The War Begins
The schedule for the crew was four hours on duty and eight hours rest, non-stop.
Mr. Watson's specific schedule was two hours on the sonar machine, looking for enemy
submarines, and two hours at the helm, steering the ship. Those 15 days in
Guantanamo were spent testing the ship and running aground in the harbor and
then headed back to the US.
After repairs in Brooklyn, the USS Isherwood crossed the Atlantic, convoying a group
of supply ships and dropping many depth charges on suspected German U-boats.
They eventually docked in Ireland for a few days. There, they joined the
British Home Fleet and chased after part of a German Fleet that included their
biggest battleship, the Von Tirpitz. Later on, a German plane, seemingly coming
from Norway, spotted them and turned around. At this point, they made a U-turn
and sailed, as quickly as they could, back to Scotland. After two months based
in Scapa Flow, Scotland, patrolling the North Sea and English Channel, they rested
in Edinburgh, Scotland and headed back home. This time, they convoyed
the Queen Mary, with Winston Churchill aboard, and sailed to a conference with
President Roosevelt.
Mr. Watson's specific schedule was two hours on the sonar machine, looking for enemy
submarines, and two hours at the helm, steering the ship. Those 15 days in
Guantanamo were spent testing the ship and running aground in the harbor and
then headed back to the US.
After repairs in Brooklyn, the USS Isherwood crossed the Atlantic, convoying a group
of supply ships and dropping many depth charges on suspected German U-boats.
They eventually docked in Ireland for a few days. There, they joined the
British Home Fleet and chased after part of a German Fleet that included their
biggest battleship, the Von Tirpitz. Later on, a German plane, seemingly coming
from Norway, spotted them and turned around. At this point, they made a U-turn
and sailed, as quickly as they could, back to Scotland. After two months based
in Scapa Flow, Scotland, patrolling the North Sea and English Channel, they rested
in Edinburgh, Scotland and headed back home. This time, they convoyed
the Queen Mary, with Winston Churchill aboard, and sailed to a conference with
President Roosevelt.