USS MULLINNIX DD-944

Rio de Janeiro 1962

Copacabana Beach in Rio
(Not from Mullinnix Crew)

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Excerpt from "The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944"
A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

Mullinnix Rio Vistor's Guide (PDF)

It took the Portuguese explorer, Gonçalo Coelho, three months to sail from Lisbon, Portugal, to the new world. On August 17th, 1501, he arrived off the coast of Brazil. He and his small fleet of three caravels began working their way along the seaboard, mapping the shoreline of South America. On January 1st, 1502, the ships reached a break in the seaside that seemed to be the entrance to an enormous river. The bay they found was spectacularly surrounded by huge, oddly-shaped mountains that astounded the European explorers. Taking a cue from the date on which they'd found this amazing harbor, they named it the "January River," or Rio de Janeiro.

The inlet at Rio de Janeiro isn't actually the beginning of a great river but a huge balloon-shaped bay that stretches 20 miles inland. The harbor is surrounded by giant mountains and at the entrance of the bay is a lopsided peak of bare granite standing 1,299 feet tall that the Portuguese named Pão de Açúcar, ("Sugarloaf") because it reminded them of the conical sugarloaves made on the island of Madeira. The largest mountain near the harbor rises 2,300 feet and is named Corcovado ("The Hunchback") because of its mounded shape. The bay itself is studded with 130 islands, many of which are the peaks of smaller hills with their bases covered by the water.

In 1921 the Catholic Circle of Rio organized a crusade to attract donations and collect signatures in support of building an enormous statue. Several designs were considered including a cross and a statue of Jesus with a globe in his hands. Finally, a proposal showing Christ with his arms outstretched was selected. The statue, composed of reinforced concrete and faced with soapstone, was erected at the peak of Corcovado. It stands 130 feet tall and the outstretched arms are 98 feet across. The statue, completed in 1931 and known as "Christ the Redeemer," weighs 635 tons.

No sooner did Mullinnix tie up to the dock than the bosun's set to rigging canvas over the fantail for a reception that evening. Electricians went aloft rigging the 'Med' lights. The Navy band made preparations for the evening's performance. Pier-side money changers were hawking the local currency at 750 cruzieros to the dollar.

The blue buses and green taxis coughed their contribution to the day's smog. The sky was low, heavy, and grey. The air smelled wet and of diesel. Everywhere were reminders of what and who's port this was.

They'd spent hours planning for this day. Johnathan Kramer, Duke Adams, Bobby McCoy, and Lanny Landowsky were on pins and needles. Brian Smythe and Howard "Rock" Rocker were somewhat clueless. What was the big deal? Rio, so what?

It had been since February 1959, three and half years, since they'd been to Rio. Hell, they'd been to the Med, not once, but twice, up and down the East Coast, Gitmo. Would the Rat and Raven still be there? Would Cappel remember them? Is Cappel even alive? Only one way to find out.

Rio had changed, but not that much. Kramer, Duke, Bobby, and Landowsky could still get around OK without a tour guide.

"So, where is this place? What was the name? Rat and Crow?" asked Smythe.

"Rat and Raven, you shitbag!" answered Kramer.

They walked through the city's red-light district in the Lapa neighborhood, the center of a vibrant nightlife packed with samba and choro bars, and where wild music and dancing spilled out into the streets. At the persistence of Smythe and Rock, they stopped briefly for some local cuisine and sip on a couple caipirinhas.

Beneath the high, dilapidated facades of the ancient buildings with their jutting balconies, the deep shops overflowed as far as the middle of the street, arranging rainbow-colored bouquets and veils of exotic fragrance into a long procession.

"We getting close?" asked Rock, "I'm getting thirsty."

"Not far now," said Lanny.

"Hey, guys. Let's catch this movie." Smythe pointing to the Olympic Theater. An American film was playing, suggestively titled "Tainted Whores".

"WTFO, Smythe. Your momma drop you when you were a baby?" asked Kramer.

"Pissant," mumbled Smythe.

"Cut the crap," said Bobby, "We got places to go."

They kept walking, past murky bars and shadowy streets. Though almost dark, the streets and walkways were like a sheet of hot iron, dogs panted under bushes. Weaving through the maze of sidewalks shaded by a leafy canopy, elephant ears the size of flags, they turned the last corner.

"Boys, at least the Bar Luiz is still there, look," said Landowsky.

