[Note: Tom Fisher was in the Navy from March, 1959 to March, 1963. He was an Aviation Electronics Technician (AT). Tom was in squadron VS-31 and was aboard the USS Wasp in 1960-61. This trip was in conjunction with a Wasp reunion get together. This was Tom's first Wasp reunion.]
My wife, Lillie, and I set off early on Saturday, November 9th to begin our week long trip to the Caribbean. We were to be part of a reunion contingent that consisted of ex Navy personnel who had served at one time or another aboard the USS Wasp. The Wasp was decommissioned in 1972 and has since been sold for scrap. As it turned out, present at this reunion were sailors who had been aboard from as early as 1942 and some as late as 1972 - in my case, I was aboard in 1960 and 61. There is a Wasp Association that keeps track of everyone and it was through this group that I found out all the particulars about the reunion. After I signed up for the reunion cruise, I received a USS Wasp baseball cap that I wore right from the start of our trip. (Glenn Whitmer had also prepared distinctive badges with nice looking red-white-blue ribbons. Each person in the Wasp contingent - including spouses - wore these. This not only helped create an air of solidarity within the group but it aided immensely in helping us all readily identify and get to know one another.)
The first leg of our trip was a flight from Indianapolis to Charlotte, North Carolina. Then, sure enough, on the airlines flight from Charlotte to Miami, I saw my first Wasp baseball cap. It turned out that the guy (Jim) wearing it was from Albany, New York and it was his wife's (Carol) father who had been on the Wasp. Carol's father was unable to make the trip so Jim and Carol came in his place.
The details of the reunion cruise had been turned over to Steve Ellis Tours out of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and they had booked us on the airlines and sent our cruise tickets that consisted of a booklet of tear-out coupons for each phase of our encounters. These people have over 25 years experience setting up these packages and they have obviously learned how to do it up right. From a planning standpoint, there were absolutely no hitches and I would unhesitatingly recommend these people for future cruise trip consultation. After we reached the air terminal in Miami, we then were told to go to a designated area for boarding a shuttle bus trip (for which we had a prepaid coupon!) to the cruise ship docks. By now, we were seeing lots and lots of Wasp caps.
When we arrived at the dock area, we were a bit shocked to see the size of the ship we were to sail on. It was the Carnival ship, Triumph. The ship boasts a gross tonnage of 101,509, her length is 893 feet and beam (width) is 116 feet. There are about 12 decks above the water line. The Wasp was about the same length but only weighed about 1/3rd as much. We later found out that there were over 2500 people on the guest list (plus there were about 1200 crew members). More on the ship later.
There was a sea of people waiting to go aboard. To facilitate this, we all had to get in a serpentine like line and wait our turn in some very hot and sticky air conditions. This probably took an hour or so but we finally got checked in and each of us received a "Sign and Sail" plastic card that served to establish our credit worthiness for "extras" on the cruise as well as serving as our room key and the key to a safe in one of our closets.
We sailed out of Miami right on schedule at 4:00 PM. One of the first items on the itinerary was a private Wasp reception in the Rio lounge so that we could all get together and mingle for the first time. This was an informal occasion and drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served by waiters who came by continually checking to see if anyone needed anything. Lil and I sat at a table where we met Bob and Karen Bruner from Kansas and Pete and Louise Kline from southern California. Bob had served in VS-28 that was a sister squadron to my outfit (VS-31) and some of our times on the Wasp actually overlapped - although we didn't know each other at the time. Bob and Karen are on the staff of the Waspirit Newsletter and are the ones who maintain an up to date e-mail listing of all Wasp Association members.
