Memories Popeye's Sea Stories

[bdpopeye]

In my early years in the US Navy alcoholism was very much tolerated if not expected...Myself the most I ever drank in my whole life was when I was stationed in Japan. Personally I've had no alcohol since Super Bowl Sunday 2003.

On the JFK out division Chief was nicked named "Chrome Dome". He was bald and even though he was only 35+ years old to us young sailors he was an old man.

Needless to say the man drank a lot in port. A lot. a whole lot. When I was first assigned to my division on the JFK after mess cooking he had just been to Captains Mast (Article 15) for assault and battery. Seems he and another CPO got in a fight with some Italians beat the crap out of them. The Shore patrol ushered them off to Fleet landing and sent them back to the JFK. When they got on board they got into some verbal arguments with the OOD(Officer of the Deck) & CDO(Command Duty Officer). A lot of cussing and hissing. When they went to captains mast.(article 15) Mind you this was in 1972 they received each a very strong verbal reprimand and that their recommendations pulled for Senior CPO(E-8). In todays navy circa 2018 they would have been reduced in rank and maybe given the boot to civilian life along with an other than honorable discharge.

On the Midway there was a AO1 LH in G division. I never saw the man on liberty any where sober. He drank on the ship at sea. He made his own nasty drink. He had a hook up in the ships store. He'd buy cases of Listerine. Which use to be 35% alcohol(70 proof) and mix that with bug juice and drink it. Funny thing is AO1 LH never was ever in trouble and was a excellent AO1. And a some of the brass knew about his drinking. They did nothing. last i saw him he was staggering down the main drag in Olongopo City in 1975. From what I understand in his whole 20 years in the USN he was never on shore duty. Sadly he's probably no longer among the living.

 

[bdpopeye]

You gotta love the USAF. You do. Them boys got it made! I know there are many USAF types that bust arse and face danger everyday....

My USAF story..

In 1976 while stationed at NAS Cubi PT RP the Clark AFB runway was being re-surfaced. So we at Cubi Pt hadda host(baby sit)some of those fine Air Force boys. Many were sent to Okinawa but just as many came to Cubi. I was assigned to Weapons Dept as Armory and pistol range Petty Officer. The USAF airmen that we at Weapons Dept had to host were Security Police. They were escorting "Speical Weapons " That were being flown into Cubi Pt for the USAF.

When those USAF guys came down to Cubi Pt the first thing they did was move in and out of the BEQ(Bachelor Enlisted Quarters..barracks) in a matter of minutes. It was open bay and those little Air Force tykes felt it was substandard quarters. Oh well so the head cheese USAF MasSGT got on the phone to someone at Clark and got authorization to move into a hotel in Olongopo City. Ruff life them boys had!...

Well as time went on they complained about the way the USN did things. The only thing they seemed to like was the chow. It was good at Cubi. One day I took a group out to the Red Label area to observe how sailors load bombs. They were shocked to see that the USN loaded bombs by hand.

One thing that surprised me is they did not understand USN ranks. They assumed that because I was an second class with two stripes that I was and E-2. Believe you me I corrected them on that. When they realized I was an E-5 with only 5 years in they were shocked....They said most guys in the USAF did not make E-5 until about 8 years in...

Those fellas spent a lot of time on the phone with their wives. You'd think they were on a cruise or something. They were at Cubi Pt for about a month. Jeez I had at sea periods longer than that!

I always thought many of the USAF airmen I met lacked a sense of humor. They hate it when the Navy slaps a squadron or command sticker on their aircraft. In the Navy when that happen we just planned to get even.. No big deal.

I know that when sailors went to Clark AFB frequently we were pulled over in our POV for the most minute offense. Or just BS. Don't get me wrong I liked Clark. It had slightly better facilities than the Subic/Cubi complex. Excellent base.

Keep 'em flying boys!

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More from the USAF

Once when I was at NAS Miramar some F-15 from Luke or Nellis came down to Miramar for Top Gun...We went out to check out those Eagles. One of our guys started making fun of the F-15 landing gear as compared to a carrier borne aircraft. Some of those airmen were really getting pissed. It was just a joke. Personally I have a lot of respect for all men and women in uniform... By the way these airmen did not stay in our "substandard" barracks..they stayed in a hotel..Ruff life!

