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In early September 1934, after completing Boot Camp at Parris Island, SC, "Bud" moved on to 90 days of Sea School in Philadelphia, PA. Graduating in early December, he signed aboard the USS Arizona at Norfolk VA, joining the Marine Detachment.
After the New Year, train down to Cape May, ferry over to New Port News, boarded the USS Arizona and sailed down the East coast into the Caribbean. Anchored at Guantanamo, Cuba, and had a couple days Liberty. There was time and space for Gunnery Practice before crossing to the Pacific.
Passage through the Panama Canal was uneventful. However, once anchored on the Pacific side some 40 of the Marine were taken ashore to help fight a large fire in the Cristobal area of Panama City. Evidently several city blocks where involved, and many lives lost among the locals. Still, there was Liberty in Panama.
During the cruise up from Panama to Long Beach, CA, the USS Arizona apparently "T-Boned" a HUGE SEA RAY. The great sea creature ended up wrapped around the bow, and actually impeded progress. The Arizona had to stop engines and back off the creature before making full steam to catch up with the rest of the Fleet. Watching the poor creature pass back, belly up, along starboard, "Bud" estimated it at 40 feet, wing tip to wing tip. Such is the origin of the Sea Monsters of Old.
They Home Ported at Long Beach, with occasional maneuvers for Gunnery Practice and such until May 1936.
In 1936 the USS Arizona was the flag ship of "the White Fleet" during Fleet Problem XVII.
("White Fleet" - they painted all the ships white to make them look bigger and newer and more impressive to "the natives." This was NOT "The Great White Fleet" that shows up in the general history books. This was just, "another white fleet." Others had done it before, and others have done it since [Mussolini had the entire Italian Navy painted white, once, and you know how that worked out]. For those not old enough to remember, "White Paint" was little more than white lead. Cheap and easy to come by, and covered rust and other blemishes very well.)
They sailed down the Pacific coast to Panama. The entire Fleet traversed the Canal to the Caribbean. Then Traversed back to the Pacific. This was a test to see how quickly a Fleet could be moved from one ocean to the other in the event of War.
Then it was "South" to the a point near the coast of Ecuador, where "The Old Salts and Shellbacks made Merry with the Polliwogs." A cruise around the Galapagos Islands, and back up the Pacific coast to Long Beach finished the maneuvers.
By early August 1936 they had moved out of Long Beach and were well settled in Pearl Harbor, HI. "Rosy" was serving as Orderly to Captain Baum by that time, and had picked up his Marine Corps Nickname.
(Being Captain's Orderly had its perks. One being "No more S*** Details." Another, being the assigned escort for any unattached young lady guests who came aboard ship.)
From late June through mid July 1937, the USS Arizona and her crew assisted in the search for Amelia Earhart. They spent over 3 weeks sailing 40 mile long grid legs up and back, stopping to refuel at Johnston Island on the way back to Pearl Harbor, after the search was abandoned.
There was 50cal Machine gun School, aboard the USS Utah. By then "Rosy" was serving as Orderly to R. Adm. Pettingill, combat commander of Division 2. When Adm. Pettingill changed command over to R. Adm. Block, "Rosy" stayed on the Arizona with the new Admiral.
December 1937, "Rosy" was "put ashore" in San Diego CA (6th Marines). He had spent 3 years on the USS ARIZONA. Even now (April 2004) he still speaks fondly of her and her crew.
When we visited the Memorial in 1992, Dad read off the names of the men he had known who had gone down with her, and saluted each in turn. Before we left, he pointed down over the side (on the right if facing the wall, on the left if facing the entrance) to a small vent tube, barely visible, and said, "My berth was under there. 3 decks down." When we pulled away in the boat to head back to shore, he stood and gave her one last salute.
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