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CHARLES F. BER_____, USN : 1923 - 1925 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARIES HANDWRITTEN BY A DOCTOR'S ASSISTANT ABOARD THE NEWLY COMMISSIONED USS RALEIGH WHO DETAILS NAVAL LIFE 'BETWEEN THE WARS'

32mo - over 4" - 5" tall. On offer are a sensational pair [2] of original 1923 - 1925 manuscript diaries handwritten by a young sailor named Charles F. Ber_____ [it is difficult to make out his last name which is written on a fragment of the inside front cover but researchers with access to crew manifests will undoubtedly confirm the full name] who served on the USS Raleigh [CL-7] in the Sick Bay [medical department] as a senior assistant to the doctor. The two diaries cover almost three years from the USS Raleigh's initial commissioning with over 400 pages of writing with significant entries throughout for historians and researchers interested in the 'between wars' years on a ship of some renown. Charles does a super job detailing his life aboard ship and on land from even before she was first launched but also with the ship when they sailed to Iceland, Guantanamo Bay, Panama Canal Zone, California and Hawaii just to name a few. The author is quite detail oriented and records the mundane and the unique. For example while in Iceland he sees two movie companies making films on shore and talks in detail about some historical air flights. Here are some snippets: 1923 "September 7th, I was discharged at the Naval Hospital League Island Pennsylvania by Commander R.C. Holcomb (MC) U.S.N. The Captain (Raymond Spear) was on leave at the time." "September 9th & 10th, George Bayard and wife, Emma Dallago and Rita Whitney had lunch with me. After lunch we sang and danced in the administration building. Afterwards we went out in the Navy Yard and went aboard the Birmingham; Mercy and some destroyers…..Left Philadelphia early Monday morning for Washington. Emma Dallago was with me. It was her first visit to the capitol city. We spent a real pleasant day in Washington. I asked Dr. Buell's of the Bu. M. & S. for foreign shore duty but he refused me so I asked for the New Scout Cruiser, U.S.S. Raleigh and he granted my request. Emma left for Philadelphia at 7:00 P.M. and I left for Laurel Mississippi at 10:00 P.M. I was on 30 days leave." "October 11th, Reported to Lt. Commander F. X. Koltes for detail. He was acting as the Executive officer at the time. I asked for the lab detail and my request was granted." "October 23rd, Orders arrived for my transfer to the Rec. Ship, Boston in connection with the fitting out of the U.S.S. Raleigh and on board when in commission." "October 30th, Received orders from the hospital at League Island to proceed to Boston at 9:30 A.M. Received transportation from pay office at the Rec. Station at 11:00 A.M. Left the hospital at 12:00 noon and left Philadelphia over the Reading at 1:00 P.M. Arrived in Jersey City at 2:45 P.M. and in N.Y. at 3:00 P.M. I went to pier 39 and went aboard the Cambridge of the Colonial Line Steamship for Providence. Went aboard at 3:25 P.M. and the boat shoved off at 5:30 P.M. There was a C.M. A.A., A C. Stk and Stk-32 with five G.C.M. P.'s. They were going to the naval prison at Portsmouth N.H. The prisoners were all firemen and just back from Turkey. As we left N.Y. it was a wonderful sight to see N.Y. by night. We passed near the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Blackwell's Island and Long Island. I had dinner on the boat." "November 3rd, Went down to the Bethlehem Ship yard about 8:30 A.M. Went aboard the Raleigh for the first time. It will be great when it is finished. Had lunch with C. Yeo. Redmond Campbell at 2:21 P.M. I went to Boston. When I went down to Chelsea to the Naval Hospital I knew five of the Chiefs on duty there; Strout, Littlefield, Mc Daniel, Ray and Campbell. I had supper at the hospital. After supper I left for Quincy. I arrived in Quincy at 6:35 P.M." "December 1st, The U.S.S. Raleigh is in the floating dry dock. I went down in the dry dock and went under the Raleigh, 555 ft. long. I then went aboard the U.S.S. Lexington, an airplane carrier. After I came home I went to Cox drug store and got the Kodak pictures." "December 12th, The first trial trip of the Raleigh was made today. It was builder's trial. A number of the Beth. Shipbuilding Corp officers and workmen were aboard as well as most of the Navy officers and enlisted men. I got aboard at 6:50 A.M. the gangplank was removed at 7:15. We shoved off at 7:20. There were five tugs that took her out in the clear. At 7:40 the tugs let go. At 9:15 we passed Boston Light Ship. There was a cold stiff breeze blowing. It blew spray clear over the deck. The most speed that was made was 29 knots an hour. At 11:30 we had chow. We went about 28 miles off the coast. We turned back between 11:00 and 12:00 o'clock. We got back to the dock at 3:20 P.M. and I was off by 3:25 P.M. The tugs (5) met us just the other side of the bridge….." 