauser tight
with one end in orr boat fastened
TO the cable. There was real dang
er if it had broken but they revers
ed in time and finally got the cable
aboard and secured
Then the Alabat frightened ur
and we almost broke our oars keep
ing clear. Maybe you can imagine
a 3-inch steel cable one-fourth mile
long so taught that it was abso
lutely straight 20 feet above the
water. I saw it. Then it broke
and we pulled over to the Lake
Port against heavy sea. The
wind was rising and it was some
more hard work. Finally we go
aboard
Then the Alabat up and steamed
away. We thought she waved
stand by" in the open sea, bu
next morning we were alone. w,
had the Lake Port crew, Alabat ap
prentices and one quartermaste
who had como over with us he