SEA MAIL

REMEMBER ENSIGN PULVER

In the article on Admiral Spruance in the 2008 May issue, mention is made of Commodore Worrall Carter. He was Comseron 10 and wrote the book figuratively and literally Beans, Bullets and Black Oil. My ship the USS Caelum (AK-106) was assigned to his command. In fact we were a plank owner. When we sailed from Port Hueneme in October 1943 Commodore Carter (one star) came aboard with his staff and the AK-106 (a Liberty hull with an all Navy crew) was the Flagship at least to Pearl Harbor. The Commodore had the convoy maneuvering like a bunch of battleships at a speedy 9-kt.

Our mission starting with Tarawa was to deliver all kinds of materials construction, food, clothes, gasoline, ordnance - you name it - to the beaches and combat ships. Some smart people figured out that the fighting ships should stay in the combat zones and not spend their time and effort coming back to Pearl or the mainland unless necessary.

Starting with Majuro and Enewetok every ship could assemble at such fleet anchorages for resupply and rest. What was more were exciting than central Pacific beaches - after all there were nurses maybe one per 10,000 GIs. The AK-106 was picked to spend months moored in the Eniwetok Atoll - Mr. Roberts would have been proud. In fact, our most noted classmate in the University of Washington Navy ROTC Class of 1943 was the late Dick Pulver. Ensign Pulver did serve on the same ship as the author of the book. But the Pacific War would not have been the same without the USS Caelum.

Comserron 10 had a mission for us. We moved the fleet recreation center and staff to Ulithi and the famous Mog Mog. This included spilled 10,000 cases of beer and the hard stuff. I think some spilled on the way. The Service Squadrons (there were several) performed all with typewriters and seven copies. Amazing.

Capt. Thomas Allen, USNR (Ret.)

Seattle, WA

PULLING RANK!

Dr. Loy Swinehart sent me an email message, indicating that he had seen the new issue of Sea Classics which contained the article he wrote with my help. I want to thank you very much for using the article which, judging from his reaction, pleased him very much. If I know him, he'll be sending it to a lot of people.

He is a stickler for detail, however, and in one spot I apparently goofed. In the photo captions, which I guess I failed to run past him, the rank of the ship' s captain was given as L/Cmdr. vice the correct rank of Cmdr. The xerox which he sent me was dark and I read the shoulder-boards on that grey uniform as having two and a half stripes instead of three. I had asked him for a better photo but he had never gotten around to sending one.

In any case, he wanted some kind of correction noted in a future issue. I told him I would bring the problem to your attention, and that you would decide what to do. I'm happy to accept full responsibility, but since he has his name on the article it would be a bit awkward if we were too candid in our explanation.

Maybe it would work if I used my name on a short letter to the editor, thus: Captain Robert O. Beer of the Lofberg was demoted one rank in a photo caption in the May issue, and it's my fault. The author of the article, my former neighbor Dr. Loy Swinehart, had asked me to help with pictures. All that we had of the doctor and the captain together showed the latter in grays, a wartime uniform which was notoriously difficult to see against haze gray Navy ships - the very reason the Navy used it. My apologies to Dr. Swinehart, to Sea Classics, and to the Beer family for my mis-reading those dark stripes.

David H. Grover

Napa, CA

Copyright Challenge Publications Inc. Jul 2008
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