BIENVILLE
...an Atlantic ferry boat...
by Joe Hafford

It was only five days from signing off the Sturgis to signing on the Bienville. I signed on as Engineroom Utility man. This was an 8-5 job which suited me fine, sort of a wiper foreman.

The Bienville was a C-3 cargo ship that had been converted to a troopship. It could accomodate about 2000 soldiers. The C-3 was the largest of the series built just before and during the war. The Bienville was powered by a 3000 hp turbine that could drive the ship at about 15 knots, not too shabby for a freighter. The engine room was state of the art. The boilers were quite small, much smaller than the ones on the Libertys. They were advanced water tube types that operated at very high pressure. The watertender had to keep a very sharp eye on the water level as the small volume could be drawn down or overloaded very quickly. I was glad not to to have been responsible for them. The oilers had it easy, their only duty seemed to be to keep the assistant engineer company.

The engine room was quite spacious, much larger than what I had been accustomed to on the ships I had been on so far. There was a huge condenser that was installed side to side of the engine room. The main engine was what was referred to as a cross compound turbine. A turbine operates on a completely different principle than the triple expansion engine to which I had become accustomed. The principle is the same as that of a windmill. A jet of steam is directed onto a set of blades attached to the periphery of a disc that cause the disc to rotate. The exhaust of the steam, now a bit lower in pressure and greater in volume, is directed to another set of blades on an adjacent wheel. This continues until the pressure has dropped to that of the condenser. The turbine wheel and blades in the final stage are quite large for the same reason that the low pressure cylinder on a triple expansion engine is very large. The exhaust steam is directed to the condenser where it is condensed to water and then returned to the boilers.

The operating engine room floor level was higher with respect to the bottom of the ship than a Liberty, being even with the top of the condenser. The main engine was divided into two side by side segments, a high pressure segment and a low pressure segment, both located just above the condenser. The high pressure segment was only about two feet across and six inches deep; the low pressure segment was much larger, being perhaps six feet at the widest and several feet deep. Each segment generated about the same amount of power. The shafts from the segments of the turbines extended to a gear that drove a gear train that in turn drove a massive 'bull' gear attached to the propellor shaft. The gearing was required since the turbines rotated at literally thousands of revolutions per minute and the propellor could operate at best at about a maximum of 100 rpm. In addition to the usual array of auxiliaries necessary for the ships' operation, there were two rather large generators to supply the ships needs for electricity. The ship was essentially all electric, much as the Alcoa Prospector. There wasn't a reciprocating engine to be found in the engine room or anywhere else. All auxiliaries and deck machinery were either small turbines or electric motors.

The engine room sounds were also very different from the Libertys. The turbines whined. The triple expansion had a homey throb that could be quite soothing, sort of like a heartbeat. There was nothing soothing about the whine of the turbines. Even in port, the generators provided sound effects, albeit not as much as the main engine. There was also a pervasive hum from all the electric motors driving all the various auxiliaries necessary for the operation of the ship. Auxiliaries on a Liberty Ship were all steam reciprocating engines; they all required constant attention and there was the universal soft hiss of escaping steam from around the reciprocating shafts and the rhythmic clicking and thudding of the various pieces of equipment.

The Bienville had a rather substantial crew. In addition to the complement that a Liberty would have, there was an extra engineer - the Fourth Assistant; three junior engineers, an extra wiper - three in all, two electricians, and two maintenance men. The deck crew had a similar inflation of personnel as also did the stewards department. A Liberty had a wireless operator with quarters right next to the Radio Shack in order that he could be aroused by the equipment if needed. On the Bienville, there were three operators that stood watches. In view of the size of the ship and crew, a person didn't get to know everybody. Additionally, the ship was on a shuttle across the Atlantic and a round trip was only about a month, which resulted in some turnover of personnel each time the ship returned to New York. The whole thing had an impersonal air. In looking back, the Bienville was my least favorite ship during the war despite having almost luxurious quarters.