On Diego Garcia we could not get close to the KC-10 & 135s C-141s & C-5s that landed there nearly daily. I will tell you that the USAF maintainers that did come there were really professional. Some shipmates got to go on short re-fueling flights with the USAF with the proper permission.

Keep 'em flying boys!

 

[bdpopeye]

In peace or war there is not much variance in your job serving with the US Navy.. Now in ordnance there is a spike in your workload during wartime..but not so big you cannot adjust.

I remember at the start of the first Gulf War the USN came out with an edict that we would have to ramp things up and possibly work 12 hour days.. Never happened at Miramar as far as I know for AIMD. Of course I was on the Nimitz at the time..I remember our skipper, "Steamboat Willie" tried to get the Nimitz deployed immediately but the higher ups said no. We finally got to the gulf region after most of the shooting was over but our aircraft did return fire on those enemy position that still were in operation.

Old Steamboat was cool. He loved to run that Nimitz at high speed. Dunno why. Maybe because he could. He always gave MAX LIBERTY in port...

sweet words here;

"Nimitz expects to moor at Alava pier, Naval Station Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines at time Zero Eight hundred"...Yep..and the "Nummie" was always on time when Steamboat Willie was at the helm!

*************************************************************************************

Rated - PG

Yes gentlemen the USN had strippers on base in some EM clubs years ago..

Back in late '72 & early '73 when I was on the JFK sometimes at lunch guys would go over to the NAS Norfolk Acey Ducey club(E-5 & E-6) and adult beverages and watch strippers for lunch. The club was open for all hands at lunch time. I remember they had a short chicken wire fence around the strippers. That's so sailors wayward hands would not touch them..But ya' could still stick dollar bills through the chicken wire.

I went with them once or twice..I had a couple of rum and cokes..that's all my 19 year old butt knew how to order..Yea they'd serve ya' on base under age..as long as you were 18..

Enywho we were all loaded up in someones car heading over to the club for "Lunch". Parked ..went inside..NO Strippers!!! What happened?..Seems the Navy Wives Club caught wind of the shenanigans going on at lunch ..launched a protest to the CO and he made the club get rid of the strippers..

Oh well..

End PG rating.

The best enlisted men's clubs were at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. They had "Hostestess"...To me the best club was the Sapamagita Club.. It was near the main gate. They had like all the Clubs on base excellent food, slot machines. Cheap booze, Live music, dancing. There was a Filipino Band that appeared there frequently called the "Hangmen". They could play just about any kind of music and really do a great job of mimicking the sound of your favorite band. Dang..that was long ago. Seems like a dream..back in the day.

Yep..In Subic you had the Sampagita Club & Acey Ducey Club. You had the Fleet Reserve where old drunks that were retired in da' PI hung out. And the Staff NCO club ..with the best food on base!.In Cubi Pt I cannot remember the name of the enlisted club on the mainside of the base but there was another club out in the jungle on base near the MAU (Marine Amphibious Unit) camp called the Sky Club. That place was really nice. All these clubs had "hostesses". Plenty of them. Slot machines, Just nickel and dime. Nice restaurants. Dancing and live music. Rec rooms etc. No video games..they were not invented yet. And cheap booze. Happy hour >> 10 cents a drink.

Now the clubs in Clark AFB were nice too. About the same as the Navy clubs. I think the USAF slot machines were very loose. Because one day I won two jackpots on a dime machine. On about 4 pulls of the handle. It was only $75 bucks each. But when you were pullin' down about $450 a month..I think..That's a big chunk of change. But every thing in the Philippines was so cheap back then. On base and off. Seems I was never broke there..never..

On base at Subic they had a recreation facility that did not exist for the USN stateside. Go cart track. It was not open all the time because of two things..Drunks and rain. Some drunk would crash or try to take off with a cart and it closed. And it rained about 6 months out of the year there. I remember that they had horse back riding..But there was also horseback riding at Miramar in San Diego.

Another thing that was great in the PI was the movie theaters on base..there were 4 of them. And the movies were only .25 cents The movies were about 3-6 months behind first run movies back in the World.

It all seems so long ago..and it was August 1975 to October 1977. A long..long time ago...in a Navy far far away...

 

[Bombardier]

I always thought many of the USAF airmen I met lacked a sense of humor. They hate it when the Navy slaps a squadron or command sticker on their aircraft. In the Navy when that happen we just planned to get even.. No big deal.