We had paid a bit extra for our rooms and this entitled us to a stateroom on the outboard side - which simply meant that we had a window looking directly out at the ocean (the scene pictured is at St. Thomas). Our stateroom was actually pretty spacious with double beds, a sofa, a fairly long dressing table with a chest of drawers underneath, two clothes closets, a shelf area that also contained a small lockable safe, and a bathroom that included a shower. There was also a TV set that not only showed the three major networks but also showed a couple of continually repeating and fairly recent movies. There was also a weather type channel that was actually a continually repeating report from the bridge as to weather conditions, our exact location and heading, sea conditions, and even a map with a trace of our progress superimposed.
The usual meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) on a cruise ship are provided. However, if you happen to miss a regular meal or simply get hungry any time, you can always find a place on the ship to eat - and this is at no extra charge - this is provided for in your basic fare. There are even pizza parlors and hamburger and hot dogs stands - and these are open most of the time. Ice cream and cold drink dispensers are available at all times - again, at no extra charge. About the only things that you have to pay extra for are beer, mixed drinks with alcohol and anything you purchase in any to the ship's stores or boutiques.
The Wasp group had a hospitality room assigned for the entire cruise. This was a small room that was adjacent to a cocktail and piano bar (this was just one of perhaps 6 or 8 such cocktail and piano bar lounges on the ship!). Coffee, juice and iced tea were available at all times in this room and it was a convenient place to meet Wasp buddies and exchange experiences. In this room was also a collection of old news clippings and memorabilia pertinent to the history of the Wasp. It was here that I learned the details of the 1952 incident where the Wasp collided with the minesweeper-destroyer, USS Hobson. The skipper of the Hobson apparently became confused in the dark and made a few turns that ended with the Hobson turning directly into the path of the Wasp. The Hobson was literally cut in two and sank carrying 176 of her men with her to the bottom. The Wasp sustained heavy damage to her bow and, while having no casualties or fatalities, had to limp back to port for major repairs.
On Sunday, our group met in the Club Rio Lounge for a memorial service. Several of the guys were dressed in their Navy uniforms - especially the ones who had been career men. A Navy Chaplain, Hathaway Struthers, who had served on the Wasp, conducted the ceremony and gave a eulogy. The Honor Roll was then read. This recognized all the Wasp men who had passed away in the past year. As each name was read aloud, one gong of the Wasp's ship's bell was sounded. This was a very moving service and I don't think there were many dry eyes by the time it ended.
At our first dinner, we were assigned seats at table number 132 in the London Dining Room. We were also told that this would be our permanent seating for lunch and dinner for the duration of the cruise. Seated with us were Jean and Willis Lott from Melbourne, Florida. Willis was on the Wasp back in WWII (about 1945) in the Pacific when the ship took a hit from an enemy armour piercing bomb. The bomb penetrated all the way down to the spud locker, where Willis and six buddies were peeling potatoes, before detonating. Five of the men in the spud locker were killed outright. Willis sustained some severe shrapnel wounds to his side and one of his arms.
We found the Lotts both to be very engaging and affable table companions. We got busy and never did eat lunch in the London Room. However, we ate all our dinners there and we got so we looked forward each evening to having dinner with the Lotts. They had originally been from New Hampshire and we were fascinated by some of the stories they told us from the days when they had lived there. They told us all about making maple syrup and Willis even seemed to know some about bee keeping.
The assigned waiter for our dinner table was a fellow from Indonesia named Rafnedi - although he insisted that we call him Ralph. His assistant was also from Indonesia and his name was Hardyanto. Ralph was accommodating to a fault - I have never seen a fellow who was so adept at his job. If something didn't suit your fancy, all you had to do was mention it to Ralph - and he made it right. Lil and I both singled Ralph out for extra attention in our rating summary at the end of the cruise.
Our stateroom steward was a fellow from the Philippines named Joe. Joe was a pleasant and very personable chap who liked to leave towels folded (origami like) into some sort of animal shape after he made the beds and tidied up each day. One day he left us with an elephant and another day there was an owl. I think there was also a donkey and a turtle. Then, each evening when we returned from dinner, Joe had turned down each bed and left some chocolate mints and a copy of a shipboard newsletter that listed the next day's major ship activities.
