assigned as crew of the ship were provided by CinCPacFlt from his
allowance ® and medical personnel were procured from the Bureau of
Medicine and Surgery insofar as practicable.” Funds for the support
of the WHIDBEYbeginningin fiscal year 1949 were providedby the
Chief of Naval Operations from the IGN appropriation; cost of medical
supplies and materials was granted by DepHiComTerPacls from his
share of IGN money.”
The several voyages of the WHIDBEYwere not withouttheir diffculties. The ship had been onits initial survey of the Marshalls but a
few weeks when personnel difficulties developed between the ship’s
company and the medical department.
Neither could appreciate
the problems of the other and the frequent clashes that resulted were
reflected in friction throughout the ship. The morale of the enlisted
crewmen was badly shaken also when they learned that medical personnel were to be rotated after a six months’ tour of duty. Commander
Marshalls Subarea alleviated the situation somewhat™so that when
ComServPac and the ComMarianas Staff Medical Officer conducted
an investigation in November 1948 they found the morale of the crew
“above average and excellent under the conditions.” ™
Other difficulties, evident from the outset of the survey, were not so
easily solved. Mechanical failures, especially, continued to delay the
progress of the survey. The ship’s generator broke down almost
immediately because of the extra load put upon it by the medical and
dental equipment aboard so that it was necessary to go to Guam for
installation of an additional generator. The X-ray equipment did not
always function properly and the ship was often forced to sail off in
search of repairs. Frequent difficulty in obtaining medical supplies
and spare parts for the medical equipmentcreated morale as well as
professional problems.
Lack of cooperation by the natives occasionally slowed progressalso.
Althoughthe civil administrators briefed the people in the immediate
vicinity of district headquarters and distributed written statements
concerning the survey to each magistrate and health aide before the
arrival of the ship,’' gathering the people together for transportation
*CNO Itr ser 360P214 dtd 20 Feb 48.
ve CNO ltr ser 411P22 dtd 2 Apr 48.
° CNO msg of 1 Ju! a8.
ap COMMarshalls SubareaItr ser 068 dtd 28 Sep 48.
a ComServPac Jur ser 0325 dtd 20 Nov 48.
As directed by [ComTerPacls ltr ser 938 dtd 17 Jun 48.
915