I see nothing changes doesn't matter what part of the world

 

[bdpopeye]

Thanks Bombardier!

I was on the USS John F Kennedy CVA-67 from March of '72 Until August 1973. I loved that ship.

During the two Mediterranean cruises I made on that ship we visited Palma de Mallorca, Spain 8 times. Yep we spent a lot of time in port all over the MED back in da' day!..

Palma is a very beautiful island in the Mediterranean. Millions of tourist vista that island annually. Especially from April until October. Palma not only had your typical sailor hang outs it had great night clubs, restaurants, beaches and sights to see.

Well we squids like to explore and low and behold we found a small amusement park about seven or eight miles from fleet landing. they had this chinsey baby roller coaster, merry-go-round some carnival games and a go-cart track.

The roller coaster was so weak you could stand up on the thing..weak..

Anyway..at this park they had some carnival games. One was throwing a ball at some bottles. If you knocked over the bottles you won this giant bottle of rot-gut champagne. It was huge. At least a gallon and a half.. Since American are so gifted at hand and eye sports..baseball, basketball & American Football.. we had no problem knocking over those bottles. Some Euros throw like girls ya' know. Plus the carnies there did not have the sense to weight down the bottles like in the US..duh! weak carnies!

Sooo. By the afternoon many days sailors were all wandering around in this little amusement park drinking these bottles of rot gut champagne in the hot Spanish sun. Guys where on the go-cart track driving those little hot-rods and sluggin' down champagne at the same time. Of course some decided to ride off the track.. Ridin' on the roller coaster standing up and switching cars.. Of course this sort of behavior was not tolerated long by the owners of this fine establishment. Soon after complaints to the USN then with an suggestion by the USN, the bottle knock down game was discontinued and the behavior of the sailors involved calmed down substantially....

All this meant is that more sailors would be drinking in the bars in the "Gut" and chasing the many fallen women..

I stand redeemed...

 

[bdpopeye]

1975...At NAS Alemeda there was a basketball league. USS Hancock had a team so did the Enterprise. There was a game between the two ships. Naturally the Hanna team was beating the tar outta the Big "E" team. Late in the game Big"E" sailors started hurling insults not at Hannas team but at the Hanna itself.

..Calling her old and tired. Broke down busted and disgusted

...That she was. Hancock sailors just pointed at the scoreboard

...Then the Big"E" sailors really started some name calling..such as refering to Old "Fightin' Hanna" as the "Handjob"

..

That was the wrong thing to say. Needless to say some Hancock sailors decided to take matters in their own hands and lived up to the name "Fightin' Hanna"

. It was a small skirmish involving no more than 5 or 6 shipmates...Order was quickly restored. Cooler heads prevailed and Hanna won the game.

But by the next day, according to MDI (Mess Deck Intelligence), the fight had turned into a riot at the gym. the BS was really flying over that one..yep that was the real Navy..back in da' day.

 

[Chazman]

My son was stationed on board the USS Paul F. Foster DD-964 from April 2000 til April 2003 ..check this out.

Download HiRes



BTW, this is the last surviving member of the Spruance class. The ex-Paul F. Foster is the US Navy's Self Defense Test Ship and can be operated by remote control. Here's a newer pic of it

 

[bdpopeye]

Nice! USS Paul F Foster had MK-41 VLS cells installed and operated as an DDG. It does not have the Aegis system making it somewhat limited.

==============================================================

Mickey Mouse=Rules that are applied to adults as though the adults are children.

In another forum this was posted about Mickey Mouse rules;

I'm inclined to agree about the Mickey Mouse, but we keep having junior sailors get in various type of trouble (both personal and... umm, international).
Like I said ..it's Mickey Mouse. BS in other words. I understand the image of the USN overseas and not wanting to have altercations with host nationals...I understand.

In my non-rate 17-20 years old days in the Navy we had in a general sense while deployed;

In the early seventies if you got drunk your buddies would pour you back to the ship or Fleet landing and take care of you. And if you were not belligerent Nothing would happen. Now a days you are placed on report or even given a breath alizer test and you liberty is restricted. In Japan you have to go on liberty with another sailor and there's a curfue at 2200(11pm)

In the early 70s it was Max over night liberty in every port for all hands in WESTPAC and the MED. Except the first day in a Spanish ports non-rates hadda wear a uniform and be back on fleet landing by midnight or you could turn into a report chit.