The accomodations for the soldiers was a different matter. The holds were fitted with rows of stacked cots as far as the eye could see. The cots were about six deep and spaced so close that once in bed if a fellow was a bit large, he had to wait for the man in the upper bunk to get out before he could. I felt that if a sub had hit us, there would have been a tremendous loss of life because men simply wouldn't have been able to get out of the holds before the ship sank. Because of the potential danger, the convoys with troopships were invariably very heavily protected. We always had some big ships with us, including a battleship, although I wondered what good a battleship would have been against a submarine. They must have been guarding against surface raiders, but I can't remember reports of any by this time in the war. Of course, we were happy to have them along.

As if the sleeping accomodations for the troops weren't bad enough, the dining arrangements were even worse. They received only two meals a day. They were served cafeteria style but had to carry their food to waist high tables and eat standing up. As soon as everyone had finished their first meal of the day, it was time to start feeding the second meal. By the time all had had their second meal, it was dark and time to retire. I won't distinguish the meals as breakfast or dinner, they were just food! The lav facilities were in the bow of the ship and in a totally open area. Showers were salt water, with the small consideration that a special salt water soap was provided. I suspect many of the soldiers just declined the option to bathe. I saw some of them on each trip across who were very subject to seasickness and spent practically the entire crossing leaning over a commode. Doubtless every soldier was delighted to leave the ship in England.

The only women on board were Army Nurses. They all slept in one large cabin, about a dozen of them, but they were treated considerably better than the dogfaces. The junior officers had facilities similar to the nurses, but senior officers were given quarters very much like the ships officers. All officers had dining areas considerably more civilized than the soldiers, being able to be seated and waited on.

There was considerable discomfort to put up with including having the portholes closed at night. The portholes had double covers, one of glass sealed against admission of water and a second one over the first of solid steel designed to prevent light from shining out at night, for obvious reasons. The story came down that during one night the nurses felt their room was stifling and decided to turn off all the lights and open the portholes. (Of course blowers provided ample ventilation.) The solid cover was lifted when the lights were out but they didn't open the glass cover. They all felt better even though there was no change in their condition. Of course, they could 'see' out through the glass and perhaps that was all they really needed. Perceptions can play tricks.

The convoy went directly to the Bristol Channel that divides Wales from Cornwall and dropped us off. We docked in Bristol and unloaded the troops. I had a couple of days free before we started back so I decided to swing over to Swansea, which was a short train ride away. I went over in the morning and had a very pleasant visit with the people at the Pub. I passed Hardy's message on to his girl and returned to Bristol that evening. I never found out if the romance progressed further but the mood Hardy was in the last time I saw him suggested that he followed up and she strongly indicated a reciprocal feeling. I always hoped it worked out for them.

Our return trip was totally uneventful. We pulled in to the New York harbor almost exactly a month after leaving. I decided to ship over for the next run even though I wasn't exactly enchanted with the ship. Anyway, I had become familiar enough with New York that I culd find my way around easily and really enjoy myself. As I now had a uniform, I could enjoy the many perks offered to service men in New York, at least those where I didn't have to show identification as a merchant seaman. We were often excluded from some of the privileges of the soldier or sailor. Many theaters offered cut rates to men in uniform and freebees to stage plays were easy to come by. Almost all businesses gave breaks to men in uniform, so I was having a ball. The Music Box assured me of all the feminine companionship I needed. I must emphasize that the girls I attracted and was attracted to were all respectable and there was never any suggestion of anything further than dinner and a show and good night; with the exception of Lucretia. She was definitly looking for a commitment, but was happy to date me on my terms and top off an evening with a bit of heavy petting on her living room couch.

During this stopover I went down to the Coast Guard and got endorsements for Deck Engineer and Junior Engineer, both still unlicensed catagories, but carrying a bit more prestige, money and better quarters. I intended to try for one of the Jr. Engr. jobs if one opened up. Which brings me to a curious point. On my record with the Coast Guard, I am listed as a Jr. Engr. on the second trip I made on the Bienville. This was definitly not the case, unless it was done without my knowledge. I certainly didn't receive any more money or better quarters.

