Evening star., 1952-11-18
SUBMARINE:
By Comdr. Edword l. Beech, U. S. NJ.
CHAPTER VIII.
Trigger.

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Harbor Navy Yard. Robert E
Dornin relieved Capt. Roy Benson,
who was sent to submarine school
at New London, Conn, as an in
structor, and I was sent off on
three weeks leave in the States
When I got back to Pearl. I car
ried in my heart the knowledge
that I had met my bride-to-be.
and had seen my father for the
last time. A mountain of work in
stantly engulfed me.
One day toward the end of the
overhaul, Stinky (John w. Sinca-
vich. engineer officer) sought me
out. ..t.
1--WE want to install an ice
cream freezer on board" said he
without any preliminaries.
"You mean one of those wooden
hand-cranked jobs?"
He nodded.
who ever heard of an ice
creamer in a submarine?" I de-
manded.
We'll, we think we know where
we can get one. Besides, wouldn't
you like nice cool dish of ice
cream sometime when it's good
and hot, like right after charging
batteries or running silent for half
a day-like two months ago when
those two tin cans were after us?"
could taste the saliva starting
to drool into my mouth. Sounds
SWELL" I growled. Just where do
you think you're going to stow
this contraption, and where will
you get the ice, and who's going
to turn the crank-you? Or will
you put a special man on watch?"
Its going to be automatic.
Well take the motor off the ships
lathe and We'll hook it up to the
ships main refrigerating system
so we won't have to bother either
with ice or cranking it,"
Born Gadgeteers.
SubmarinerS are born gadget-
eers, and if any one could rig up
this kind of contraption, they
could. I felt myself weakening.
IF you connect it to the re-
frigerating system, it will have toI
be permanently installed-just
where have you planned to put
it?"
Stinky's self-assurance for the
first time appeared to wane a lit
tie. "Well," he confessed, "the
only place we could think Of
where there's enough room is on
deck between the periscopes-"
My outraged below nearly blew
him from the wardroom. but he
continued doggedly:
$50 we thought maybe you
would help us find place for it"
The vision of the skipper care
fully stepping over the ice-creamI
freezer while he made periscope
observation was too much. My
thought must have been mirroredI
In my face, for Stinky quickly
went on:
We've already got it half
finished, if you'd care to see it,"
I might have known it. One sub
marine had already been reputedI
to have dismantled a jeep andI
slowed it away below decks just
before starting patrol. myself
had once connived at stashingl
away the essential parts of al
mutorcycle behind the main en-
gines. BY comparison an ice-cream|
freezer was sa cinch. 4
When we set out for Triggers
sixth patrol, in an out-of- f-the-wa
corner Of the control room rested
the fruit of Stinky's efforts.
My first sample of it's product
had the distinct flavor Of hy-
draulic oil superimposed on that
of the ice cream, and I noticed
particles of metal in it from the
grinding of the gears. But neitherI
oil nor metal filings reduced our
pleasure. We ran the machine al
most continuously. and had ice
cream at least once a day.
We soon found that as the ice
cream slowly froze into the de-
sired consistency the paddles be-
came harder and harder to turn,
While the motor ran slower and
slower. Without careful super
vision there would obviously come
a time when the motor could
turn no more.
Stinky Called on Carpet.
Strict instructions were issued
about ice-creamer operation, in
names of qualified opera
tors. Nevertheless, about a week
after we had left Pearl Harbor the
daily ration of ice cream suddenly
stopped, and Stinky-now known
as officer in charge of ice cream
was Immediately called on the
carpet by the skipper.
His crestfallen explanation was
that some one had neglected to
watch the machine, and the ice
cream had become so hard that
the motor had finally stopped.
The first indication of trouble had
been the odor of burning insula-
ton, and now. with or without the
ice cream. the motor refused to
turn at all.