LIBERTY CALL, BREMERHAVEN GERMANY
THE DALY'S ONLY PORT OF CALL IN GERMANY
AUGUST 1955

A beautiful first day in Bremerhaven,. August 1955. Our first and only port of call in Western Germany. Some of the Daly's "Liberty Hounds " are milling about on the fantail (stern of the ship) in their Dress Blues, ready and eager to "Hit the Beach" (Go on liberty). Some last minute chores have to be taken care of, like emptying the "GI Cans," as they wait for the word to be passed Commencing Liberty for the Liberty Sections. I was not in any hurry, because I had duty the first day in port. I took this photo.

The trip down through the North Sea to Bremerhaven Germany was short, but a rough one. We encountered high winds and big waves that made for slow traveling. The beautiful City of Bremerhaven Germany on the North Western Coast of Germany had been heavily bombed during WW II, and although the city had recovered a great deal, there were still many areas that still showed the deep scars of war.

I went sight seeing by myself, and I caught a bus into town. I recall that the bus was almost full and I elected to stand near the rear of the bus. There were several girls / young women seating in that area and they were looking in my direction, talking among themselves and after a bit, they started saying something, but I did not think they were talking to me, until I moved and they followed me with their eyes . I did not look at them very much, because I was the only American Sailor onboard that bus and I felt a bit out of place and self-conscious of being the center of attention. I guess that they sensed that, because they increased their efforts to talk to me. One of the very attractive young ladies got up and got closer to where I was standing she looked directly at me and said "SCHATZE, ICH LIEBE DICH."

I had no clue as to what she was saying and every one within hearing distance was smiling and looking at us. I just looked at her and didn't say a word, because I did not know how to respond, as I did not understand what she was saying. I pulled the cord letting the bus driver know that I wanted to get off. Just as the bus was coming to a stop, she said something and repeat the phrase"SCHATZ, ICH LIEBE DICH." As I was moving to get off the bus, I turned, looked at her and said, "ICH LIEBE DICH, YOURSELF" and stepped off the bus. I looked back and she had a big smile on her face and waved good-bye, I could see the people looking at me out the bus windows and smiling, as the bus sped away. Later, much later, I found out what the young German women had been saying to me on the bus, something along the lines of "Sweetheart, I love you."

I just walked around and bought some souvenirs, two beautiful German Beer Steins, a 300 day clock and two little metal race cars (with movable steering wheel etc.). As evening shadows fell, I was headed back to the ship, when I ran into a group of my fellow shipmates, and they persuaded me to join them. They were hitting all the Taverns on the way back to the ship. They knew that I did not drink, no matter how hard they tried, so they gave me all of their money to take care of, as we made the rounds of Taverns.

American sailors were not aware, or did not take into account the higher alcohol content in the German beer, in comparison to the beer they were used to drinking, and the sailors were getting bombed out of their minds. I was the only one in the group of eight sailors that did not drink, and I found I was tasked to keep heard on the group. It was a difficult task to steer 10 drunken sailors (we picked up a couple more at one of the taverns) back to the ship, as they kept wondering off in different directions as they stumbled along the cobbled stone streets. After we finally made it back to the ship and the men were put into their respective bunks, a Special Detail was formed to deal with the unusually high number of drunken sailors and level of intoxication.

Taxi Cabs were driving up to the ship and the drivers would open the cab doors and the drunken sailors would roll out onto the pier, they were so intoxicated that they were unable to walk. Several of them tried to crawl on their hands and knees. It was a comical sight to behold. A team of men was formed to deal with the situation, and they were stationed on the pier, after the 1st Taxi Cab came and unloaded it's cargo of drunken sailors.

It set the mood for the rest of the night, I stayed up to help sailor who slept in the after-living compartment, which is where I had my bunk and locker. Even though I had a top bunk, it was impossible to sleep until after 2400, because the sailors returning from liberty, were singing, talking and banging into lockers and bunks etc., as they staggered through the dark compartment (except for red night lights that require a little time for your eyes to get used to). The word "Taps, Taps lights out, smoking lamp is out in all living spaces and silence about the deck" is passed out over the 1-MC shipboard speaker system at 2200 (10 PM ). For some strange reason, some of them felt like singing, although they couldn't carry a tune in a basket.

Liberty Call Bremerhaven, Germany. Late August 1955. A view as I follow some shipmates into town.

I had no idea of where I was, I did not have a map of the city. I applied a technique I learned as a young buck. Always make a mental note and remembered some kind of landmarks, every time you change directions. The technique worked well, because I did not get lost once. This was an area that looked beautiful and appeared untouched by war. Bremerhaven, late August 1955.

