ASSIGNMENT

It wasn't until we arrived in our home port (see previous blog), that we learned of our assignment - that of convoy duty, protecting merchant ships heading for Europe, from attack by German submarines. The importance of this didn't begin to "sink in" until we began seeing 100 plus merchant ships forming in Norfolk harbor for the crossing.

The time of departure came and it wasn't until we were well underway that I realized, "hey, there is nothing around us but water, I hope we make it."

The most unusual thing happening to me while adjusting to being at sea, was odd periods of sickness. I say odd, because every time the ship left port I had to lose the latest meal I had eaten. After that, no matter how rough the waters became, I had no sickness problems. In fact, I loved the rough seas - so much so that when off duty in the radio shack, I would be on deck looking at the water and at the merchant ships.

My General Quarters (GQ) station was the emergency radio room, below deck and aft. If the alarm sounded (meaning sonar picking up submarine sounds), I would grab my life preserver and head for my station. If we were attacked and hit, it was my responsibility to transmit that information to the fleet commodore. I never really thought about the precariousness of my position, although I later realized that if we had been hit, I would not have made it out of there alive.

More, later.