Lt. (j.g.) Gilbert
Steingart
U.S.S. Ocelot, F.P.O.
San Francisco
Monday 27 November
1944, 9:15 PM
My Dearest,
Zowie, I hit
the jackpot at last. Eighteen letters
today. One from Libby, one from Ruth,
fifteen from you, my Sweet, and a card that was on the ship that
burned. I am sending it back to
you. Keep it as a souvenir.
Didn't do a
lick of dentistry today. Instead saw the
completion of the cross-indexing of the library. Then did some experimenting
endeavoring to find a way to make some projector slides. We are going to have group singing before movies.
Because we must not show too much light topside we are going to project the
words on the screen. Well I tried to
x-ray film and glass a million different ways and then I discovered that plain
strips of paper with words written or typed worked best of all. We live and learn.
This evening
the movie was "Swingtime Johnny" with Harriet Hilliard and the
Andrews Sisters. This picture is the
poorest excuse for entertainment that we've gotten in a long time.
Now to your
letters. OK dear I'll promise not to skip any more days in writing. The reason I didn't hint about our departure
was because censorship at that time was very rigid and even a suggestion would
have been cut. Al had promised to write
but we expected to see each other before I shoved off and maybe that is why he
delayed in writing.
No dear I
haven't done any fishing. While we were
underway we are moving too fast for trolling and because of something that
happened here recently fishing won't be good for a while.
That gadget I
was making hasn't worked out so well but I got a new brainstorm so I'm going to
try again.
You do expect
me to tell you a lot more than censorship permits. I can't even hint at arrivals and departures
nor locate our whereabouts even by suggestion.
Please be reasonable and don't keep asking for such information. Now that I've chided you for the n-the time
I'll continue.
I wish I
could take some pictures but where we are now there are no such things as civilians. In fact even the natives have been
removed. All we see all day and all
night is Navy and more Navy.
So Marty is
up to his old tricks again. One of these
days he's going to meet his match and there'll sure be hell a popping. I just want to be around to enjoy the
fireworks.
Sorry about
the wrist watch. By now you have Edith's
letter and you know the whole story. No
dear, I haven't received any gifts as yet. So far very little in the way of
packages has been brought aboard. The
most recent letter I received took twelve days in coming and some of the mail
dated back to the ninth so you see what mail is like out here.
We'll be out
for quite some time but there have been five transfers amongst officers since
we arrived. I have a hunch that before
long all of us that came out will return to the good old U.S. I've got my fingers crossed.
I wish I
could tell you about our discussions aboard but most is censorable and the rest
is sex with a capital "S."
Between your teaching
and classes you seem to be filling out your time and getting a little pleasure
out of it and I'm glad. Get it all out
of your system. When I return you're
going to have a new routine and it won't include classes and teaching.
I'll send
some more gum as soon as they break out some more Wrigley's. Some of the other brands are lousy.
Letters are
taken off of passing ships but only from fighting vessels that are on patrol
and do not make any port for months at a time.
These ships take on fuel, food, supplies and mail at sea. Thank God I'm in a better spot than that and
in more ways than one.
Dear, I did
enjoy all those clippings and your poetry.
Keep them coming. There is one
thing you can send that I can't buy out here.
Black rayon or silk socks (short).
All they have aboard are cotton or wool and mine are beginning to run.
From the
sound of things, Linda and Norma are developing so rapidly that I'll not know
them when I return. Well we'll get
reacquainted and pick up from there.
You seem to
be having plenty of rain. We have rain
here daily, but it never lasts long though it does pour. Still we ignore it and keep right on doing
what we were doing.
Hope you have
fun at the race track and don't win too much money. I'm not going to say any more about lodge
activity. You'll have to be your own
judge there. As yet I haven't gotten my course or the letter you mention. Guess it is lost.
Well honey,
here it is 10:00 o'clock, time for lights out and I'm not half through your
letters. I'm going to close this letter
now and carry on with the rest of your mail in tomorrow's letter.
Do you
remember dear how I selected all your clothes? Now I can't do it. Well after the war that is one change we'll
institute. Back to our old way of buying
your clothes. Is it a deal? Swell
Good night
dear, I'm going to sleep much better tonight.
Love,
Gil
