Growing Up Hard in Harlan County

Sixteen

-------~------SIXTEEN I ENJOYED MY LEAVE and reported back to the ship so the others could have their leave. The ship had been raised and a steep gangplank had been put in. It was raised so high it was hard to recognize it as the ship I had sailed on. Shipbuilders were replating the decks that had been damaged during the storms at sea, and loose rivets were removed all over the ship. The rat-a-tat-tat of the riveters could be heard all over the ship like machine gun fire. The galley was being redone, with all new stoves, pots, and pans-everything the cook needed to use in his kitchen was being installed. All the ship's personnel had to eat off the ship at nearby restaurants while the galley was being rebuilt. New quarters were being put in for the gun crew, with double bunks. All the hammocks were taken out and a big shiny smoking table was put in the center of each crew's quarters. The ship was completely repaired and inspected by its owners and was soon loaded with all sorts of foods-thousands of cases of boneless chicken, beef, pork, juices, and hundreds of other good foods. The decks were stashed with small steam locomotives. The convoy was formed. Three days out at sea, word got around that we were going to Holland and Belgium. This convoy was much larger than the other one. It was smooth sailing for about a week. The sea had been just like a velvet field, with small riffles waving beneath the surface. The wind was calm and warm. An old salt, the ship's carpenter, said this was the calmness before the storm. He looked to the northern skies and said, "We'll come into a storm around midnight. With a lot of snow." I could never understand what he saw in the northern skies. But he sure hit it on the head. When I was called to go on midnight sea watch, the coxswain told me to wear foul-weather gear with a poncho. I climbed the ladders to the main deck, going to our mess quarters for a cup of coffee 154 before going on watch. The relief watchmen came in, shaking snow and ice from their clothes and blowing on their hands. They told the coxswain nothing could be seen, the snow was falling so fast you couldn't see two feet in front of you. The coxswain checked with the bridge and was told to keep all naval personnel off the open decks until the storm had passed. My next watch was six hours off and I crawled back into my bunk. At breakfast all the talk was about the quick change in the weather. I had seen sudden storms back on the mountain, but 1'd never seen it change from summer to winter overnight. After it became daylight the snow stopped and all hands began to clear the deck. Places facing the storm had snow piled up four and five foot thick. Pumps were started and heavy hose soon had the deck and all the deck cargo clear. The sun was promising another warm day. The convoy started separating, going to different ports. About twenty-five ships with ours pointed our way to Antwerp. Buzz bombs and rockets were being launched from somewhere in Holland. Antiaircraft would fire on them, using tracer bullets to explode them in the air. The buzz bombs were exploding all around. Some were aimed at Scotland and England. I saw some craters where they had exploded and you could have put a battleship in the hole. The waterways in Holland and Belgium were very narrow for the big ships to pass through. The Dutch people lined the edges, wanting the Americans to toss them anything for exchange for a pair of Dutch wooden shoes. I thought it very odd the people all wore wooden shoes. I tossed enough bars of soap to receive six pairs. My wife has some of them yet. Army people took over unloading the ship. A big net would be lowered into the hold by a power winch. The net would be piled full of cases and bundles of cargo to be raised and swung out onto a big two-wheel cart drawn by the biggest horses I had ever seen. Some looked to weigh over a ton. The drivers used only one checkrein . The loads they moved would weigh three to...