1924 "January 18th, Mailed C.H. a military set for a birthday present. Went aboard the ship this A.M. about 11:10 to inspect the sterilizers and to see them work. They are ok. Seen the Fore River doctor this A.M. and made arrangements to use his office and syringes to vaccinate with typhoid vaccine, some of the Raleigh officers and crew. Will also give Cow Pox vaccine. Captain Watts called me in his office and asked me about the typhoid vaccine. Said he wanted Dr. Lane to give him a shot the first thing Monday Morning…." "January 21st, Received an itinerary of the commissioning and shake down cruise of the Raleigh today. The commanding officers received a good conduct medal for me today but it was not presented to me yet. Called Reason about the Typhoid vaccine." "January 24th, Went to Boston receiving ship to get some typhoid vaccine and some elixir terpinhydrate and heroin. Got back at 12:30 P.M. Got to the office at 1:00 P.M. Dr. Lane had received the other typhoid vaccine and so soon as I arrived we began preparing to give the typhoid and cow pox vaccine to some officers and enlisted men. Captain Watts was the first to get t shot of typhoid vaccine….." "February 4th, Went aboard the Raleigh this A.M. to locate the hospital corpsmen's billets and lockers. Dr. Lane told me that he would be the head of Div. 8 in name but I would be in reality. He received all the keys to the sick bay and lockers and I received the duplicate keys to the same….." He writes about a funeral party that went to Ex-president Wilson's funeral. Also heading to New York Harbor to dock and taking on torpedoes then out to sea: "April 18th & 19th, It is raining and the sea is very choppy. We got lost twice during the night and once about 8:00 A.M. We will not go to Annapolis until Monday or Tuesday. We are going there so the 1924 class can look over the ship. We turned south some time yesterday. We anchored some time between 4:00 and 5:00 P.M. We got underway some time later. At about 7:00 P.M. we anchored for the night. We are supposed to be about 10 miles southeast of Cape Charles Light. At one time we were in 7 fathoms of water….We weighed anchor and got underway about 6:30 A.M. We are now in the Chesapeake Bay. Land on our port side. We are anchored some where in Chesapeake Bay. No inspection. We weigh anchor at 11:30 A.M. and headed for Hampton Roads. A Navy tug Hercules brought (towed) a motor boat out to us while we were at anchor. A boat like the Gig. It carried a whale boat back in its place. Sent a bag of mail ashore by the tug. We got under way and then anchored again, lowered the sea plane over the side. We are headed for Solomon's Island. We are going to Graves End instead of South Hampton. It is a beautiful day." "May 4th, Went ashore this P.M. to see the Commissioned officers and the warrant officers play ball. 32 to 6 in favor of the Com. Officers. Liberty at 5:00 P.M. Some C.P.O's got midnight liberty. Some girls visited the W.O's and had show with them. A Sea-2C (AP.A.H.) tried to swim ashore and decided it was too far so he thought he would commit suicide. He lost his nerve and hollered for help." "June 24th, ……Left Quincy about 3:00 P.M. We passed a floater in a bathing suit and the ship was stopped and a whaleboat sent out to look for the floater. He was not found. A tug came alongside and took the pilot ashore. The plane had been up and the photographer took some pictures of the Raleigh. While we were stopped we took the plane aboard. The day is a hot sunny day." "July 9th, We are indeed in the land of the midnight sun. It hardly gets dark before it is light again. I got up at 5:00 A.M. There is land in sight. The clocks and watches were set ahead one hour at 7:30 A.M. Greenwich time, Hebrides Islands. We had general quarters and man the rail. We are in sight of Scotland. We passed through the Pentland Firth into the North Sea about 3:30 P.M. We passed between Scotland and the Orkney Islands. The Shetland Islands are north of us but not in sight. There are numerous travelers in the North Sea. I helped print some pictures tonight." "July 28th & 29th, The Richmond came in this A.M. at 10:00 o'clock. It is foggy and cold. The seas are running high. We are to leave at 8:00 P.M. for Iceland. We left at about 8:00 P.M. and just before 9:00 P.M. the clocks and watches were turned back one hour. It is stormy weather…We have pretty weather and smooth seas. General quarters this A.M. We are due to land or arrive at our destination tomorrow morning at 2:00 A.M. Hornafjord Iceland." "August 3rd, Sick call and quarters this A.M. A bunch of chiefs went ashore this A.M. The other aviator #2 plane went by at 1:12 P.M. We got underway about 9:00 A.M. and went to sea. We returned as soon as the plane passed. One plane #3 made a forced landing before it reached us. The liberty party came back about 6:00 P.M. and the seas were running high along side the ship. The seas were six or eight feet high. The party in the whale boat landed in the starboard torpedo room." "August 8th, It is still raining. Our planes are making hops. I went ashore at 1:00 P.M. and returned at 3:30 P.M. One of the world flyer planes is on the beach. It is #4. New Orleans. One of the aviators from plane #3 came aboard the Raleigh

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