USS General R.E. Callan
The day she was built, she was expendable. The Navy wanted only one voyage out of her to call her a success. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called her and all her kind ''dreadful looking objects.'' The press delighted in calling them all the ''American ugly ducklings.''
They were the Liberty ships. Ask any of the 30,000 Mainers who built or sailed in them from 1942 to 1945 if they were ugly or awkward or anything less than Mainers could make them, and the answer is always a resounding ''No.'' Liberty ships were the workhorses of World War II, the largest class of civilian-made warships ever built, simple square-hulled vessels welded and hammered by the hundreds.
They carried cargoes of grain and mail, ore and ammo, trucks and troops in the fabled horizon-filling convoys that crossed the Atlantic to the Allies, part of Roosevelt's famous ''bridge of ships'' from the New World to the Old.
Maine built about 10 percent of all Liberty ships. Their expected life span was only five years, and so great was the expected casualty rate that the Navy considered one safe voyage per ship a full quota.
After World War II some of the surviving ships were
used to ferry cargo and personnel (including military families) to and from
Europe. Our trip took two weeks. Once we arrived in Europe the ship was promptly
put into quarntine for another two weeks for: "MEASLES". One mother
had let her child run amuck knowing that he/she had the measles. Needless
to say that mother was not very popular at that moment. Mom said she spent
the entire quarntine period in her cabin for the fear of being "wooped"......
<Grin>.
Our cabin was small. Maybe 8x10. It had a single upper and lower berth for beds and a small baby crib and a small sink. Just enough room under the berths for suitcases. Potty was down the passage. When we got to the cabin mom was putting things away and I found this big piece of ugly wire by the sink and baby crib. Being the neat freak, I promptly untwisted the wire and threw it in the garbage. Mom let me have the upper berth so I was a happy camper.
As the USS Callan was a converted Liberty ship (five years past it's expected life span) it was old and by today's standards, unsafe. Stairs were narrow and steep. If you looked over the rail you could see right down into the bowls of the ship, a hundred feet or more. Mom had put Donna into a harness. Good thing, as more than once I saw Donna dangling by the tether over that one hundred foot drop.
One night about a week into the voyage we ran into a storm. We had already gone to bed, when the ship started to roll pretty good. All of a sudden there was a "BAMB".......... "BAMB" then a "EEEEEEEakkkkkkkk" followed by another "BAMB", "EEEEEEEakkkkkk"..........."BAMB", "EEEEEEakkkkkk", "BAMB". Mom flipped on the light switch and there was Donna standing up in her crib, little white fingers clutching the crib's rail, white with fear and screaming. The baby crib had "Wheels". As the ship rolled, Donna and the crib would go flying to one end of the cabin and slam into the wall, then as the ship rolled the other way, Donna and crib would go flying to the other end of the cabin and hit the wall. That explained the "BAMB"........."BAMB" and "EEEEEEEakkkkkks". Mom and I jumped out of bed to catch the run-a-way Donna. About that time the suitcases under the berths decided to go scooting across the floor, knocking Mom and I off our feet. As we struggled to get up, Donna continued her little trip across the cabin and the sound effects continued!! Soon we had all under control. Over all I thought it was kinda neat!!
How was I to know that that big ugly piece of wire I threw in the trash was there to hold the crib to the sink. To keep the crib from rolling?? I felt pretty bad. But upon reflection I'm glad that I started my Donna "Payback licks" at such an early age....... <GRIN>.
As the ship was tied up to the dock for two weeks the poor crew organized activities, to try and keep us kids out under foot. I think they spent the rest of the time looking for the mother that had let her child run amuck with measels.....<grin>. We had films, and workshops and anything they could think of. One of the activities they came up with was a screaming contest. (They were pretty desperate!!) I won that contest!! I got a pretty neat prize. It was a stack of copper sheets. It came with templates, a little hammer and punch. You put the template on top of the copper sheet and then hammered away with punch and hammer to make a picture...... pretty neat!! In later years I seem to remember "Fleeing for my Life" as Donna chased me with that little hammer..... but alas that is another story!!
USS General R.E. Callan
Liberty Ships and Victory Ships
Our cabin was small. Maybe 8x10. It had a single upper and lower berth for beds and a small baby crib and a small sink. Just enough room under the berths for suitcases. Potty was down the passage. When we got to the cabin mom was putting things away and I found this big piece of ugly wire by the sink and baby crib. Being the neat freak, I promptly untwisted the wire and threw it in the garbage. Mom let me have the upper berth so I was a happy camper.
As the USS Callan was a converted Liberty ship (five years past it's expected life span) it was old and by today's standards, unsafe. Stairs were narrow and steep. If you looked over the rail you could see right down into the bowls of the ship, a hundred feet or more. Mom had put Donna into a harness. Good thing, as more than once I saw Donna dangling by the tether over that one hundred foot drop.
One night about a week into the voyage we ran into a storm. We had already gone to bed, when the ship started to roll pretty good. All of a sudden there was a "BAMB".......... "BAMB" then a "EEEEEEEakkkkkkkk" followed by another "BAMB", "EEEEEEEakkkkkk"..........."BAMB", "EEEEEEakkkkkk", "BAMB". Mom flipped on the light switch and there was Donna standing up in her crib, little white fingers clutching the crib's rail, white with fear and screaming. The baby crib had "Wheels". As the ship rolled, Donna and the crib would go flying to one end of the cabin and slam into the wall, then as the ship rolled the other way, Donna and crib would go flying to the other end of the cabin and hit the wall. That explained the "BAMB"........."BAMB" and "EEEEEEEakkkkkks". Mom and I jumped out of bed to catch the run-a-way Donna. About that time the suitcases under the berths decided to go scooting across the floor, knocking Mom and I off our feet. As we struggled to get up, Donna continued her little trip across the cabin and the sound effects continued!! Soon we had all under control. Over all I thought it was kinda neat!!
How was I to know that that big ugly piece of wire I threw in the trash was there to hold the crib to the sink. To keep the crib from rolling?? I felt pretty bad. But upon reflection I'm glad that I started my Donna "Payback licks" at such an early age....... <GRIN>.
As the ship was tied up to the dock for two weeks the poor crew organized activities, to try and keep us kids out under foot. I think they spent the rest of the time looking for the mother that had let her child run amuck with measels.....<grin>. We had films, and workshops and anything they could think of. One of the activities they came up with was a screaming contest. (They were pretty desperate!!) I won that contest!! I got a pretty neat prize. It was a stack of copper sheets. It came with templates, a little hammer and punch. You put the template on top of the copper sheet and then hammered away with punch and hammer to make a picture...... pretty neat!! In later years I seem to remember "Fleeing for my Life" as Donna chased me with that little hammer..... but alas that is another story!!
LINKS:
USS General R.E. Callan
Liberty Ships and Victory Ships