Diver No. 1- Ready!

Chapter One, FIRST WEEK:

I reported on March 1943 to the US Naval Salvage Training and Diving School, Pier 88, N.Y.City. I had arrived a few days earlier in the midst of a snow storm. It was quite a difference in weather from the hot dry climate in Tuscon (sic- I should correct but he consistently spells it this way. I think it's kinda cute) Arizona where I had spent my first two months at the Indoctrination School for newly Commissioned Officers. Pier 88 is a long ocean transportation pier on the North River where the Normandie had been docked. Now it is a huge rusty hulk lying half in and half out of the water. It is difficult to believe that this was once a magnificent luxurious ocean liner, the pride of the French fleet (sic- again, he appears to be referring to the pier, at first, but then seems to be writing about "the Normandie").

There are about 35 officers in my class and about 90 enlisted men. After checking in, we were greeted by Lt. Cmdr Chandler, the CO of the school, and introduced to the Instructors in Diving, Salvaging, and Ship Construction. We were given a briefing, and the history of Salvaging in general and what our tasks will be. The officers will be put through the same rigorous diving training as the enlisted men and for this we will need dugarees (sic), long underwear and submarine clothes and gloves. I am pleased with this assignment. I read an article recently in the Reader's Digest about this School and how Commodore Sullivan convinced the President that this school should be established. Apparently, the officers and men chosen for this type of duty were carefully selected.

The following day, after taking a physical examination, we were put in small groups into the decompression chamber and the pressure raised gradually to a depth equal to 100 feet. My ears began to hurt almost immediately; other in my group were also having troubles. We were told to swallow and blow our noses to equalize the pressure in our eardrums. This helped and we were able to go all the way. The purpose of this was to test our reaction under pressure. I heard later that two officers of our class had claustrophobia and requested assignment to some other duty. Also, we heard that at least 20% of the officers and men usually "wash out" of the school before completing the course because of difficulties with diving. We were told, however, that this would have no harmful effect on their Naval careers since diving conditions at this school were rigorous and those who complete the course should be capable of diving anywhere in the world.

We are to spend the next three weeks under a diving instructor on the Float. This is a huge raft on the river just off of the Pier. We will be given various underwater tasks which increase in complexity as we complete them, and we will have to make a passing score with each task. After completing the Diving course, we will then be given courses in Salvaging Engineering, and Ship Construction. Also, we will be given practical courses in welding and burning underwater. This will be done in a tank in the Pier 88 building. Also, we will learn how to splice rope, make various knots and rigging. The idea is that an Officer should not order a man down into dangerous waters to do a task unless he can do it himself.

The rest of the week was spent learning how to use the diving suit, and how to operate the chin valve which controls the air into the suit. It seemed easy enough and I do not expect any trouble with diving. We were all divided into diving teams of 4 or 5 officers each for the diving training course. My team is to dive from 1600 to midnight since.... (he ends the sentance here, the bottom of the page must have been cut off).