Evening star., 1943-11-15
mo. 2 OF q Series.

BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.
Ahead loomed the gray bulk of
the Yag.
Our boat, converted into a cabin
launch from an open landing craft,
skipped through the choppy waters
of Hampton Roads and approached
the anchored hull.
Don't ask what Yag Is. Diligent
inquiry at the Ambitious Training
Base at Little Creek, Va. failed to
disclose. Il really don't know what
it means" said an officer, and a
bluejacket replied: THE Yag? It's
we'll, just the Yag."
Anyway, It's an old windjammer,
built for the Italian government in
1886, and it serves the Little Creek
base in lieu Of transport. The
base trains the Navy crews of small
landing craft of various types, and
the sailors, sometimes with soldiers
to transport, practice their landing
operations from the old Yag. She's
a big wooden ship, and her power
ful timbers look as staunch as the
day she was launched.
What, the visiting newspapermen
had wondered, was it like to 60
down the nets on a transport, as
soldiers do, and to jump into a
landing boat and dash for the
beach? We were there to find out,
at least in some measure.
We boarded the Yag in luxury,
climbing a ladder with real steps
and a rail. With us was Capt. c. F..
Macklin, jr., U. S. N, commander
OF the base, and several of his staff.
When we got to the bridge deck,
we saw that numerous landing craft
we're circling about the old Yag-
some clockwise, others counter
clockwise.
Capt. Macklin, after explaining
something of the training program
Of the base, told 1t. S. S. Lowry
to take over, and the young reserve
officer, an instructor commanding
a small boat flotilla, described the
practice operation we were about
to take part in. And 1t. Lowry,
before the war an advertising man
on San Francisco newspaper,
knows something about landings.
He was at the invasion of North
Africa, and, while his ship was
being unloaded, under constant air
attack. a German submarine slipped
in with a torpedo. The ship was
blown out of the water. 1t. Lowry
managed to get ashore, severely
hurt, and, much to his displeasure,
they won't send him back to the
war zone-at least for a while.
Sail in Divergent Circles.
The landing craft, he pointed out,
were forming divergent circles SO
that if they did collide-entirely
possible in the darkness which
usually cloaks these operations
they wouldn't hit head-on, since
they'd be going in the same direc-
ton. They were waiting only sig
nails to come in and get their loads
of men or supplies. Meanwhile
they were lurking close to the ship,
in what the amphibions call the
transport area.
In this ship-to-shore practice
routine for the student sailors, no
special show for us-the correspond
ents would hit the beach with the
first wave, 1t. Lowry explained. And
the visitors were invited to climb
down the nets and board the boats
as they came alongside.
Take your time going down the
&c hivr
to worry about. Don't hurry"
Simply be careful that your feet
rested on a rope rung and that your
hands clutched another before you
continued downward. The horizon
tai strands were best for the feet,
the vertical for the hands.
Like Descending Wall.
All this was most reassuring, but
when you started over the side you
had the feeling that you were de-
scending sheer wall, with a few
finger and toe holds here and there.
The net seemed as knitted to the
side as carving Actually there
was plenty of room for hands and
feet and the climb wasn't bad-if
you didn't look at the contraption
too hard or glance downward at
the bobbing boat. Luckily the
Roads, looking out to sea between
the capes, was relatively calm. One
could imagine trying to hold on to
that thing in heavy sea. with the
ship rolling and the landing craft
whipped about.