The decision was made to station Ricks at Fort Benning as well. Training new soldiers would be right up his alley. Ricks already told Hufham he would stay in as long as they’d let him. So they would train these wet noses together. What a great way to wrap up a career.
He sat back in the seat and savored his drink. Hufham had originally been in coach, but the flight crew took one look at his uniform and all the ribbons and moved him up to first class. The seat was wide and soft, a movie was playing on a screen on the headrest in front of him. He could even put his feet up a little more than he was used to.
A little later, the attendant saw Hufham sleeping peacefully with his seat leaned all the way back. He’s a handsome man, she thought, and the uniform made him look even better. She turned off the overhead light and placed a blanket over him. Later on, when he was awake, she might sit and let him tell her some war stories.
It had been a long, tiring cruise. The Iowa transported the President to Seoul with a gunshoot along the way. The President was like a kid watching in fascination as the huge guns fired. Upon arrival in Seoul the President bid farewell to his friend and his crew. Although it was a formal departure, the President walked around the ship once more that morning and the crew had been very open in their desire for the President to remain aboard with them.
Since that time, the battleships and escorting destroyers traveled across the globe. In most ports they only stayed a few days, but Hammond met with the city officials and invited them all to visit his ships. Tours were given while inport with the ships rotating the duties so that everyone had the chance to enjoy the visit.
The “special” visits turned out to be the easiest. Local officials and citizens heard about what the battleships had done and were eager to please. During the entire cruise, only four instances of disturbances ashore were reported. None were from the Iowa. As promised, the President joined the ship in Copenhagen. The two day trip to Portsmouth was a joy and the crew enjoyed having the President onboard again.
In Portsmouth, Iowa held a grand reception on its fantail. The President’s Marine Band was on hand to render honors and play, but most wanted to hear the ship’s band that had become so famous. The band was eager to play for guests. During the reception the King and Queen came aboard along with the Prime Minister. The King asked for a short tour and Hammond enjoyed taking the group around. Once again, the crew was on its best behavior and was happy to show off their ship and their spaces.
Jim Butler enjoyed the fact that Sir Rupert Whitney, the First Sea Lord and his wife attended. Butler brought his wife and they sat with the Whitney’s spending a good deal of the time planning a vacation they would take together later in the year.
After that successful port visit, the crew slowly made their way home. Along the way there was a somber mood on the ship. The Iowa and her brethren were going home to be decommissioned again. The brief shining moment when these great ships sailed and fought together at sea had come to an end. They had made a great difference in the world, but the difference was not long lasting. Air power had reasserted itself and was strong as ever. Yet in that brief moment, the ships proved once again the power of their guns. The term ‘Fear God and Dreadnought’ was learned once more by an enemy which had sampled their might before.
But this time the world noticed. The ships influenced the balance of the war, depriving the enemy of mobility and landmass. They clearly demonstrated the usefulness of their armor in defeating missile threats and they were able to destroy hardened fixed fortifications some said were impregnable. True, aircraft could do the same thing, but the battleship did so with impunity.
The battleships entered New York harbor. While sailing in a line past the Statue of Liberty the harbor fireboats lifted their water cannons high and great streams of water welcomed the ships as they made their way past Manhattan to their piers for a three day visit. New Yorkers came out by the thousands to see the great ships and go aboard. It was a non-stop party until they left.
After leaving New York, the Massachusetts detached from the rest and began making her way to Fall River. The other ships turned their turrets out to sea and fired a final broadside. The Massachusetts made her way home alone while the rest headed south.
Next was Philadelphia. Like the Massachusetts, the ships bid their farewell to their sister, the New Jersey, with another broadside. The people of Philadelphia lined the banks as their ship made its way upriver. That night fireworks lit the sky and the crew was treated to one of the largest celebrations they had ever seen.
The Wisconsin entered Norfolk without much fanfare. The sailors at the Navy Base waved along the ships and piers, but when she neared the pier where she would moor, the area was filled with people and officials to greet her. Families were there along with veterans and others in Norfolk who wanted to show their support. The sailors left the ship into a sea of goodwill.
Wilmington was different. The column of four battleships was met by thousands of small boats and yachts. Balloons and aircraft were overhead and people were crowded along the beaches to watch as the North Carolina passed. The report of the broadside echoed across the water, setting off a cheer from every boat and every group.
USS North Carolina steamed slowly upriver escorted by hundreds of small boats. Ships in their berths along the way sounded their whistles in tribute. Passing under the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, the crew saw a change in the museum and berthing facilities. The river had been widened in her absence and a new concrete dock installed. Very slowly, the North Carolina eased around with the help of tugs and pointed her bluff bow into the dock. She eased in gradually, fitting exactly as she should and without running into other boats as she did when she had first been moored there in the early 1960s. The museum area was filled with well wishers and families. The North Carolina, a long ignored piece of hardware, had been brought to life again. Now she was home and would never be forgotten.
After leaving the Alabama in Mobile, the Iowa and Missouri along with their remaining escorts quietly transited the Panama Canal. Traveling up the coast, they were joined by a fleet of destroyers and cruisers off San Diego for the cruise to San Francisco.
After one last joint broadside salute, the Iowa, Rooks, and Richard E. Byrd left the formation and made their way into San Francisco Bay. The band set up to play and the rest of the sailors donned their whites as they began to pass through the Golden Gate. At first it seemed peaceful enough. There was a fine misty fog slightly obscuring the shore and bridge, but as the ships came closer to the Golden Gate Bridge they heard distant cheers. Then someone noticed there was no traffic moving on the bridge. In the early morning light the men could see people waving from the side. As the fog was burned off a little more, they began to see throngs of people lining Fort Point Rock and the park on the far side.
The sailors manned the rail as they always did coming into port. The band began to play, bringing forth a tremendous cheer from above. As the ship passed beneath the bridge, confetti rained down upon it and people on the bridge were yelling as hard as their lungs could manage.
That was when they saw the inner harbor. It was filled with small craft. The Coast Guard did all they could to keep a clear channel, but the channel curved to the right instead of the left where they needed to go. The ships were forced to pass along the San Francisco waterfront where people filled the hills watching and cheering as the ships traveled past. The band kept playing, causing small groups to dance onshore.
Finally turning to the left, the Iowa and her escorts passed between Alcatraz and Treasure Island. The boats began to thin and the ships sped up to fifteen knots. The pilots expertly guided the ships up the bay toward Vallejo.