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Charles Joseph Brucks F.C.O.2c F Division USN USS West Virginia 1943-1946 |
Assigned to the West Virginia on Nov. 17, 1943. I was in the F Division There were four of us
who started in Boot came in Great Lakes. Jan 43, went to fire control
school on Treasure Island San Francisco in April, then to a new
Antiaircraft school between San Diego and LaJolla. We planted grass
seed and hauled truck loads of dried human waste from camp Pendelton to
fertilize the seed. The seed came up with many tomato plants from
the marines Pendelton. We fired 20, 40, and 90mm as well as 5inch at
sleeves towed along the coast line. We trained English sailors on the 20
and 40mm before they pick up some mine sweepers to sail back to Briton.
We were transferred to
Whidbey Island at the new navel station. The first few weeks we
harvested Potatoes and Pears which farmers had planted and left when the
navy took over the land. We worked in small craft retrieving torpedoes
that were dropped by TBFs at a target ship in Puget sound. We had fast
speed boats to chase the torpedoes and hook them as they rose to the
surface at the end of their run, they would sink if not hook soon
enough. We transferred them to small barges and when the barge had four
it would return them to the base. We were then transferred to the Wee Vee
On Nov. 17.43
There were members of
the crew that was on the ship at Pearl and told many stories of that day
and of the work done bringing the ship up and to Bremerton. For six
months we worked aboard the ship doing many things but the last month we
were able to work along side ship yard workers wiring up the fire
control equipment.
Common dates July 4,44
Underway in Puget Sound -- July 17, left for Long Beach for shakedown
and training. --Sept 7 left for Pearl --Sept 24 left for the South
Pacific -- Oct. 4 crossed the Equator --Oct.19 started our war effort by
bombarding Leyte. I left the ship in January 46 to be discharged at
Great Lakes
Charles Joseph Brucks |