Action in the North Atlantic Page #5

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Yeah, goodbye, kid.

All ready, Skipper.

Well, goodbye, Mrs. Rossi.

Don't forget to call my wife.

- I won't forget.

- I think you'll like her.

I know she'll like you.

Take care of yourself, kid.

- Goodbye.

- Bye.

All finished loading, Mr. Rossi.

Sorry I gave you such a deck load,

but they need all they can get over there.

You batten it down,

and we'll do our best to deliver it.

- Thank you, sir. Good luck.

- Thank you.

Hey, can you imagine us tanker stiffs

on a ship like this?

Yeah. It's like being shacked up in heaven.

- Feel that.

- You're telling me?

Boy, oh, boy, am I gonna sleep tonight.

Hello, chief.

Chief, I want you to meet the guys.

That's Abrams, Pulaski and Cherub.

Boys, meet the chief.

- You gonna take that cat out to sea?

- Why not?

It's dangerous. She might get hurt.

You don't even let her make up

her own mind.

- Maybe she's got other plans.

- She's too young for that.

I'm gonna take care of her.

I ain't gonna let nothing happen to it.

You forget what happened

to Peaches the First?

But Peaches was a lady,

and she couldn't swim.

Now, this cat's different.

You know the name I got for him?

Thomas.

But that don't give him no duck feet.

But that's what I'm trying to tell you.

I've been educating him.

Each day I dunk him in a tub of water

and shove him around a bit.

And now, no kidding,

he can swim like a fish.

Besides, what's he got to worry about?

He's got nine lives, ain't he?

How do you know he ain't used up

eight already?

Why, hello, there, Admiral.

I didn't know you in those blues.

How are you, sir?

So you're shipping out

with the old man again, eh?

Yes, sir. And I'm glad to be with him, too.

Of course, I don't know

how he'll like it when he sees me.

You don't have to worry about that.

Well, this isn't much like the old tanker,

is it? Even smells different.

Sure does. It gives me a kick

to be on a new ship like this.

Yes, it's quite a tub.

Well, come along with me,

and I'll show you where to stow your gear.

- Then I'll take you up to see the Captain.

- Well, thank you, sir.

Another cadet just came aboard, sir.

That fills our complement.

- What's he like?

- Well, he looks pretty good to me.

Been torpedoed, spent a week on a raft,

and he's raring to go again.

That's fine.

We'll need them like that this trip.

Show him in.

Right this way, son.

Reporting for duty, sir.

Parker.

- Glad to see you again.

- Thank you, sir.

Hope we'll have better luck this time.

Get into your working clothes.

- Plenty for you to do.

- Yes, sir.

Parker again.

Book- learning sailors

instead of experience.

Well, I must admit, he did all right.

You know, times change, Skipper,

and men and ships with it.

Take this ship, for instance.

- She's a fine one, mister.

- Yeah.

Why don't you get one?

You rate a master's license.

You should have been on the bridge

of your own ship a long time ago.

Oh, no. There's too much worrying

and paper work

goes with your job, Skipper.

I'd get all tangled up in that stuff

and choke myself to death.

- Maybe you'll change your mind.

- Maybe.

But they'll have to give me a secretary

to do all that.

Oh, here's our gun crew now.

Look at that.

Ensign Wright and gun crew reporting, sir.

Glad to have you with us, Mr. Wright.

My name's Rossi. First Officer.

I guess you'd like to see the Captain.

I'll take you right up.

Thank you.

- Gee, she's a swell- looking ship.

- Yeah.

I hear they got a new five- inch gun on her.

- I hope we have a chance to use it.

- Maybe we'll get a little excitement.

- Get a load of these guys.

- Holy mackerel. Hey, Sid.

Look out. Make way for a sailor.

- Why, they're just babies.

- Where's your nurses, kids?

Ain't you children got the wrong ship?

This ain't no Coney Island outing,

you know.

Look what they sent us for a gun crew.

The Navy must be running out of men.

These guys are just pleading for trouble.

Yeah. Anytime, anywhere.

We're here to protect you guys.

They're here to protect us.

Now, ain't that sweet?

Hey, Mousie, come here a minute.

- See that star he's got on his chest?

- Yeah.

- You know what that means?

- Yeah. He got high marks in arithmetic.

Hey, Mousie,

what was the last ship you were on?

- The Lex.

- He means the Lexington.

The Lexington. Are you kidding?

- Did you knock off any of them Japs, kid?

- Yeah, we got a few.

- Yeah, but what battle was you in?

- I just enlisted.

- "Enlisted."

- What did you do before you joined up?

Oh, I had a couple of rackets.

I was selling neckties at cut- rate.

- Neckties!

- Wrap me up a girdle.

- With a blonde in it!

- All right, break it up, boys. Break it up.

Mr. Wright, with your permission,

I'll have my men

- show your boys to their quarters.

- Thank you, Mr. Rossi.

Pulaski, and you, Whitey,

take these men aft.

Yes, sir.

This way, guys. Follow me.

Come on, sea scouts.

They're taking them kind of young

these days, ain't they?

We're getting them young, Mr. Rossi.

We're not taking them.

- Those boys all volunteered for this duty.

- Don't get me wrong, Ensign.

I'm not objecting to their youth.

I'm all for it.

They've all been trained for this job.

Yeah, well, I hope so, because

just between you and me, Mr. Wright,

I don't think my men

could hit the deck with their hats.

All hands on deck.

Stand by your lines, fore and aft.

Okay, boys, stop shooting the breeze.

We're gonna shove off.

Hey, Boats, where we heading for?

I don't know.

Cape Town, Algiers, Zanzibar.

- Now, Zanzibar. There is a town.

- Any dames there, Boats?

- Right rudder.

- Right rudder, sir.

- Steady on the course, sir.

- Very well.

- She handles like a sloop.

- Yes, sir. She's well- mannered.

Periscope sighted directly astern!

Scale, 1500. Range, 75.

- Mark, mark, mark, mark!

- 1500.

Ready One.

- Range, 1800, no change.

- Ready, one.

- Mark, mark!

- Set.

- There ain't any subs.

- It's gunnery practice.

That was pretty sloppy, boys.

It took you over 15 seconds.

Let's try it again. Set. Range, 1800...

If them kids are gonna handle them guns,

I'm gonna pick me out a good seat

in the lifeboat, right now.

Wait a minute.

Weren't you men detailed by the Captain

to report here to learn gunnery?

Well, we're here, ain't we?

Well, it's very important that

you learn something about these guns,

in the event that some of my boys

are knocked out during action. Come on.

I want you to watch the loader.

Parker, right over behind the trainer.

You right over here by the pointer.

You right there.

I want you fellows to watch my men

very closely. All right, men.

Set, ready. Range, 1800. Scale, 69.

Range, 1800. Scale, 69.

Cease firing.

So what's so tough about that?

Mister, it took the Navy six months

to train these men.

- That's a long time.

- I could do it in a week.

- It would take you a year.

- Listen, buster...

Hold it, Pulaski.

Suppose you take the place of the man

you've been watching?

- The rest of you fellows do the same.

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