Jim Christian survived enemy bombs and torpedoes. He endured hardships, including a 26-month separation from his bride.
And then there was the other stuff, the inconveniences the Vancouver Navy veteran and his shipmates just had to live with.
When Christian, 100, recently shared his World War II memories, they included some notable campaigns in the Pacific.
But his recollections — particularly in his 98-page memoir — mention some of the day-to-day aspects of life aboard the USS Fomalhaut. Christian worked in the cargo ship’s engine room.
“It was hot in the engine room, but they had a good blower system,” he wrote. “So, we would end up spending a lot of time under the blower. I think that’s what blew my hair away.”
Another issue was boredom, “the slowness with which time passes,” he wrote. “The vastness of the Pacific required a lot of time to get to an action point.”
There were unexpected pleasures. En route to New Zealand, “We stopped at a very small uninhabited island and anchored for recreation.”
Sailors jumped over the side and swam in the crystal-clear water. Some, including Christian, were allowed to go ashore.
“We were amazed at the hundreds and hundreds of shells on the beach. After standing still for a bit, I was startled to notice that many of the shells were moving — they were inhabited by hermit crabs,” he wrote.
“When we walked, the noise would make them hide inside the shell and be still; but if we became quiet, they’d move in search of food, carrying their shells.
“I didn’t take any shells back except a couple of small clamshells, but one sailor found a can in the landing boat and picked up quite a few.”
Even that tropical interlude resulted in a bad day or two at work.
“A couple of days later in the engine room, there was a great stench which was finally traced to that can of shells tucked away behind an angle iron. Sure enough, the shells had hermit crabs in them.”
And the heat in the engine room was too much for them, he said.
“Needless to say, the can and shells were given back to the sea.”
Off Beat lets members of The Columbian news team step back from our newspaper beats to write the story behind the story, fill in the story or just tell a story.