On the Hancock we did have a liberty risk system for those boneheads so inclined to get into trouble. I think that system was in place on the Nimitz but I was a PR1(E-6) by then and did not really care about that. None of my guys ever got in trouble on liberty.

Judging by how the USN treats non-rates today I woulda been hating the Navy if I were a non-rate today...And probably would have gotten out. Good liberty was one of the reasons I re-enlisted the first time.

 

[bdpopeye]

In early April of 1975 while the Hanna was inport in Subic the second day in I hadda stand Shore Patrol.

Shore patrol in Olongopo was a little different than other ports. First you were inspected by the OOD on board your ship. If you weren't squared away you were by the time you left the ship you'd be in big trouble. Then you had to muster just outside the main gate at Subic at the HQ of 7th Fleet Shore Patrol. there you where inspected again. Well just so happens the day I had shore patrol when I stepped out of the truck one of the Stationed "dito"(here) permanent Shore Patrol told me don't fall in come with me.. I'm wondering what did I do? ..well he just selected me to ride shotgun with him. All we did that night was ride around PO city. The first stop we made was Po city police station to see if they had any wayward sailors there in custody They did not. We went there several times that evening. It was pretty peaceful that night. All night this shipmate shore patrol is telling me how great it is to be stationed in the Subic/Cubi complex. And reminded me that being there was not a full time party. By the end of that evening I was ready to ship over! He was a great salesmen! That evening many shipmates did not have overnight liberty because everyone was under orders to get underway in short notice. So at about 2330 they had to head back to the ship instead of spending the night in an hotel or residence with a hostess

The Philippines was under martial law at this time. Everyone had to be off the streets and indoors by midnight otherwise you could be arrested. So at about 2330 the bars started to close and everyone was herded back to the main gate of Subic. Fortunately we did not have to participate in this round up. We went to the main taxi stand at the main gate on base and watch drunks stand in line to wait for a taxi. Guys are drunk..being held up by their shipmates. Our job was to watch out keep any situation from turning into "Fist City" the worst thing that happened was some dude barfed in a cab soon as he opened the door..Nice.

The next time I did stand shore patrol in Olongopo, in 1975, is was too uneventful until the end of the evening when all the sailors that were not "hooked up" for the evening had to be herded back to the main gate. The problem is not with my fellow squids but was with the hostesses..They constantly taunt, tease, grab and proposition you as you herd your shipmates down Magsaysay Drive..better know as the "Main Drag"

Only on one other occasion did I ever stand shore patrol in the Philippines was when I was on the Nimitz I stood shore patrol in Subic City. And was teasing the folks out there in my limited Tagalog.

Back in da' Day! inna Navy far far away...long before most of you were born!

 

[BravoZulu]

Nice! USS Paul F Foster had MK-41 VLS cells installed and operated as an DDG. It does not have the Aegis system making it somewhat limited.

==============================================================

Mickey Mouse=Rules that are applied to adults as though the adults are children.

In another forum this was posted about Mickey Mouse rules;



In my non-rate 17-20 years old days in the Navy we had in a general sense while deployed;

In the early seventies if you got drunk your buddies would pour you back to the ship or Fleet landing and take care of you. And if you were not belligerent Nothing would happen. Now a days you are placed on report or even given a breath alizer test and you liberty is restricted. In Japan you have to go on liberty with another sailor and there's a curfue at 2200(11pm)

In the early 70s it was Max over night liberty in every port for all hands in WESTPAC and the MED. Except the first day in a Spanish ports non-rates hadda wear a uniform and be back on fleet landing by midnight or you could turn into a report chit.

On the Hancock we did have a liberty risk system for those boneheads so inclined to get into trouble. I think that system was in place on the Nimitz but I was a PR1(E-6) by then and did not really care about that. None of my guys ever got in trouble on liberty.

Judging by how the USN treats non-rates today I woulda been hating the Navy if I were a non-rate today...And probably would have gotten out. Good liberty was one of the reasons I re-enlisted the first time.

Pretty close to how it was in the R.A.N. in the 70's and 80's when I was in, partied and played hard, worked hard.
And what you're saying about non-rates today is also how it is in the modern R.A.N. for all rates @bdpopeye

The navy is still a great career today I believe but the 18yr old me wouldn't survive long today methinks

 

[BravoZulu]

In early April of 1975 while the Hanna was inport in Subic the second day in I hadda stand Shore Patrol.

