The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-05-12
VEST POCKET
NAVY FINDS
TO LEARN
BY BEN II. COOK


Aboard o Submarine Chaser on
Santa Catalina Island, Cal. (UP)-
Almost simultaneously came q muf- |
fed explosion, a jar that bounced
the ship sharply, and most I'M
natural looking CLASSY oothneSs
on the ocean surface Just astern Of
this cocky little craft that had been
so audacious as to drop several 300
pound barrels Of TINT into the
water.
An instant later the boat shud-
dered again and gallons Of water
and mud beloved into the air.
We were feeling and seeing the
effects Of depth charge pattern"
our little, 173-foot PC boat had
dropped as the climax to q days
maneuverS by the "vest-pocket
feet" Of the Nays small craft
training center at Roosevelt Besa,
on Terminal Island, where crews
are trained for every kind Of small
boat except landing vessels.
Play New Roles
In the "vest-pocket feet" were
submarine chasers, mine sweepers
and small convoy escort craft that
seem to have forgotten what they
were built for and now play key
roles In United Nations landing
operations all over the globe.
It's in this Small Craft Training
feet that men who few weeks
before studied high school algebra
and tinkered with hopped-up ia
lopies learn to fire anti-aircraft
guns from the deck Of tossing ship
and do the hundreds of other
things needed to run even a small
warShip.
AS our executive officer, a Junior
grade lituenant who not long ago
was q Harvard University law stu
dent and who Is the only of1cer
remaining from the original crew,
explained 1t:
after the sailors boot training
and as soon as he learns little
about ship-operation in eight weeks
Of shore station classes, he Is as
signed to crew and sent to us
for training.
Then just as we get him
whipped into shape where we could
use him, he and the rest Of his
crew 60 of to their own ship"
Garry 3-Inch Cannon
One such crew was on our ma
newer cruise, working beside the
five officers and 81 men Of our ships
permanent crew. The trainees, near
the end Of their To-day shipboard
instruction, were due to leave soon
to pick up their own brand-new
Pc vessel.
And they have q lot to learn In
10 days, for these little submarine
chasers-designed for convoy escort
are might weapons, which they
have proved by doubling in jobs
they were not built for, as fast hit
and-run gunboats or auxiliary land.
ing vessels.
They mount a three-inch cannon,
and numerous anti-aircraft guns.
They carry depth charges that
they can drop from the stern or
shoot Of to either side.
They have sleeping quarters,
messhalls and galleys for officers
and men, all of whom live on board.
wide Cruising Radius
They can carry provisions TOT
weeks of cruising without touch
ing port, and If they've mind to
they could travel from here to the
Hawaiian Islands (and then some)
without refeuling.
Their two powerful motors can
send the ship bouncing through
the water around 10 knots.
They have submarine detection
equipment, radio communication.
navigation facilities and practically
everything else that a big cruiser
or battleship can claim-but less
than 70 men to do the Jobs that
1000 men do on the larger ships.
Only complaint Of permanent
crew members, about half of whom
had been on this ship since 1t was
commissioned a year ago, was that
they would rather be out doing
things themselves than training
others.