The Helena shakedown cruise ended by March 2

The Helena shakedown cruise ended by March 2, 1940 with a return of the crew to the New York Navy Yard. How convenient for the newly married couple! The Helena now remained for a while in the Navy yard correcting problems with the ship that developed during the cruise. According to his records, Adrian was granted three periods of leave over the next four months: Annual leave March 15 - 18, 1940 Emergency leave April 13 - 18, 1940 Annual leave June 5 - 10, 1940 His locations during these leave periods are unknown as is the reason for the emergency leave in April. With only three to five days, it is unlikely that Adrian had time to make a trip to Georgia to see his family. In all likelihood, he was in Brooklyn with Wanda. Once the repairs were made, it was time for the Helena to officially join the Atlantic fleet based in Portsmouth, Virginia. This move was made on July 14, 1940. On their way to Virginia, they made a stop in Boston as you can see from the picture below.

Wanda talked about being in Virginia with Adrian and living in a trailer in Elizabeth City, Virginia. Below is the only picture we have from this time period. The note on the back written by Wanda doesn’t really make much sense when you look at the clock in the picture. One story Wanda told Terry was that she and Adrian were married in Elizabeth City, Virginia. This could not have happened since they were married November 19, 1939 and the Helena was docked in New York at the time. We have yet to find a marriage certificate for them! Wanda never had idle hands!

Though the United States was not involved with the war in Europe yet, the U. S. Navy was placing ships very carefully. In August of 1940 the Helena and her sister ship the USS St. Louis were transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Adrian and Wanda must have been devastated by this news. No more chances for quickly arranged days together. Now there would be a continent between them. To make matters even worse, the Navy chose to station the Pacific Fleet in the Territory of Hawaii, not California. As the ship prepared to switch oceans, Adrian was given official leave from August 30 to September 7, 1940. From the dates on pictures from this time period, Adrian took Wanda to Clarkston, Georgia. From the records, there does not appear to have been any leave long enough for them to have made the trip before. Wanda apparently did not meet her in-laws until 9 months after the wedding. This picture was taken the first week of September, 1940 at Adrian’s parents’ house on Indian Creek Drive in Clarkston. This house still stands and looks the same. At the time the picture was made, Adrian was 21 and Wanda was 19.

Other photographs taken during this visit to Clarkston.

Adrian, Wanda, and Adrian’s brother, Clyde on the front porch of the house on Indian Creek. Clyde (Adrian’s youngest brother) is 13. Wanda at Stone Mountain. Notice that the carving is incomplete.

These two pictures of Adrian were taken at Stone Mountain. Wanda in yard on Indian Creek. Clarkston School can be seen in the background. All six of Adrian and Wanda’s children attended this school.

On September 16, 1940, the Helena left Norfolk, Virginia heading to California by way of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the Panama Canal. The ship was docked at the naval facility at San Pedro, California by October 2, 1940, evidently making repairs to a turbine that had problems on the way to the west coast. Photograph (1940) of San Pedro Ship Yard near Long Beach, just south of Los Angeles, California. All the ship yards in California stayed very busy performing repair and upkeep on the ships of the Pacific Fleet. Why was the Pacific Fleet based in the Territory of Hawaii instead of California? As the war became more global, debate began as to an appropriate location for the ships stationed on the west coast of the United States. The Pacific naval commander at the time was Admiral J. O. Richardson felt it was dangerous to bunch the fleet up in Pearl Harbor, so far from the mainland. He and President Roosevelt met to discuss the issue. Roosevelt wanted them located closer to Japan and the islands of east Asia. The President gave the order to base them in Hawaii, and Admiral Richardson was relieved of his command.

