I enlisted in the Coast Guard in Nov. 1951 for a 3 year enlistment. At that time the Coast Guard only had 2 training centers one at Cape May NJ and the other in Alameda Calif. Cape May was filled up at that time so I was sent to Alameda Calif. After training which was at the end of Feb. 1952 I was sent to the 3rd Coast Guard district which was in New York and sent to St. George base which was on Staten Island. After a week there I was notified that I was assigned to the Scotland Lightship. At first when I heard that I thought I was going to Scotland but they told me that is was a lightship that was stationed just off of Atlantic Highlands near Sandy Hook NJ. I did not know what a lightship was until I got there. The way I got there was by a buoy tender from St. George base. It was really good duty there as you spent 2 weeks on and 1 week off. Friday was the day that the duty buoy tender would come out to the lightship to bring water and supplys and the crew coming back from a week off. The crew that was getting their week off would go back with the buoy tender. You had hope for good weather so the lightships 23 foot motor boat could be lowered to make the transfer to and from the buoy tender. If the weather and water conditions was bad you had to wait until the next good day to make the transfer but you still had to be back the following Friday. Sometimes you would lose a day or so but it would even out as sometimes you would get a extra day or so when you were returning. Anyway after a year and a half I put in for a transfer to the Overfalls Lightship which was at the Delaware Breakwater off of Lewes De. and finished up my time left there. The Overfalls WAL 605 was a new lightship that was built in 1950 and had much more up to date equipment. There you spent 20 days on a 10 days off. I enjoyed the 3 years that I spent in the Coast Guard. Hal