"Mike Boats" to you "lubbers" is an LCM landing craft (Landing Craft Mechanized). It was 50 foot long and 13 foot wide. It was used for many and various chores at Eniwetok and Bikini from hauling mail, parts, people, beer for the liberty parties on Japtan, and the liberty parties themselves.

The Marines going back to the Boxer were the most fun and the most dangerous. They were always drunker than drunk and always wanted to take over the boat, and always wanted to whip our tails 'cause we wouldn't let 'em. (A boat hook at the top of the well deck ladder always stopped 'em if they could sober up enough to attempt the climb.) These guys were great! They always saluted us when they departed at the Boxer gangway. We didn't have a flag to salute, and we were all just seaman, or firemen with no rank and completely out of uniform. We wore kaki short sleeve shirts and shorts, those old gum soled tennis shoes and a blue ball cap with no ensignia showing anywhere. We'd salute them back. I'd salute any of those guys today! "Semper Fi" y'all.

Now, on to the speed demon! All the LCM's were basically the same, and if memory serves me they did about thirteen knots wide open. Slow but powerful with the two 250 hp Grey Marine deisel engines, and large falt screws (propellors). They could push a 2150, or 2200 ton Tin Can (Destroyer) around with ease.

All of the enginemen had about equal oportunity at scrounging parts while at "Wetok," little or none. Hell, we couldn't even get paint unless the engineman found a way to steal it from Holmes & Narver construction company, and he did too, while they were watching! While working, if two or more "Mike Boats" were headed in approximately the same direction, we were duty bound to see who could win at racing. Now remember, these things were all the same and it took miles for even the slightest gain. The only discernable difference in them was in the boats ability to walk sideways. There were one or two there that wouldn't do it, no matter what. Small variances in the hull during manufacture caused this I suppose. But that's another story.

The fastest Mike Boat there was "Liberate 34". Number 34 was the number on the hull and "Liberate 34" was our radio call sign. Our Engineman (Snipe) had done a little trick while we were still at Coronado Amphib. Base in San Diego. He had replaced the stock injectors with larger ones and had disabled the governor. Presto! One to two hundred more rpm from the engines. The man was a master scrounger too! How he got assigned to an LCM is beyond me.

It was extremely rough at times and it was all you could do to stay aboard. Especially crossing the deep water chanel to Japtan to deliver or retrieve liberty parties. This man could not swim!! He stayed down in the engine room! I don't know what he'd have done had we capsized in that mess. We came close to that a time or two. Of course the two of us topside wouldn't have stood much of a chance either without the life jackets or the life rings. The sharks were waiting too.

One of the very finest things that I would have wished for was to see the old crew again. We were like brothers and spent virtually all our time together. We were on the boat all day every day and slept in the same tent, plus ate all our meals together. We were all scattered in different directions when we returned to the states. I imagine that was the plan to start with. Well that engineman is still alive and kicking and he and I had a reunion not too long ago He flew all the way from California to Mississippi for that too.. How sweet it was. He had lost his hair from radiation treatment for his Lymphoma. Radiation to cure radiation. Durn! He is doing fine now, thank God. My turn to travel next time. We still have not found the remaining third of us and we hope he is well. Maybe someday, maybe someday!

Mike Ferrell
Email: banjer@c-gate.net

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