OT: "Canceled. Cannot Identify."

[Donner]

For those who have seen the 1959 comedy "Operation Petticoat" starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, you undoubtedly remember when Lt. Commander Matt Sherman (Grant) dictates a letter about a recently canceled requistion for toilet paper. You may (or may not) be surprised to hear that such an event actually happened.

Enjoy!

From Theodore Roscoe's excellent book United States Submarine Operations in World War II p.145...

#3s184/L8 S36-1 June 11, 1942

From: The Commanding Officer
To: Supply Officer, Navy Yard, Mare Island
Via: Commander Submarines, Southwest Pacific

Subject: Toilet Paper
Reference: (a) (4608) USS HOLLAND (S184)USS SKIPJACK Req. 7042 of July 30, 1941
(b) SO NYMI Canceled invoice No. 272836

Enclosure: (A) Sample of canceled invoice.
(B) Sample of material required.

1. This vessel submitted a requistion for 150 rolls of toilet paper on July 30, 1941, to USS HOLLAND. The material was ordered by HOLLAND to the supply officer, Navy Yard, Mare Island, for delivery to USS SKIPJACK.

2. The supply officer Mare Island on November 26, 1941, canceled Mare Island Invoice No. 272836 with the stamped notation "Canceled. Cannot Identify." This canceled invoice was received by SKIPJACK June 10, 1942.

3. During the eleven and a half months elapsing from the time of the ordering the toilet paper to the present date, USS SKIPJACK personnel, despite their best efforts to await delivery of the subject material, have been unable to wait on several occasions, and the situation is now acute, particularly during depth charge attacks by "back-stabbers."

4. Enclosure (B) is a sample of the desired material provided for the information of the supply officer, Navy Yard, Mare Island. The commanding officer of USS SKIPJACK cannot help but wonder what is being used at Mare Island as a substitute for this unidentifiable material once well known to this command.

5. Boat's personnel during the time has become accustomed to the use of ersatz in proportion to the vast amount of incoming paper work generally nonessential, and in so doing feels that the wish of the Bureau of Ships for the reduction of paper work is being complied with, thus killing two birds with one stone.

6. It is believed by this command that the stamped notation "Cannot Identify" was possibly in error, and that this is simply a case of shortage of strategic war material, USS SKIPJACK probably being low on the priority list.

7. In order to co-operate in the war effort at small local sacrifice USS SKIPJACK desires no further action be taken until the end of the current war, which has created a situation so aptly described as "war is hell."

(signed) J.W. Coe

[Safe-Keeper]

Did you get this from Snopes, by any chance? They ran a feature on it a long time ago.

[Donner]

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

Did you get this from Snopes, by any chance? They ran a feature on it a long time ago.

No, as I said, this was taken verbatim from Roscoe's United States Submarine Operations in World War II. Was unaware of Snopes.

[flintlock]

He wrote above his source was:

From Theodore Roscoe's excellent book United States Submarine Operations in World War II p.145...

Regardless, funny as hell.

[JSF]

This was chronicaled in the book "Submarine" by Ned Beach.

The book is full of little anecdotes such as this.

Find it, buy it, read it, enjoy.