Evening star., 1943-08-07
landIubbers Trained
Quickly 10 Handle
Transports 10 Sicily
By JOHN A. MOROSSO. 3d..

-.
WITH i. .S s. var AMPHIBTous aSiIsiGffdsoi.
FORCES OFF SICILY, July IA De-
layed One of the most amazing
facets in the Allied invasion of
Sicily is that large percentage of
the men and officers manning the
American ships were landlubbers
snatched from civilian life only a
short time ago.
They come from all walks of life
and they have had to learn fast In
the opinion of Rear Admiral Alan G..
Kirk they did an excellent job.
When war came to Europe the
American Navy had few transports.
Taking a long-range sight Navy ex-
perts began acquiring passenger
liners to convert into transports.
Then came the amphibious force
organization and that meant more
ships and more officers and men.
Unofficial estimates today say that
more than 80 per cent of the men
operating assault transports had
never been to sea a year ago. The
fact that they have done a good
Job Is attributed to the Navy's train
ing and to the remarkable adapt
ability of the American boy.
Skipper Native of Maryland.
A good example is our own as
sault transport, converted pas
senger liner. When we put out
from the States for the Sicilian
invasion 81 Of our Al officers had
never been to sea before boarding
This ship. Their only experience
was In extensive maneuvers in
American waters.
The only Annapolis man aboard
was our skipper, Capt. Philip P.
WEIGH, native of Lothian, Md.
The only regular Navy man was 1t.
q. g. E. A. Carmody, an engineer
Ing officer who had spent IA years in
destroyers, two in cruisers and about
year on this ship.
The rest came from the Naval
Reserve, the Merchant Marine and
civil life.
Capt. Welch formed his staff
around the IS men with some ex-
perience and with them helping he
grove the green men hard, teaching
them patiently sometimes and some
times with a salty language peculiar
20 seagolng men. They learned the
duties OF deck offlcer-how to con
ship, navigation, gunnery, enei-
neering and hundred and one
othe rthings that tend to put salt
anto mans blood.
Today, after the battle, after the
dangerous task of landing troops in
pounding surf and then landing
their supplies, these boys are better
men and better officers. Through
the hell OF 1t all We lost only one
man, and ironically enough he was
on his college swimming team.
Veteran Of Morocco Invasion.
The officer in charge of our land
ing bargeS was 1t. q e. William D.
Steel, resident of Hampstead, L. l.,
a graduate of the Business Admins
tration and Finance School at Dart
mouth. He was regarded as a vet
eran because he took part in the in
Vaslon of Western Morocco.
Our plane identification officer
and signal bridge officer was En-
sign Albert H. Mcintyre, "a, East
orange, N. j. Al won B. A. at
Princeton in 1912 and entered active
sea duty in the Navy after six
months of study at Columbia and
Ohio University.
Ensign Joseph E. Pisano, Is, Provi-
dence, r. l., was one of our Junior
DIVISION officers without seagoinp ex-
perience. Joe hated war and vio-
fence but when our invasion came
ne was assistant boat wave COM
mander Of the first wave of boats
that swarmed into the beaches.
our naval air liaison officer was
1t. q. g. Francis B. Gummere. 20,
Cambridge, Mass, with a year in
the Navy behind him. Frank suf-
Tered multiple compound fractures
OF the right leg when our landing
boat broached the rocks.
our senior watch officer and di-
vision officer, Carlisle Moore, from
wayne, Pa, won an A. B., M. A. and
Pm. D. at Princeton and before ioin-
Ing the Navy he taught English at
cornell and the University of Mich
igan.
Doing First Naval Duty.
1t. William L. Nicholson, "a. Elm
hurst, Long Island, and a native of
Sandusky, Ohio, became our COM
munications officer after attending
the Nays school at Harvard.
on a ship is that of first lieutenant
and this post was held by 1t. q. e.
A. j. Rousseau, 81, Providence, r. I.
His first and only naval service was
on our ship.
One Of the busiest men we had
aboard was gray-haired, kindly 1t.
Comdr. L. E. Paro, 43, Winthrop,
Mass. Paro. former assistant supply
officer in the Boston Navy Yard,
has these duties aboard our ship:
Troop and supply officer, debarka-
tion officer, ships berthing officer
and coding room officer.
Our senior medical officer and sur
eeon was 1t. Comdr. Joseph Court
ney Fremont, AZ, Detroit, a man
with no sea experience except what
he picked up on the Great Lakes.
One of his assistants was 1t. Will
liam A. Clark, %, Little Rock, Ark.
DR.. Clark was an obstetrician and
gynecologist before he joined the
Navy.
Our chaplain was 1t. Leslie Guy
Moon, Trenton, N. j., who served
as pastor of the Calvary Baptist
Church in Scranton, Pa, before