Log of the U.S.S. General Leroy Eltinge (AP-154)

From The Ship and Her Travels On February 21st, 1945, the General Leroy Eltinge was comissioned at San Francisco. When we fell in on top of Hatch No. 5 for the ceremony, the band was playing and visitors were gathered in the 20mm. gun tubs. The ship was presented to Captain Wakefield and he replied with a short speech of thanks. After the chaplain gave the benediction, the commissioning pennant was run up. We were through with ceremony and ready for work. There was plenty of that -- we went across the bay and loaded stores for 48 backbreaking hours in an all hands evolution. During the days that followed there was much to be done to get things squared away in readiness for the shakedown cruise. At last, on March 4th, we got underway for San Pedro. On the way down we held speed runs, gunnery exercises, and dozens of other tests to find out everything we could about our new ship. And everything went well. After we reached San Pedro we went out for more gunnery exercises and for simulated strafing attacks and things still went well. We were ready for sea.https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/1146/thumbnail.jp