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Bill
Roddy Visit
the Catalina Island Museum
Merchant Marine Memories,
1943 - 1946
Catalina Island 1943, in three chapters (first one below image)
A pre-war view of Avalon
Harbor with the steamships Avalon and Santa Catalina.
They were painted gray for the duration of the war. It was also the end of
tourists to the island.
In 1943 I joined the U S Maritime Service, the
training arm of the merchant marine. I was 21.
From San Francisco I arrived in Wilmington to board one of the boats above to Catalina Island.
It had been selected by the government as a California site for trainees.
As the boat arrived experienced trainees came down the gangway and saw us. They
all hollered, "Go back, you'll be sorry!"
Were they right?
With my group we were taken to the Atwater Hotel and given stacked berths. We had classes in basic seamanship
at the hotel. We also spent time in
the harbor.
To acquaint us with the danger of flaming gasoline, a bucket of fuel was poured
into the bay and we had to jump in. The secret was to push the flaming gasoline
away with your arms. One bucket did not reflect what thousands of gallons on a
burning tanker would equal. I remembered this when my first job was on a tanker.
We also had seamanship aboard the two ships in the photo; they continued to ply
to the mainland and back bringing supplies and new recruits. As "old timers" we
got to yell "Go back!" and you'll be sorry!" to them.
Chapter 2, I move around the bend to the St. Catherine Hotel.