On this second trip one of those rare coincidences occurred that makes one wonder if there is some guiding hand. A soldier that came aboard with all the others had managed to get into the crew's quarters and was seeking information about his brother who was a merchant seaman. He had no idea what ship his brother might be on but there was no harm in asking. He stuck his head in a cabin and saw a man bending over a suitcase and started to ask about his brother. The seaman looked up and of course it was his brother! It was a very happy reunion and needless to say, he had a much more pleasant crossing than the other dogfaces.

The crossing was again uneventful. This time we unloaded in Glasgow, Scotland. By now I was able to go ashore and find what I wanted without a guide, as this was my third time there. Again we were there only a couple of days so it wasn't possible for me to develop any significant relationships with the local populace. I did get to a dance hall the one night I got ashore, but there were enough soldiers there to keep me from making any time with the local lassies.

On my way back to my ship rather late, I encountered a company of soldiers in full battle dress marching down the street. I thought it odd for them to be out so late but what struck me forcefully was the overall intimidating effect they had. They were grim faced and looked unusually big as individuals. They all had their helmets, back packs and rifles and as the weather was somewhat inclement, they had their heavy trench coats on. The sound of their boots on the cobblestones, as they marched in unison, echoed from the buildings as they thudded their way along. I almost pitied any enemy they might face and was glad they were on my side.

The return trip was again totally uneventful. The entire round trip had taken five weeks from sign on to sign off. We went straight to the embarkation point and promptly prepared to take on troops again. It was only three days before we were getting ready to pull out again. I barely had time to take in a show and make my usual stop at the Music Box for a bit of socializing. This was the only time I got a taste of what shipping on a tanker might be; what with the rapid turn around of said ships.

In addition to an enlarged regular crew, the deck personnel included three 'cadets' training for deck officers jobs. On this trip one of the cadets was a fellow from New Orleans that I had played football with at Fortier High School before the war. His name was Eddie Price. Eddie was rather small for even high school football at the time and played primarily wingback and sometimes tailback in the single wing system our coach used. About 5'8" and 140 pounds soaking wet, but he was an excellent scatback. I couldn't help but notice that he had put on a lot of weight and somewhat resembled a fire plug. The size of the crew and the separate worlds that developed didn't make for many opportunities for us to get together to hash over 'old times' but it was good to see someone from home. Eddie returned to New Orleans after the war and played football at Tulane as a fullback and made All- America in his senior year.

At the end of my second crossing on the Bienville, I was offered the chance to take an oilers job as one of them had left at signoff. I had become quite accustomed to working days so I chose to stay as Engineroom Maintenance. It is again interesting that the record shows me as Evaporator Maintenance and that is what it turned out to be this time across. I spent most of my time cleaning out the big evaporators that were there to supplement the fresh water needs of the ship.

There were two evaporators on the Bienville. Each about half the size of the main condensor. For the most part, ships preferred to carry enough fresh water in large tanks to meet the needs of the entire voyage, taking on more at several ports-of-call with availability. Distilling fresh water from sea water was expensive from the standpoint of fuel usage. Fresh water was needed for drinking and cooking as well as feed to the boilers. Also the crew used fresh water for bathing and often washing clothes. There was nowhere near enough water for the 2000 soldiers to bathe in or wash clothes; even so 2000 soldiers drank a lot of water and the evaporators usually had to be put into use before the end of the crossing.

Unfortunatly, sea water would form a heavy scale on the inside of the evaporator tubes and thereby reduce their capacity to produce water. I always suspected they weren't operated properly for them to scale up as they did. From manuals I read, I convinced myself that they could be operated for much more extended periods without scaling too much if used correctly. At any event, I spent most of the trip inside the evaporators chipping scale. I had regrets that I hadn't taken the offer of an oilers job when I had a chance.

