Captain G. N. Barker (Houston) and Commander R. C. Starkey (McDougal) 
were dinner guests of the President this evening. Afterwards a varied 
program of wrestling, boxing and instrumental numbers was enjoyed by all 
hands at a ship’s ” smoker” given aboard the Houston. 
Sunday 31 July 
Arriving off the entrance to Darwin Bay, Tower Island, at 0850, it 
was decided that wind and sea conditions were such as to preclude the _ low- 
ering of boats with any degree of comfort. So at 0910, the Presidential 
Detachment proceeded for Gocos Island at 16 knots. 
Leisurely rising and breakfasting for the President and members of 
his party was the order of the day when decision was made to proceed onward 
and Divine Services were deferred until 1030. The services conducted by 
the ship’s Chaplain, USS Houston, were attended by the President and all 
his party and by a goodly sprinkling of officers and men of the Houston. 
The Chaplain delivered an excellent sermon on n Living with Ourselves.” 
Dr. Schmitt had luncheon in the President’s Mess this day, as the 
latter’s guest. During the course of the luncheon the Smithsonian attache 
regaled the members of the Mess with many tid-bits of interesting scienti- 
fic facts concerning the Galapagos Islands and the fish which abounded in 
the surrounding waters. 
The warm moist air enveloping the ship during the afternoon, on emer- 
gence from the Humbolt Current, induced a tropical lassitude which inevi- 
tably led to indulgence in a siesta, thoroughly enjoyed by all hands. 
Several members of the party attempted ”sun bathing” on the Communication 
Platform but passing clouds obscured the sun during the greater part of 
the day to such an extent that ”sun bathing” was only a partially success- 
ful operation. With no fishing for the day in prospect letter writing 
also became one of the favored occupations ol the aiternoon after 
”siesta-time” , however. 
”Doc” O’Connor and Steve Early deserted their mess-mates at dinner 
time. They dined in the Warrant Officer’s Mess and reported a delicious 
dinner consumed and an enjoyable hour and a half spent in the company of 
the ’’old-timers” in the warrant Officers’ Mess. 
After the movies Ross Mclntire, the sole representative of the Presi- 
dent’s Mess in the ”acey-ducey” Wardroom Derby, met his opponent in combat 
and went down to defeat much to the chagrin of Pa. He stood on the side- 
lines watching the contest and cheering his mess-mate on to glorious vic- 
tory - to no avail I 
Monday 1 August 
What a welcome sight to eyes hardened by the almost universal desola- 
tion of the Galapagos was the island named ’’Cocos” as the Presidential De- 
tachment anchored at 0830 this morning in Chatham Bay. Lush tropical vege- 
tation everywhere met the eye - even precipitous cliffs, dropping sheer ly 
into the sea, boasted their carpet of green; and, in many places lace-like 
waterfalls were in evidence. 
The far-famed and oft-mentioned abundance of fish in these waters 
aroused the piscatorial ardor of the President and his party and shortly 
after anchoring the fishing boats were manned and away. The forenoon 
catch was but fair; as at Clipperton, sharks played havoc with Wahoos and 
smaller fish hooked and many were the moans anent the ”big ones” lost and 
the fishing gear carried off in the mouths of the rapacious ’’tigers of the 
sea” . 
— X 
During the afternoon the President decided to engage in a bit of 
’’bottom-fishing” while the remaining members of the party determined to 
seek Sailfish in the deeper waters off-shore. The President returned with 
many rare small fish to the delight of Dr. Schmitt, together with Bonitos, 
Wahoos and one 120-pound shark captured just as the President was about to 
reel in, finally, for the day. Pa Watson with his usual ’’Irish Luck” 
brought back a sailfish which tipper the scales at 130 pounds and measured 
ten feet one and one half inches. The other deep-sea fishermen found Sail- 
fish in abundance, but because of ’’insecure hooking or failure of gear” 
none but Pa’s was landed. Steve Early, after hooking two booby birds with 
his lure to the accompaniment of many imprecations, finally found his line 
whizzing through his reel and a leaping Sailfish on the business end. To 
his utter disgust his ”big-one” departed for parts unknown when his tackle 
failed after a fifteen minute combat. 
How the wordy-war raged at the dinner table over the question as to 
whether a ’’dehydrated” Shark weighing 120 pounds, was, in effect, a bigger 
’’fish” than a Sailfish (also claiming dehydration) of 130 pounds! At this 
writing the question has not been settled! And momentous results hinge on 
the decision, for the prize for the largest fish of the cruise is involved. 
Many gibes were directed at Pa for his ’’modest” declamations regarding 
his skill with rod and reel. His day’s catch and the complacence which 
followed brought its own ’’reward”, for the President directed that Pa com- 
pose the press release for the following day as ’’guest-writer”. At midnight 
Pa was still tearing up reams of paper in an effort to indite the first 
paragraph. In despair he finally dashed off one short article casting as- 
persions on the rod-and-reel ability of his messmates and lauding his own 
to the skies! 
Tuesday 2 August 
The arrival of an official mail pouch for the President via U.S.S. 
Dallas prevented him from engaging in his favorite sport during the fore- 
noon of this day. He spent the period studying official papers and docu- 
ments . 
At the invitation of the President, Rear Admiral Walter N. Vernou, 
U.S.N., now Commandant of the Fifteenth Naval District and formerly the 
President’s Naval Aide, arrived via the Dallas to pay his respects and en- 
joy a bit of fishing. Admiral Vernou came aboard the Houston at 0805 and 
a short time later had a pleasant chat with the President. 
During the forenoon Fred Adams and Dan Callaghan attempted to emulate 
Pa’s success in landing a Sailfish, but to no avail though one was landed 
by Lieutenant Ageton, who also was in the boat. 
At 1130 the President embarked with Admiral Vernou in a motor whale- 
boat and proceeded to Wafer Bay where a landing was effected on a shelving 
beach and where, after being joined by the other members of his party, the 
President and all hands enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch in a truly tropi- 
cal setting. Incidentally, Admiral Vernou caught the largest fish in his 
eventful life when enroute to the picnic site he landed a forty-five pound 
Wahoo . 
During the course of the fishing, following the picnic, the President 
landed a one hundred pound, nine and one half foot Sailfish, while Ross in 
the same boat, captured a one hundred twenty-one pounder of the same spe- 
cies. The landing of the President’s finny beauty constitutes a remarkable 
story well worth inscribing here. It appears that the President had hooked 
a monstrous Sailfish, and while playing it, a second Sailfish became en- 
tangled in the line. The resulting threshing and leaping was a sight to 
see - the originally hooked fish finally breaking free and taking lure 
and leader with him, but leaving the second fish still entangled in the 
line. It was this second Sailfish the President finally landed after a 20 
minute combat. W r hen it was gaffed and deposited in the motor launch it was 
15 
