Underway Replenishment the old way

Here the Mount Baker AE-4 is replenishing the USS Princeton CVS-37 and the USS Helena CA-75.
This is the way we did the replenishment of other ships when I was aboard the "Mighty B" in 1959 -1961.
Although it looks calm in this photo, Many times it wasn't. (ET2 Galloway Photo)

I got the picture from another Mount Baker AE-4 Sailor who is now gone. I would be honored for you to
use that picture. I have not seen it in any other archives. It is a good picture for showing how we rearmed
ships at see in the old days before they used helicopters.

I spent many a cold night out on that deck handling ammunition. The old Mount Baker crew handled each
piece by hand at least twice as we didn’t have the fork lift truck elevators that the newer ships had. So before
each replenishment, We all would be down in the hold or up on deck preparing the transfer of the ammunition.

Signed: Dave Hassall

USS MOUNT BAKER (AE-4) from April 1959 to May 1961.

The Mount Baker was originally launched as the Merchant ship SS Surprise built to haul bananas from South America to the United States.
When, in World War II, the Germans were sinking more merchant ships than we could build, the Navy purchased the SS Surprise and because
of her air conditioned holds, converted it into an ammunition Ship. She was diesel powered by 2 large 9 cylinder Nordburg engines.

I took two Westpac cruises on this ship and rode out many a typhoon. A fire alarm was a "BIG DEAL" on this ship.

This photo of the Mount Baker AE-4 was courtesy of W. Erskine Bankhead's private collection.

Signed: Dave Hassall

CA-75 Photos

CA-75

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