The Steve Ellis tour people had provided us with prepaid gratuity coupons for the cabin steward, the head waiter, and the assistant waiter. On the Friday just before the cruise's end, we gave those out to Joe, Ralph, and Hardyanto.
Let me now tell you about some of the other amenities on the ship. In addition to the London Dining Room there was the Paris Dining Room. This was for open seating and waited upon dining for breakfast. Lil and I tried this a couple of times and it was very nice - although a bit formal for our taste. We seemed to prefer going to the Lido Deck (level 10) where we found the South Beach Restaurant with its cafeteria style selections more to our taste. I usually had French toast or pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage. And while this may not strike some of you as being out of the ordinary, it certainly was for me - you see, I almost NEVER eat breakfast! Yeah, yeah - I know - bad habit.
On the Promenade Deck (level 5) was the Casino. This was a huge room that was like something straight out of a Las Vegas gambling house. There were lots and lots of slot machines, many black jack and poker tables, a roulette wheel and I think there was even a craps table. If I sound a bit vague or unsure, it's because Lil and I are neither big on gambling. Not a moral issue, mind you - we're just convinced that the odds are heavily stacked in favor of the house. We each fed about $10 into the slot machines and called it quits. Also on the Promenade Deck are a game room full of arcade machines, a dance floor and bar that is open in the evenings, and several cocktail lounges.
There was a theater with a large stage on the ship that was quite spectacular. This was the Rome Lounge and I would guess the seating capacity of this arena to be about 1800 to 2000 people - seriously! During the day, there were Bingo games and audience participation shows in here. Then, in the evenings, there were dance reviews, magic shows, and even late night "adults only" stand up comic routines. The dance reviews were very spiffy and well choreographed. This entertainment was on par with the kind of stuff you see in Las Vegas - I kid you not.
There is a massage parlor and a beauty spa - but these services are definitely extra. On the upper decks are several hot tubs (spas) and I think I counted three swimming pools. Of course, many people spend most of their time at sea sunbathing on the open decks. We soon learned that there isn't much modesty aboard a cruise ship. Two piece bikini swimsuits were as common as table salt. There is even an oval track to accommodate those people who like to run every day - and, believe me, the track was constantly in use.
There is an Internet Cafe that had about a dozen PC desktop computers. I had set myself up with a Hotmail e-mail account (free!) before the cruise so that we could touch base once in a while with our kids back home. The ship charged 75 cents per minute of connect time which I thought was pretty reasonable. I was able to send and receive e-mail to the kids a few times and I don't think any of my sessions cost more than about $3 or $4.
There are also several stores and boutiques where you can shop for just about all the things you would find in any good department store. The range of items is from liquor and tobacco products to clothing and wearing apparel to jewelry and watches. The big difference, however, is that everything you buy at sea (or in a foreign port) is "duty free" - this can add up to considerable savings on import items.
Okay, so much for activities on the ship. I think you can see by now that the time you spend getting somewhere is really where the cruise ship shines - the destination is almost secondary - or an excuse. But, since we did eventually arrive at some ports of call, let me now turn my attention toward each of those.
First, however, it occurs to me that I should tell you something about the
weather - after all, that is a large part of what the Caribbean is all
about. Daytime temperatures are usually in the 80°F to 85°F range and at
night the temperatures are usually 70°F to 75°F. Gentle trade winds are
usually blowing so that even when it gets "hot," you really don't seem to
be bothered too much. Sunscreen is a definite must for light skinned
people. Rain is almost a daily occurrence although it usually isn't heavy
and it doesn't last very long. In short, all those stories you have
always heard about ideal weather conditions in the Caribbean are really
true. Disregard the occasional hurricane!
