Johnny was aboard the USS Santa Ana.
Fun Fact: USS Santa Ana (ID # 2869), 1919-1919. Served in 1941-1946 as the U.S. Army Transport and U.S. Army Hospital Ship John L. Clem. Was assigned U.S. Navy hull number AP-36 in 1941.
USS Santa Ana, an 4942 gross ton (8890 tons displacement) transport, was built in 1918 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the civilian passenger liner of the same name. She was taken over by the Navy upon completion and placed in commission in February 1919. As a unit of the Cruiser and Transport Force, she made four round-trip voyages to bring World War I veterans from France. USS Santa Ana completed this work in July 1919 and, later in that month, was decommissioned and turned over to the U.S. Shipping Board. Between the World Wars she operated commercially under the names Santa Ana, Guatamala, Santa Cecilia and Irwin. In 1941 she was acquired by the War Department and served during and shortly after World War II as the Army’s transport and hospital ship John L. Clem. Soon after her acquisition by the Army she was assigned the U.S. Navy hull number AP-36, but did not enter U.S. Navy service. The ship was sold for scrapping in 1948.
South Pacific
Tue Jan 4, 1944
Hello Darlin’:
well it has been a long time I imagine sent you at any mail of any kind.
I’m really having a lot of fun. I don’t think you will know me when I get back. I think I have gained a little weight and lost a little waist. I here is a little shorter. In fact it is all gone. There is an old tradition among seamen. Until you cross the equator you are called a pollywig. After crossing the equator you are known as a Shellback. In order to become a shellback there are several things you must go through first. The old seamen aboard shave your head, make you drink some hot sauce straight, etc. etc. etc. etc. I am now a shellback. My hair is about an eighth of an inch long.
The weather is very hot out here. I suppose you’re having some nice cool or rather cold snow. I wish I were in it. It is even too hot to sleep in our focsle at night. I’ll have cots and mattresses to put on the meeting at. It is nice sleeping under the stars. If I could see any stars it is usually raining off and on. The first night I really got soaked. Now we have a cover over us.
We should reach our destination about this coming Friday. After we leave there I hope to see Dick. I don’t know if they will let us go ashore or not but I’m sure going to try hard enough to see him.
You remember the night we skied at the back country club? This warm weather, that hot engine room, makes me wish we were skiing again.
I have been out to the sun quite a bit and then changing a little bit in color.
It was sure while talking you before we left Frisco. I’m sorry about not getting to talk to the folks. I wish I can talk to you now and I’ll bet that there are several million other fellows wishing they could call their wives and sweethearts at home too.
I will sure be glad when we get back. I’m going to try to stay right on the ship if possible and make a second trip. I’ll try to get leave to come home. If I can’t get me, I will fire off the ship and come home anyway.
Well sweets, I guess that just about covers it for now. I will write again soon. I love you very very much.
Lov & xxxxs Y.F.H. Johnny
P.S. Don’t Worry
January 11, 1944
Hello Darlin’:
Well, here I am again without very much to write about. We pulled in to talk Friday evening. I was supposed to have Saturday afternoon and evening off and all day Sunday. I was going to go ashore and get a souvenir for you. Bill, my shipmate and I finished at 12 noon and after eating chow and taking a shower, we were getting dressed to go ashore. The 1st engineer came in and said we have to stand by to take on fuel oil. This went on both Saturday and all day Sunday. Sunday evening we did get a sore but we didn’t do very much as it was pretty late when we got started and we have to be back aboard by 8 PM. I went ashore last night after chow and I got you something. I think you will like it very much. I wish the war was over and you were here with me on a cruise. Even if it were a pleasure cruise, it would still be nice to get to the states.
I bought four cartons of gum and two cartons of candy bars last night. There is sure no shortage of gum out here. I had a malted milk, if that is what you want to call it. It didn’t even taste like milk. We haven’t had any milk since we left Frisco, outside of and milk. We have quite a bit of Coca-Cola though. We have movies on board every night. Some real good ones too.
There are different constellations of stars out here, I think because since we left Frisco, I haven’t seen the big dipper. Do you remember the soldiers constellation? He is just about overhead.
I forgot to tell you that I have had some milk besides canned milk, coconut milk. It is quite a bit like how milk but much sweeter.
It is odd to see the natives on the island. They are very much like a colored person only their hair is colored and longer than a colored person. It is black on the bottom and a golden color on top. They are called Javanese. There are also lots of French people. The island as a whole is a French colony. There are a lot of French cars with right hand drive.
Our dock is about 12 miles from the main town, so we hitch hike to it. I have ridden in just about every type of army trucks and jeeps there is.
Well darling, I’m afraid that is just about all for now, except to say that I love you very very much.
P. S. Try writing to me.
John H Berhow
S.S. Santa Ana
Postmaster
San Francisco, Calif
Love & XXXX Y.F.H.
Johnny
6:15 PM Jan. 27, 1944
Hello Darlin’:
Well, here it is, time to drop another line or two. We are one or two days from our next stop. I hope the reach it tomorrow. It is really hot down here. In the engine room, it is about 125°, which is really hot.
In our last court only it was cool was out on the deck. We had out door movies that were a great relief. As soon as we unloaded, we pulled away from the dock and anchored out for a week. It gets pretty on this is sitting there not knowing when you are going to leave. It is really very beautiful down here but I can’t say I like it any better than the U.S.A. it is kind of nice seeing places that you studied about in school. The only thing is that they never seem to be just what you think they should be.
Darling, I may have to ask a favor of you when I get back. I will let you be the direct. When I get back, I will have enough sea experience will or time to get my fireman and water tender ticket and rating. I should make another trip on this chip before I hire off of it. It’s all I am familiar with the way things are run and if I would ship out another ship, I would have practically everything to learn all over again. Once I made a trip as a fireman, and other ships would be much easier.
Hello Darlin’: well it has been two days now since I wrote that line and I have changed my mind about shipping out again before coming home. When I get home I will tell you why.
We have been up to the dock and unloaded our deck cargo and we took on freshwater.
The reason I finished or rather quick writing so abruptly is that it was so hot in our focsIe couldn’t stand it. I went out on deck. I had a cot out there to sleep on. Well anyway, it is 7:00 PM here and it is 3:00 AM yesterday morning where you are now.
Fun fact: What is a Focsle? The Foc’s’le is the forward deck of the ship. It derives its name from the days of sailing ships when the raised forward deck was known as the “forecastle.”
Now this is good ~ at 10:00 P.M. your time it is 2:00 AM tomorrow my time. We have crossed the International Date Line, which makes me a day ahead of you. About 4:00 AM, you go out and look at the stars. When you find our little soldier constellation, I will be right under it.
After I get to Frico, I will call you. You can start getting ready then. I will have to spend about a week there to get my papers, etc. etc. Being a member of the Armed Forces, I won’t have any trouble getting a seat on the train. I probably won’t be able to get a birth though.
Well suites, I guess that is about all for now. I will write again soon. I love you very very much.
Love & XXXX Y.F.H. Johnny
P.S. we had a bulletin to a saying they were going to cut out all air – mail service from here to the U.S. Everything will be ‘V’ mail.
Fun Fact: V Mail. What was the purpose of Victory Mail? Victory Mail, more commonly known as V-Mail, operated during World War II to expedite mail service for American armed forces overseas. Moving the rapidly expanding volume of wartime mail posed hefty problems for the Post Office, War, and Navy Departments.
Love & XXX ‘s again
Johnny
Johnny & Jane 