YORKTOWN Visiting Hong Kong in 1953 

Mary Soo the Sidecleaner gets the Yorktown spaghetti garbage; sailors on liberty in Hong Kong get spaghetti.

{Editor's note; part of the charm of a Sea Story is that not all Sea Stories are completely accurate and the fun is guessing which part is fantasy}

As we were visiting Hong Kong, Mary Soo, the sidecleaner and her all female crew came to the ship and made a deal with the Skipper.  They would scrub the sides of the ship, 90 feet high and 1,000 feet long, in exchange for our ship's garbage.  It was a good deal for the ship's crew...we wouldn't have to clean it.  That night, our mail meal was Italian Spaghetti with Meat Balls.   Because 2/3 of the crew went ashore, our leftover spaghetti filled many spotlessly clean garbage cans.

Later that night, when the crew returned to the ship, they all were telling of their experiences.  When the men who visited "Harry's" famous restaurant came back, they were all bragging about the excellent meals they had there.  When asked what was served, all of them answered "Spaghetti and meat balls."  Adding, the meal was the best they had ever enjoyed and were glad that they didn't stay aboard for the poor Ship's chow.
 

One of the older and wiser experienced hands spoke up and said  "I figured it would be that.  For years, Mary Soo has had a contract with Harry's to sell them all the food she can get from the ships in the harbour."  he added, "Remember, we had a lot of leftover spaghetti and meat balls and we gave it to Mary Soo and her sidecleaners."

Yorktown Sailor is tempted and falls in Hong Kong; repents.  Tempted and falls again in Japan, etc.

Sin and redemption; and then sin and redemption again

I came back from Shore Patrol duty in Hong Kong.  It was after 0100 hours when I finally descended  to the sleeping compartment of the Operations Division.  It was dim, without the regular lights, just the dim red lights glowing.  I made my way to my bunk and prepared to climb in.  As I was getting in I heard crying.

I saw a glimmer of light coming from under the blankets of the lower berth.  I stopped and listened.  Seaman Betz was in his bunk and was reading something under the blankets.  Betz was one of the very Christian crewmen of the Operations Department. 

However at times he would backslide.  While in Hong Kong, he succumbed to the vices of liquor and loose women...in that order.  He had sinned.

His faith had been broken by his weakness.  He needed to repent.  That night, in the privacy of his bunk and under his blanket he was reading his Bible and crying.

Airman Betz walked the straight and narrow as we went back out to sea and stayed pure until the ship went to Yokosuka Japan, and Betz again had his liberty.

blowing snow off the deck with the jet exhaust

Get the entire 160 page book OVER THE SIDE by Richard G. Wells contact him at 428 Melrose Lane, Mt. Morris Michigan, 48458   (810) 686 6432  bwana@ameritech.net