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Med Cruise Dick Phillips It was just after the New Year in 1949 when USS Spinax (SSR-489) left New London Connecticut and headed east into the winter Atlantic. She and her crew were headed for a number of firsts. She was to be the first US submarine to operate in the Mediterranean following the end of WWII. So, almost everything she did was a first for the boat and her crew. Typical New England winter weather gave way to mild conditions as the Spinax headed into the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Injection temperatures rose into the high 60's and the Captain ordered the boat hove to and piped a swimming party, typical of submarine sailor behavior on entering the warm Gulf Stream. However, the short respite passed quickly and Spinax headed eastward to the old world. Days later, she poked her bullnose behind the breakwater of the harbor at Gibraltar just prior to 08:00. The ships assembled there represented a number of different nationalities and Spinax had arrived on the scene just as the bands of the fleets represented stuck up their national anthems, in turn. Spinax was not at her best, her superstructure had been not been well primed and therefore did not hold paint well so she was a rather cancerous apparition with many bare spots where her paint had disappeared. The O.O.D. ordered a signal sent to the U.S. cruiser moored alongside as USN flagship, requesting berthing instructions. The signal light clacked out the signal and fell silent. Those on the bridge could hear the measured progress of the various national anthems booming across the waters, but no response from the flagship. After three attempts to raise the flagship by light, the Captain hit the switch on the bridge and ordered, "Control, blow numbers one and two sanitary tanks, vent outboard." The cloud drifting downwind toward the flagship was almost visible. Strangely enough, despite the continuing strains of the bands saluting the raising of the various colors, the light on the flagship's bridge soon began to blink and we were ordered to moor alongside the flagship, Whether or not this was what been intended for us, we never knew. What we did learn was that it was really inconvenient to be berthed alongside flagships as we were entirely under the eyes of the flag officers, full time. Not the ideal situation at the best of times and a real hardship on submarine sailors accustomed to wearing dungarees almost full time aboard and now finding they couldn't go topside without changing into whites and NO BALLCAPS topside! Liberty in Gibraltar was similar to liberty in San Diego. Nothing but sailors as far as the eye could see. Overpriced drinks, and drink inspired fights were common, even more so when the makeup of the visiting sailors was considered. Gibraltar was host to units of a number of nations including British, United Sates, French and Russian and this mixed bag caused some friction. Submarine sailors don't often field shore patrol duties but a few of the crew did their turn here. It was a "different" experience and one few were anxious to repeat. Submarine sailors ashore don't make good policemen! On one SP duty, the two Spinax crew members were accompanied by the boat's Exec and his presence precluded any foolishness on their parts. Getting ashore and back aboard was a chore. During daylight hours, a rope ladder between the deck of the boat and the deck of the cruiser was available to transfer from one to the other and then down the cruiser's gangway to the pier. However, after 16:00, this was no longer permitted and liberty parties had to wait the arrival alongside of a launch which would take liberty men to the foot of the dock where they could then make their way ashore. Coming back aboard was the same procedure in reverse and a real pain to have to await the uncertain schedule of the launch, manned by skimmers who had little sympathy for the esprit of the submariners. On returning to the boat late one night, the exec was a member of the group awaiting the launch. The exec was not a happy camper in that he had attempted to overwhelm the deck watch of the flagship cruiser and make his way down the rope ladder to the boat. Despite his obvious outranking of the Ensign on the gangway, the Ensign was not about to permit his passage down the rope ladder and was about to call the cruiser's O.O.D. to deal with Spinax's exec when the Exec decided he had better back off and came back to await the launch with the rest of us. We did eventually get back aboard the boat and upon our arrival, the exec climbed the ladder to the deck of the cruiser and stamped around long enough to ease his wounded feelings. The Ensign in charge of the gangway on the cruiser wisely didn't push his luck and ignored the intrusion, staying out of sight. After a few days in Gibraltar, Spinax headed eastward into the Mediterranean with Africa to Starboard and Europe to port. The weather was delightful and standing watch in the sheers at night was an experience. The phosphorescence of the Mediterranean was amazing and a bright and glinting wake was visible for what seemed like miles behind the boat. It made us wonder how it was possible to hide, even submerged, in the Med during the war years. Our next destination was the island of Malta which had withstood tremendous pressure from the Luftwaffe during the war years. There were still plentiful signs of the destruction which had been visited on this staunch little island in the late 40's when we arrived, both in the harbor and in the cities. Spinax was moored outboard on the port side of H.M.S. Forth, what the British call a Submarine Depot Ship and we call a Submarine Tender. To the Starboard side of Forth were a number of British Submarines and there soon began a vigorous traffic between the British and the US Submarines. In our case, we needed a buddy to make liberty with figuring that the "local" sailors would know where the action was. In the case of the Brits, they were fascinated with the good food available to the Yanks! At 11:00 ever day, there'd be an exodus from the Spinax headed for the Brit boats as it hadn't taken us long to figure out that the Royal Navy issued their rum ration at 11:00 hours! Nor did it take long for the Brits to discover that nobody was ever turned away from a meal aboard Spinax if they happened to arrive at Chow down. The cook used to wonder why he could feed the entire crew in three sittings maximum at sea but in port, with at least half the crew ashore on liberty, it took six or seven! One Brit submariner was given a guided tour of Spinax and was amazed at the many crew amenities available to us and unheard of on their boats. That our hull was lined with cork which reduced or eliminated condensation was amazing. The air conditioning plants for crew comfort were beyond comprehension. Individual electric heaters located wherever they were needed were unbelievable. An ice cream machine and piped music in every compartment were acknowledged with a bemused shake of the head. A mess hall with a constant supply of pretty