13 April 1950
My Dear Little Hunney Bun:
Well I have the duty tonight so I will attempt to do some writing. First of all you will have to excuse the type of paper that I am using as I am sitting down here in the Storeroom tonite and have nothing to do. You see I have what is called the duty tonite. Every third nite I have to stay aboard ship. The crew is devided up into three groups, Section 1, section 2, section 3. I am in Section 2 and that section has the duty tonight. I don't have to do anything connected with work, its just one of those things, I must have to stay aboard.

I was over last nite and wrote you the airmail letters I was sitting in the Y.M.C.A. I suppose that you have received that already. The reason that I am writing tonite is that I wanted to ask you if you have received the notice from SOCONY

VACUUM OIL CO. in Brooklyn, N.Y. You see it has to do with my credit card that I have been using since I came to Calif. Now I wonder if you would be so kind to send the letter or bill what ever it is to me and I will make out a money order for the amount and mail it into them. That way I can keep up on my credit. What I am going to do is to write a letter to the outfit in Los Angeles, Calif. and get a credit card from them.

Have you been eating enough since I last seen you in Philly???? I suppose that you are down to about 110 again. I believe that you were weighing about 114 when I left you. I weighed myself the other nite and I weighed about 215 so I guess that I will stay about the same as ever.

While in town the other nite I inquired about the fare of flying from Phily to San Diego. It was about $116.00 for the full fare, excluding the meals. You could leave Newark, New Jersey airport at 10:00 in the morning and arrive in San Diego that very same day at 6:00 in the evening. Now I know that you do not want to fly. So we will skip that for the time being. I don't know when the furniture will be picked up in Phily. But I do know that I have taken care of everything at this end. From now on it is up to the Phily Navy Yard, (Supply Officer). I hope that it doesn't take too long, do you hope the same thing.  LIke I say when you do come, don't take too many clothes with you. You have three (3) suitcases don't you? Well fill them up and shove off. Now if you want some money please tell me as I have $200.00 coming to me as my pay. Then I should be getting my insurance check in the mail before to long. You might ask Red if it ever turned up there. You see it would come to Baldwin and the post office there would send it to Phily and I don't know what they would do with it. You have my address now, its as follows:
Clark A. Gerdes SKI, USN
U.S.S. Sperry AS-12
10th Division
San Diego, Calif.
P.S. I'll be seeing you soon.
(OVER)
Well I just came back and someone was using the typewriter. I guess I just like to write to you. It makes me feel good. Its all a lot of balony but if it makes me happy, so what. I'll bet you were all decked out in your new Easter outfit last Sunday. Well you know how I have not been able to sleep since I came to San Diego, but tonite being my first night aboard ship I may be able to sleep a bit again. You see I was thinking about what they were going to have me do. Well I am in the storeroom so that makes me happy. They told me at first that I was to be in the office.
Well now don't forget to write me and let me know how much money you have left or need.
Bye, Bye Hammerhead,
 Battlebrain