U.S.S. Greyhound

Fri eve 14 Dec. 45.

Dearest -

At last the USS Neversail (alias the Greyhound) went to sea--and now all of us think we have a claim to sea pay. After much deliberation & ^many plans on the part of the authorities that be, the Greyhound was tugged away from her moorings by t ugs forward & aft and towed down stream, past all the big ships along the piers, and tied up alongside the Pittsburgh. It was a short ride--perhaps a mile & a yoyage of a half hour--but we were all excited & salty-wise. The captains stood on the deck; I pounded the typewriter & watched the passing sights from my window. It was a very clear day we had a grand view of the Olympia Mt. range, which is about 50 miles distant. At intervals I dashed up & down the ladders & out on the various decks to watch the operations. When we pulle dalonside the cruiser, her entire crew was out to greet us, perched on all parts of the superstructure & decks as if we were some victorious ship returning home from battle.

The reason for this trip is that we're going to quarter the Pittsburgh crew for several weeks while certain reactivation & preservation work is being