Whiskey in the Ammo Ready Locker

In late 1944, the SEALION was in Guam for fuel, torpedoes, etc.  We were moored alongside a submarine tender.  Maybe the Eurayle.  Big ship in any case. We were perhaps the third boat out.  I had the duty and almost everyone not on watch had gone over to the tender to see the movie that was being screened on the fantail of the big ship.  I went up to the bridge and sat on the shelf alongside the repeater compass and the astrolabe.  I could see the movie but the sound was not audible at my distance.  Still, it was diversion.  The night was dark and clear and all the stars were twinkling their brightest.

Some time had passed when I saw a dinghy headed toward our starboard bow. Two men were rowing quietly.  They came alongside and in the light of the deck watch I could see that it was Buckey Scarano and Moose Hornkohl.  These two were always up to something; what could it be this time?

They approached the ammo ready locker, a watertight steel cylinder welded into the aft end of the conning tower superstructure. It was there to hold six or eight rounds of five-inch ammo for the deck gun so the gun could be fired quickly in the case of a battle surface engagement.  While those rounds were being fired the ammo train could be organized and the men could begin passing rounds up through a hatch to the gun.

Buckey and Moose quietly threw the ammo over the side and replaced it with whiskey they had bought off a Dutch ship anchored in the harbor.  I could see them very well, but since I was sitting in the darkness they had no idea they were being observed.  Their mission finished they gave the dinghy a shove and went across the bow and joined the others at the movie.

The next morning I shared my information with Hank Lauerman and we decided we had better put the whiskey in the ship's safe.  We simply removed it to the ships's safe and had the ammo replaced.  The boat is so small and intimate secrets are impossible.  I'm sure Moose and Buckey knew what happened, but it was never discussed.  In a situation wherein any crew member could sink the boat if he goofed, it wasn't appropriate to assign blame for anything if you didn't have to do so.

As the communications officer, I had responsibility for the safe.  It was primarily for code books, etc.  We were also issued whiskey (Irish) for the relief of stress when the captain thought it was needed.  On at least one occasion we made a punch and laced it with whiskey. The crew undoubtedly thanked Buckey and Moose.