Selling are two magazine article from 1948: U. S. Navy Midshipmen Title: Midshipmen's Cruise Author: Midshipmen William J. Aston & Alexander G. B. Grosvenor, USN Neat look at life on board a US Navy battleship. Quoting the 1st page “SHOVE OFF, coxswain. Return to the sea wall," sang out the Junior Officer of the Deck of the U.S.S. New Jersey. About him was the clamor and confusion of the launch's load of midshipmen trying to locate sea bags, suitcases, and blue service uniforms heaped in pyramids on the forecastle. The motor launch, empty now of its cargo of human freight, with a roar headed back to the United States Naval Academy dock in Annapolis, Maryland. Wistful glances followed her wake as she gradually grew dim in the rainy mist of that early Saturday morning, June 7, 1947. Some fellows, perhaps a little homesick, tried to bring to life the last beautiful image of the June Week O.A.O. (one and only). But the eager ones were already heaving sea bags down the forehatch, glad to be away from the confining walls and books of the Academy and bound for foreign shores. Ever since Rear Admiral James L. Holloway, Jr., Superintendent of the Academy, had announced our cruise plans, all hands had been enthusiastically awaiting this day. Edinburgh, Oslo, Copenhagen, London-glittering names lay ahead. Now with our task force of 2 battleships, New Jersey and Wisconsin, the carriers Randolph (flagship) and Kearsarge, the LSD Fort Mandan, and 4 destroyers, 2,100 midshipmen shoved off for their 1st taste of a sailor's life and travels. The new 2nd class (juniors) enjoyed the sunbathing on the flattops. Our division of 60 youngsters (3rd classmen, or sophomores) and 1st classmen (seniors), plus ten Reserve midshipmen from various colleges, was quartered forward of New Jersey's No.1 16-inch gun turret. Our pipe bunks-and they were comfortable too-were stacked in tiers of four, lining the bulkheads (walls or ship's side) and grouped compactly in columns, fore and aft, 2 tiers wide, but with enough room to scoot out quickly. We were each assigned a locker, so tiny it left us skeptical. How could we cram all the gear in our 2 bulging bags into that small space? Nevertheless, after much refolding and rolling, our "white works," skivvies," etc., were squeezed in. One of Uncle Sam's battlewagons is a self-contained, multi-decked machine. Think of it as being divided into thirds. The super-structure, with its bridge and command stations, is the brain. The middle 3rd (1st two decks below main deck) feeds and repairs the 2 other sections. Lastly, the lower division, with its turbines, boilers, and generators, energizes the ship. It was 3 or four days before we could step through watertight doors from 1 compartment to another without bruising our shins. But it took longer to master climbing and descending ladders (no stairs!) from 1 deck to another without use of seat, elbows, and gravity. Shipboard navigation, taught by personal experience, was not learned by many for weeks. We were in England before some of us found the cobbler or tailor shops. During a pre-cruise lecture a humorous instructor said that to survive the cruise we must learn the location of only 3 places: our bunks, the chow line, and the "head." We all survived. A frequent question of the late war was, "How can Halsey and Mitscher stay at sea so long without refueling at a base?" Now it is an everyday trick to transfer millions of gallons of fuel from a fleet oiler to thirsty battlewagons while under way. Our 1st demonstration…” 7” x 10”; 12 pages, 5 B&W images. Title: Midshipmen's Cruise Images by: Alexander G. B. Grosvenor No text, just photo captions. 7” x 10”; 16 pages, 40 color pictures of the men on board plus their traveling in England.These are pages from an actual 1948 magazine. No reprints or copies.48F1 Please note the flat-rate shipping for my magazine articles. Please see my other auctions and store items for more old articles, advertising pages and non-fiction books. Click Here To Visit My eBay Store: busybeas books and adsHundreds of items!Anything I find that looks interesting! Please see my other auctions for more goodies, books and magazines. I’ll combine wins to save on postage. No postage charge for the ads or articles if you buy a book that I can mail the ads/articles inside. Thanks For Looking! Luke 12: 15 Powered by eBay Turbo Lister
