I can just imagine the reaction some of these calls got! Man oh man.
Gotta love this one too.
"Stand by for the evening prayer."
Popeye's Sea Stories
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
Gotta love this one too.
"Stand by for the evening prayer."
Yep..every night at sea or in port at 2200(10pm).. Stand by for the evening prayer.
Forgive me if I'm repeating myself..
In early April 1972 my first day aboard at sea aboard the JFK i went up to Vultures Row to watch my very first flight ops. Our helo squadron HC-2 det 67 was still flying SH-2F Sea Sprites. Referred to as "Hooky Two's".. Don't know why. Well we had just got underway from Rhodes Greece. When the SAR helo lifted off the deck of CVA-67 it did not get very high then it pummeled into the Mediterranean. The first thing I heard on the IMC was. Aircraft down! Aircraft down! Port side. Duty motor whale boat crew man the Port motor whale boat!... then there was a pause..next I heard.."Man overboard, Man overboard..Port side! All hands muster on station! Well honestly this was my first day at sea and I did not know where to go!.. so I went down to the cargo office where I worked and mustered. Sure enough that was where I should have gone.
Fast forward to 1981..
Much is made now-a-days of long separation due to military deployments and the problems that can occur. Back in '82 after our(VS-33) '81 deployment on the America we had an Jet Mech AD3 FM that wanted to re-enlist. He was a tall quiet kid that just did his job. He had a lot of problems with his wife during and after the deployment. Bottom line is she wanted him to get out of the USN and move back to Pennsylvania ..I think. And he wanted to ship over. She hated the USN and he loved it.
Bottom line is one day she came to the squadron while we were shore based at NASNI just to give him a ration of crap. She left in a huff. Got in her old station wagon and tried to run him over while he was standing next to the street side entrance to the hangar. She missed. She had crashed her car into the hangar. She got out in a tirad proceed to beat AD3 FM about the head and shoulders with her fist..security was summoned along with others and she was arrested. Dunno what happened to her. I'd like to say he dumped her crazy butt and shipped over..but know he stuck with her and then got out of the Navy..
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Something that younger sailors don't know.. until about 1977 or so at sea the USN paid in cash. Except on the JFK which was the first USN ship to pay by check.
Anyway to get paid in cash they had these pay chits(slips). You simply filled it out. You could write any amount in as long as you did not exceed the amount you were owed. The cash you did not withdraw was "left on the books". Kinda a neat way to save a little money...without interest of course. I know on the Hanna I missed several paydays because I was still on liberty in the PI and did not want to go all the way back to the ship to get changed just to get paid when I had plenty of cash.
That reminds me..on Hanna and Midway we always had payday just before we pulled into port as longs as pay day was at least a week away. That is a nutshell of the way the USN would pay you before all this electronic wizardry of the last 30+ years or so ago.
Much is made now-a-days of long separation due to military deployments and the problems that can occur. Back in '82 after our(VS-33) '81 deployment on the America we had an Jet Mech AD3 FM that wanted to re-enlist. He was a tall quiet kid that just did his job. He had a lot of problems with his wife during and after the deployment. Bottom line is she wanted him to get out of the USN and move back to Pennsylvania ..I think. And he wanted to ship over. She hated the USN and he loved it.
Bottom line is one day she came to the squadron while we were shore based at NASNI just to give him a ration of crap. She left in a huff. Got in her old station wagon and tried to run him over while he was standing next to the street side entrance to the hangar. She missed. She had crashed her car into the hangar. She got out in a tirad proceed to beat AD3 FM about the head and shoulders with her fist..security was summoned along with others and she was arrested. Dunno what happened to her. I'd like to say he dumped her crazy butt and shipped over..but know he stuck with her and then got out of the Navy..
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Something that younger sailors don't know.. until about 1977 or so at sea the USN paid in cash. Except on the JFK which was the first USN ship to pay by check.
Anyway to get paid in cash they had these pay chits(slips). You simply filled it out. You could write any amount in as long as you did not exceed the amount you were owed. The cash you did not withdraw was "left on the books". Kinda a neat way to save a little money...without interest of course. I know on the Hanna I missed several paydays because I was still on liberty in the PI and did not want to go all the way back to the ship to get changed just to get paid when I had plenty of cash.
