Mae West – Popo Ott

What will follow is a story which appeared as filler in the Naval Institute "Proceedings," If I recall correctly. It was just a brief, little blurb, but I have never forgotten it.

In the summer of 1942, during the early days of WWII, the United States struggled to get the upper hand in the war with Japan. A series of intense naval battles mainly occurred at night in the South Pacific near Guadalcanal. Some of these battles involved ships firing guns at each other at near point-blank range in frantic actions illuminated only by star shells.

For a long time now, sailors aboard Navy ships have been issued a rubberized pouch attached to a belt resembling a fanny pack. To use, one would unsnap the buttons holding the pouch closed and pull out a life jacket. The top loop went over the head, and the life jacket's bottom remained affixed to the belt. You could blow into a tube or activate the CO2 cartridge to inflate.

Most people would recognize these as a more durable version of the life jackets often demonstrated by flight attendants before commercial airline flights over water. These are typically only donned during general quarters when some sailors wear battle helmets and other combat gear. The Navy probably has an official name for these, something like "life jacket – inflatable." To sailors, for reasons which are probably apparent, they were known colloquially as Mae Wests. Named after the famous Hollywood actress of the 1930s through the 1970s, every sailor aboard a ship would have been issued one.

During one of these fierce night battles, a sailor heard the order to abandon ship. He jumped into the water and donned his Mae West in the dark as his ship sank nearby. He floated all night in the warm waters, buoyed by his Mae West. Darkness slid into light, and he saw no rescue boats, life rafts, or other sailors within hailing range. Much of the following day passed before rescue arrived.

Now, to back up, this sailor came from a small town in the Midwest. A factory had been established in his town to help meet the wartime demand for Mae West lifejackets. His mother worked at that factory. After the sailor was hoisted aboard his rescue boat, he began to remove and roll his life jacket back into the pouch. That's when he noticed a little slip of fabric sewn to the bottom. It was the "Inspected By" tag. The tag was signed by his mother.

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." - Mae West