I did not have any plans, as to what I was going to do.I just started walking toward town. A view of a beautiful old church that still shows the deep scars of war, Bremerhaven, late August 1955.

Another view of the church from across the street. I was standing in the rubble that was once a building before the war. Although much of Bremerhaven had been restored, many parts of the city, still showed the damage caused by allied bombs, during WW II. Bremerhaven, August 1955

I took pictures of what was interesting to me, as I meandered about on liberty in Bremerhaven, late August 1955. Streetcars, a family on an outing, the mother pushing her baby in an old fashion baby buggy, along with her husband and young son.

A view of some light traffic near the old church, a women on her bicycle, dress fluttering in the breeze caught my eye as she sped across the intersection. Bremerhaven, late August 1955. Notice the unusual looking three wheeled motor vehicle.

I heard one sailor start to come down the steep steel ladder to our living compartment, he was singing. The next thing we heard, was someone falling down the ladder and a dead silence. Several of us in the compartment felt certain the sailor must have injured himself in the fall and we were just going to get up and check on him, when we heard him start to continue with his singing, so we knew he was not hurt, even though he had tumbled down a steel ladder (about 7 feet) and landed on the unforgiving steel deck. He was so intoxicated, that he was as flexible as a rag doll and he was not seriously hurt. He was just bruised and very sore the following day.

Many of them had gotten sick and thrown up all over themselves. They were a mess and had to be cleaned up, dressed and tucked into their bunks. The next morning you never saw such a bunch of hung-over sailors.

One thing a sailor has to keep in mind, the fact that no matter how late you stay out, reveille always comes at 0600 (6 AM), except when in port on a Saturday and Sunday, or on a holiday like Christmas. On those special days only the men in the duty section were awaken in time to eat breakfast before reporting to their watch station.

The following day we got underway, the Daly and the Smalley steamed out of Bremerhaven, navigated through the relative calm waters of Jade Bay again, and headed West, back into the North Sea, and the North Sea was just as angry as before. High winds and heavy seas greeted us once more. Many of our Liberty Hounds were still hung-over and when we hit open deep water with moderate sea conditions and the destroyer was bouncing all around, almost the entire crew that had been ashore and partaken of the local beer the day before, became sea sick. They paid dearly for all of the beer they had consumed. It was all I could do, to contain myself and keep from laughing at the sorry looking bunch of sailors leaning over the life lines heaving their guts out.

Almost all of my shipmates that drank, had tried at one time or another to entice me to join them on liberty, and join them in having fun, with wine, women and song, or perhaps have a fling with some of the many women that we encountered in every port we visited. But I was steadfast in my moral convictions, and to my dear mother and father who were so proud of their clean cut sailor boy. I could not betray their trust and faith in me, especially my mother, it would have broken her heart, and I would never do anything that would hurt my dear mother.

The Daly and her sister ship headed south for a rendezvous with the other two ships of Destroyer Division 302 operating with Units of the SIXTH FLEET in the Mediterranean Sea. We steamed down through the English Channel toward our next and last Port of Call on the British Isle, Plymouth, England.

I finished my first letter to Tiina on 5 September 1955, which was, coincidentally, her birthday. I found that out later, in one of her letters. I had never met a girl in my life, that made such a deep impression on me after only one brief meeting, as the Finnish Beauty who danced into my life in "The Land Of The Midnight Sun." I could not get her image out of my head, no matter how hard I tried. I have never experienced such emotion, at her mere presents as we danced, or thoughts of her ( after we parted at the Train Station in Helsinki ) that touched my heart strings .

I knew that what I felt for her was more than just friendship. There were other females I had met and consider my friends, but none of them ever stirred any deep emotions, like Tiina did. After being within her sphere of influence for such a short period of time. And what more, was the fact that she was not trying to impress me, she was just being her natural self. I had also been my natural self, simply because I did not know any other way to act. I had no idea as to what kind of a lasting impression I had left Tiina with of me.

There is a vintage Love Song, "LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT," that is certainly true for me. Tiina's thoughtful simple gesture, giving me her umbrella at the Train Station as we parted in Helsinki. She stated "So you will not get wet when you walk back to your ship in the rain." For some unknown reason, that simple gesture made a profound and everlasting impression on this young Tin Can Sailor.

Go back to to Chapter 15: JOURNEY THROUGH THE KIEL CANAL 21-25 AUGUST 1955

Continue to Chapter 17: HEADING SOUTH TO PLYMOUTH, FIRST LETTER TO TIINA