That reminds me..on Hanna and Midway we always had payday just before we pulled into port as longs as pay day was at least a week away. That is a nutshell of the way the USN would pay you before all this electronic wizardry of the last 30+ years or so ago.
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The first part of my liberty story about Hong Kong FEB 1974.. rated PG-13..possibly R.. you have been warned..click the link.
Sorry..dead link...
Hong Kong 1974..
The second day in port the Marine Detachment(MARDET) on the Midway had a party in Popeye's bar in the Suzie Wong district. Back in those days MARDETs guarded the SAS magazines(nuclear weapons) and ran the brig on board those ships so equipped. The Midway had a Red Line Brig. Dunno what a Red Line Brig was?
A Red Line Brig was run similar but much harsher than USMC Boot Camp of the Vietnam Era. Shipmates did not wanna go there. Prisoners were often slapped and punched. They had to PT til they nearly dropped. This continued in the USN until one fine day on the USS Ranger CV-61 in 1981 while import in Subic Bay RP. Seems the brig guards had the brig rats on the flight deck PTing in the blazing PI sun. It was about 95F with the same humidity. Anyway a kid that happen to be an AOAN had some sort of seizure and died. After this incident the Marines were taken off the administration of the ship's brigs. Now shipboard brigs are run by the Security Department, overseen by the Security Officer, the Chief Master-at-Arms and the Brig Supervisor. Interesting thing is that the Navy was in training by the Marines on the Ranger to operate the brig at the time of the unfortunate death.
..Back to my story.."Popeyes Bar" had mirrors on all the ceilings & walls. Some former Brig rats got wind that the Marines were partying in Popeye's. Well they went in there and tore the Marines and that place to smithereens. They busted everything in there. The Hong Kong police arrested those involved that they could catch. The CDO or XO had to go bail them out of jail. I guess the Navy paid for the damage. No the ship did not get kicked out of port.
Such was life in the 1974 US Navy.
Sorry..dead link...
Hong Kong 1974..
The second day in port the Marine Detachment(MARDET) on the Midway had a party in Popeye's bar in the Suzie Wong district. Back in those days MARDETs guarded the SAS magazines(nuclear weapons) and ran the brig on board those ships so equipped. The Midway had a Red Line Brig. Dunno what a Red Line Brig was?
A Red Line Brig was run similar but much harsher than USMC Boot Camp of the Vietnam Era. Shipmates did not wanna go there. Prisoners were often slapped and punched. They had to PT til they nearly dropped. This continued in the USN until one fine day on the USS Ranger CV-61 in 1981 while import in Subic Bay RP. Seems the brig guards had the brig rats on the flight deck PTing in the blazing PI sun. It was about 95F with the same humidity. Anyway a kid that happen to be an AOAN had some sort of seizure and died. After this incident the Marines were taken off the administration of the ship's brigs. Now shipboard brigs are run by the Security Department, overseen by the Security Officer, the Chief Master-at-Arms and the Brig Supervisor. Interesting thing is that the Navy was in training by the Marines on the Ranger to operate the brig at the time of the unfortunate death.
..Back to my story.."Popeyes Bar" had mirrors on all the ceilings & walls. Some former Brig rats got wind that the Marines were partying in Popeye's. Well they went in there and tore the Marines and that place to smithereens. They busted everything in there. The Hong Kong police arrested those involved that they could catch. The CDO or XO had to go bail them out of jail. I guess the Navy paid for the damage. No the ship did not get kicked out of port.
Such was life in the 1974 US Navy.
I served during the Cold War. The Russians watched the US..the US watched Russia. This was really true at sea. There was always a Russian ship trailing the JFK, America, Hancock or Midway...By the time I got on the Nimitz that all had ceased.
Usually it was a Russian trawler. Sometimes Soviet aircraft would over fly us always accompanied by F-4s or Tomcats.
The first time I saw some Soviet sailors up close and personal was in Barcelona SP in May 1972. We were anchored out. We hadda take a liberty boat to go on liberty. we went on liberty and after a while we found our way near the port services and low and behold a Soviet trawler and destroyer or frigate was tied up. We decided we would try to take a tour of said vessels but those smelly old Russians did not allow visitors in 1972. Those Russian mates were not allowed off the ship. Too bad so sad! So they just sat in port twiddling their thumbs and doing the five knuckle shuffle all the while we Americans were partying our butts off. No foolin'!! As we walked away from the ships some Russian sailors were gesturing to us to get them some kind of booze and marijuana or hashish and of course porn. Shame shame shame... we felt sorry for those mates. but what could we do? I did hear a tale that some fine JFK sailors tossed them a satchel full of goodies in the still of the night.
no foolin'!