Shore patrol in Olongopo was a little different than other ports. First you were inspected by the OOD on board your ship. If you weren't squared away you were by the time you left the ship you'd be in big trouble. Then you had to muster just outside the main gate at Subic at the HQ of 7th Fleet Shore Patrol. there you where inspected again. Well just so happens the day I had shore patrol when I stepped out of the truck one of the Stationed "dito"(here) permanent Shore Patrol told me don't fall in come with me.. I'm wondering what did I do? ..well he just selected me to ride shotgun with him. All we did that night was ride around PO city. The first stop we made was Po city police station to see if they had any wayward sailors there in custody They did not. We went there several times that evening. It was pretty peaceful that night. All night this shipmate shore patrol is telling me how great it is to be stationed in the Subic/Cubi complex. And reminded me that being there was not a full time party. By the end of that evening I was ready to ship over! He was a great salesmen! That evening many shipmates did not have overnight liberty because everyone was under orders to get underway in short notice. So at about 2330 they had to head back to the ship instead of spending the night in an hotel or residence with a hostess

The Philippines was under martial law at this time. Everyone had to be off the streets and indoors by midnight otherwise you could be arrested. So at about 2330 the bars started to close and everyone was herded back to the main gate of Subic. Fortunately we did not have to participate in this round up. We went to the main taxi stand at the main gate on base and watch drunks stand in line to wait for a taxi. Guys are drunk..being held up by their shipmates. Our job was to watch out keep any situation from turning into "Fist City" the worst thing that happened was some dude barfed in a cab soon as he opened the door..Nice.

The next time I did stand shore patrol in Olongopo, in 1975, is was too uneventful until the end of the evening when all the sailors that were not "hooked up" for the evening had to be herded back to the main gate. The problem is not with my fellow squids but was with the hostesses..They constantly taunt, tease, grab and proposition you as you herd your shipmates down Magsaysay Drive..better know as the "Main Drag"

Only on one other occasion did I ever stand shore patrol in the Philippines was when I was on the Nimitz I stood shore patrol in Subic City. And was teasing the folks out there in my limited Tagalog.

Back in da' Day! inna Navy far far away...long before most of you were born!

I was in Subic in April 1975 @bdpopeye, HMAS Brisbane, a Charles F Adams DDG....might have passed you in the main drag old fella, I was a bright eyed, 1st time "up top" virgin as we say, 1st time overseas and 18yrs old....what a time for a young man!!!

 

[bdpopeye]

I was in Subic in April 1975 @bdpopeye, HMAS Brisbane, a Charles F Adams DDG....might have passed you in the main drag old fella, I was a bright eyed, 1st time "up top" virgin as we say, 1st time overseas and 18yrs old....what a time for a young man!!!

Oh hell yes....Gents you had to be there. Nothing like it in our modern times. Absolutely NOTHING!....Period....

I stand redeemed....

 

[bdpopeye]

Loan sharking was big business for some..back in 'da day. We called it a slush fund.. In the Philippines we had a division "Slush Fund" 20% intrest on a loan. I think you could borrow up to $100 bucks.

You could buy shares in the slush. And every six months there was a pay out.

True story. The guy that ran the slush in PI when first got there was AO1 LA..AO1 LA was the division LPO..If ya' needed a few bucks before payday he was da' man to see. He also held the cash generated by our gedunk. Anyway like I stated he would divvy up the slush according to the shares every six month. Well he transferred and passed the slush fund to AO2 HJ. AO2 HJ was a real honest guy.. But we found out 6 months later that AO1 LA was not an honest guy. Enywho after 6 months we got our payout from the slush fund. Everyone was surprised because our shares were nearly doubled! Holy crap Batman! After a thorough check of the books it was summarized that AO1 LA was ripping us off. We always wondered why he walked around with the slush fund in his pocket..And guess what? We could do nothing about it. Why? Because slush funds are illegal. We broke the slush fund up after that incident.

I did see AO1 LA at NAS North Island. He was at VS-41. I just acted like he was cool..knowing all along he was a thief..

 

[bdpopeye]

One thing sailors do admire about the USAF is their facilities. Especially the barracks. The barracks the USN had back in the 70s were from WWII. No kidding. Old open bay barracks. Even most of the newer barracks were open bay..I know guys on shore duty hated that.

