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I came aboard the USS West Point September. 1943, just out of boot camp. There were about seven of us that were brought from Treasure Island ( off the coast of SanFransisco) in a Navy launch. When I caught sight of the West Point I could not believe the size of her. I was born and raised at Cheyenne Wyo. My boot camp training was in Idaho.
I was assigned to A Division. The ship’s crew was made up of divisions and you did your job in four hour watches. Four on, eight hours off, and every Monday you would change. If you had four to eight you would go eight to four. The division were named F for fire room ( boilers for making steam). M for machinery ( turbines that turned the propellers). First and Second and so on for deck crew who maintained the painting of the ship, which was a constant job, because rust from the salt water. They also manned the guns. A division was auxiliary. They handled ice machines ( for refrigeration) evaporators ( for making fresh water from sea water for the boilers for making steam, and other uses of fresh water), and auxiliary engines. Included were boats, fire, generators, and we also carried two Ford cars ( Captain and officers). I didn’t work in four hour watches in that job. I was first on evaporators for six months and then in engines. The forward smoke stack was false. At the base of the stack was a big diesel engine that was an emergency generator (Ships electric was generated in the engine room from a turbine). Every Friday I had to start that big engine and test the generator. That was right over the captain’s cabin. I guess it made a lot of racket. He would send a messenger to tell me to hurry the test. Every Friday I would make up stories about how this or that was not quite right. I loved running that big beast. I was all of 19 then. The Picture of the ship at Milne Bay New Guinea has in the background the Owen Stanly Mountains. The Japanese would send bombers from Rebaul over the mountains to bomb us. The American P 38’s would wait for them in the mist, and then come up and shoot them down. The bombs came close, but no hits.On a voyages to Courock Scotland we were slowing down to enter the firth of Clyde, ( we had no escort at sea, sailing at 22 knots. We would pick up an escort when we slowed down to go into a port). This time we had air cover by a Navy P.B.Y, and they said there was a German sub under us trying to go through the Submarine net with us into the river Clyde. They droped a depth charge and it went off next to the engine room and did a lot of damage to the engine condenser. We were anchored near Gourock for over a week while repairs were made. When we left it and got out in the Atlantic the Waves were so high the water was coming over the top of the ship and we were taking water into the tip ventilators. Water was coming through the air vents. We lost the bow gun tub and gun crew that morning. It was unbelievable! The big steel beams holding that gun tub, how twisted they were. Every morning I had to report to the bridge with a boat report, that every motor was OK. I looked at the ( I called it the Leanomeater) and the red hand showed a roll of 42 degrees. That picture of the life boat is from the storm. I believe that in early 1944 I saw a picture of an aircraft carrier with it’s ramp turned up from that storm.I was discharged Feb 1946. My rank was motor machinist mate 2nd class. WRITTEN BY HARRY T WILDMAN: SEPT 1999 Harry Wildman kept a log of his voyages. It begins with a trip from San Fransisco to Sidney in 1943, and ends with decommission on Norfolk VA in 1946.
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