photo courtesy of Ltjg. Si Daugherty - USS Tidewater 1960-62

LTjg Dougherty's Note: We ran across this one in our trunk (sea chest?)   This was Tidewater's '60 Med Cruise. The Officers are myself, the First Lieutenant, LCdr Engle (I think, it's close) who was the Repair Officer, and the Doctor. I'll think of his name. He had a Sunbeam Alpine.

We carried the motor pool and everytime we went into port, we put onto the pier or into LCVP's to go ashore, about 10 vehicles, I think. Gunner Rossitto was in charge of the motor pool and Bos'n Smiley put it onto and off the main deck. The Doc's little Sunbeam had to go first, however. We never saw him after that. Even in Minorca! He had it fitted with an air horn just like the Italian trucks so that as he sped around all the single lane mountain roads around Naples, he could chase all the other cars off the road on the other side of the bend.

His specialty was circumcisions. Every time we pulled away from the pier, he would have a waiting line. The favorite trick then was to show the newly operated on men some pictures that would get them to tear out the stitches.  

Editor's Note: We received this e-mail from Hal Willson: "The unidentified Medical Officer in LTJG Daugherty's picture was LT F.D. Jones, USN MC.  He transferred from the AD-27 when we relieved them in Augusta Bay, Sicily 26-28 March 1960.  When we pulled into Naples, Italy on 2 May the Italian Customs Official would not let him land his car.  I was the Duty Yeoman that day.  I typed a paragraph on ship's letterhead saying the car was his.  I used several rubber stamps to "decorate" the document.  Customs let him through with no more questions!"