decent coffee accompanied by the makings for sandwiches and often a large tureen of hearty soup were beyond his understanding. Wire bunks, foam mattresses, vinyl mattress covers and real lockers were to be wondered at as was the quality of the food we were served.... and put out on the mess tables so we could serve ourselves... well it was a bit much to accept all at once. We didn't have the heart to show him the showers or the Bendix automatic washing machine! Finally, when seated on a rack in the forward room, someone asked him what he thought of what he had seen. He paused for a moment, shook his head and said. "Chroist, this isn't a submarine, it's a freakin' 'otel!" After leaving Malta, Spinax was treated to the full fury of a Mediterranean storm. Considering that the Med is relatively small in area, and surrounded on all sides by rather significant land masses, the crew were surprised at the strength, force and duration of a storm in the Med. Spinax held Malta on the same bearing for three days, just managing to hold her position and avoid any lasting effects from the force of the wind and sea. Any who had not fully earned their sea legs previously, certainly did so over the three day blow! Later, and further eastward, Spinax entered the harbor at Syracuse, Sicily where an assortment of captured enemy ships awaited distribution to the victorious allies. Liberty was strictly limited in this port as all hands were required to return aboard by 20:00 hours. Here again, we were moored outboard of a nest of submarines with only narrow gangways between decks. The was little choice in liberty activities and we were warned not to drink the water ashore. Superfluous advice at the best of times! A small group which included WWW opted for an afternoon outing to visit Augusta by train. Toonerville trolley would have been an apt description of the train, but a supply of numerous bottles of the local wine helped overcome any reservations about the train and the subsequent tour of a number of ancient and historical local sights completed the daylight activities. A lunch was obtained from a a small restaurant which was quite primitive. The steak served was certainly not up to expected standards and a number of comments ensued about the ancestry of the animal which had made the supreme sacrifice to supply the meat. The general suspicion was that the beast had spent some time earning its living in harness, and that it could have been smaller than a horse. It was also decided that such speculation was not conducive to increasing one's appetite and further speculation was abandoned. With a need to be back aboard before nightfall, the return trip to Syracuse was well lubricated as it was obvious that all wine would have to be disposed of before going aboard. Therefore, by the time the train deposited all hands at the train station and those able began a walk down through the town toward the landing, things were rather raucous. In one case, WWW and one of his buddies were leaning over the parapet of a thousand year old Roman bridge trying to turn themselves inside out. A Shore Patrol tapped WWW on the back with his stick and asked. "Hey, you guys sick?" WWW's response was short and to the point, "Hell, no, we do this for fun!" The SP walked away slowly, shaking his head. Subsequent port visits included Naples, Toulon and Gibraltar again before heading back to New London. Naples was an education in bartering. Many of the locals with access to small boats spent much of their time around the submarine trying their best to separate the sailors from cartons of cigarettes, worth their weight in gold ashore. The schemes to trade cigarettes for a variety of desirable goods were such that the sailor would trade off his cigarettes and get nothing in return. One popular trick was to offer the sailor the end of a rope which he could tie the small boat to the submarine until he received the trade goods offered. Once the cigarettes had been tendered, the boatman would trip the slip knot in the line and the sailor would end up with a short piece of old rope for his trouble. Some of the schemes were more elaborate, of course, and many cartons of Lucky Strikes and Winstons were freed from confinement aboard a submarine. Cigarettes were sixty cents a carton, so the loses were more psychological than monetary. It was forbidden to take US currency ashore and all hands were required to change their money into the local current before going ashore. The official rate on the Lira was 400 to the dollar and the readily available unofficial rate ashore was 600. It didn't take the abilities of an Einstein to figure out that there was a distinct advantage to taking a few dollars ashore. This practice was heavily frowned upon, as one might expect, and many were the dire warnings of the consequences of violating this edict. One evening in the control room, a group were chatting when the skipper returned aboard from his liberty. He had obviously had a drink or two. The conversation turned to the currency regulations, to which all were subject, and the skipper mentioned that he would be required to court martial anyone caught ashore with US currency. He paused for a moment and then added thoughtfully,. "Course, you know I wouldn't do that." and left for his stateroom. Those of us present who seldom went anywhere without an emergency twenty dollar bill slipped into a boot strap were relieved to hear it! In Toulon, Spinax was moored at the French Naval base near the French Submarine Surcouf. Here at least there was a common interest among the sailors of two nations and a common bond was easy to establish. Here again, a liberty partner in the local area made a lot of sense. In one case, Spinax had a crew member who had been schooled in Canada and who had a smattering of high school French and could make his way locally without help. He and a buddy were sitting in one of the local bars one evening, slightly the worse for wear after a few cognacs. The buddy asked the French speaking member to ask the bartender if the locals had any trouble getting gasoline. The question was asked and the bartender agreed that gas was truly scarce and hard to come by. The inquiring soul then said, "Tell him I ain't surprised, they sell it over every bar in town, ask him to gimme another shot of that gasoline up there on the second shelf!" On leaving Toulon for Gibraltar and home, the crew were advised that they could take pretty well anything they wanted back with them.... BUT any bottles had to remain sealed until removed from the base at the other end of the trip! It was said that during all dives made on the way back to the States, the Spinax gurgled a lot more than usual! That first cruise was an education for many of us and certainly added to our education. Some were able to visit Paris from Toulon and others saw Rome while the boat was in Naples. There were visits to both historically and artistically significant sites and it wasn't entirely a booze up... and that's just as well too!
Dick Phillips dick_phillips@telus.net
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