By JOHN R. BAKER
CHAPTER TWO: COMMANDER TUNNEY AND HIS MAGIC EXERCISES
Maybe some of us can remember the winter of 1943-44 at Sub Base New London where Cmdr. Gene Tunney led the trainees in how to exercise while at sea. For those who need an introduction, Tunney became heavyweight champ in 1926 by defeating Jack Dempsey. Next year he did it again and then retired from boxing in 1928.
Anyhow, somebody got an inspiration and we swabbies became the victims. After we finished our sub-school classes each day hundreds of reluctant enlisted men were herded into the huge parking lot in front of Gilmore Hall. The Commander mounted a platform atop the building with an enlisted man at each side. He’d then run through a set of jumping jacks or windmills and then have his assistants continue the exercises ad finitum. The idea was to introduce a regimen of exercises we could perform at sea during our war patrols and keep us in “fighting trim.” Chief Spritz even had his henchmen guarding all exits to keep us from sneaking away.
It was winter. All of us wore our good peacoats. Didn’t matter. There we were doing sit-ups and pushups in that dirty parking lot! What a mess.
Needless to say, when we went to sea we forgot all about our “Tunney Drills.”
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The following is a story told to me personally by a Lockwood Chapter shipmate, Mike Heberling:
It was a day in 1943 and I was hard at work running the waxer over the second floor of the new barracks up on the side of the hill when I looked out the open window and who should I see but Chief Charlie Spritz riding down the street on his bicycle. He always wore his 1920s chief’s hat that stood high above his head.
Two young sailors were walking down the street, coming towards him. Horrors. Their hats weren’t squared! Spritz twisted his head around to holler at them and wham — he ran up over the curb and piled into a tree! It was such a tangle of bicycle and chief that I couldn’t help but howl with laughter. As soon as he spied me he roared; “Stay right there, don’t move!” As he started towards the barracks door I dropped the waxer handle and popped out the back door. I wasn’t about to be transferred to that infamous French cruiser in N.Y., the “Pier 92.” I ended up at the lake and stayed until after chow. Fortunately, I never heard another word.
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Photo Credit and Art Credit:
United States Navy
NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW LONDON AT GROTON, CONNECTICUT
NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW LONDON (SUBBASE NLON) IS LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE THAMES RIVER
MY STORY: MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE US NAVY 