John E. Osguthorpe, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by Becky B. Lloyd, June 24, 2004: Saving the Legacy tape no. 667

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JOH E. 0 GUTHORPE J 24 2004 On the hanger deck were rows and rows of bunks tack d thr r £ ur high with very little room. I was far less crowded. In fact ours were only one stack high with a reading room attached. Meals were only served twice a day as it took hours to feed them all on the ship. The officers' quarters were much bigger and the meals, I assume, were a little better quality than the enlisted or non-commissioned mess hall. The ship took the great circle route way by the north pole, a route known for its fierce winds and weather but it was almost a week faster than through a southern more calm sea. A couple of days out, the weather worsened; the ship was taking water over the flight deck as it dove and rose in the troughs of the sea. The waves hammered the sides of the hanger deck, which was not waterproof. The decks were occasionally awash with water. The sailors, soldiers, and marines on this deck could only stay on their bunks to avoid the water or stay below decks with the hatches battened down. Sometimes we stood to eat, holding a plate in one hand and hanging on with the other between bites of food. Most of those on the hanger deck were only given sandwiches and fresh fruit. Occasionally, I'd lie on my bunk flat on my back with my feet and arms hooked under the six-inch side rails around the bunk to keep from being thrown to the deck. I did not venture above the hanger deck to see how the men were doing but it must have been horrible. We finally arrived in San Francisco and were bussed to Camp Carpenter where they were processing sailors for discharge and transportation day and night. After about three days, the camp was mostly empty. When I asked, "What about me?" They only replied, "We can't find any orders for you." On the fourth day, a young lieutenant JG said to me, "If you are going to get home for Christmas, you must leave today. I will 54