The crossing again was totally uneventful and once more to Glasgow. I had developed a friendship with one of the oilers, Russell Youknot. Russell was from Yonkers and somewhat of a ladies man. We took off in Glasgow and cruised around. I was somewhat shocked by the forward way he had. A couple of attractive lassies were walking down the the street where we were, pushing a baby carriage no less! Russell insisted they had given us a come-on, but I was too timid to follow his lead. Looking back on it, I am sure he was right and and I lost a chance for a probable adventure.

No sooner had the troops unloaded then we were promptly turned around and headed back. On this return trip we took on as passengers about a dozen or so war-brides. It is sad to report that not all of them behaved themselves; I felt for their husbands. At the time women were uncommon aboard non-passenger ships. It was a very firm rule that if there were women aboard, it was a very serious offense for a seaman to be found in the womens' quarters. It just wasn't done even on an open invitation. But the reverse apparently did not apply. That is, women could visit the mens' cabins with impunity. In this case, many of these war-brides took advantage, if that's the word, and ensconsed themselves in the somewhat more comfortable quarters of members of the crew, providing their respective hosts with all the comforts of home. Mostly the officers, of course, as they had the best facilities, but otherwise as well. I heard later that there was an investigation, but I doubt that it came to anything.

When we got back, one of the Junior Engineers announced his departure so I applied for the job, as I now had the required Coast Guard endorsement. The Chief Engineer refused to give me the job since I had never been on watch during routine operation on the Bienville or any other equivalent ship. He suggested I ship as oiler as one of them had left, and then he would give me the next Jr. Eng. opening. I might add that the Jr. Eng. was not covered by the Union contract, so the Chief was free to act as he did. The Union always took the position that if a man was approved by the Coast Guard, he could not be refused under those circumstances. In hindsight, I see the Chief was right, but I got in a snit and left in a huff. This was May 2, 1944. Had I taken the oilers job the trip before, I would have gotten the Jr. Eng. job and stayed for another trip and a few weeks later been in the middle of the D-Day invasion. I found out subsequently that the Bienville came through without a scratch.

Russell signed over, but before the Bienville left he invited me to a beer bash put on by the Irish community in Yonkers. It was quite a party! A rather large ballroom had been appropriated for the affair. Twenty or so tables, each seating at least ten people, surrounding an ample dance floor. Beer was included in the admission and was taken full advantage of. As I recall, there were three pitchers at each table in a rotation of sorts. One being emptied, one going for refill and one coming back from refill. For icing on the cake, a bottle of Irish whisky was raffled off and I won, or lost perhaps. The beer turned to boilermakers and I had my share.

Russell had set me up with a date with a very pretty Irish girl and I sure enjoyed myself, at least until I got too much under my belt and got sick. A very poor impression I am afraid. The next time I was in town I tried to date her, but she wasn't having any. Another romance shot to hell!

I debated with myself about heading back to the Gulf but felt I couldn't afford it. I found a reasonable hotel just off Times Square and made like a man about town. This was the time I met Lydia Diaz at the Music Box. Lydia was from Cuba and living with her mother and brother in a small walk-up flat not far from Times Square. Lydia was in New York studying piano from a world class teacher, Claudia Araua (I am not too sure about spelling his name, but when he passed away it was noted on national TV.) Lydia had come to the Music Box to entertain and stayed on the roster of hostesses.

Lydia was special enough for me to say a few things about her. She was small, about 5'4", but slightly chunky. Probably would end up about the size of her mother, not fat, but full. She was delightfully charming with great stage presence. Easily the most outstanding pianist I ever listened to in person. She had tiny hands and I never could fathom how she managed to span the octaves on the keyboard. Lydia took an immediate shine to me; my fatal attraction for hispanic women had struck again. This was about the time Lucretia wrote me off as a bad job so I had more free time, which I spent with Lydia. She had a baby grand Steinway in her living room and would give me private concerts.

It didn't take long for me to run out of money, so there I was back at the Union Hall. This time I went for a watertenders job. I was sent out to a Liberty, the Richard M. Johnson.

WILLIAM STURGESS ...an unforgettable Christmas...

RICHARD M. JOHNSON ...my guardian angel works overtime...