On Monday evening, we arrived at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lil and I had purchased tour tickets ($25 each) for a look around. This consisted of a small bus ride from the dock to downtown San Juan with the driver telling us about the sites as we passed them. It rained lightly most of the tour so it was a bit difficult to make out some of the sights in the dark. The last part of the tour consisted of us being deposited in the middle of a shopping district (read glorified flea market) and told to join up with the bus an hour later. The driver's narrative was informative - however, I didn't make notes and I really don't recall that much of what he said. What I DO remember, however, is the Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the U.S. and its people are U.S. Citizens. But get this - while they are allowed to vote in the general primary elections for President of the U.S., they ARE NOT allowed to vote in the following general election for President. Some logic, huh - go figure!
On Tuesday morning early, we arrived at Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas. St. Thomas is part of the Virgin Islands which are all part of the Lesser Antilles. It is a Territory of the U.S. and its people have been U.S. Citizens since 1927. Unlike the people of Puerto Rico, however, St. Thomas natives have no voting rights whatever in the U.S. A guided tour of St. Thomas was provided for in our basic package. This consisted of a bus trip to the top of the mountain overlooking all of the island - a spectacular view to say the least. We were allowed to get off the bus at the top and shopped in a boutique that overlooked Megan's Bay on the north side of the island. The driver's patter was difficult to hear however as the bus speakers were of inferior quality. About all that I remember is that his name was Percy and he was originally from the island of Antigua. We finished this trip by also being deposited in a downtown area and told to find our own way back to the ship - which we were assured would consist of a taxi ride for $3 each. We had gone ashore with our swimsuits on under our clothes thinking we might find a nice beach. However, it turned out that none of the beaches were readily accessible from the downtown area. Still, we liked Charlotte Amalie a lot - there was a very cosmopolitan atmosphere and it didn't have the "trapped and cramped" feeling that San Juan had. We walked around for about a couple of hours and then got a taxi back to the ship - and, yes, it did cost $3 each.
On Wednesday morning early, we arrived in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. There are several islands that make up this group and the view coming in on a cruise ship is really special. This is part of the Netherlands Antilles. The island is actually divided (unequally) in terms of ownership. The other side of the island is St. Martin and it is owned by the French. Locals tell an anecdotal story of how the island was originally divided. Seems as though a Frenchman and a Dutchman stood back to back in the middle and each walked in opposite directions. The reason for the French getting more acreage was that (this is the French view!) the Dutchman supposedly had to stop often for a swig of "spirits" - and after several of these stops, he got disoriented and lost. Yeah, right! As in the other places, we bought a guided tour here, also ($45 each). There were several options and we got one that assured us of seeing both sides of the island.
The bus took us from Philipsburg through the interior and over to the French side. One of the things we noticed on all of these islands is that the people are pretty much divided into the "haves" and the "have nots" - there is virtually no middle class. Tourism is the driving force everywhere - and in some places, the "trickle down" effect doesn't seem to have trickled down much. This was especially true in the interior of both St. Maarten and St. Martin. We finally ended up in a coastal area and this really was one of those post card settings that you have all seen and read about. Sugar sand beaches, palm trees - the whole nine yards. Here, we got on a large boat that went out about a mile or so to a reef area. When we got there, we were all instructed to go the back of the boat and descend a spiral stairs that went down from a hatch opening. As you walked down the stairs, it reminded me of some scenes from "20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" - it was kind of like going down into Captain Nemo's submarine. Once on the lower level, we were each looking out an individual port hole at the reef. Frankly, it was not nearly as spectacular as some of the things you can see on the Discovery Channel - but I think it was the psychological aspect of simply knowing that this was for real and in real time. There were several damsels, an angelfish, some sergeant majors and even a few grouper. Then a scuba diver came alongside and fed the fish which of course led to a minor feeding frenzy. I think the guide said there were four types of coral that we could see.
