USAMP MILLS

Wally Clark, c1944
{Waldo Hathorn Clark; 19 May 2002 :RIP:}
© CGressetti

Before joining the Army, I tinkered with HAM Radios. Three months after joining, I was sent down South for Army War Manovers. I became involved with the running of an AAC (Army Air Corps) radio truck. I, having less than two month service, showed other communication personnel how to keep the equipment operating. While the (AMP) MILLS was stationed at San Francisco Harbor, I worked off-duty at a radio repair shop in Salsaulito. A few hours here, a few hours there. When I received a 24 hour pass, the shop owner had set up a bunk in the back room for me to use while away from the Ship. On the maiden voyage of the MILLS from West Virginia to San Francisco, Fire Drill sounded. At first we thought it is was a drill, NO DRILL! One of our engine firemen forgot to install the tips on the oil supply piping to the boiler. The shell of the boiler started filling with oil as the burners were throwing flame into the boiler. When the liquid oil became hot enought, it erupted into flames and was drawn into the smoke stack by the combustion gases. This coated everything with burning oil. Before it was extinguished, it had melted our antenna connections that were on the stack. The MILLS received a message to proceed out of the harbor to meet with a Navy Destroyer that was standing by a reported army submarine mine, that had broken loose from its mooring and found floating in the current. As we started to approach the mine for recovery procedures, someone said they thought they saw horns on the mine. The Skipper immediately signaled for emergency speed. If that ship had tires, we would have layed rubber. Upon closer inspection we found that the "horns" were actually barnacles and we proceded to recover the mine. Mines with horns were un-controled and exploded when the horns struck a solid object, some even fired by magnetic attraction. The Army Controlled mine reqquired an electrical charge to explod and would not explode if they became loose from their control cable.

One time when the MILLS and the SPURGEON went out from San Francisco Harbor for Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun practice, we were provided with a model airplane to use as a target. This being the Army, it didn't work, the gunners used sea gulls as targets. I never saw them fly so fast as when the bullets and tracers started to come close to them. Target practice ended suddenly when the gun crew from the SPURGEON really got into the game and in swinging their gun after the target put five holes into our smoke stack. That was too close for comfort as my radio & bunk room was just forward of that stack. The MILLS was towing a target across the mine field for target practice in mine firing when an aircraft carrier was leaving port. Even though they were at a safe distance, when the mine exploded there was a furry of activity by distraught sailors running on the deck of the carrier. Not everyong was informed about the mine practice. (Concussion and sound waves traveled long distances through water and would be heard and felt through the steel hulls.)

You've heard of a ship with two captains, but I know of a Captain with two ships! on 31 May 1944 the ATS HENRY BERGH grounded on rocks outside San Francisco. The AMP MILLS and the SPURGEON were requested to be in on the rescue. The master of the SPURGEON, CWO Richard Carlsen, had experienced seamanship among the fjords of Norway. During the rescue he commanded one mine planter, then the other, then back to the first, etc... as he manuvered them, one art a time, as close as possible to the BERGH and rocks to facilitate the speedy recovery of the servicemen from the water. When one mine planter reached it limit for passengers he would switch to the other, permitting a vessel to always be in the front of the recovery area.