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A. J. "Jack" Bennett, GM1c
USS Salt Lake City
1942-1943

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USS SLC...Enlisted Navy...A. J. "Jack" Bennett, GM1c


slc1-bennett June 23rd, 2001

Hello Sandy,

I served in the Navy from 1938 to 1946 and my highest rating was CTC. I served on the USS SLC from Feb. 1942 to Dec. 1943, in the 4th Division, Turret #4.

Happenings

I will write about a couple of true happenings that help show we had a great ship and crew.

On one of our trips to Brisbane, Australia, I was assigned to shore patrol. Royer, a machinist mate and I were on our beat when two pretty girls ask if they could walk with us. Us being two friendly sailors in a foreign nation, we wanted to be friendly, so we said "yes".

After about two hours the girls went home and we went back to the station house to go off patrol and return to the ship. The officer of patrol was a Lt. from Chicago. He made some snide remarks about us and the ship and I told him I wished we could have it out "man to man". He put me on report and it was sent to the SLC.

I was to go to Captains Mast but pushpenLt. Lyle D. 'Ace' Ramsey told the Captain that I had spoke up and defended the SLC. So, Captain E. M. Zacharias said "good for him" and tore up the report.

This is one of the things that this Captain did that shows what a good man he was and why he was so well thought of.

Another incident, I think this happened in 1943, I was a GM1c in the 4th Division assigned to Turret 4 along with Max Stewart, Turret Captain, C. C. Hilton, Tom H. Huth, GM2c, Luther "Ray" Ricker, GM1c & ?Uncle Pud Bennett and others I have forgotten.

There was several private coffee pots at various locations, turrets, gun stations, engine rooms and etc. We could get ground coffee from supply. A new supply officer said we could not get any more coffee. We had to get our coffee from the galley. We got one of our crew on the stores working party to bring stores to the galley. Somehow one sack of coffee beans was dropped off in Turret 4. The Master of Arms and his crew searched high and low, but the sack was well hidden, so it was not found.

After a few days we wondered how we could grind these beans. The sail makers made us a heavy canvas tube about 4' long using a rawhide mallet we had some of the best coffee ever made.


Thanks Sandy for the job you are doing. We all have some pleasant memories of a great ship and crew. I am glad to add a laugh or two.

Thanks,
A. J. "Jack" Bennett

If you wish to contact A. J. "Jack" Bennett, please contact me (Sandy) for his mailing address.

Index of Articles

SLC Deck Log Information, June 1942
SLC Deck Log Information, Feb. 1943
Reunion Tidbits, June, 1996, from Gardnerville, NV.


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