Four years ago it took 16 22-pound turkeys, 12 10-pound Virginia hams, two 70-pound steamship rounds of beef, 75 pounds of jumbo shrimp, 800 pounds of potatoes, 50 pounds of frozen peas, 1200 rolls, 60 pies, 60 gallons of ice cream, and more to put on a Thanksgiving dinner for the personnel at the United States Naval Air Station.

This year, it will take just six pumpkin pies, six apple pies, 66 pounds of turkey, 30 pounds of boneless ham, 60 pounds of steamship round beef, and less than three gallons of ice cream mix to do the same thing.

But, despite the drastic reduction in numbers, the very last Thanksgiving Day at the East End facility will be "business as usual.'' Despite the inevitable touch of sadness which surrounds "last'' occasions, everyone from Base commander Capt. Timothy Bryan on down is going all out to make the day as special as it has always been.

Already, Chaplain Michael Uhall is hard at work organising details of the traditional Thanksgiving service at the Anglican Cathedral, which will involve American and local dignitaries, while MS2 Chris Moloney is masterminding decorations for the Base's Sea Venture galley.

Navy chefs have mustered their "shopping lists'' for the menu, families are planning their home celebrations, and others are finalising pot-luck dinners and beach parties.

Beach parties? Well, why not? There's a weatherman on Base who should be able to make the sun shine. Besides, who knows where the participants will be next year? Odds are they won't be on a semi-tropical beach! The primary school children in Mrs. Carol Smith's class are preparing to host their guests from Gilbert Institute, who will share with them a Thanksgiving meal right in the classroom.

"Just as the Pilgrims invited the native Americans to eat with them, so too will the students here share a meal with Bermudians,'' Mrs. Smith explained.

"We did it last year and it was such a success that we're repeating it again this year.'' The Chaffee children have been busy making Indian headdresses for their Bermudian "partners,'' as well as souvenir place mats, and even some of the components of the meal -- including pumpkin and cranberry bread and pies, and cranberry sauce. The full feast will include roast turkey and corn bread.

The children have also been making their own candles, just as the original Pilgrims did, and rehearsing a Thanksgiving skit and sing-song.

Meanwhile, over at the Sea Ven ture Galley, MS2 Moloney has been organising the decorations which will transform the regular mess dining hall into a Thanksgiving setting.

"A five-foot dough cornucopia will be baked over a shaped wire frame, and then be filled with fresh fruits and nuts,'' he said. "A large ice sculpture, illuminated from underneath, will form the centrepiece of the buffet,'' he said.

The sculpture takes three days to make and freeze, and MS2 Moloney says people are always fascinated by it.

"It has to be made with distilled water so that it remains crystal clear when frozen. To colour it, part of the water is frozen first, then the colour is added and frozen, and finally, the top layer of water is added and frozen.

Then you watch it melt in four hours!'' In keeping with Navy tradition, Capt. Bryan and his family, along with the Master Chief and his wife, will help serve the galley meal.

"This gives the chefs and servers a chance to sit down and enjoy their food while it is hot and fresh,'' the CO's wife, Mrs. Pati Bryan, explained.

While the buffet is going on from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Seabees (weather permitting) will be tucking into a pot luck Thanksgiving meal on the Base's Clearwater Beach, followed by games.

Elsewhere on Base, families will cook their own dinners and think of their loved ones back home.

For one family, however, things will be somewhat different -- the husband will be home alone all day cooking and cleaning while his wife and children go to school.

Since Thanksgiving is not a Bermuda holiday, Mrs. Patty Hoffman and her daughters Amanda and Sara -- teacher and students, respectively -- will put in a normal day at Mount St. Agnes Academy.

While they're away, Air Operations chief AE8 Bill Hoffman will be anchored in the family kitchen, living up to his Base reputation of being a very good cook.

"Bill spends the day preparing the whole meal -- turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy, as well as the clam chowder which takes us back to our New England roots,'' his delighted wife said. "When we get home the house is filled with the most wonderful aroma. I don't know how he does it. The whole place is immaculate, and a beautiful, dream meal is ready for us. My husband is a really wonderful guy.'' For chaplain Lieutenant Commander Uhall, the Bermuda Thanksgiving celebration will be his first and last -- if the Navy detailer in Washington, DC amends his records, that is.

"When I called him he said, `According to my records, you will be there until 1997','' the chaplain laughed.

Following the service at the Anglican Cathedral, Lt. Cdr. Uhall and his wife will join Capt. and Mrs. Bryan and other US Navy officials at a reception at the US Consul-General's residence before heading home for a family celebration with their three children, Joshua, 15, Bethel, 13, and Benjamin, 6.

Certainly, Bermuda will be a far cry from some of the postings he's had, and the chaplain is looking forward to the change.

"My favourite part is being home surrounded by my family, and being able to enjoy the obvious blessings that we enjoy in the free world,'' he said. For MS2 Maloney, it will be a busy day, also filled with memories.

"Last year I was among those invited to the home of Senator Norma Astwood, and that was really special,'' he said.

Before that, he spent the day shuttling between the Base and the US Consul-General's home taking care of business.

A trained chef who has been here four years, Petty Officer Maloney is no stranger to catering, having been taught the finer points by a predecessor, MS2 Bob Dill.

So good has he become, in fact, that he takes charge of catering for official functions at the Base Commander's home, as well as private parties, and also assists the resident chef at the US Consul-General's home when required.

For all the Base personnel, this last Thanksgiving will be a mixed blessing.

While they naturally look forward to closer ties with their families back home -- if that is where they are posted -- they are sad to bid Bermuda farewell.

"It's really very bitter-sweet because we love Bermuda very much, and I love my job,'' Mrs. Hoffman said. "On the other hand, I am really looking forward to being off next Thanksgiving. This is the fourth year our family has not spent the whole day together.'' Meanwhile, the children in Mrs. Smith's class have been counting their Thanksgiving blessings -- present and anticipated. Their list includes everything from unborn siblings to pets, parents, the world, Power Ranger rings, and ear-plugs to blot out dad's snoring! In his final Thanksgiving message to the men and women under his command, Capt. Bryan will say: "We are here today with so much to be thankful for...(but) we are bringing about the end and the beginning of an era. And we are doing it with class, concern and compassion... Happy Thanksgiving.'' Photos by David Skinner HANDS ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY -- "Pilgrims'' from the Roger B. Chaffee school at the US Naval Air Station hosted "Indians'' from Gilbert Institute at a pre-Thanksgiving dinner in their classroom this week. Among those enjoying the day were (left to right) Ryan Frye, Julian Ramos, Derwin Adams, Brittney Meler, Ashley Moore.

ICE CARVING -- MS2 Chris Maloney works his magic.