CHAPTER 14 DECEMBER 1, 1944--DECEMBER 26, 1944 EMBARCATION TO OAHU, HA. AND NAS KANEOHE, HA

On the third of December, 1944, the squadron was packed up and packed off to San Diego and loaded aboard the USS Shamrock Bay, CVE-88, for a cruise to Pearl Harbor. During this five day cruise we were accompanied by another VC squadron. The Shamrock Bay was serving as a transport for planes and personnel on it's way to the south pacific where it would pick up the squadron, VC-94, and Walt Glista. There were so many passengers there weren't rooms for everyone so we were stowed everywhere. My cot was in the after windy passage. That is a very narrow hall way from one side the ship to the other just under the flight deck and above the hangar deck. Was bad enough but we also were blessed with one of our group, who came aboard in slightly more than a drunken condition, that wasn't helped by the motion of the sea. Needless to say, to our discomfort, he was heaving his guts out day and night for three days.

On the way to Pearl Harbor, we circled by San Francisco where we were joined by the battleship, USS Texas, and her escort. Beings the Shamrock Bay was ferrying passengers and planes to the south pacific, the deck was filled with planes and no flights were possible from the carrier. So I guess we were being protected by the Texas. One interesting thing about the trip was that the Texas had gunnery practice with her 16 inch guns. We watched from the flight deck and we could actually see the 16 inch projectiles flying through the air.

After arriving at Pearl Harbor, we were transported across the island to NAS Kaneohe. I don't remember my thoughts when we entered Pearl Harbor. I don't even remember seeing the USS Arizona. I'm sure I must have had some deep emotions about the place because of my brother having been there during the attack on December 7, 1941.

All that Honolulu meant to me at this time was a place for liberty. This we did on several occasions. All I can remember of the town was Trader Vic's bar and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. At Kaneohe, the only entertainment was the beach and baseball. The squadron did arrange for a "native luau". This was held jointly for the enlisted men and the officers. Had all the trimmings: barbecued pig, coconuts and hula girls. One of the hula girls wiggled her fanny in the face of one of the aircrewmen sitting next to the dance floor, and pulled him to his feet to dance with her. The front of his shorts showed where his mind was. He got good laugh and a big round of applause.

VC 93 Luau - Kaneohe, Oahu

Part of our training while at Kaneohe was another practice session of carrier landings. This time on the USS Bataan, CVE-29. Each of us made eight landings except for Ensign Malcolm Williams, who dumped his TBM in the water and Ensign Ike Scherer went over the starboard bow. Ike struck his head and received a few cuts on his noggin. He was picked up by a destroyer but had no recollection of the accident.

As I returned from my turn at practice landings, my flight flew over the Pearl Harbor anchorage. While passing over I looked down and could see a ship that appeared to be a battleship of the USS South Dakota class. I had no idea my brother, Melv, was in Pearl Harbor at the time. As far as I knew he was somewhere in the South Pacific. After landing at Kaneohe, Jim Wells and I took off over the Pali by bus for Pearl Harbor. Upon arriving at the fleet landing we could see the ship tied up at Ford Island and sure enough, it was the Indiana. We caught the shore boat at the fleet landing and went out to the ship, went aboard, told the duty officer that we wanted to see my brother, Chief Yeoman Melvin Allison. He called for a messenger and had the messenger take us down to the navigation office. When we got there a 1st class yeoman told us that Melv had gone over the Pali to see me at Kaneohe and if we were to show up on the Indiana to hold us there until he got back. We had passed each other as we crossed the Pali. We waited and he got back later in the evening. The reason he knew that I was in Hawaii was because he had just returned from Bremerton, Wa. where he had been able to visit with our parents. My mother had told him I was at Kaneohe. We spent the rest of the evening with him until it was so late that we couldn't make it back to Kaneohe before curfew. So we spent the night in the chief's quarters. The next morning we were treated to a first class tour of the Indiana by Melv. even to getting into the breech mechanism of the sixteen inch guns. Melv. who had the responsibility of assigning " General Quarters" stations for the crew and had assigned himself to the "Fire Control" station. This was on the lower level of the fire control room. These two rooms were oval shaped and had 18 inches of steel all the way around and over head and under foot. It would have taken a sixteen inch shell to have gotten to him. He was not on the Indiana, a newly commissioned ship, during the attack but was on temporary duty with the Admiral on the USS Dobbin. When the attack started he happened to be ashore. Upon returning to the harbor during the attack, a motor launch put him on the USS Raleigh where he wound up passing ammunition.

A few days later Melv returned to Kaneohe and had three or four other guys that we had gone to school with in Des Moines. They just happened to be in Pearl Harbor at that time. When they departed that day he took with him a carry-all bag containing seven bottles of whiskey, four of which I had brought with me from San Diego and three that I had gotten after arriving at Pearl I don't why I did this other than I knew I would be getting more and whiskey wasn't high on my priority list..

On December 24, I made the trip to the Indiana again. This time I declined the assistance of the messenger and proceeded toward the chief's quarters. Going down the passage way I could see a sailor squatting on the deck. When I got there and turned the corner I found Mel and about twenty other chiefs having a Christmas drinking party. There in the middle of the deck sat my "former" seven bottles and quite a few other bottles. The Indiana had just returned to Pearl from Bremerton with these guys and a lot of smuggled booze. The party had been going on some time because some of these guys were well on their way to being smashed. I spent the night there and returned to Kaneohe Christmas day. I had to be back to pack my gear because the squadron was returning to Pearl Harbor that night to go aboard the USS Long Island, CVE-1. We were departing the morning of December 26th for the long voyage to The Admiralty Islands.

I planned on being up early the next morning and out on deck in hopes of seeing and waving at Melv as the Long Island pulled out from astern of the Indiana and passed by her on our way to the open sea. The next morning I awoke to the rolling of the ship, dashed out on the deck and found myself several miles outside the harbor. I had slept through the whole operation.