Back in '75 on the Hanna we stopped in Pearl briefly. Myself and another man AO3 LA went over to Hickam because we head a lot of girls were in the enlisted clubs and the food was great. Sure enough lots of girls and great food. We were walking back to the bus stop and this airmen(E-3) asked us did we need a ride. Sure we say. He started to drive us and we started shooting the breeze about this and that. He invited us to his barracks to get a drink. Ok we say...So when we arrived we were very surprised to see that this airmen had a room by himself in a barracks that looked like a hotel. It was as nice as any barracks I've seen since. After a couple of beers he drove us back to the Hanna. The OOD let us bring the zoomie on board for a short tour. He was astounded.. Needless to say. Since it was at night he decided to return to Hanna the next day for the full Monty tour. we sure gave it to him. He said he had a new respect for sailors living on board ships.......

Keep 'em flyin' boys!

 

[bdpopeye]

Carriers have minor fires more often than you could imagine. At least 2 or three a week. Example, a fan room fire, trash can, vent fires, grease from the galley etc etc... Usually minor fires.

Once aboard the JFK I was ditty bopin' down the hangar deck probably heading to chow and I heard on the 1MC. "Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire in Hangar Bay two! Aircraft 101 is on fire! Away the Flying Squad away!" Guess who was within 20 feet of aircraft 101?? Me! All I saw was sparks and smoke coming from the belly tank(I thought) on a VF-14 Phantom. actually what was on fire was the electrical connectors for that tank. The fire hoses were being dragged out by blue shirts. This first class grabbed me by the shoulder and told me to man that hose...Me and anyone else who was near by. Anyway some guys from VF-14 jet shop and ordies dropped that tank shoved it into the MED and put the fire out with an C0/2 extinguisher in no time flat. I'd say in less than two minutes. Awesome..

 

[bdpopeye]

The USN & USMC probably have more slang & terms than any other service..

Gedunk..candy, snacks soda etc.. also anything that is BS or not that important.
bulkhead = wall
overhead =Ceiling
deck = floor
galley = kitchen
mess deck = chow hall on board ship
scuttlebutt = drinking fountain or a rumor
MDI = Mess Deck Intelligence
pecker checker = Hospital corpsman(medic)
snipe = engineering sailor
Airedale = aviation sailor
blackshoe = any one else
The Gut = Area of bars and prostitutes in Mediterranean ports.
zero = officer
turd chaser = Hull tech (They do plumbing)
tit-less wave = anyone in admin..That's an old Navy term no longer used.
WAVE cage = Female barracks..sorry old term.
Reactor trout = fish sticks on an CVN
Topside = upper decks or decks exposed to the weather.
Deck ape = Boatswain mate
boot camper = someone fresh outta boot camp.
Pollywog = a sailor that has not been initiated by crossing the equator.
Shellback = a sailor that has crossed the equator and been inatiated.
sea lawyer = a sailor that thinks he knows everything and how to skirt the regs..
Air Boss = Air Officer on a carrier. He's in charge of the flight deck. He is god of the flight deck. Period.
Bumertown = Bremerton WA
'Po City = Olongopo City Republic of the Philippines
San Dog = San Diego CA
Bird farm= Aircraft Carrier
Flattop = aircraft carrier
Mess Crank or Crank = A Mess Cook(KP)
Rain locker = Shower
Rotor Head = An airdale sailor that maintains or is a helo crewmen.
Skylarking = goofing around
Bremolow = An obese Navy wife.
Sea Daddy = an endearing term for an old salt(experienced sailor)
Bubblehead = Submariner
Snipe = Someone working in engineering
Dodge City = Downtown Diego Garcia
Bulkhead Remover = An item for newbies to fetch
Deep Six = Dump it
Boondockers= Low cut work shoes
Pull chocks= Time to get out
Hernia Bar= manual weapons loading bar
Float test= throwing stuff overboard
Double Nuts 0r nuts= Aircraft with "00" as squadron serial numbers (Usually the CAG aircraft)
helo = helicopter
bird = naval aircraft

 

[Chazman]

Nice! USS Paul F Foster had MK-41 VLS cells installed and operated as an DDG. It does not have the Aegis system making it somewhat limited.

I think this is worthy of discussion but don't want to hijack your excellent thread further and will make another thread.

