Armstrong – Table of Contents

[?]; the Navy converted the ship to a gunboat and the Yankton had achieved some
recognition in battle.
Armstrong had some memorable encounters with the current Captain of the
Yankton who had achieved a reputation of his own. He was notorious because of
excessive strictness with subordinates and rigid adherence to rules of military conduct
and discipline. He had the reputation of running a “hell ship”. All branches of the Armed
Forces were acquainted with his reputation, and fellow officers warned Armstrong about
him. Armstrong faced his new, but temporary assignment with trepidation. Upon arriving
on board, Armstrong reported to the Captain and inquired about the hour for holding sick
call. They settled on the time of 9 am. The Captain said, “That will be all right, but I want
to tell you one thing. If the men come to see you sick, I want a complete record of what
his complaint is, what you find is the matter, what your treatment is, and what your
advice is and everything. The reason for this is that these men someday will probably be
asking for some pension. It is very important to them to do this”. Armstrong took
command of the infirmary sick log, and he promised to follow the Captain’s instructions
faithfully.
The Yankton left Gibraltar for the trip home but, for unknown reasons, the ship
received orders to proceed to Lisbon, Portugal, possibly for a good will tour. Armstrong
said that the Chief of Naval Operations was trying to make the Navy “dry” (alcohol-free)
and encouraged strict disciplinary action against liquor and drunkenness on United States
naval vessels. The Captain of the Yankton was especially vigorous in meting out
punishment, including incarceration and court martial, for anyone on board with liquor in
his possession, either in the bottle or on his breath. As added punishment, he would also