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My navy days in a nutshell..
JFK
Midway..the Magic
Hancock..Handjob or The Fightin' Hanna
NAS Cubi Pt.. da' PI
HSL-31
VS-33 deployed on America
HC-11
NAF Diego Garcia
NAS Miramar AIMD
deployed on Nimitz as part of Miramar AIMD SEAOPDET
7 deployments..I count the Midway as two..
First time I was ever on vultures row I saw an SH-2 Sea Sprite crash
Some ship mate jumped off the f'scle on the JFK while in Palma Spain 1972
Two more boneheads jumped off the ship while leaving Athens GR 1972.
Midway was the first CV homeported overseas since the Antietam(CV 36) after WWII
On October 23rd 1973 4 aircraft crashed at sea and 7 aircrew men were lost from the Midway;
Operation Eagle Pull & Frequent Wind on CVA-19
Got to meet the Air Boss on the Hanna up close and personal.
Saw an A-7 crash at NAS Cubi PT going 450 knots so they say.
Saw the CO of Cubi relieve the CO of an USMC Harrier squadron on right at Red Label at Cubi PT . ask me why.
Typhoon Olga Philippine 1976..67 inches of rain in one week.
HSL-31 was too cool.. we had a 4 day work week.
VS-33 deployed on the America in 1981
1981 USS America CV-66 transited the Suez. the first CV to do so since 1966
Three beer days on CV-66..only 17 days liberty in 7 months.
On Diego Garcia two or three boneheads from the Super(Sinkin') Sara stole an ambulance, wrecked it..they never did get caught.
On the Nimitz an A-6 Crashed just as were were pulling in Subic
I made three trips around the World and visited 22 countries plus Guam, Okinawa, Hawaii, Alaska, US Virgin Island ,Puerto Rico..etc..etc..in 20 years time.
I'm a Shellback (crossed the equator)... since August 1981 on the USS America on our way to Perth AUS..
I'm also a bluenose ..on the JFK as we crossed the Arctic Circle during Strong Express (NATO) in September 1972
I was in the real Navy. Period.
Usually it was a Russian trawler. Sometimes Soviet aircraft would over fly us always accompanied by F-4s or Tomcats.
The first time I saw some Soviet sailors up close and personal was in Barcelona SP in May 1972. We were anchored out. We hadda take a liberty boat to go on liberty. we went on liberty and after a while we found our way near the port services and low and behold a Soviet trawler and destroyer or frigate was tied up. We decided we would try to take a tour of said vessels but those smelly old Russians did not allow visitors in 1972. Those Russian mates were not allowed off the ship. Too bad so sad! So they just sat in port twiddling their thumbs and doing the five knuckle shuffle all the while we Americans were partying our butts off. No foolin'!! As we walked away from the ships some Russian sailors were gesturing to us to get them some kind of booze and marijuana or hashish and of course porn. Shame shame shame... we felt sorry for those mates. but what could we do? I did hear a tale that some fine JFK sailors tossed them a satchel full of goodies in the still of the night.
no foolin'!
*************************************************************************************************
My navy days in a nutshell..
JFK
Midway..the Magic
Hancock..Handjob or The Fightin' Hanna
NAS Cubi Pt.. da' PI
HSL-31
VS-33 deployed on America
HC-11
NAF Diego Garcia
NAS Miramar AIMD
deployed on Nimitz as part of Miramar AIMD SEAOPDET
7 deployments..I count the Midway as two..
First time I was ever on vultures row I saw an SH-2 Sea Sprite crash
Some ship mate jumped off the f'scle on the JFK while in Palma Spain 1972
Two more boneheads jumped off the ship while leaving Athens GR 1972.
Midway was the first CV homeported overseas since the Antietam(CV 36) after WWII
On October 23rd 1973 4 aircraft crashed at sea and 7 aircrew men were lost from the Midway;
Operation Eagle Pull & Frequent Wind on CVA-19
Got to meet the Air Boss on the Hanna up close and personal.
