U.S.S. YANCEY AKA-93

Ken Grooms's Navy A story for the USS Yancey

Port and Starboard Haircuts -Free?

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A bit of background is necessary to understand the circumstances.

During the early part of the Korean War there was a rapid build up of service personnel. Some were in for the first time and others were reservist that had been called back to duty for the second time. As a result, ships were being overmanned with an influx of recruits and reservists (both coming aboard and being released over a period of a couple of years). There was both a surplus of some ratings and a shortage of others. Our usual routine was to take two weeks to get to Japan, stay three weeks and return. This story was related to me by Dick McIntosh.

During this time, Dick McIntosh and a sailor named Young, were concerned that we might be without a barber. We were in Occupied Japan at the time and were not permitted to get haircuts at civilian barbers. Since the economy of Japan at the time was decidedly in favor of the Sailors; an enlisted man's pay went a long way in Japan.

The ship's Stevedores were Japanese who worked for very low wages. Mac and his buddy (Young) decided a minor crisis was at hand; we could be barber-less.

Being aware of the value of an American cigarette to the Japanese, Mac and Young hit upon a scheme that was both a benefit to them, the Yancey crew and the Japanese economy. They decided to offer free haircuts to the Japanese Stevedores, during their lunch hour, with a bonus of an American cigarette. I can't actually say if this was negotiable, but I doubt it.

This was to give Mac and his buddy training in a field that was wide open (on the Yancey) and also had other obvious advantages. Even though this sounds like buying a car and getting a free turkey; this was thought of as an unselfish act by the more enlightened of the crew.

I don't really comment from first hand experience; so the rest of this story is speculation. I can imagine that Mac would cut one side and Young would cut the other side in a bizarre scheme to be able to compare their work and offer comments to each other with obvious long term benefits to the Yancey crew.

Since the same Stevedore's hair was cut by both, this approach would be known by some in the scientific world as "The scientific approach" or "minimizing the variables". Little harm was done, because the hair would grow out and we would be gone within a week or so. It could be actually thought of as a Community Contribution.

"K.D."
Kenneth D. Groom
8/13/1999

Submitted 2/10/07
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