USAMP ABBOTT

AMP ABBOTT

On Watch! c1944
©CGressetti

My first assignment was whith the Mine Planting Detail, Battery A, 9th Coast Artillery Regiment (HD). We were trained by thr 241st CA (HD) MaNG. They were assigned to the AMP BAIRD and trained us aboard her while waiting for the new Mine Planter. After the new Planter arrived at Boston, I transferred aboard her as a crew member and was trained at the Army's High Speed Radio School, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

The Government Piers at Boston were extremly busy. When they found out the (AMP) ABBOTT's Skipper had Merchant Marine experience, they moved our Ship to India Wharf. (Army tradition is that when your away from your supperiors, you can take liberties from the Army's little duties like, police call, morning inspections, etc...). I was thankful that if I headed for the Custom's House I was headed back to the Ship. While busy at work among the mine fields we occasionally received coded messages, via blinker light, from Navy Blimps hanging around just outside the entrances to the Harbor of Boston. Unfortunattly, when we recorded the codes, we were left scratching our heads. Navy codes were useless to Army Ships. Something about interservice rivalies. It wasn't until after hostilities that we learned the code ment "SCADDLE back to Harbor, we think we see a sub!" The ABBOTT received a mission to proceed to the area off Provincetown, and assist the Navy with experimental mining equipment. Being in the Radio Room I do not remember what we did. ............................. (Anyone knowledgable about this experiment should contact Marty Dwyer Martyk9 @ webtv.net )

Army Mine Planters had to maintain several arrays of radio antennas to insure peak output on the frequencies covered by their three radios. There was an Antenna Array Switch from which the operator could select a matching antenna for the frequency being used. Army doctrine called for the grounding of the antenna array switch during lightning storms. One day the ABBOTT got hit by lightning. In addition to equipment fuses and tubes being damaged, the ABBOTT had to receive shipyard repairs to the superstructure (cabin walls) near the antenna array switch. One day I accidently made contact with the antenna wiring when transmitting and received a burn on my forearm. When I went to the Medics, they at first identified it as a cancor sore, as they were not familiar with RF Burns (Radio Frequency Burns), I set them straight!. The ABBOTT's Mess Sergeant was refered to as "Belly Robber". We used this term affectionetly. When he had trouble finding items the men liked to eat, I took him to Boston's North End, to several Itialian markets. He always tried to keep desirable food items on board for the Crews sattisfaction.

For radio communications our call sign was "WYPI", there were three radio nets that I operated in or monitored. One was WSL this net gave listings of water obstructions floating in the vicinity of Boston Harbor. Whenever there was a listing for the area we were in I copied it and gave to the Skipper. We had a Battery/Mine Command Net for administration and mine operations. The third net, I can't recall who's net it was, but we ocasionally received coded messages. I copied code sent to our ship and gave them to the Skipper. He went to his safe and got out a little gisz-mo and inserted the codes.