 

[Bombardier]

I used to have a bit of software that allowed for just this very thing unfortunately it was not supported by the maker (for updates and such like) it soon became a liability to the security of our site so I deleted it. I am always plugging coders to write something new so who knows in the future we may have a brand new function here. The previous software was titled 'Military Dictionary' and allowed members to post a word and describe it, including context

 

[bdpopeye]

In peace or war there is not much variance in your job serving with the US Navy.. Now in ordnance there is a spike in your workload during wartime..but not so big you cannot adjust.

I remember at the start of the first Gulf War the USN came out with an edict that we would have to ramp things up and possibly work 12 hour days.. Never happened at Miramar as far as I know for AIMD. Of course I was on the Nimitz at the time..I remember our skipper, "Steamboat Willie" tried to get the Nimitz deployed immediately but the higher ups said no. We finally got to the gulf region after most of the shooting was over but our aircraft did return fire on those enemy position that still were in operation.

Old Steamboat was cool. He loved to run that Nimitz at high speed. Dunno why. Maybe because he could. He always gave MAX LIBERTY in port...

sweet words here;

"Nimitz expects to moor at Alava pier, Naval Station Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines at time Zero Eight hundred"...Yep..and the "Nummie" was always on time when Steamboat Willie was at the helm!

 

[bdpopeye]

Rated - PG

The USN had strippers on base in some EM clubs years ago....It is now my understanding that the USN has zero enlisted men's clubs. I could be wrong...

Back in late '72 & early '73 when I was on the JFK sometimes at lunch guys would go over to the NAS Norfolk Acey Ducey club(E-5 & E-6) and drink beer and watch strippers for lunch. The club was open for all hands at lunch time. I remember they had a short chicken wire fence around the strippers. That's so sailors wayward hands would not touch them..But ya' could still stick dollar bills through the chicken wire.

I went with them once or twice..I had a couple of rum and cokes..that's all my 19 year old butt knew how to order..Yea they'd serve ya' on base under age..as long as you were 18..

Enywho we were all loaded up in someones car heading over to the club for "Lunch". Parked ..went inside..NO Strippers!!! What happened?..Seems the Navy Wives Club caught wind of the shenanigans going on at lunch ..launched a protest to the CO and he made the club get rid of the strippers..

Oh well..

End PG rating.

The best enlisted men's clubs were at Subic Bay. They had "Hostestess"...To me the best club was the Sapamagita Club.. It was near the main gate. They had, like all the Clubs on base, excellent food, slot machines. Cheap booze, Live music, dancing. There was a Filipino Band that appeared there frequently called the "Hangmen". They could play just about any kind of music and really do a great job of mimicking the sound of your favorite band. Dang..that was long ago. Seems like a dream..back in the day.

Yep..In Subic you had the Sampagita Club & Acey Ducey Club. You had the Fleet Reserve where old drunks that were retired in da' PI hung out. And the Staff NCO club ..with the best food on base!.In Cubi Pt I cannot remember the name of the enlisted club on the mainside of the base but there was another club out in the jungle on base near the MAU (Marine Amphibious Unit) camp called the Sky Club. That place was really nice. All these clubs had "Hostesses". Plenty of them. Slot machines, Just nickel and dime. Nice restaurants. Dancing and live music. Rec rooms etc. No video games..they were not invented yet. And cheap booze. Happy hour >> 10 cents a drink.

Now the clubs in Clark AFB were nice too. About the same as the Navy clubs. I think the USAF slot machines were very loose. Because one day I won two jackpots on a dime machine. On about 4 pulls of the handle. It was only $75 bucks each. But when you were pullin' down about $450 a month..I think..That's a big chunk of change. But every thing in the Philippines was so cheap back then. On base and off. Seems I was never broke there..never..

On base at Subic they had a recreation facility that did not exist for the USN stateside. Go cart track. It was not open all the time because of two things..Drunks and rain. Some drunk would crash or try to take off with a cart and it closed. And it rained about 6 months out of the year there. I remember that they had horse back riding..But there was also horseback riding at Miramar in San Diego.

Another thing that was great in the PI was the movie theaters on base..there were 4 of them. And the movies were only .25 cents The movies were about 3-6 months behind first run movies back in the World.

It all seems so long ago..and it was August 1975 to October 1977. A long..long time ago....in a Navy far far away...