THURSDAY 1 JANUARY 1953, USS SAINT PAUL (CA-73)
DECK LOG - REMARKS SHEET
00-04
Moored port side to a fine ship,
The USS MANCHESTER to whose admiral we dip.
With six 8 inch manila lines.
We rest at Pier Dog, Berth 29.
California the state, the city Long Beach,
a wonderful port we all like to reach.
Add two wire ropes for safety sake,
to be definitely sure our mooring won't break.
These two wire ropes reach to the dock,
firmly secured fore and aft to a chock.
Boiler no. 3 has a full head of steam,
to keep our generators on the beam.
H2O from the dock does flow,
also phone service which keeps us on the go.
Material condition Yoke is set very fine,
on the third deck and below the water line.
While X-ray above the second deck is set,
this will hold the admiral's cat I bet.
The Senior Officer Present Afloat I see,
is COMCRUDIVTHREE.
The USS HELENA he does ride,
she carries this two star admiral with pride.
Other units present from ships to rafts,
include Pacific Fleet, harbor, and district craft.
While standing this first watch of the year,
two men approached with faces beaming with cheer.
A chit each one had in his hand,
that would take them to vacation land.
For 15 days they did go,
but they'll come back-I --ope so.
Not everything will be good this year,
only two hours have passed for this I cannot cheer.
Fireman JOHNSON comes to us 19 hours late,
and for this he must stay within our gate.
T.J. Farris
LTJG, USNR
Permission to reproduce this poem, granted by the USS ST. PAUL Association
and by
Bill Whitt, author of "I Danced with the Lady"