I don’t remember exactly when it happened, but it was sometime between 1968 and 1969, if my memory serves me correctly. It used to be the duty of the cooks (or boatswain mates) to shine the bell, which everyone bitched about as it was always green or crusted from salt water.

From what I remember (again, it is very fuzzy at this time now that I am 61 years old) there was a woman named Mary Soo who would have her people clean or do work on the ship while we were in the harbor. I just remember someone mentioning (perhaps after we got under way back to the gun line that the bell was missing). Again, that was about 40 years ago. I would imagine that information was documented in the ships log after it was noticed missing.

I’m not sure it was actually taken ashore and sold, as much as some disgruntle guys (who hated cleaning the bell) dumping it over the side.

When we were on the gun line and firing harassment rounds, afterwards, all the brass casings had to be collected and taken up to the top deck and stacked in housings to be returned (I guess for re-use). At night, I know a lot of those casings would go overboard, because they were heavy and no one wanted to carry them all the way aft and up a ladder at 3:00am. So the same fate might have happened to the ships bell.

I wish I could be more help, but that is my recollection. I’m wondering, if the bell was reported missing, why it was not replaced, unless it was known the ship was being de-commissioned.

I had heard a rumor that when the Italians took over the ship, they blew up the evaporators or something else. I don’t remember the new name it was given, but heard it was later sold for scrap. Is that true?

Regards,
Eric (ERIC C SZ- 67-69)