Kramer didn't hear Landowsky. He was looking past the Bar Luiz, at the alley to the left, still lit by a single street light. And, the rustic wooden steps, with their lonely melancholy feel, heading up to what they remembered as the Rat and Raven. He had nausea heading north in a hurry.

"Not bad, not too bad," mused Rock.

"Wrong place, Rock," Duke said, pointing to the stairs.

Walking up to Kramer, "you OK?" asked Landowsky.

"Don't know. I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"That he won't be there," said Kramer. "I think I might puke."

"I know what you mean," admitted Lanny.

"Hey, you two fucks, we going up there or stand in the street all night playing with ourselves," asked Smythe.

"If you want, Duke and I can go up first," offered Bobby.

"What's going on here, I feel I'm missing something?" asked Rock.

"It's a long story," said Duke.

"Well then, let's go up, start drinking, and you can start telling," said Rock.

"I'm missing Doc as well, Lanny," said Kramer.

"You OK Jonathan? That’s the first time you’ve called me 'Lanny' in I don’t know how long."

"Don't know. Depends on if he's up there. I may have to get drunk and call Diane," chucked Kramer. Lanny returned the chuckle, fondly remembering how Kramer got his nickname - drink and dial - "DD" for short. Kramer would get drunk and then call Diane.

It was exactly as they remembered it, with a high tin ceiling, three paddle fans, somewhat dirty white ceramic tile floor, no tablecloths, and cheap prints of a sunny Rio on the dark plastered walls. The place wasn't much to look at, but it was under-belly respectable, and it was authentic - a throwback to the Rio culture of the last century. Also, the food was authentic, but you had to be careful what you ordered, like the diced pig's stomach and sheep's head.

The guy behind the bar wasn't Cappel. He was a tall man with a grizzled shock of salt-and-pepper hair and a weather-seamed face. His face was drawn and his eyes sunken with fatigue. He smelled of the decayed food in his teeth.

Silence came back to Kramer. He felt as if he'd chugged a soda too fast. Landowsky wasn't much better. Duke and Bobby understood. Smythe and Rock still didn't quite get it, other than they knew something was bothering their shipmates.

Rock ordered a round. "OK, Duke. I'm drinking, you start telling," ordered Rock.

Is history like the falling tree in the forest? If nobody remembers did it still happen, wondered Kramer. But damn it, he did remember. All he had to do was ask the bartender where Cappel was.

"Hey, guys, look! Holy shit, there's a picture of the Mullinnix behind the bar," yelled Smythe. "Rock, ordered us another round."

The bartender heard this and slowly came over to their table.

"You from that ship?" pointing to the picture behind the bar, "Mullinnix?" He pronounced it 'Mule-nix'.

"Yes, we are. Why?" asked Kramer.

"One momento."

The bartender went back behind the bar and appeared to be looking for something. Finding it, he returned a 'memento' later, handing it to Kramer.

Kramer opened the tiny envelope and read the short letter, then carefully closed it and placed it in his breast pocket.

"What is it?" asked Landowsky.

"It's from Cappel," said Kramer.

"Son of a bitch, at least we know he is alive," said Bobby.

"Yeah."

"What did it say?" asked Duke.

"We're just two shits passing in the night," joked Saddlebock, a Mullinnix boatswain's mate, as he headed to the bar.

"Two S-H-I-P-S, dickhead," corrected Rock.

"Kramer?"

"Ah, just a minute," Kramer said, heading to the bar. Leaning over to the barman, he spoke to him for a couple minutes.

Back at the table, "I've got to go," said Kramer.

"What's up?" asked Landowsky.

"You should come with me, Lanny."

"OK. But what's the fuck up?" Landowsky asked again.

"You need us, Kramer?" asked Duke.

"No, the four of you should probably stay here. We'll fill you in when we know more."

Landowsky chugged his drink, and the pair of them head out the door and down the stairs.

"It'd be nice to know just what the fuck is going on," asked Smythe.

"10/4," agreed Rock.

"All we know, is that those two, plus Doc (Walter Higgins Holiday), where pretty tight with Cappel. This is like their 3rd cruise down here. And, the only thing those three ever wanted to do in this women-laden city was hang out with Cappel," explained Bobby.

"Yep, the four of them had a healthy respect for each other, that's for damn sure," added Duke. "More than that I guess, considering the circumstances, they were about as close as friends as you can get."

"Do you know where we are going," asked Landowsky.

"Yes. Got the direction from the bartender."

"In English?"

"Fuck, Landowsky. No jokes, OK?"

