Preserved Memory Project:

U.S.S. GEORGE WASHINGTON, and U.S.S. GENERAL STURGIS
by Frederick Madden

U.S.S. GEORGE WASHINGTON, postcard

Frederick Madden:

My high school class of Ironton Ohio, St. Joe High School, 1945, consisted of about 11 boys and 11 girls. Two of the boys were taken by the draft at the end of the first semester of our senior year because they had just turned 18. I would not be 18 until Oct. 1945 but all of us were shopping for the best deal in the services. We had a number of excused trips from school to be wooed by the different service recruiters. The best one I remember was to Cincinnati Ohio, all expenses paid and two days from school, it was Navy and specifically "air combat crewman". However, when I was subsequently taking the physical in late May, I had an urgent call from home. When I arrived home the army was convincing my parents that they would send me to college right away. At that time in my home town, in the years following the depression, when approximately only 5% of students continued on to college, made that sound good. So I enlisted in the army and was sent to W.Va. Univ. to study Engineering and also later Japanese (officer training). I went there in June, Truman dropped the bomb in Aug and war efforts began winding down.

I was sent to Infantry training and then to either Camp Kilmer or Fort Dix for embarkation to the ETO. I don't know for sure because I was at one time at both, either going or coming, or both directions. We may have left on U.S.S. GEORGE WASHINGTON from either a N.Y. or a N.J. dock, I am not sure but the date was April 9th 1946. Do not know how many soldiers were aboard but I'm pretty sure they all were like me, individual soldiers assembled for relief of the combat veterans; those with the longest service. In other words there were no complete units, as such, on board. Since we were more a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive unit, I do not remember the name of any other soldier.

It was very crowded on board and we (enlisted men) were all assigned bunks in huge rooms in the holds well below decks. The bunks were as I remember 4 high and very close together. You could lay on your bunk and with arms outstretched touch a large number of other soldiers above, below, and on each side. The crossing was extremely rough almost every hour of every day. The holds were crowded, hot, and stifling. Because of the sea's roughness many of us were frequently seasick and laying in your bunk and being vomited on was not a unique experience. Therefore the stench of vomit and body odors added to the pleasure. We were allowed some infrequent showers in salt water with a soap that was in theory, only suitable for salt water.

To get to the messhall we had to go above deck and it was usually very windy with a very cold wind, rain , and spray. Ropes were usually stretched to help keep your balance. I don't ever remember going to the deck to escape the below deck misery. The weather was just too miserable. Below decks you usually laid on your bunk listening to the groans and gratings of the ship's beams as the vessel pitched and rolled. Recreation was limited to card and crap games which ran 24 hours a day. I read a few books that were available including Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn (French published books in English because at the time they were banned as prurient in the states). I assume the GEORGE WASHINGTON had been to France before as the books were just laying around.

I had proof for years that I was usually either seasick or at least queasy. I had saved my meal card from this trip and in ten days it was only punched twice and we were to eat 2 meals a day (Both Big). this of course does not mean that is all I ate, because I scrounged fruits whenever I could, as that seemed to stay down better. On two other occasions I was on KP and was very pleasantly surprised, although I dreaded the thought of being around food, it was probably the best time I had aboard the GEORGE WASHINGTON. I guess working and not thinking about the ship's movements of the ship helped as far as seasickness went.

On one occasion I felt I really had to eat and went to the mess hall. We ate standing up at long tables. Just as I set my tray down it seemed, the sea became very, very rough. A huge wave had broadsided us, and all trays skidded to the left. The one that stopped at my place had already been vomited in. I contributed and left for my bunk immediately. I never went back to the mess hall for quite a while.

After approximately 10 days in the evening of April 19 we arrived in the Port of Le Harve. One continental aspect startling to a 18 year old used to American morals of the 40's was the two prostitutes brazenly and openly propositioning the ship and working in plain view in the adjoining field, one pack of cigarettes,the price. This proved to be highway robbery as we moved into the interior. Trucks picked us up and took us to Camp Lucky Strike, one of the Five huge "cigarette camps" surrounding Le Harve as massive "repo-depos" at that time, serving incoming and outgoing troops.

I was sent across France and Germany, passing through a number of "repo-depos" until I arrived as the first replacement to a combat veteran at the 4th Cavalry Regt. in Linz Austria. Naturally the veterans appreciated my arrival although it was much later than they wished.

Many years later in Houston my neighbor and I were talking and he was a veteran that was sent home from Linz that same month. He happened to be with the 42nd division instead of 4th Cav.., still I always told him he owed me "big-time".

U.S.S. GENERAL STURGIS, photo: Frederick Madden archive

At the end of my tour I came home from Bremerhaven Germany on the troopship U.S.S. GENERAL STURGIS. Although this was a much smaller ship and just as crowded the voyage was relative smooth and enjoyable compared to the GEORGE WASHINGTON.

I swore I would never travel by ship again but my wife did it first and then got me hooked on cruise ships. We traveled all over the world including all continents except the "Artics" and found cruising wonderful.

added 2001

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