Albert Talbot served on submarine chaser SC 304. Shown are two photos, one showing him on deck, and a studio shot, courtesy of his granddaughter, Donna Brathovde.
Donna also sent a story passed down from her grandfather:
I will just share with you a fond memory I have of my grandfather and a story about his time aboard SC 304 that he would tell. Like so many young sailors, my grandfather enjoyed a good joke and was not above pulling a prank if the opportunity arose. I don’t know what led up to this particular instance, but apparently he had committed some infraction for which his commanding officer ordered him to row the dinghy around the boat for some number of times as punishment.
Now, hearing this story as a child, I am thinking boat = ship = big ship. But having now seen a picture of the boat and learned of its dimensions, I can see the events in a new light and the story makes even more sense. Knowing how narrow the deck of the boat was, it is so much easier to picture in my mind how this all played out.
So, as he is circling the boat, as he rows along the side heading into the current, he is having to work pretty hard to overcome the current. But as he rounds the bow and heads down the other side, it is pretty fast and easy going. It wasn’t long before his crewmates began to egg him on, with cheers on the up-current side of, “Here he comes!” soon to be followed by, “There he goes!” as he quickly sailed down the other side, and even more quickly to be followed by, “Here he comes!” again; with some of the crew crossing from side to side to watch his progress and add their encouragement. And I am sure he was playing up his role in this with a high-spirited flair as well.
Well, it wasn’t long before the commanding officer realized this “punishment” was proving to be more fun and entertaining for my grandfather and the crew than a deterrent of future wrong-doing. So he finally relented and brought him back aboard so everyone could get back to work. Whether there was any further disciplinary action for either the original infraction or the disruption of shipboard routine he created as he light-heartedly worked out his punishment I never heard, but Grandpa would still chuckle whenever he told the story.