"OK. But tell me what it's all about," said Landowsky.

"I don't know much either," said Kramer. "All the note said was, 'I need to see you'.

"How in the hell did he know we were here? Hell man, Mullinnix haven't been here for almost 3 years," said Landowsky.

"Everyone in the city knows about Unitas III. The list of ships was published the week before we got here. He knew."

"OK, I'll buy that. But how in the fuck did he know either one of us, or even Bobby or Duke would still be on board?" asked Landowsky.

"He knew," said Kramer, "He just knew, Lanny."

They walked to the edge of town. It was a rum landscape, like an inspired background by a mad artist. They passed not-dead bushes - squat little shiny-leaf plants with tiny red berries, and allamandas - full huge yellow blooms, more blooms than leaves, winding up terraces and walls full of jays. Calypso singers, singing Caribbean-style music, such as soca, calypso, reggae, and reggaeton, were dancing on the sidewalks, spilling into the street.

Following the bartender's directions, the pair approach the entrance of a giant Mediterranean-style villa. The outer wall was covered with a croton hedge, a tropical shrub with scores of colors and dozens of leaf shapes towering ten feet tall. The inner grounds were landscaped with royal poinciana trees, also known as the royal paulownia – the fastest growing tree in the world, soaring up to twelve feet a year, blooming lavender flowers. Also, the casuarina tree, a striking and graceful tree that resembles a long-needled pine tree, dotted the grounds. The mountains to the west were silhouetted, mushroom clouds tethered to their peaks. A hedge of banana plants, where stalks grew heavy-fingered like yellow fists, were filled with howler monkeys.

Cappel met them at the front door with a grim look but a knowing twinkle in his eyes. Choking back emotion, "Hello my friends. It’s been too long."

He hugged Kramer first, holding it worthy of the time they'd been apart. Then Landowsky.

"You both are aging well," smiled Cappel. "How long has it been?"

"Almost three years," answered Kramer. "You live here?"

"You are surprised Jonathan?" smiled Cappel. "You didn't think a lowly sailor-bar owner could own squat, did you?" he laughed.

"You just never talked about anything other than what we wanted to talk about," added Landowsky.

"Lanny, that's the sign of a very good bar owner, no? But to answer your question, yes, this is my home."

"Nice place."

"No shit," whispered Landowsky.

"Thank you," answer Cappel.

"What's going on, Cappel?" asked Kramer.

"Let's talk. Please, come in."

Cappel led them into a tall and wide entrance hall with multiple closed doors on either side. He opened the second door on the right. The trio walked into an oversized library with solid wood bookcases lining the walls to the ceiling. Thousands of books adorned the cases. Onate furniture sat is small groupings of two and three chairs with dark wood tables with reading lamps in-between.

"Drink?"

In unison, "Sure," they answered.

Cappel handed the shipmates two leaded-cut crystal glasses with four fingers of amber liquid, adding "The good stuff."

"Like the good stuff back at the Rat and Raven?" laughed Kramer.

Laughing, "No, this is the 'real' good stuff."

Landowsky took a pull and smiled. Yes, it was the good stuff.

"When do you have to be back to the ship?"

"We don't. We have overnight liberty."

"Good. Then we have time for me to tell this right." Pausing, "You talked to Diane lately?"

"What?"

"Jonathan, love is like a good piece of wood: It just gets stronger and stronger as the years go by. Take it from someone who had it and only lost it when the Lord decided it was time I shared "Mary" with him. It sounds corny, I know, but it's really the only thing that works between two people. The only thing," said Cappel. "The only master of us all is time."

Kramer and Landowsky looked at each other. This was getting weirder by the second.

"It's my daughter, she's gone to be with her mother," whispered Cappel.

Fuck me, thought Kramer.

"Now it's just me. Whether I like it or not, I'm entering the next season of my life."

"Man, we are so sorry Cappel," offered Kramer. "Yeah man, that really sucks," added Landowsky.

"Well, the good Lord knows best. As you probably guessed after seeing my home, I’ve been pretty successful."

"No shit," offered Landowsky. "Shut up and let him talk," barked Kramer.

"I own almost two dozen bars and nightclubs in Rio plus a number of other properties. All are doing well. Don't get me wrong, I like money as much as the next guy, but without a family my priorities have changed. I look at things a bit differently these days."

"How can we help?" offered Kramer.

"This may surprise you, but I trust you two more than any of my business partners in Rio. I knew you guys were special the first time I met you. Doc too. By the way, how is Doc?"

