US Navy - 1956 to 1961
USS Mount Katmai AE-16 - Auxillary - Explosives
She was about 430 feet long and I don't remember how many men wee aboard her. I served on her from January 1958 to July 1959. Just 18 months - But, the places we went! The things I learned! The friends I made. Where are they now? Richard A. Peletier RM1 (at this time) and Bob. Still can't remember his last name - but, he had a Metropolitan car. We used it one time to run around SF to visit some of my friends. Yeah! Girls!
The Places I Got To Visit.....
Port Chicago, California. Northeast of San Francisco, California. this is where we loaded up for a trip to the west. Rumors are that in 1944 an Atomic bomb blew up here. Not so! But a ship was vaporized, another ship sank with all hands and the town of Port Chicago was destroyed. I was told the anchor of one ship was imbeded in the hill just south of where we docked. About 5 miles away! If you're interested in info about Port Chicago - just do a search for Port Chicago and you'll find many, many articles about that explosion! It's very, very interesting.
Ariel view of Port Chicage at this web site:
http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-48,GGLG:en&q=photo&near=Pittsburg,+CA+94565&sa=X&oi=localr - Pan LEFT then ZOOM in. Look for the NEW docks!
Hawaii is always the first Port of Call after leaving San Francisco. I remember sleeping on the beach at Waikiki one night. Understand you can't do that anymore - unless you're night fishing! The hotels welcomed sailors in those days and the food was great! So were the people. I was invited to have dinner with a couple at the Waikiki Hotel one evening - on my first trip!
Sasebo, Japan. The docks as seen from the air. We never got this close. We had to anchor near the opening of the bay. In a Utility Boat, at full speed, it took about 45 minutes to get to the Navy base docks. You could almost sober up during the ride back to the ship!
From the main street of Olongapo in Subic Bay, Philippines to get back to your ship you had to enter the Naval Station thru these gates. The street wasn't paved then - that I remember! And, for some odd reason, it was always dark! Take a trip to Olongapo and remember - http://filipinawives.com/memorial.html
Guam, Mariannas Islands, Pacific Ocean. Apra Harbor. I think this is the south end of the island. The island is about 30 miles long and 8 or 9 miles wide. The Naval Communications Station (NAVCOMSTA) is located near the middle of the island. I was attached here from July 1959 to December 1960.
Guam photos located here: http://www.guam-online.com/gallery/gallery.htm
Hong Kong - then a British Protectorate. Today, back with China. This photo was taken at the end of WWII and shows it close to what it was at the ime I visited. My first visit here was in 1958. Took a trip around the island one day. Aberdeen and its floating restaurants was fantastic! You picked the fish fresh out of a tank! The whole meal was GREAT! Tiger Balm Gardens was just too much! And the city of Hong Kong was so busy. It reminded me of San Francisco's China Town. Pure beauty!!
Photos of the whole island - http://www.geocities.com/asiaglobe/gallery/hongkong.htm
This is Kwajalein island, Kwajalein Atoll, Pacific Ocean. Only stopped here once. I was the only US Navy Radioman to ever bring back a MSTS ship. MSTS was all civilian from the Captain on down. But, their radioman got ill and had to go to the hospital while stopping over at Guam. I was sitting waiting for a plane to take me back to the states for discharge. Someone volunteered me! I ended up on the USNS Sgt. Truman Kimbro, a small freighter manned by civilians. I was the radio operator aboard a civilian ship! I couldn't believe it! However, that almost led to a future that I could only dream of today. One of the jobs offered was chasing rockets into the Pacific! Anyone see NASA here?
Treasure Island, San Francisco, California. I was stationed here in early 1959 for advanced Radio communications school. I was also discharged from the Navy here. Ran into Chief Radioman R.A. Peletier as I left the base for the final time. He was on guard duty at the main gate and had been in charge of the Radio Shack onboard the USS Mount Katmai during my time aboard.
A note from Skip Johnson, RM3 - Guam NavComSta
Was a RM3 at NAVCOMSTA 1956 & 1957 and worked at the PHOTO/FAX room in the basement of the communications building. Remember the old JOHNSTON theater and saw ELVIS in LOVE ME TENDER when it first came out. Enjoyed the outdoor movies where you always had to bring your raincoat. Sounded like a train coming through the boondocks when it rained. Remember the lizards about two feet long down at the beach. How about the roads being so hot that you couldn't run across them barefooted. Did you ever hike up to TALAFOOFOO FALLS with warm beer? Did you see any of the WW2 junk still out in the boonies when you were there. I was 18 and enjoyed the island and the 30 day leave to Japan.....
Skip Johnson
Worcester, Mass.
