First Impressions; Bigger than I thought

What an amphibious ship transports

Watch #3

When I first went aboard, the USS Point Defiance (LSD-31) gave me a false impression.  As a boy I had known about a few ships, often from my model building days and then the movies.  I had seen "Away All Boats," "Run Silent, Run Deep," and "The Enemy Below" and enough other movies that I was familiar with the image of a destroyer, an LST, a cargo ship, a PT (Patrol Torpedo), a submarine, even carriers, cruisers and battle ships; but I had never seen an LSD.  I was disappointed in my assignment orders at first as I thought I wanted an LST over an unknown LSD but then, we went where we were told and without many alternatives open to us, especially first time enlisted men with the E-2 (enlisted, grade 2 and that's two up from the bottom) ratings.  So I was happy with my assignment by the time I arrived.  After I had saluted the ensign and the officer of the deck and stepped to a place where he could read my orders, I had my first look around.  She was much smaller than I had expected and seemed to be funny shaped, not like the sleek warships I had envisioned myself aboard, a fast tin can, going in harm's way with medals and glory enough for all of us.  "Local boy becomes naval hero" ran the frequent headlines in my mind.  The deck upon which I was standing seemed to be only about ten feet wide, with a lot of structure in the way, reducing the amount of area in which the sailors could maneuver.  As I looked, I noticed a ship almost her duplicate to the seaward side, interesting I thought.  There must be another LSD over there.  And then my jaw dropped as I realized it was the port side of the large ship's deck upon which I was standing.  The ship was huge!  And it was confusing.  A large deck with heavy wooden pieces, much like rail road ties, ran from the stern nearly to the mid-section of the ship.  At the stern was a heavy steel gate that could be lowered and raised allowing boat traffic to enter.  Near to where we stood was a deck of steel grating which I would later learn was called the mezzanine deck and the decks where we stood bordered the giant well on both sides of the ship.  Above the mezzanine deck on each side was the superstructure which rose for four levels to the flying bridge where the captain and others would drive the ship when at sea.  There were decks and compartments forward from us and above and below.  I would live on the Point Defiance for more than three years and though I learned a great deal of her, I never entered some parts of the ship.  Some parts were scary for a boy from a small Oklahoma town.  I was only beginning to find my way around on the PD and I needed help just to find my way right then.  "Take him to the personnel office to get him checked in."  I saluted and allowed myself to be led from the quarterdeck down to the office and I began my life aboard the Point Defiance, overwhelmed, dazed and confused.  It was going to be a long journey, but one I'm not just glad I made; it was one I'm grateful I made.

More on the next watch

Stevie Joe Payne