The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-16
|CONvOYS PLY TO'
 HAWAII WITHOUT. IA LOSS TO LAPS.
By GEORGE JONES United Press Stan Correspondent

(Untte0 Press stan C0freSpOnuentl
 Honolulu, Nov. l6--(UP)--AIner- ican conveys from the mainland are reaching Hawaii without interfer- ence, thus far, from the enemy.
 Vessels of all descriptions, con- stantly under the watchful scrutiny of the United States Navy, have piled the route, from the mainland without loss. That they have done so is a tribute to officers and men of the transport service, the mer- chant marine and the navy.
 It is also testimony to the effec- tiveness of precautionary measures designed to reduce the possibility of underseas attack to an absolute minimum.
 arrived aboard a transport and can say that the navy is fully pre- pared to meet the possible appear ance of any unit of the Imperial Japanese navy with dispatch and telling effect. It was comforting to watch gun crews work out on moving targets-particularly when they scored hits.
 Our vessel that ploughed a zig gag course through the blue Pacific was painted drab gray and showed few traces of its former career as a passenger liner. Some of its peacetime ornaments had been re- moved and others placed under cover.
 Its officers and crews were pre- pared for trouble from the moment we left the mainland.
 On Guard for sFirst Time'
 Sure" said one junior officer, T know we've gotten by pretty well on this route since Pearl Harbor. But there's always first time"
 This philosophy was impressed upon all passengers, in uniform as well as out. Aboard our ship were not only troops but a scattering of civilian passengers and three war correspondents. We were placed strictly under naval regulations for the entire voyage.
 This meant, among other things, that life jackets were worn or kept close by at all times. There were daily lifeboat drills and blackout regulations.
 It is standing rule of convoy that any man overheard must shift for himself; the vessel cannot stop to pick up lost passenger. There was no horseplay near the railings.
 found many downy-cheeked youngsters among the gun crews, as well as experienced veterans. All were hopeful for crack at the Japs, although resigned to the conviction that no developments would occur on this voyage.
 Against the day when they would go into action, they underwent reg ular instruction and practice. Army passengers aboard the vessels att tended frequently to observe the re- suits.
 Despite restrictions imposed by wartime conditions, I can report that the American soldier is well equipped to improvise his entertain ment. There were no radios allowed aboard the ship, but community singing and dancing-with the aid of an orchestra recruited from the ships crew-developed quickly in the social hall.
 But poker and other games of chance still form the major recrea- ton for the average American sol- dier. Card games were constantly in progress, above and below decks, in the social hall and wherever space could be found.
 Army troops are well fed in tran- sit. Meals came three times a day and some of the soldiers supple mented them with frequent purchas- es of candy between meals. The gal- ley was lined with thousands of cas- eS of fresh vegetables and meats, and no essential item of civilian fare was missing.
 For once. the Pacific behaved it. self and few cases of seasickness were observed. There were, how ever, several cases of sunburn among passengers who remained too long in the sun as the ship progressed south.
 Major casualty of the trip. in so far as I could observe, occurred dur ing the commanding officers daily medicine-ball workout, when an oyer-enthusiastic colleague threw the ball too hard.
 Before the mortified eyes of the colonel and a handful of junior of- ficers. the medicine ball sailed over the rail and into the blue Pacific.
 There was no stopping for that one