Few vessels in Uncle Sam's mighty and proud fleet can boast of such variety in the sporting field in their first year as the PORTER. What ship in this brief span of time can boast of tuna fishing off the coast of California, skiing and trout fishing in the Alaskan Aleutians, throwing potatoes to the seals off the Kuriles, playing softball in shorts and snowshoes, winning bowling championships at all the remote outposts, clamming at the lagoon, and that sport of kings and commoners alike, shooting the bull, which was done everywhere?

The success of these endeavors has been almost as varied ranging from the takes of lush tuna and the consistent, trophy-winning, task-force championship crew's bowling team to the empty creels of Captain Prince and Mr. Turner following their trout fishing escapades at Attu in streams that flowed trout instead of water and the equally consistently losing officer's bowling team.

The Porter's bowling team is not only the pride of the ship but of the whole task force having won both tournaments held for the ships in the force and defeated various and sundry teams from the beach. While over in Dutch Harbor for a 10-day rest and recreation period back in January the crews team of Mitchell, Mooter, Madurski, Maisano, Moon, Moylan, and Sansovini got into their winning ways by breezing through the tournament with three solid victories and walked away with the silver trophy signifying that they were the champs. In accomplishing this feat the boys took the Smalley, Richmond and Jarvis in that order. They were particularly hot in the finals against the Jarvis and with the Admiral and his staff looking on, and the Porter cheering section whooping it up, they knocked down 2827 pins while the Jarvis could only flatten 2753, despite a neat 244 and 247 by Laidley which gave him individual honors in the tournament. Several doubting Thomases and alleged bowlers from the beach also witnessed the match and announced they would give the sea-going lads a lesson the following evening. That was one mistake the land-lubbers could have avoided for they lost their first match out of twenty-nine starts when our boys came through with a brilliant 2863 as compared to the 2799 for the local five. Then over in Adak in April, Howard was added to the squad and they proceeded to win the task force championship a second time. This time it was on a total pins basis for the teams three matches, but our boys weren't particular, so they took that trophy into custody also. To date they are continuing their winning ways and now have compiled a total of eleven victories out of thirteen matches, which isn't hay, but is certainly a lot of bowling pins.

The officers also had a bowling team, but cannot boast the same record as the crew. In fact it is quite the contrary, but never-the-less the matches were enjoyed by one and all. In Dutch Harbor the Porter lost to the Jarvis Athletic Club and the in Adak they were also beaten out, though they made a creditable showing.

The crew's basketball schedule was launched rather abruptly over at Dutch also. With practically no practice the team ran into the champion Trenton team the first game and after a bad first half in which they failed to score a field goal they got going in the last half to outscore the T'S, but it was just a bit late to start so went down to defeat 42 to 25. In the first round of the consolation tournament Feeback, Sigler, Kidd, Herron, Zabel, and Light began to find the hoop and ended up on the long end of a 30-28 count over the John Hood. In the following round the Porter probably played their best game, leading the Concord throughout until the last fifteen seconds when they tied the score with a free throw and then sank a long one to eliminate the Porter 28-26. At Adak the Porter crew's team was ousted in the first round by the Stoddard, but came back to split two practice games with the John Hood. The officers' basketball team were likewise hot and cold. They initiated the season with the Bearss in the Finger Bay gym, making them dance to the tune of 55 to 19. In the first round of the Dutch Harbor tournament the Porter unfortunately met the Jarvis's one man team, recently from the hardwood at Notre Dame, and he proved a bit too much for us as he tipped them in with either hand, bounced them in from his head and did everything but drop kick a goal. Needless to say the Porter lost 37 to 21. At Adak we went into the quarter-finals over the Stoddard only to lose to the Richmond 45 to 19. However the Porter bounced back from this last defeat by trouncing the Smalley 44 to 18 and then won the Officer-Crew classic in duplicate.