We then stopped at the seaside village of Marigot and were given about an hour to shop. We did some of that and then we stopped at a sidewalk bar and restaurant and each had a club sandwich and a bottle of water - which really hit the spot. We then got back on the bus and drove to downtown Philipsburg where we were deposited and told to get a taxi back - very similar to St. Thomas. During the tour, the driver had said that all the beaches on both sides of St. Maarten (St. Martin) were open to the public. Alas, we didn't wear our swimsuits underneath this time. And, you guessed it - we found a public beach that was quite accessible from the downtown area. We walked along the sugar sand for quite a ways and Lil actually took her shoes off and waded in the Caribbean. Finally, after buying some t-shirts and scarves, we hailed a taxi and went back to the ship. It's kind of funny but, each time we got back to the ship from our various tours, it was kind of like returning home to something that was familiar and inviting.
We pulled out of St. Maarten (St. Martin) late Wednesday night and started the trip back. According to the "Bridge Report" on the TV channel, we traveled 2230 nautical miles on our round trip from Miami. On Friday, the Wasp Association had a business meeting that I attended while Lil spent the time sunbathing and reading. This reunion is an annual affair - only this was the first time they had ever gone on a cruise. The business meeting consisted of the usual Secretary's report followed by the Treasurer's report. Then there was the usual election of officers. I'm not much on business meetings although I do concede their necessity.
Now I need to relate a couple of "special incidents" that took place aboard ship. At dinner one evening, we got to talking to William (Bill) Ferguson at an adjacent table. Bill had been a Boatswain's Mate on the Wasp (some time before I was there) and his duty assignment was to blow the Boatswain's Pipe (or whistle) prior to making all the announcements over the ship's loud speaker system. Well, in all the times I had heard the pipe over the loud speaker, I had never actually witnessed it - and I said as much to Bill. Well, guess what Bill had in his room! So, he invited Lil and me and whoever else we wanted to bring to join him later on the fantail (rear deck of the ship) for a demonstration. Lil and I along with Jean and Willis met about a half hour later and Bill showed us his well worn Boatswain's Pipe and proceeded to blow us a few notes. He said he was pretty rusty - but it sounded fine to me.
At Thursday morning breakfast in the Paris Dining Room, special arrangements had been made to serve the Wasp contingent a commemorative "S.O.S." meal. For the uninitiated, S.O.S. stands for "shit on the shingle." Don't ask - I don't have a clue as to the history of that term. However, to the younger ones of us, this meant cream dried (or chipped) beef on toast that we used to have about once per week - and that is what we were expecting. Well, what was served was a browned ground beef and tomato concoction that was served in scoops on toast - and it really DID look like S.O.S.! And if you ask Lil, I think she might say it also tasted like that. She had one bite and was sick for the rest of the day. I ate some of mine - but I really didn't relish it. The consensus seemed to be that this was the way it was prepared back in the WWII days.
I won't go into the myriad people we met and all the sea stories I swapped with Wasp shipmates. Suffice it to say that many lies got told and stories were topped and re-topped. And even though I didn't see any of the old mates who were actually in the same squadron I was in, we still had a wonderful time and I actually learned a few things - got clued in on some stuff I had always wondered about. Next year's Wasp reunion will be in San Francisco and even though it won't be on a cruise ship, I'm already thinking about going.
We got back to Miami on Saturday morning and, after a long wait to clear
customs, disembarked from the ship and headed home. We made all our
connections and got home right on schedule. Considering that we had
gotten used to 82°F temperatures and nice gentle trade winds, the 33°F of
Indianapolis was a big shock and a definite letdown. I think Lil and I
are ready to go back to the Caribbean any time.
ps: It is now three days since we have been on the ship and I had completely forgot about a certain phenomenon that takes place after you've been aboard a big ship at sea for a while. At sea on a large ship there is a gentle yet very perceptible rolling and rocking motion that takes place as the ship plows through the open waters. This is what causes some people to get sea sick. We adapted to it quite easily - sailors often refer to this as "getting your sea legs." Lil and I are still experiencing a phantom rolling motion - it has to do with your inner ear and sense of equilibrium needing to get reacclimated. As I said, I had forgotten all about this.
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