Washday at bootcamp, USN, 1954

Time passes, sixty years or so ago I was a novice sailor at the Naval Training Center, San Diego. The USN abhorred idleness in its sailors; Sunday was declared to be washday, so my shipmates and I gathered in the patio in back of the barracks for a good wash up with buckets and scrub brushes.

Washday at bootcamp, USN, 1954

Strangely enough, we never complained about wash up. We complained about the food, sleeping conditions and, most of all, our treatment by the company commander Chief Petty Officer Butterworth and his assistants.

Clothes drying, US Naval Training Center, 1954

We hung the wet clothes on these lines to dry in the California sun. I was training in winter, however, which included lots of cold foggy mornings and some rain.

Gathering at the Geedunk, USN, San Diego, 1954

Washing done and everything shipshape, we gathered at the Geedunk (Navy store) for refreshment. Don’t those white hats practically glow with cleanliness?

Carto

Note: these photos were taken in 1954 with an Argus C3 35mm camera. The prints were scanned and the photos cleaned up in Photoshop CC. Check out other bloggers and their postings for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Gathering.