My tour of duty aboard the 611 was not the most pleasant, as far as I was concerned. However, time tends to dissipate bad memories and there are a few pleasant and a few humorous ones now coming to the fore.

As I said, I mess-cooked for the first half of patrol. We had some real good cooks, albeit somewhat eccentric. On one occasion the lead cook submitted his next week's menu for the CO's approval. He had listed three different types of beans for three days in a row. The captain rejected it with the comment, "This is pushing atmosphere control too far."

During that run we crossed the Arctic Circle (and became "blue noses"), where the ship rolled at 400 feet. We came up to periscope depth into very rough seas and without warning broached. I think our ex-fly boy was the diving officer. He was awarded another set of wings. Anyway, nothing was stowed in the scullery and many of the cups and bowls were ejected and crashed down onto the steaks we had set out to defrost. It was almost time to start preparing dinner and there was no time to thaw out more steaks. The duty cook and I spent the next hour picking shards of glass out of the steaks with tweezers. No one was ever the wiser (I think).

Then there was the time we ran the same exercise, broaching just before breakfast. A large pot of red stuff --- that hamburger and tomato sauce gruel --- fell to the floor. The line was already formed. The cook slammed the door shut and said, "Quick, give me a dust pan."

These stories are all true, although who would believe them? I'll send more in the days ahead.
Keep a zero bubble and positive pressure in the boat.
Sincerely,
Willard Paul
"Every day we ought to renew our purpose." _ Thomas   Kempis
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