OLD 1917 WWI US NAVY SAILOR LOG LETTERS during Hurricane USS NORTH CAROLINA SHIP

Description

This auction is for three old/antique and original WORLD WAR I 1917-1918 handwritten letters of a sailor aboard the USS NORTH CAROLINA. These letters were written to his wife....he used stationary from the Third Engineer Division..Naval Militia Massachusetts and describes to his wife all that was going on on board the battleship. The crew suffered greatly during a hurricane/stormy seas on the letter he wrote dated New Years Eve/ Dec.31,1917 and he describes in a diary log-like detail of what the crew did in the storm, how salt was all over their soaked clothes, that the writer had suffered an injury from a milk bottle left unsecured, how crew members had to hold on for dear life due to the heavy winds/seas, and much more. The next letter was written  the following day, New Years Day, Jan.1, 1918. The writer speaks of the party the sailors had to celebrate the new year dressing up and celebrating Father Neptune". The seamen played improvised instruments, made lots of noise while being in "rat alley" while "rigged up in all sorts of garbs, while the leader was dressed as "Father Neptune." The writer's last name was Sherman, he was later sent to Pensacola, Florida for a promotion and instructing job ( this is the last letter dated October, 9, 1918) after serving aboard the USS NORTH CAROLINA. He states that other seamen were jealous of his promotion..he also has a very interesting two sided page written of what some of the other sailors were going to do once they were out of the service. Many wanted to return to their roots and farm, one wanted to get back to Colorado and be a cowboy,one had 2000 acres in Oklahoma for wheat farming, another wanted to run a cranberry bog on Cape Cod, etc. Letters are like a diary of the daily life aboard the ship on DEC.31, 1917...January, 1, 1918..and life at the US Naval Air Station base in Pensacola from October 9, 1918. Thank you for your interest in these rare and original letters.