Pearl Harbor – First Tour With repairs completed, the Helena left for Hawaii on October 14, 1940. Over the next 15 months, the Helena, with Adrian aboard, would move between Hawaii and California two times. After arriving, the Helena would remain for this first tour in Hawaiian waters until July 3, 1941. During this time, Adrian’s name appeared on the Helena muster rolls. Muster rolls were official lists of sailors onboard a ship and were compiled every three months. These lists were sent to the Bureau of Navigation; and today, they are public records. Attached to the muster rolls were reports called “Record of Changes” which listed events occurring to personnel. This could be anything from a change of rank, conduct problems, or transfers. Both these reports were used to document Adrian’s locations as he moved around the globe, had a change in rank, or a transfer. On November 16, 1940, Adrian’s rank was upgraded from Sea 1 c (Seaman 1 st Class) to FC 3 c (Fire Controlman 3 rd class). Back in February of the same year, he qualified as a gun director pointer. Due to the advanced technical nature of naval artillery, the Navy established this rank separate from gunner’s mate to identify those sailors that had the advanced training to aim the guns. Under the new ranking system, the gunner’s mates maintained the guns, including handling and storing ammunition. The fire controlmen were responsible for understanding how to use the early computer systems used to take into account all the motions of the ship in order to hit a moving target from a moving ship on a moving ocean.

After becoming a fire controlman, Adrian spent about 8 months in Hawaii. During this time, the Pacific Fleet was divided into two groups. One group would remain in port for liberty and maintenance and the other group would be at sea practicing maneuvers and gunnery exercises. The pattern remained the same for months. A group would leave on a Monday, staying out for 12 days, and returning on Friday. That meant that every other weekend the entire Pacific fleet would be in port. Due to the fact that there were Japanese spies on Oahu sending observations back to Japan, they were aware of this pattern and would take advantage of it on Sunday, December 7, 1941. January 7 th was a Tuesday, so half the fleet is out on maneuvers. This picture was taken while Adrian was stationed at Pearl Harbor.

What did Adrian actually do during the gunnery exercises? This is a picture taken of Charlie and Jim Mc. Clelland, both stationed on the Helena. Like Adrian, Jim was a fire controlman. Several years ago, Barbara located a website of people and remembrances connected to all the Naval ships called Helena. She contacted Jim Mc. Clelland he sent a letter back to her and an except of that letter is below. This picture was taken in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 10, 1941. Jim was nicknamed “Little Mac” and is on the right. From Letter to Barbara (Adrian's daughter) from James "Mac" Mc. Clelland: "I am enclosing a copy (picture taken at rail of Helena during shakedown cruise) and I hope you too will have some pleasant recollections as well. Adrian and I did quite a number of things together. We lived in the same compartment and had the same Battle Station, we also made a few liberties that I will remember for a long time. Our Battle Station was in the Main Battery Control Director Forward. "Slim" placed the horizontal cross hair of his telescope on the target and sitting next to him I placed the vertical cross hair of my telescope on the target. When we were both on together Adrian would squeeze two warning flashes with his right hand then squeezing both triggers with both hands would fire fifteen six inch guns in a broadside that rocked the ship. I will remember him for all the fun we had and especially for the high regard that I had for him. "

Christmas 1940 – Pearl Harbor Jim Mc. Clelland saved many items from his military years. Below and on the next two slides are images of the 1940 Christmas menu on board the Helena. The entire list of men is not shown here because it contains everyone on board. The Helena was manned by about 1, 100 sailors.

Below and on the next page is a cruise album kept by Jim Mc. Clelland. He and his family have shared these photographs of the album on the Helena website. Only the page relevant to Adrian appears.

This picture appeared in a previous post but is another look at F division. This division was composed of the fire controlman, gunner’s mates, and seamen assigned to help them. Each division became a family of sorts with members usually hanging out with each other. In the next post, you will meet some of Adrian’s friends during this time in Hawaii. While on shore leave, he and a fellow firecontrolman took a hike on a nearby mountain. Because so many pictures were taken of that trip, I wanted to make it a separate entry.

Navy Wife Blues by Wanda Fortenberry Good bye my love your ship is sailing tomorrow, We must forget these moments we had to borrow, The stars above will still be here tomorrow, But I may love, I dread the thought of tomorrow. Again, my love, I’ll know all the heartbreak and sorrow, And the laughter tonight is hiding the tears of tomorrow, Our love, my dear, will not vanish with this night, Like the moon way up above it will be forever bright. Come back, my love, come back to your place in my arms, Tell me, my dear, that the sea can’t claim all your charms. To how many distant lands will you roam, Before that happy day when you will sail for home? Good bye my love, fare well my love, we must part. Come back before the tears break my heart.