Meaux's Navy Experience

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Photo of the U.S.S.   Scania
AKA     40

The ship pictured above was boarded by me in January of 1947 bound for Adak, Alaska. I was eighteen years old at the time. We left from pier 91 in Seattle. In route, we stopped over in; Bangar, Wa., Kodiak, Ak. and Dutch Harbor, Ak.. We layed over in Dutch Harbor for about three days in order to beat two inches of ice off of the superstructure before continuing on to Adak. I was assigned to the deck crew while aboard. The day we weighed anchor in Dutch Harbor, it was necessary for an ice breaking ship to free us so we could continue breaking our way out under our own power. As we got under way, I remember standing on the bow of the ship watching the two foot thick ice turning up on edge. It was a very cold day. We arrived in Adak after eighteen days at sea.

Photo of Moe and Don Sigler

This photo was taken while we were docked in Dutch Harbor aboard the U.S.S. Scania. Don was from Kansas City, Mo.

Early February, 1947

Quonset Hut Mates

Pictured above are from left to right: Moe Linzel, Ray McKenzie - Gibsonville, N.C., Bill Stroup - Reeds, Mo., Don Sigler - Kansas City, Mo. and John Balza - Green Bay, Wisc.. The picture was taken in front of our Quonset hut which we shared with eleven other guys. The Quonsets had bunk beds lined up along the exterior walls. The center of the hut contained two tables and two oil fired stoves. That was home for my last seven months in the Service. We were all radiomen and worked staggered shifts, i.e. eight hours on and eight hours off followed by one and a half to two days off. The guys were always coming and going and the lights in the hut never went out. You learned to sleep through anything; card games, crap games, gymnastics and loud talk from drunk buddies. We could buy beer. During my eight hour off shift, I attended night school at the "Bering Institute" in order to get my last required credit to graduate from high school. The Bering Institute was another Quonset hut on an Army base located about twenty miles from our base.

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