GREAT MEMORIES!!  Sometimes not good memories, but great anyway.
In the newspaper clipping of the ship passing thru the Corinth Canal, it states with no problems...I guess they forgot to mention that one of the 2" lines connected to the tug parted and we hit the side of the canal and gashed a hole in the side of the ship!! I was on the 04 Deck taking pictures, along with several more guys, when it happened. It sounded like someone had fired a cannon at us and the ship jerked to Port and hit the wall. I can see my face (top of my head) in the photo. I'm the only one who is turned around. The Thanksgiving Menu also brought back not so good memories too. I was mess cooking during that time and pealed all those potatoes for the "Snow Flake Potatoes" we had that day. We did have an electric potato peeler, but the eyes would need to be cut out by hand and cut up by hand. Also the Shrimp....only time I can remember having fresh shrimp on the ship. I helped clean them also. McDermott was on duty that day. He had attended school in one of the big New England culinary institutes before joining the Navy. He couldn't cook Beans and Cornbread, buy give him some seafood and he could perform!! McDermott was a great guy. He passed away several years back..Got several more funny tales about mess cooking for 114 days straight!!

Thanks again for the pictures. The first time I had a lobster was on the ship at Thanksgiving. Our cook was 1st class Bushnell. At times we showed movies in our EM shop. Sometimes Bushnell would come down and bring a couple of pies. Little did he know WE also had a key to the food locker and would get our own "snacks" when he did not come. Now for my first. On Thanksgiving Day I had the turkey and the fixings and passed on the lobster. Bushnell was serving the lobsters. He asked me why I did not want one. Told him I really did not care for fish. Told me to wait as he had a nice one boiling. He gave me my first lobster and of course the drawn butter. Man, it was good. Went up for seconds but no more lobsters. First and last time I had lobster in the Navy. Also our commissary officer, Mr. Norwood? or Mr. Cleveland? bought a hog in Naples. It was cooked over a spit on land in Souda Bay. Had a watch on it all night to turn it. The hog fell into the flames. Those in the know said he was sold a "grease hog" and got screwed. They salvaged what they could of the meat but to make up for the loss we ate a lot of "horse****", cold cuts, for over a week. Ahh the memories.

Norm Teller

Some nice stuff.  I can't remember the Thanksgiving dinner.  But I don't have those special memories like Tom Lindsay.  I was "lucky."  When I mess cooked, I worked the scullery.  You know what I discovered about post cards.  They were cheaper than taking pictures.  When I went to Rome I bought post cards.  They had descriptions on the back, too.  My job was done.  I did take some pictures, also.  I left before the Corinth Canal cruise.  What a memory that had to be.  I think my parents sent me an article about it from the local paper.  I remember Edenlandia.  I was lucky, I could walk after those cars, but so fun.  Probably added to my back problems I suffer with today.

Jim Brooks

Thanks for posting yours and others pictures.  Too bad the Storekeeper, I assume, who took my money but did not mail to me my pictures so I can't send them to you.  I was having so much fun at the end I didn't know I was getting "short".  My boss (don't remember who) said, "did you know you only have a few hours to pack and get off the ship.  Here are your orders".  I really did not know. I remember most of the names on this mailing.

Mike Webster