USS Whitehurst Logo by: Pat Stephens, Webmaster, DESA
 

The Breaking Bottle of Hootch by LTJG "Bill" Lambdin Photo taken in Pusan, 1951

Whitehurst was tied to the dock in Pusan, South Korea, boilers hot, supplying power to the city's electrical system. I was standing the, In Port, Officer of the Deck watch.  At lights out, 2200, while making my rounds, I was going down the ladder from the main deck into the after crew's quarters. Suddenly I heard the unmistakable crash of glass breaking an instant before someone yelled "here comes the OD". A sailor had slipped a bottle of hootch aboard and, while sharing it in the darkened sleeping compartment, somebody dropped the bottle. I turned on the lights, told the men to get a swab and clean up the mess and then get back in their racks. Telling them  not to repeat to a soul, what had happened, I continued my own duties. Apparently that was an order they were happy to obey.  Lucky for me that one of the "good" officers, or Captain Evans, never heard about it. Being a former enlisted sailor himself, Bill Lambdin knew that there are times when it is best to ignore the rule book.                 mc

 WWII Era | Korea War & '50s | Viet Nam & 60s |  Reunions | All Links Page | Search & Rescue
Memorial | Poetry  | Enemy Below | Taps List | Photos/Armament | History | Crews Index | Home