We left Midway and headed for Guam. It was a nice day, and the ocean was blue and serene looking. It was mostly an uneventful day. I only remember that an engine gauge malfunctioned and would have to be replaced when we got to Guam.

Arriving at Guam, we were instructed to land at Apra Harbor. It was a quiet harbor with no traffic, and we were directed to a Coast Guard station that was equipped with wheels and a seaplane ramp so we could be beached. The ground crew towed the wheels to us, and we mounted them and were towed up the ramp by a big tractor-like vehicle called a Buddha. After the aircraft was secured, we were driven a few miles to NAS Agana where we checked in at the barracks.

We were told it would take several days to get a replacement gauge shipped over from the states. I think we spent a week or so on Guam while waiting. Most of our time was spent at Apra Harbor. There was some snorkel gear at the facility that we made good use of. The water was clear and not too deep, and the bottom was beautiful. It looked live every square inch was covered by some type of plant or sea life. It was like looking at one of those beautiful tropical aquariums. Tropical fish were everywhere. One of the guys even speared an Octopus. He took it into town and traded it for a case of beer.

One day I went to the PX to get some items. As I moved with the crowd toward the entrance door, I almost bumped into an officer, an ensign, who was coming out. I did a doubletake when I realized that it was Dick Stephenson, a classmate from my hometown, Augusta, Kansas. We talked for a few minutes, and each of us was quite surprised at seeing the other.

I just remembered a story that makes me chuckle. The day after we arrived at Agana, we wanted to go back to Apra Harbor and do some housekeeping chores. The whole crew went to the main gate to the office of the Officer of the Day (O.O.D.). Lt. Surovik told the O.O.D. that we needed a vehicle assigned to us so we could work on our airplane at Apra Harbor. The O.O.D. (also a Lt) said we could call for a ride when needed. Lt. Surovik said we didn’t want to wait half an hour every time we wanted to go somewhere. The O.O.D. said he was sorry, but that’s the way it was. Lt. Surovik insisted. The O.O.D. said no. Both raised their voices and started getting red in the face. If I remember correctly, Lt. Surovik was 6 feet 5 inches and could appear to be a very menacing guy. Surovik said something like, “I’m a senior officer, and I need a car.” The O.O.D. said, “We’ll see who is a senior. What’s your service number?” They both grabbed for their wallets and pulled out their I.D. cards. Lt. Surovik had the lowest service number, so, therefore, was the senior officer. The O.O.D. reluctantly agreed to assign a vehicle. No one in the crew had ever been assigned a Navy driver’s license. They figured I was the least likely to get drunk and drive, so I was issued a license on the spot. The yeoman that typed the license must have been a little upset over the yelling as he typed my height as 6 feet 11 inches.  I kept the license for years just because of that.

We had a pleasant stay on Guam. I don’t remember for sure, but we must have been there a week or ten days before heading for NAS Iwakuni, Japan.

Dave Thomas

5/23/2024