[Milsurplus] Audio program, Morale, in Ships

[Hue Miller]

Around 1985 I was talking to Rolley Michaelis about his WW2 experiences as 
ship's electrician
on MM vessels. He told me one time, sailing from Seattle to Alaska on the 
troopship Carl Schurz,
he had rigged a below decks audio switchbox for various programs. I think he 
said one RBO was
in the Captain's quarters and the rest 3 or so in the radio space. He said 
they had wired the switchbox
so the selection was, on shortwave, a couple US stations ( like KGEI San 
Francisco ( is that right? ) )
and one channel for NHK Tokio propaganda. Rolley was the same fellow who 
described the dumping
of 2 bargeloads of vehicles in the sea, this probably in weeks after war 
end, and also taking Snap-On
tools out of tool kits that were being stacked and bulldozed off the cliffs 
at Saipan.  Among other
things he also spoke about a Marines photo lab at Saipan selling souvenir 
photo sets;  looking
for souvenirs in Saipan cave; sailing in an ammo supply ship by itself 
non-convoy and on a
far north out-of-usual Pacific route (makes sense, for sure), and other such 
interesting points....

I have a Hallicrafters SX-62B that I bought from a retired MMer in Lynnwood 
WA - he said it
came off a Navy APA ( armed cargo ship) that had been overhauled at Tacoma 
WA shipyard.
He didn't remember name of ship, but later I found a newspaper article 
describing 2 ships
of that category being reworked at Tacoma, so at least narrowed it down that 
far.  Not that
I collect Halliscratchers at all, or big tube type entertainment receivers, 
but I still like that
connection, that history...
-Hue Miller