Me at 17 on the USC-GSS Pioneer
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Shortly after graduating from Alameda High School I was offered a job on a Coast and Geodetic ship that was leaving Oakland and working between Hawaii and Alaska for about a year. The ship was 114 feet long and 48 feet wide. It was also a little rusty around the edges. It served during World War Two as a sub tender. It was commissioned Sea Wolf, latter re-commissioned Pioneer as a research vessel.
About the third week at sea one of our Engineers, Mr. Peasly poked his head in our bunk area and let us younger guys, that had just been hired on for the voyage, know that we would be coming up to the mail buoy in a few hours. If we had any letters for home, now would be a good time to send them. A bunch of us started writing letters home. I tracked Mr. Peasly down to give him a hand full of mail and he told us that we were the only ones wanting to send letters home and that if we wanted to, we could watch for the mail buoy at around midnight and drop them in.
So this is how you will find four or five of us younger guys up on the bow of the ship at exactly midnight with battle lanterns shining out into the darkness looking for the mail buoy.
Anyone that has been on a ship knows how loud the public address system is! The old Captain of the ship was watching us from the bridge and found out what we were doing. He clicked on the P.A. and in a VERY fatherly voice that everyone on the ship could hear, or anyone within a few miles, "YOUNG MEN, THERE IS NO MAIL BUOY, go below and get some sleep".
Mr. Peasly got us good, and not the last time either.
>Shortly after graduating from Alameda High School I was offered a job on a Coast and Geodetic ship that was leaving Oakland and working between Hawaii and Alaska for about a year. The ship was 114 feet long and 48 feet wide. It was also a little rusty around the edges. It served during World War Two as a sub tender. It was commissioned Sea Wolf, latter re-commissioned Pioneer as a research vessel.
About the third week at sea one of our Engineers, Mr. Peasly poked his head in our bunk area and let us younger guys, that had just been hired on for the voyage, know that we would be coming up to the mail buoy in a few hours. If we had any letters for home, now would be a good time to send them. A bunch of us started writing letters home. I tracked Mr. Peasly down to give him a hand full of mail and he told us that we were the only ones wanting to send letters home and that if we wanted to, we could watch for the mail buoy at around midnight and drop them in.
So this is how you will find four or five of us younger guys up on the bow of the ship at exactly midnight with battle lanterns shining out into the darkness looking for the mail buoy.
Anyone that has been on a ship knows how loud the public address system is! The old Captain of the ship was watching us from the bridge and found out what we were doing. He clicked on the P.A. and in a VERY fatherly voice that everyone on the ship could hear, or anyone within a few miles, "YOUNG MEN, THERE IS NO MAIL BUOY, go below and get some sleep".
Mr. Peasly got us good, and not the last time either.
One of my favorite stories dad. Thanks so much for humoring me with this blog!
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