Following is a response to questions from Vern
I have a million things I could tell about Kawishiwi and members of the crew at different times.  I spent 40 months and went from PNSA to PN2 and worked extensively with many of the crew.  The biggest difference in a YN and PN is that YNs spend most of their time working with the ships correspondence and PNs spend most of their time attending to the needs of the personnel.  That time includes maintaining their service records, including ensuring that they get paid properly and in a timely manner.  When a person checks aboard the first thing a PN does is insures their travel pay and leave time get accounted for properly and they get paid anything they have coming.  The PN also insures everything is ready when it comes time for promotion exams.  The PN also does correspondence like when a person request a transfer.  The PN also insure the sailing diary is on the beach before the ship gets underway.  On the Kawishiwi we were often without enough YNs and PNs so we did both jobs so everyone thought we were Yeomen.  I think the person that spent the most time on Kawishiwi was MM2 Walker, when I left there I think he had been aboard about 6 years and had just reenlisted to stay on board so I do not know how much time he actually did spend aboard.  Aloha Gardner, BM1 what a guy, I have drank many cups of coffee from his boat locker.  YNCM Jimmy Ross persuaded me to reenlist and as it turned out I spent 20 but later changed from PN to MA (machine accountant) which was later changed to DP (Data Processing Technician).  I retired in 1976 as a Senior Chief Data Processing Technician. CDR Griffith Conrad Evans, XO, and what a seaman.  He saved the Kawishiwi from more collisions or mishaps that I can think of.  While I was aboard I spent many many hours with the XO because I was the JV phone talker
with the refueling stations on the starboard side and because of the long days it would often be late in the evening before the XO would be ready to publish the Plan of the Day for the next day.  Kawishiwi was great and I miss her to this day.

I believe the 5in guns were removed after I left Kawishiwi in Aug. 61.  I went from Kawishiwi to the Enlisted Personnel Distribution Office in SanDiego and after 4 years there I returned to Hawaii with Commander Service Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet where I could keep a good eye on Kawishiwi.