Travel Letters: Japan, 1934

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m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_11

m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_11

father came from Canada, but didn't know from where, and her Grandfather is a Doctor there, again knew no place. We decided her father must have been a sailor. Her mother wrote several of the well known songs they sing. She insisted we drink a toast together so I would remember her. As you click glasses 3 ways you say. "Never above you." Touching the base of your glass to the rim of the others. "Never below you." the reverse, your rim to their base. "Always with you" and then click glasses together. Its rater nice.

Just before going up ther I started to sneeze steadily as I often do here with hay fever. and every once in a while I would sneeze at the Luau. but there were lots of flowers to agravate it. However Wednesday morning I was all stuffed up, still a sort of hay fever feeling. We had been late getting back near midnight, and stayed to listen to them singing some of Hawaiians songs which are very sentimental but fine. It was the beginning of our

Last edit about 2 years ago by Barbara
m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_12

m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_12

last hectic days. The Nichols had called us to say we could go out on a submarine that morning. So Wednesday we were up at six and waiting at quarter of eight for Philip Nichols. He drove us out to Pearl Harbor where we went aboard S 18. on of the Submarines built during the war completed after. There were several ladies already aboard who were going out, young officers wifes, five in all. Phil Nichols submarine was in dry dock but it may have been better the way it worked for he had nothing to do but show things to us, and otherwise would have been busy commanding. They started out soon after we got there, backing easily out [....ing] and then going out the Channel into the open sea. The Submarine is very narrow, though under water it is much larger. We stood on the deck going out the Channel and were served delicious coffee. Then we climbed up into the bridge which is like a box in an opera house, being about that size maybe smaller. Say 6ft by 5ft. including steering geer, compass. shelf for chart, 2 seats and a hole in the center to go down through to the

Last edit about 2 years ago by Barbara
m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_13

m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_13

Coning tower below. There wasn't much room and always the feeling of stepping through the hole. It was blowing a gale, or felt like it and was very choppey. We went out of the entrance to the harbor and looked for a good place to dive. (Tell Aunt Nela to remember I'm writing the letter so not to worry.) {strikethrough: not legible} (also that I'll have to make a good story out of it, so take it with a grain of salt) The American Navy seems very democratic in the way they do things. There's none of the snap and saluting and all that we saw on the Karlsruhe, but then who can say which is best. It was more like a pleasure cruise or someones private yacht than anything else. We got outside a way and there seemed no one around. a fishing boat in the distance a few submarines way off. So they decided to make a dive. The Army was shooting at targets off shore but they didn't think it was near

Last edit about 2 years ago by Barbara
m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_14

m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_14

where we would be. Each submarine has to make so many emergency dives a year to be in the competition for efficiency. 200 a year I think. We were told to go down through the hole to the Coning tower below, by a straight little ladder, being warned not to touch some sort of control on the way. What would have happened had we I'm not sure. I think it would have shut doors or something. Needless to say we were very careful. The little ladder continued down through another hole to the Control room below. We were allowed to stay in the Coning Tower where we would be able to see the ship submerged through tiny portholes. I was sure we would forget and step back & into the hole for there was just about a foot of room to stand on round the open man hole. It was all sort of quiet after the order was given to dive. The Captain has to remain on the bridge until not the

Last edit about 2 years ago by Barbara
m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_15

m36_i_a_2b_i_94_03_15

last minute but the last second. I'm not telling this at all well. For I never said anything about the men who went around lashing this and that firmly to the deck. and removing all movable things and taking in the Radio mast and Antenna. Anyway all this was done and all the men inside and we in the Coning tower with the hole still open & the Captain on the bridge. Orders were given to dive at such a time and one sailor stood under the open hole giving the time left to the Captain. "ten seconds. Sir" I was wondering what in the world the Captain was doing up there "five seconds Sir." and still he didn't appearto tell the truth I was a bit impatient. the bow had already gone under, as we could see looking through the portholes, then "4 seconds" and the Captains

Last edit about 2 years ago by Barbara
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