Both crew and officers boast a far better-than-average softball team. Play was initiated last Fall in Adak when the Porter took on the Jarvis in a twin bill with the crew losing their first game by a narrow margin, and the officers coming through with a timely run in the last half of the last inning to win 6 to 5. Then came the Officer-Crew Classic in softball which saw the crew off to a flying start and a nine run lead which was gradually whittled down to two runs and in the last inning with the bases loaded Hassen got a timely hit to right field that produced three runs and a 11 to 10 victory. The next softball outing was in Attu where we played a twin bill with the Bearss and came home on the long end of both scores --the crew winning 6 to 4 and the officers playing their best game and winning 9 to 1. It was in this game that Mr. Ward, star left fielder, broke his ankle and was put to bed in the hospital with a nurse. Needless to say, recovery was long and tedious, but painless. Disaster caught up with the undefeated officers team in their following game, which was with the Wren. For one inning the whole team was all thumbs and they were always in the wrong places so the Wren was off to a 10 run lead in one inning, and try as they may, the Porter could never catch them and went down to defeat 14 to 9. The crew won two other games from other destroyer teams, but this ended the 1944 season as we had business to tend to in the Kuriles and when this was completed the long winter months were upon us and our thoughts turned from softball. But now that Spring is again sprung with the sap rising, the bees making honey, the butterflies making butter and the waterlillies making more waterlillies, the young men's fancies have again turned to softball. This season promises to be an exceptional one, for during the long, but not lean, winter months it seems that we uncovered a score of softballers who have at least read a book on how the game should be played. The crew lost their first game, a practice game, to the Jarvis, but after this got organized and got their best club together to down the John Hood and the Anderson in a row. The officers seem to have been cooled off a bit by the Aleutian weather as they have lost two and won one. To date they beat the Bearss 8 to 7 by virtue of two home runs in succession in the last half of the last inning, but then dropped the next game 7 to 5 to the Richmond and their last one 7 to 2 to NOB, Adak. However, in neither of the latter two games did they display the form they have shown previously and it is expected that the old men will get better as the weather gets warmer. As for the crew to date they have a record of 6 victories out of 9 games and seem headed for a big season with such players as Cinfici, Lunday, LaVelle, Mitchell, Sohneider, Malloy, Sigler, Sansovini, Madurski, Rhodes, et al. Also considerable interest has been aroused among several groups on the ship, of which CIC is tops so far with three wins and no defeats--having beaten such stalwart teams as the bridge gang, under the tutelage of Danny Ware, the engineers, and the first division team. However the competition in this league threatens to be stiff (at least most of the players were after the first games) for several good ball players were uncovered on all of them. The first division team with Parkin pitching may be brewing trouble for any team on the ship.

After the fleet had been in Dutch for two days it was decided that the then current pugilistic endeavors should be staged for all hands and decisions handed down, rather than having the boys decisively hand painting each other's eyes and no final outcome being determined, so a delightful smoker was arranged for the fleet. Al Carnahan and Cornelius Parker represented the Porter in the beak-busting episode and while the Admiral and a thousand men and officers looked on Carnahan scored one of the cleanest knockdowns of the evening in the first round with a beautiful left that pressed the button and then went on to win a clean decision and a $25.00 war bond. Parker had the misfortune of having an opponent that couldn't make the weight limit so his fight was called off and at present Cornelius is patiently waiting for Joe Louis to show his face in the A1eutians.

Swimming, needless to say, has been limited. Holman "Icicle" Hansen after his plunge off the pier, said, and I quote, "I positively do not recommend it". But then there is a certain officer from California who paints pictures and does other strange things that had to try it regardless. The silly things that some people do trying to keep their hair from falling out. One of the favorite pastimes aboard ship has been fishing. Probably some of the happiest days on the ship was when the special fishing details were being trained in the art of catching tuna off the coast of California. Also it was profitable, for in a very short while they landed enough of the beauties to feed the whole crew. Then there were the trout fishing trips over at Dutch with two nice catches coming aboard (if you're interested in knowing who caught them just drop around the Doctor or Settell and listen to their routine conversation for about thirty seconds some time) and the trip at Adak in which the trip was made on a crash boat and with four women aboard, but for some strange reason the catch was small that day. Attu also offers beautiful fresh water streams and lakes that abound with several species of the wily trout that are there just for the angling. And then if there is absolutely nothing else to do fishing from the fantail will keep you busy hauling in Cod, Rock Cod, Aleutian Mackerel, and Flounder--the latter being, the only edible one. In case anyone doesn't know it, your own welfare department aboard ship carries a complete line of fishing gear that is there for the asking.

And so with a few prognostications for the future your columnist will bid you smooth sailing and pleasant sporting during the coming year.

Hot tip--the Crew's Softball team over the officers in their pending encounter.

Cold dope--have you heard that a trip to the states is in the offing. A mess cook just told me so it's bound to be good scuttlebutt.

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