The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-07-03
RESERvI5TS FIND
They REMEMBER
WARTIME DUTIES

pleased with the efficiency OF then
memories when they returned froE
their first weekend training cruise
yesterday afternoon.
They had found that, although
five years had passed since they
last walked bridge and shouted
orders. they still recalled the cor
rect thing to say to make a ship
go where they wanted it to go.
The group left Juneau Saturday
morning for Petersburg. Operations
area was designated as Stephens
Passage and Frederick Sound
Mock docking" as well as other
training. was scheduled for Satur-
day afternoon.
The other training - including
navigation exercises, plotting. ara
fire and man overheard" drill
was carried out as scheduled.
Like dessert, the 'mock-docklng
was left until last. 1t was carried
out yesterday allerHOOll'
1t. Comdr. Hugh d. Gray, officer
in charge of the Juneau reserve
unit. 1t. Comdr. Leonard M. Ber-
lin. 1t. (jg) Norman L. Durocher.
and Ems. Roderick G.. Rohrberg had
had experience in handling ships.
They took the sturdy fleet tug USS
Bagaduce away from the dock -
an orange crate, circled, came back,
and pulled to a stop beside 1t.
The men who had served as
deck officers on twin-screw ships
during the war automatically said
"all astern one third" as they
brought the ship to the dock
They explained that it was neces-
sary on a vessel with two propellors
to give orders for each engine. And
after five years the habit was sill
with them.
1t. Comdr. John c. Bowen was
Navy flier during the war. He had
never stood on the bridge OF a ship
and controlled its movements. Yeo-
man Carl M. D'Epiro was a clerk on
an aircraft carrier He, too. had
never had the opportunity to con-
troll ship.
But when the captain of the LAB
foot Bagaduce, 1t. F. L. Brimmer,
USN. told them, Take her around,
the two men found they could do it
with a minimum of coaching.
To 1t Comdr. Bowen, the manu-
ever resembled landing an aircraft
slowly, without worrying about
stalling speed, with plenty of time"
Yeoman DEpiro, after he had
taken his turn docking" ship, said,
ITS like parking car, except its
more complicated"
The mock docking exercise was
carried out in Stephens Passage,
few hours run from Juneau.
After it had been completed, th'
Juneau reservists met in the ward
room of the ship to discuss tht
cruise.
The ship had anchored off Pet
ersburg Saturday evening. The
men, after fishing off the stern oil
the ship for an hour, had taken g
three hour shore leave in Peters
burg.
The ship had sailed at 4:30 am.
Sunday from its anchorage for Jul
neau, and the men had helped witt
the navigation as the vessel wen
north.
Talking over the trip, they fount
that they all agreed on one bi!
point-the unit should have NOR
cruises.
We're a lot more valuable a
reserves because of this trip" Ii
Comdr Gray said, speaking for tn
group. I'VE We're little rusty whel
it came to navigation and ship
handling, but all of us remembers
what we had learned"
He said that other cruises in tn
near future are practically Ger
tainty." Men interested in becom
ing part of the reserve organizatio
which makes the cruises can con
tact 1t. Comdr. Gray at the Ju
neau Hotel, he said.
The Bagaduce left Juneau at
pm. yesterday for Sitka, where il
crew will play a fastball game tc
morrow. After the Fourth, it wi
proceed to take up its air and Sc
rescue duties at Kodiak.