The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-26


 nmp was that the Tlrpitz was loose
 location before going into action.
 Xne ~buzz", or rumor, is . fnain- stay Cf life in the Arctic with radio Eccption poor and newspapers un- available. The ''messdeck buzz" of Che ratings is considered more in- kafeSting and variegated than the
 ardro0m buzz" of the ofncers,
 which is too often hampered and E1xthbound by the possession of N1nns definite information.
 Euxzes transfer Arctic destroy mrs to the Mediterranean or South atlantic, bring the Tripitz to sea periodically, or promise boiler cleaning and refit in London with 10 days leave for all hands. Buzzes spread the word that was "jeep" xnot a blitzbuggy, but Royal Navy variant for 'jinx') because I Brought bad weather; that I was good mascot because as a frustrat- d war correspondent, I guaran- Seed them against seeing action. Buzzes. in short, kept interest alive and provided variety from hum- drum facts.
 The Tripitz buzz, thought, should provide a certain tension; but were they tense? Drake fin- ished his bowling on Plymouth Green before he went out to polish on the Spanish Armada. Here the destroyers, facing the prospect of meeting the Tripitz, challenge one another to whaler races. A course of more than a mile was laid out along the narrow fjord. hemmed in by snow-covered ridges whose tips just catch the invisible sun. A loud~ speaker was connected to broad cast" the races to the deStroyers. A service rifle became the starting gun.
 Loses Trouser In Race
 The "E'' and T" raced three times = wardroom officers, then torpedomen, then veteran three badge seamen--and the "E" lost all three. Revenge came in "scuttle race" that evening, when the "I's" ofnceRs were guests of the ''E." The course; out an escape hatch on the starboard side of the wardroom, up the sheer side of the destroyer to the quarterback, across it and over the port edge to drop down through the wardroom's port Scut- tie, calling for a neat bit of trapeze work over the water. The "E" won both races handily, first between the midshipment, then 8 relay, al- though the T" claimed our gunner should have been disqualified for losing his trousers as he flashed out through the hatch.
 Fog three days in this Icelandic farbor, until the Tripitz rumor fell through and there were obvious other reasons for our wait there, the ships companies made the best of their free time, writing letters, fishing over the side, or going ashore to shop, tramp up the fjord. or visit the U. s. Army base at the ford. Doctors and nurses from the American military hospital came out to visit the destroyers and re- turn visit had been arranged when sailing orders intervened.
 Dinner in harbor, particularly if there were indications of sailing the next day, was usually Semi-for- nal. There was no way of telling when there would be opportunity for another festive occasion to- gether. So the wardroom officers ate together, instead of according to their watches. and bow ties and even a few wing collars appeared. There were toasts to the King. and, because of the American correspon- dent and two Russians on board, to Roosevelt and Stalin. The toasts were drunk Seated-a custom dat ing back to the day when George II was majestically angered by bump ing his head on low ceiling as he rose for toast in a warship ward room. And the evening finished of with bridge and blackjack games.
 Actions Puzzled Russians
 The destroyerS always seem to make the best of their spare time, probably because they have so ht- tie. There was a later occasion in a North Russian port, when four British destroyers probably pug zled the Russians by holding com petitive evolutions which were half games. half drill.
 At a signal from the leading de- stroyer. each commanding oficer opened a numbered, sealed enve- lope giving an order. then raced the other destroyers to complete the exercise. One favorite for this drill which we expected but which did not come was: "All officers killed or wounded: midshipman take com- nland and carry on evolutions." But there were others which car- ried on the playful spirit through