Kramer explained, "He was discharged a while back and went back home. Didn't have a clue what he was going to do. About the only thing he was sure of was getting away from the Navy. Got a letter from him just before we left. I'd told him we were headed south again. He told me to tell you "howdy" if we saw you." Pause. "So, I guess its 'howdy from Doc', Cappel."

Cappel smiled, remembering the good times and good friends. "Tell Doc I wish him nothing but the best."

"Will do."

"You asked how you can help. Gentlemen," smiling, "and I use that term loosely, the world is changing. Rio is changing. And with change comes opportunity. Don't get me wrong, there will always be a need for places like The Rat and Raven. But there is a new need emerging - a need for large upscale places with casinos, big dance floors that bring in the biggest bands from South and Central America, fancy dining, the works. Places that cater to tourists and business people more so than the Navy, merchant marines, and the shipping industry."

"When do you get discharged Jonathan?" asked Cappel.

"Shortly after we finish this cruise. Why?"

"You going to make an honest woman out of Diane?"

"Planned to. What's this all about?"

"What about you Lanny?" added Cappel.

"A couple months after Kramer. Why you asking Cappel."

"To make this opportunity work, I need people I can trust. Plain and simple - trust. I can teach the rest. But I can't teach trust. You either have it or you don't. You two have it. I trust you."

Continuing, Cappel explains, "What I'm proposing is that, Jonathan, when you get discharged, you marry Diane, and the two of you move to Rio and work with me. Lanny, you do the same once you are discharged."

The two sailors were speechless. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Cappel, this is crazy," offered Lanny.

"I know, I know, it's a lot to take in and I caught you off your guard, but other than that, what do you think?"

"We don't know the first thing about bars, restaurants, and casinos other than how to tear them up," added Kramer.

"I can teach you all that. Again, what I need is trust. I trust you two."

"You're crazy," said Lanny.

"But I trust you," laughed Cappel, adding, "We need Doc to, if he is interested. What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think," admitted Kramer.

"Look, both of you are probably going to be as lost as Doc was when he first got out. You both love Rio, right? You guys obviously like me, or you wouldn't be The Rat and Raven's best customers when you are in town. I know it's a shit hole. Its that way by design, but you guys would rather sit in there and drink with me than paint the whole town of Rio." Laughing, "Come to think of it, you two are the crazy ones."

Cappel continued, "let me ask you, who'd you bring to the bar with you?"

"You'll probably remember two of them. John 'Duke' Adams from southside Chicago, and Bobby McCoy," explained Lanny.

"Sure, I remember those two. Good guys."

Added Kramer, "Two others, Brian Smythe and Howard Rocker. We call him 'Rock'."

"It may be best to keep this to yourselves for now. But please, I want both of you to seriously thing about it. I don't need an answer before the Mullinnix leaves port. Just promise me you'll think about it as you continue on the cruise around South America. Deal?"

"Deal." They both agreed in unison.

Handing the pair, a small letter, "Here is my home address here at the villa. You can contact me anytime with questions or anything else you might need to help you decide."

"I don't know what to say," offered Kramer.

"Say yes," laughed Cappel.

"I do have one question," asked Landowsky. "If we consider your offer, shouldn't we know you first name?" Smiling, "What makes you think Cappel isn't my first name?"

"Then your last name then," asked Landowsky.

"Let's just keep it at Cappel for know," laughed Cappel. "I don't want to spook you anymore than I have already. So...enough business. What would you say that we all head back to The Rat and Raven, and buy your four shipmates a drink?"

"The could stuff?" asked Lanny.

"Yeah, The Rat and Raven good stuff," laughed Cappel.

"Deal. Let's go," said Kramer.

________________

On the evening of 7 September, The Navy musicians performed at a Brazilian EM club. When they played, "Tequila," the crowd went nuts. Kramer and Landowsky had the midwatch as Mullinnix, Lester, and Picuda were all moored starboard side to pier MA VA, along with various units from the Brazilian, Argentinean, and Uruguayan navies. The two shipmates had much to think about and discussed.

To be continued...


1962 Brazil Brochure (Cover on of 48 Pages)


1962 Brazil Embasy Brochure


1962 Mullinnix Rio Visiting Guide


View of Rio From Top of Sugarloaf Mountain
(Recent Picture; Not from Mullinnix Crew)


Construction of Christ The Redeemer
(Not from Mullinnix Crew)

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