Roaming the peacetime waters of the Pacific
Ocean was the naval destroyer USS Appleby.
The crew aboard included a very clever,
know-it-all named Ensign O'Toole who was an
expert at avoiding work; the very ambitious,
but vain Lt. (j.g.) Rex St. John, the ship's
supply officer; the cantankerous Chief Petty
Officer Homer Nelson, the ship's executive
officer Lt. Cmdr Virgil Stone who delivered
orders from the ship's unseen Captain (only
heard over speakers), and a trio of Seamen -
Gabby DiJulio, Howard Spicer and Claude
White.
During its tour of duty, the USS Appleby
found its way to such exotic locations as
Hong Kong, Korea, the Arctic, San Diego,
and, of course, the South Pacific.
On one such South Pacific Island, the crew
of the Appleby found four stranded soldiers
(two American, two Japanese) who were still
fighting World War II.
While in Korea, Ensign O'Toole and the crew
put on the "Foster Father's Follies" to
raise money to adopt Korean orphans. The
Singing Kim Sisters provided the
entertainment.
And when in Hong Kong, Ensign O'Toole
volunteered to help Scotland Yard find a
jewel thief by going undercover.
One of O'Toole's best shenanigans dealt with
an antique Model T automobile found on a
French island in the South Pacific. Looking
to make a quick profit, O'Toole disassembled
the car and smuggled it onboard ship with
the help of his crew. Unfortunately, just
about the time O'Toole was to connect with a
car collector in California, an Admiral with
a love for old cars foils his plan.
On a day-to-day basis, O'Toole's duties
onboard ship might entail forging leave
papers for a crewman so he could travel to
see his pregnant wife; learning there was a
young girl stowed away on onboard; nursing
crewman Seaman DiJulio when he got the
measles; helping Seaman Mason control his
weight before he gets shipped out of the
navy; taking bets on the outcome of a
mystery film when the last reel of the film
turned up missing; or taking orders from a
visiting dignitary like Prince Pussik of
Tiboria, a pushy, 12 year old who turns out
to be the Grand Admiral of the Tiborian
Navy.
On the lighter side, O'Toole tried to solve
the mystery of why somebody would send him a
dress while in port in Washington, DC. The
unsolicited gift inspired lots of ribbing
from his fellow crew members. Eventually,
O'Toole learned the dress was actually for a
female naval officer with the same name
assigned to the same installation. |
