A newsletter for the sailors of the USS GURKE (DD-783) GURKE NEWSLETTER Volume 3 Issue 1 May 2009 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE USS GURKE (DD-783) Special Points of Interest CROSSING THE EQUATOR • Did you cross the equator? If so, BY BRIAN LOTT ward boson’s locker – it was short time allotted to me. you’ll identify all Greek to me. But, I would Next morning I had the with Brian Lott’s And it came to pass one eventually be able to put all of eight to noon quarter-deck cover story. Read morning that a member of it together, so painfully. watch as messenger. and remember! Fox Division came into plot Six months later we left Things were different. There and passed around the news Saigon and headed south for was a tension throughout the • Frank Hickam that we were going to cross Singapore. These were calm, ship. As I came on watch I has an important the equator. There were warm South China seas with was struck dumb by the sight health alert for some quick glances passed brilliant nights and sweltering of a young engine room everyone to heed. See page three. between three of the five of days. But, there were some striker running along the us who were running checks oddities to be noted, but not deck being chased by sev- • See if anyone can on the fire control computer, given much thought: we were eral others of the “black answer Tom and then there was a sudden no longer dumping garbage gang” wielding rubber hoses Swanston’s ques- rush for the hatch leaving the off the fantail (someone said it wrapped with white line. As tions under Mail remaining two of us some- would be collected in Singa- he was running along the Call on page what befuddled and feeling pore), many of the older crew- deck, seemingly for his life, four. very much alone. We were members were not eating with he was suddenly hit by a due to depart San Diego in us newbies, and the food had stream of high pressure wa- • What was the two days for West Pac and become decidedly spicier, ter from a fire hose and most surprising our time was consumed with there seemed to be a lot of slammed into the back of a thing you learned checking equipment and laughter among the older gun turret. I turned to the in the Navy? See standing inspections. The crew members whenever they Officer of the Deck with what what some fellow sailors had to incident in plot was soon for- got together and it stopped must have been a quizzical say. See page 5. gotten or so I thought. Peri- whenever one of us new guys expression on my face. odically, there would be little came around. I had little time “Pollywog,” he said, as if • John Kuncas snippets of information to give these details much that was all the explanation shares an inci- passed among crewmem- thought as I left the ship and that was necessary. “Your dent during the bers, but it generally had little went sight-seeing, especially turn is coming. We cross the Korean War with interest for me – the Chief to the Tiger Balm Gardens. Equator today.” us on page six. Boson has found some old 2” Singapore was a loud, bus- With that there was an fire hose, they’re giving out tling, and energetic town and I explosion of any number of • Pictures and white line at the paint locker, was on a mission to see as men were being chased rosters from 1951 shillelaghs to be stored in for- much of it as I could in the (Continued on page 2) are on page 7. Volume 3 Issue 1 USS GURKE NEWSLETTER Page 2 (Continued from page 1) revive, and then be sent back down. administered a peptic concoction of back and forth along the deck by Topside pollywogs did not fare much every hot spice the cooks could others yelling and wielding their shil- better. Some of them were also find. Finally, a visit to the royal bath lelaghs in a menacing manner. Oth- dressed in their blues and made to where we were shaven bald and ers manned fire hoses and delighted stand lookout watches in the blazing then nearly drowned in a makeshift in knocking men to the deck or in sun. Others were beaten and soaked tub. We emerged, soaked, bald- holding them spread-eagle from the until the ship slowed to a point where headed, our guts a raging inferno, water pressure along the bulkheads. we hardly had steerage. At that point to see a gauntlet of shellback crew The local inhabitants must have it was announced that King Neptune members, shillelaghs in hand, ex- thought they were witnessing a mu- himself along with his retinue, the tending the length of the ship. tiny on an American ship. But at this royal baby, the royal doctor, the royal “Put your hands over head, don’t crucial moment the old salts who had barber, and numerous strong-arm drop them, and walk slowly or you crossed the Equator before, known men, had come aboard to pass judg- will have to do it again,” came the as shellbacks, paused in their ac- ment and execute punishment on order. So it began on a blistering tions to finish their breakfast. those sorry creatures who had dared hot day, one step at a time while Quickly, word spread to all of the to enter his realm. They brought with trying to block out the pain as shille- non-initiates (pollywogs) describing them, as evidence of our unworthi- lagh after shillelagh, made from fire what the rest of the day was to be ness, a collection of all of the now hose, soaked in salt water, with a like. With that in mind they made a rotting garbage, sewn in a tube, that handle created by tightly wound rush for the mess decks and sealed they claimed we pollywogs had white line, smacked across our but- in the shellbacks. Oh how proud we thrown overboard, thereby defiling the tocks. Step after step until we were. We had beaten them at their King’s domain. The last item on the reached the stern of the ship and own game. Beat me with a shillelagh initiation would be to crawl through there to find that tube filled with the – I think not! Soak me with a fire that collection of rotting refuse and smelling stench of rotting garbage hose – not on your life mister! Score vomit as others wailed away with their and vomit through which we must one for the Pollywogs! shillelaghs. crawl. And crawl we did, but only to “This is the Captain, all hands The entire time I had been on find ourselves trapped inside as prepare to get under way. All hands watch, my best buddy was also stand- shellbacks stood on the ends of the man your sea detail stations. Those ing the watch as the messenger. tube while others administered pun- crew members being locked in the Every so often the OD would send ishment. The unbearable heat, the mess compartment will be set free him on an errand to a remote part of stench, the fire in our guts, the pain, immediately!” the ship thereby subjecting him to be- the pain, and then the darkness. My heart sank, “Oh my God, we ing waylaid and beaten time and time Oh, glorious rain, wet, cooling were about to turn an angry monster again. At one point he begged me to with brilliant sunlight shinning in my loose.” Set, game, and match for the trade places with him. I refused. To eyes. We were being revived from a shellbacks. We sailed out into that this day that weakness on my part still torrent of cool refreshing saltwater blue sea with every pollywog fearing haunts me. I salve my conscience cascading over us. It was over, and the worst and every shellback relish- with the knowledge that the OD would hundreds of years of naval tradition ing what they new was about to hap- never have approved the exchange had once again been honored by pen. as my friend was not a qualified the birth of a new crop of shell- Having cleared the harbor the helmsman. But still…. In the overall backs. noon watch was called and I gleefully scheme of things it might not have However, to this day, I remem- changed my uniform and ran for the mattered as we were shortly relieved ber that moment of selfishness to- bridge where I was to be the helms- of our duties and unceremoniously ward my brother in arms. It is not man for the watch. As I ran along brought before the King’s court. always given to us to come face to dogging shillelaghs, fire hoses, and Forced to kneel, we listened to the face with our inner daemons and attempts to stop me, I kept yelling charges that were placed against us. fears, but on the bridge of the Gurke that I had the watch and was there- Then forced to acknowledge and that hot May day in 1960 with a fore only momentarily delayed. I plead guilty to the alleged indiscre- slowly rolling ship on an endless reached the sanctuary of the bridge tions we listened to the punishment sea astride of the Equator, with while all about me all hell was quite pronounced on our pitiless souls – we chaos all about, I did.