Popeye's Sea Stories

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
1) I only served on carriers which are a stand off weapon. Plus no country has tried to attack a carrier since WWII. Now at the end of the Vietnam war I was part of operation Eagle Pull and Frequent Wind.

Check this old thread out for my account of what happened aboard USS Hancock (CVA 19)

29 April 1975..Operation Frequent Wind | sinodefenceforum


2) Whales? Sure I've seen them . And Dolphins, flying fish & sea snakes. Those animals never get in the way of the ship. Nothing like that idiotic Whale Wars show.

Dolphins travel in the bow wake of carrier. I've seen this many times.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
So Popeye, what was your shellbacking like?

I wrote a post about that. From mp.net. I may write a better discription later or tomorrow.

My question is to the old sea dogs out there like Ordie and Popeye, how does it compare to how it was done in your day and do you think its for the better or worse that we now have alot of rules to protect sailors from unnecessary abuse and hazing, or we should we all just harden up a bit?

What Ordie stated is 100% correct. Compared how it was.. and how it now is..it has really been toned down. They don't evn have a beauty contest. I asked my son about it and he said he never heard of a beauty contest..jeezz..And he became a shellback in 2002.

Ordie stated;
The day of the initiation the Wogs put on their dungarees inside out.

Yep us too. On the America after the initiation we had to walk over to elevator 3 and toss our dungarees overboard. The Russkie trawler that had been trailing us was observed scooping up the nasty dungarees..

I remember in the morning of wog day all the chow was dyed green. But the Shellback ate in the forward galley a breakfast of steak & eggs..

After the initiation all hands were served steak and lobster.

Eztyga stated;
I regard my Crossing the Line Certificate higher than my medals.

Not me.I hear ya though!.It was one of the toughest things I ever did in the USN.

Here's Big Daddy Popeye Shellback certificate from the USS America CV-66 on 10 August 1981 in the Indian Ocean on our way to OZ....aaarrrvvv

Here's my shellback certificate.

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There are photos on these pages of the Shellback initiation aboard America;

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pla101prc

Senior Member
Re: PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme..News & Views

Popeye's Navy rant..

I see we have some comedians here at SDF..That's cool



In all honesty and sincerity going to sea is no joking matter. Your wife and kids are not their. Your mommie won't tuck you in at night. You can't raid the fridge in the middle of the night..or day depending on what shift you work. You have to stand watches when you are susposed to be sleeping. The 1MC (loudspearker) is making announcements....all day..

You have to work 12 hours on and 12 hours off.. many shipmates work much more than that. Day after day..night after night. That's the real "Ground hog day".. And there's drills.. General Quarters, Fire drills, mass casualty drills etc..etc.. Oh let's not forget UNREPs..now called RAS, replenishment at Sea. And let's us not forget the working parties for mail ,unreps , flight & hangar deck "scrubex"..and the list goes on..

If you are lower ranked enlisted.. I hope you like standing in line. On Hancock I hadda stand in line to take a shower some times. Lines for the ships stores, chow, barber shop, sick call.. especially after a port call in a port where, shall I say, the natives are friendly.

Oh there are fun times..video games , movies on Tv, gyms, bingo all sorts of tournaments...but it's not Fun city. No way.

No half steppin' allowed, Trust me ..It ain't no joke.

Rant over

you neglected some very critical component in your description of fun times...was that deliberate. there is no way people who spend months in a can (regardless of how big it is) interpret fun the same way as ordinary people do.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Re: PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme..News & Views

you neglected some very critical component in your description of fun times...was that deliberate. there is no way people who spend months in a can (regardless of how big it is) interpret fun the same way as ordinary people do.

You are so correct. What you stated is true of anyone sequestered for any reason. Shipmates need recreation to break the bond of the Groundhog day drudgery. Too me many events held anywhere for fun are just stupid. This stems from my childhood when "fun' was limited.

Going on liberty/shore leave is much more "fun"..now that's something I liked.

