"The magazines you send are appreciated here and I hope
you won't stop sending them. The boys have quite a time
deciding who will be next to read them.
"Well, I was transferred back here to the Canonicus
last Wednesday. I passed my examination for quartermaster on
the
Patoptic and got the highest mark, but I have to take another
examination on board here before I am rated quartermaster.
"Was on a tug from September 11 to October 16, and I
liked it fine there. I only wish I could have stayed. I met quite
a few fellows who had been in the same company with me in
training station. They had a fine trip coming over. It took the
fifty-four days. Sometime I will tell you about it."
U.S.S. Canonicus, October 20, 1918.
"Yes I read in the papers about the soldiers arriving
in France at the rate of seven a minute - some speed to Uncle
Sam.
"At present my watches are like this - eight hours a
day for three days and then one day off. I am standing ship-
quartermaster watches. They are stood on the bridge. I have
to report all movements of ships, boats coming alongside and
keep a good lookout for anything unusual. Once an hour I write
up the log, in which I record the Barometer and Thermometer readings,
the force of and direction the wind blows from, the kind of sky,
amount of clouds, kind, and direction they are moving from, and
the amount of sea. Besides that, I record all drills that take
place, all stores taken aboard, men transferred and many other
things.
"When I was the the U.S.S. Patoptic, I learned how to
steer a ship, the rules of the road, how to take a deep sea
sounding, how to tell the speed of the vessel and a good
many other things."
Invergorden, Scotland, U.S.S. Canonicus, November
29, 1918.
"I have some news to break to you which I am sure you
will not like. When you get this letter, the U.S.S.Canonicus
will
be back in the states, and I will be over here. You ask why?
Well, today I volunteered for service on a mine sweeper. We are
to sweep up all the mines we laid over here between Scotland
and Norway. The work is very dangerous and they say it will be
June before we are finished. But don't worry about me as I am
sure everything will come out all right.
"So I am detailed here for the next six months or so.
Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock we leave the ship (48 of us
in
all) and go to Base 18, which is in Inverness, Scotland.
I think we will be stationed there most of the time. At least
I think that will be our base. We will sweep for mines in small
ships about a hundred feet long. They are called drifters. From
what I hear we are to get twice as much pay as we are getting
now and our insurance will be doubled twice.
"We made thirteen mine-laying trips. The Canonicus laid
eleven thousand (11,000) mines. That is more than any other
ship in the world has laid in that number of trips. I have
seen it so rough in the North Sea, that we would have a foot
of water on the bridge and that is about forty feet about the
water line. The destroyers convoying us would go entirely out
of sight, and we had to hang on to a rail most of the time, or
our feet would go out from under us and we would slide to the
other end of the bridge. Now we are going out in the same sea
with smaller ships. Guess I will be a sea-going old salt by the
time I get back."
Inverness, Scotland, Dec. 6, 1918.
"Everything is going fine here and I am having an easy
life. I have nothing at all to do except going to quarters twice
a
day. here is the daily routine: 7 A.M., up all hammocks;
7:45 breakfast opens up; 9:30 sick calls; 12:00 dinner; 1:00
quarters; 4:30 retreat and liberty; 5:30 supper; 9:00 out lights;
11:00 liberty expires.
"So far I have not done any mine-sweeping and do not
expect to for a couple of months. Two U.S. tugs were out
experimenting on blowing up the mines by electricity. They
came in last night and one of them had part of its bow blown
off, but they said the trips were successful. If they blow them
up by electricity, probably we will not have to sweep any at
all. I hope not, for these are sure healthy mines. When we were
laying some of the mines would blow up two or three miles away
from us and shake the whole ship.
"A couple of our trips were not successful and the mines
all blew up soon after we laid them. It was a fine sight to see
a
hundred or so mines go up at once and it is one I will not
forget soon. Just think what would have happened, if we would
have been torpedoed! And we were right in the path the subs took
to get to the Atlantic. We carried 285,600 pounds of the highest
explosive there is (on each trip). One torpedo would have touched
this off and I do not think we would have been heard of. No wonder
the fellows would jump at the least noise while we were out on
a trip."
February 5, 1919.
"The U.B. 92 was here for three days last week on exhibition.
It is credited with sinking thirty-five merchant ships and
two hospital ships.
"According to the dope here this base will be broken
up the first of April. I still think we will man German ships.
There
are 1,200 men here now and more are expected soon. From what
I hear some of us will be transferred, as soon as these other
men come.
"Well, it is getting colder here now and there is about
an inch of snow on the ground. We get a fine view of the
mountains from here. They are covered with snow and look
beautiful. This place is surely a place of wonderful scenery.
The best in Scotland."
February 16, 1919.
"I expect to leave the base before the first of March.
We go on the German ships - either on a transport or merchant
ship. The draft list is all made up and I have seen my name
on it. So it may not be so long before I will be able to pay
you a short visit.
"Everything here is going fine. It is just like summer.
Am getting plenty of liberty and I have next to nothing to do."