Navy experienced of Russ Bateman

In 1947 a Navy Reserve recruiting unit came to St George, which I joined, but no but served active duty time or training.  In 1948, I join the Utah National  Guard and them  six months latter,  joined the active duty Navy when I was promised  Electronics Training.  This was an opportunity for schooling for me  as I didn't have the money to go to College. I enlisted for three years, then  the Truman year was added, then the Korean War year was added and the sixth years was due to  being an essential rate for defense.

Navy Training Center, San Diego, California
 ( Boot Camp - Class "A" Radio Operators School

 

 Active duty in the navy started out when I  Attending "Boot Camp" and Class "A" Radio School in San Diego. After completing training in San Diego, we boarded a train for Seattle Washington.  There we boarded a a R5D Navy Four Engine Passenger Aircraft and headed for Alaska.  Our first stop at Kodiak, Alaska Naval Air Station where we remained for two days.  I visited some friends and went into Kodiak Village.  ( When we went back in 1997, the Village was a modern city)  See 1997 Alaska Trip report.. 

We then took off again for Adak.  However, we hit a violent storm which damaged our R5D air craft.  It tossed us around inside of the air craft until we found something to hold on to. The Air Craft developed a hydraulic oil pressure failure and we made an emergency landing at Umnak Island 

Graduated Navy Radio School	Quonset Hut, Umnak Island	Umnak Island	R5D Aircraft

Umnak  was a terrible place to be station. There were about 50 men stationed on the Island This island now served as an emergency landing field.  In  World War II this was the secret base that stopped  the Japanese from invading Dutch Harbor. The Japanese bombed and was planning to invade the Dutch Harbor, and during the first day of bombing they had no resistance.  The second day they found many fighter aircraft  which flew from Umnak Island. The first day of the bombing, communications had not been established at the new base as it had only been there about two weeks. The Japanese then invaded  Attu and Shymia

After about three days we were able to get Aircraft repaired  and took off for Adak Island in the Aleutians.

ADAK NAVY OPERATING BASE, ALASKA
 

I was first assigned to the Heart Lake Receiver station but after a couple of days I was transferred to Rocky Point Transmitters Station.  At Rocky .we maintained transmitters and set them on frequencies as requested from Heart Lake Receiver Station.
 

After a few months, I was transferred to Great Sitka Island, Alaska which was near Adak. This site was manned by about 50 men who provided security for the large Secret Supply Depot that was developed to support the invasion of the Main Land of Japan.

After a couple of months, I was transferred to Heart Lake Receiver Station and assigned to be an Circuit Operator.  A short time later, While I was on one of the Ship to Shore Frequency, A coat Guard Cutter came up and requested the information on the code "VERA".  Not knowing what they wanted, I turned to my supervisor with the request.  He reached up on the shelf and looked it up and wrote "VERA-Dutch Harbor" which turned out to be classified.

  The supervisor claimed that he knew nothing about it, so I Received a "Captain's Mast."  as "Improper performance of Duty" and was sent to Radio City ( A intelligence base on the other side of the Adak Island.) as a "Mess Cook" for three months for my punishment.

 The second day in that assignment, I was ask to be the "CPO Mess Cook".  This meant that I would take care of the "chief Petty Officers" in the private dining area.  This was good duty and they were all very nice to work for.  At the end of the month, the head Chief, handed me $50.00 in cash.  I said what is this for?  He said, we pay our "Mess Cook" an extra $50 for taking care of us.  At the same time, They needed a Projectionist for the local Base Movie Theatre.  That paid another $50.00 a month and that doubled my pay.

  At the of the three months of this good duty, I requested a three month extension. They said they had never heard of anyone requesting an extension for Mess Cooking"  The the end of that three month period, I requested another three month extension, but was turned down.  My Last Day at Radio City, I went in to the CPO Dining hall to do my finial cleanup,  All the Chiefs were there and told me that they had "all" recommended for me to join the security group. It is very hard to be taken in to the Navy Security Group and so I said  "great", I would be glad to.  I went back to Heart Lake as a Circuit Operator

Due to the Korean War our one year duty assignment was exted and we were all "frozen" to the Island with no transfers permitted.  It was a shock to my officers when they received high priority orders to transfer me to Washington D. C.  My division Officer said he couldn't understand it as he had requested to be assigned to the security group several times and was always turned down. I told him that their was a "Mess Cooking" position open at the Radio City Security Base and that was how I got into the Security Group.
Cheltenham, MD ( Washington D. C.)

I was assigned to the Naval  Security School at Cheltenham, Md  and was was trained in many areas of Communications Intelligence. I was told that there was an opening in the Squadron in North Africa and if I worked hard I would be assigned to that position when I finished my training.  I really wanted that assignment and really put in a lot of effort to get the training behind me. (it would have been like the Spy Air craft that was forced down in China a few years ago.)

I was about half way through school and one of the Instructors ask me if I have every thing ready for being in London, England the next day.  I told him that he had me mixed up with some one else as I was only half way through school and I was to be assigned to a Flying Squadron.  He said. " you mean no one has talked to you?  I had an hour to pack my bag and be on my way to London.  I was saying in a large apartment in Washing DC and had all my Civilian Cloths there.  Also, thinking that I had another couple of months of school, I had just purchased a Cushman Scoter that was in the Garage of the Apartment. I had no telephone numbers and didn't know the address of the apartment or have an opportunity to let them know that I was being sent over Seas..  They said that I just disappeared and they had no idea where I went.  

This was my schedule for the next year.

Navy Training Center San Diego, California	Navy Operating Base -Adak Alaska	Cheltenham, Maryland (Washington D. C.
Navy Department,    London, England	DD864 Ellison Destroyer Duty	DD 890 Meredith Destroyer Duty
DD 762 Henley Destroyer Duty	Naval Security Station Washington D. C.	Naval Radio Station,  Imperial Beach, California

NEXT PAGE

Return to main page

HOME PAGE