And...The Shellback initiation is certainly deliberate.
 

pla101prc

Senior Member
Re: PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme..News & Views

You are so correct. What you stated is true of anyone sequestered for any reason. Shipmates need recreation to break the bond of the Groundhog day drudgery. Too me many events held anywhere for fun are just stupid. This stems from my childhood when "fun' was limited.

Going on liberty/shore leave is much more "fun"..now that's something I liked.

And...The Shellback initiation is certainly deliberate.

anyone ever fell off the ship? never been on a carrier before dont know if there are protective measures to prevent things like that...

also what was the worst punishment you have gotten for a disciplinary infringement? i am not talking court martial or summary trial but motivational PT type of stuff
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Re: PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme..News & Views

anyone ever fell off the ship? never been on a carrier before dont know if there are protective measures to prevent things like that...

also what was the worst punishment you have gotten for a disciplinary infringement? i am not talking court martial or summary trial but motivational PT type of stuff

Great questions..

Oh every ship I served aboard someone fell overboard. Numerous shipmates. Perhaps a total of twenty in seven deployments. All in all only two were lost. One shipmate that jumped off during an unrep aboard Hancock in '75 and an oiler. He was sucked under Hancock and chewed up like mince meat.

In '73 a shipmate fell over board while transiting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean aboard JFK in the dead of night. That shipmate was never found.

I never went to any non-judicial punishment..never.. In fact I received five good conduct medals in my 20 year career. At the time I served the Good Conduct medals were awarded every four years. You can't have any non-Judaical punishment on your record to receive a good conduct medal.

When you get out of USN boot camp the PT punishment ends. Instead there is EMI..Extra Military Instruction.

Once I did get written up for being in a catwalk on the Hancock trying to get a photo of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor with my dungarees ,ie working uniform, on. that was a no-no. You had to be in Tropical Whites. I was given 3 hours extra duty..thats all..nothing on my record..:) And that's the only time in my career I ever got into any trouble.

Popeye was raised in a very strict environment. You just did not challenge my dad's Authority. Having lived under my dad made the navy very easy for me discipline wise.
 
Last edited:

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Re: PLAN Aircraft Carrier programme..News & Views

Great questions..

Oh every ship I served aboard someone fell overboard. Numerous shipmates. Perhaps a total of twenty in seven deployments. All in all only two were lost. One shipmate that jumped off during an unrep aboard Hancock in '75 and an oiler. He was sucked under Hancock and chewed up like mince meat.

In '73 a shipmate fell over board while transiting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean aboard JFK in the dead of night. That shipmate was never found.

I never went to any non-judicial punishment..never.. In fact I received five good conduct medals in my 20 year career. At the time I served the Good Conduct medals were awarded every four years. You can't have any non-Judaical punishment on your record to receive a good conduct medal.

When you get out of USN boot camp the PT punishment ends. Instead there is EMI..Extra Military Instruction.

Once I did get written up for being in a catwalk on the Hancock trying to get a photo of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor with my dungarees ,ie working uniform, on. that was a no-no. You had to be in Tropical Whites. I was given 3 hours extra duty..thats all..nothing on my record..:) And that's the only time in my career I ever got into any trouble.

Popeye was raised in a very strict environment. You just did not challenge my dad's Authority. Having lived under my dad made the navy very easy for me discipline wise.

very kool Popeye,,,, I remember one morning on the farm, I was going to college, and Pappy starts giving me orders, I told him in NO UNCERTAIN TERMs, NYET!,,,,,, he was coming across the breakfast table with both fists "clenched", not even touching the ground, he was flyin dudes,,,,,, he was gonna beat me to a bloody pulp!!!! Well, I made Henry Kissenger look like a trouble maker,,,,, I barely got him on the ground before all kinds of bloody warfare ensued, my blood..... I remember my little brother, yes he's still a jerk, flipping the old man off, as he rolled down the driveway, locking the doors of his black with white stripes 71 "Heavy Chevy" Chevelle, the old man landed in the middle of his hood scope, but was travelling at such a high rate of speed that he rolled off the port side front fender, lucky for my "stoopid little brother", he went to live with my aunt and uncle,,,,,, yeah, and I had two bedrooms upstairs for the brat to lounge in,,,,,,,gee, I miss my old man.
 
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