March 14, 1945

14th _____ We done a little firing today but outside of that we had reagular sea routine.
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Photo: Part of their shipboard routine was to dye white caps blue. Supposedly, sailors wearing white caps made the ship easier to spot by enemy planes. Of course, the officers still wore beige hats and, during battle, everyone wore helmets.

March 13, 1945

13th _____ We got underway at 800 but the dope is that were going back in, in 4 or 5 days. We did a little AA. fire.
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AA = Anti-aircraft practice

March 12, 1945

12th _____ [Supposed] to get underway today but something is wrong with turrits & starboard got liberty. Wasn't much to do.
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Photo: Joe holding life preserver that says "Mighty Mo."

March 11, 1945

11th _____ Went ashore again...Wanamaker & McKnight were along couldn't real[ly]...so we went to show & had something [to] eat. We ate four banana splits.
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One thing that never changed about Uncle Joe--he really enjoyed his food. Reading about the banana splits made me smile.

March 10, 1945

10th _____ Starboard rated liberty today but spent most of day looking for chirch. found [the] pla[c]e around 1600 but had to go ba[ck]...00 he was on night shift. We were really [glad] to see each other. Got my first letter from D[ell]...was really glad to hear from her. I am...letter tonight after show. 10 days out of state.
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This would have been during Lent, so it's possible that Joe was looking for a church so he could receive the sacrament of confession. Or possibly he just wanted to make an extra visit before heading out into battle again. (Photo pictured is St. Joseph's in Hawaii. Who knows? Maybe that was the church.)

March 9, 1945

9th _____ Went ashore again today rented a few bikes _ Wan & Ba[rns] were along. We also rented a camera & took a roll of fi[lm]. When we got back on[,] found the ship had shift birth. it was tied up along side the B.B. Mississippi
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Shift birth = the Mobile had moved and was now tied up alongside the Battleship Mississippi. B.B. will be used frequently in the journal to stand for battleship.

Photo from that roll of film: Joe and, presumably, Barns.

March 8, 1945

8th _____ Not much doing today, except for a little painting, got whites ready for liberty tomorrow. Had movies on main deck aft.
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Painting must be done regularly aboard ship to protect the metal from the corrosive effects of salt water and air.

Joe writes later in his journal that liberties in port were usually every other day. The starboard and port side crews would take turns, so the ship always had at least a half crew aboard.