She’s ready, Pal, Are you?

6-27-15

In mid-March, 1943, my father reported to the Fargo Building, a USS Navy Receiving Station (and barracks) in Boston, MA. He and hundreds of other fresh-faced recruits waited there while the heavy cruiser, CA-69 (under construction in the Fore River [Bethlehem Steel] Naval Yard in nearby Quincy MA) was being worked on around the clock.

COMMISSIONING DAY:   The ship, with a full complement of sailors, officers, and a detachment of Marines, was officially handed over by the civilian contractors to the US Navy on June 30, 1943.   Readers of this blog will remember that a few months ago, one of George Pitts’ daughters found this booklet in her father’s stuff, scanned it and sent it to me. (Note that George wrote “June 30, 1943” on the cover.)

Here is the next to the last page of the booklet:

“Doyle” is Raymond Doyle, Communications Officer.   You can read what Norm Bayley, Commander of the Marine Detachment says about his roommate (Doyle) in Baked Beans, Volume 1.