Saw an A-7 crash at NAS Cubi PT going 450 knots so they say.
Saw the CO of Cubi relieve the CO of an USMC Harrier squadron on right at Red Label at Cubi PT . ask me why.
Typhoon Olga Philippine 1976..67 inches of rain in one week.
HSL-31 was too cool.. we had a 4 day work week.
VS-33 deployed on the America in 1981
1981 USS America CV-66 transited the Suez. the first CV to do so since 1966
Three beer days on CV-66..only 17 days liberty in 7 months.
On Diego Garcia two or three boneheads from the Super(Sinkin') Sara stole an ambulance, wrecked it..they never did get caught.
On the Nimitz an A-6 Crashed just as were were pulling in Subic
I made three trips around the World and visited 22 countries plus Guam, Okinawa, Hawaii, Alaska, US Virgin Island ,Puerto Rico..etc..etc..in 20 years time.
I'm a Shellback (crossed the equator)... since August 1981 on the USS America on our way to Perth AUS..
I'm also a bluenose ..on the JFK as we crossed the Arctic Circle during Strong Express (NATO) in September 1972
I was in the real Navy. Period.
All members feel free to comment on these stories..
Yep I guess this is what Great Lakes..aka Great Mistakes looks like now..ahh the first night in boot camp.. such fun..There sure were no girls there when I went to boot camp in '71. In fact the USN had three locations for Boot Camp. San Diego, Orlando & Great Lakes. The females went to Orlando. That's right Orlando FL. That base was open from 1968 to 1995.
When I joined we got sworn in at the Federal building in Cincinnati OH. My pops was there to see me off. They loaded us on a "short bus" an took us to the airport. We had been told when we get to Chicago report to the USO(I think) and they would tell us what to do. We got there did as told and were informed to wait and the next bus to Great Lakes did not leave for a few more hours. So they told us where to hang out and gave us each a $10 food voucher good at certain restaurants at O'Hare. The food was great by 1971 standards to a black kid from the Avondale ghetto in Cincinnati.
After a few hours ...finally we got on the bus. Made it to Great Lakes and I was surprised that no senior persons were yelling at us when we arrived. It was just another recruit doing "service week" But we did not know. It was late..they gave us uniforms..bedded us down in an old barracks. We heard all kinds of wild stories about what was going to happen to us. None turned out to be true except The barracks we stayed in was just temporary. The next day it was haircuts and an alleged physical and swim test. Finally on the third day we were sent over to RTC to an much nicer barracks. I remember being given the "General orders of a Sentry" and having to memorize that bad boy. I remember staying up and memorizing by the light shining in the barracks.
The main thing I remember about Boot Camp was those huge drill halls and having to sing Anchors Aweigh as we marched through this tunnel that divide RTC from NTC. Another thing was is that I caught pneumonia and spent 4 days in the hospital. Most times when that happens you set ASMOED..administrativaly reassigned..set back in other words. Not popeye. My company commander gave me the answers for the test we had to take that week to move the next week and I with my fantastic memory memorized the test and passed. In fact I deliberately blew two question to make it look real.
And..Once myself and others were sent to NAS Glenview for an eyesight exam to be an air traffic controller. Some SEABEES drove us and bought us some beer to consume during the trip back to NTC/RTC.. They stopped in front of someones house to toss the beer cans in their trash cans but bumped into a tree as they sped off. Dunno how they explained that.By the way those SEABEEs drank over to the NAS and on the way back. Those SEABEEs were on medical hold at the Naval Hospital.
Boot camp was nine weeks long. And when you are there it seems so much longer than that. Especially when you are 17-18 years old..Oh yeah I had my 18th birthday in boot camp.
Yep I guess this is what Great Lakes..aka Great Mistakes looks like now..ahh the first night in boot camp.. such fun..There sure were no girls there when I went to boot camp in '71. In fact the USN had three locations for Boot Camp. San Diego, Orlando & Great Lakes. The females went to Orlando. That's right Orlando FL. That base was open from 1968 to 1995.
When I joined we got sworn in at the Federal building in Cincinnati OH. My pops was there to see me off. They loaded us on a "short bus" an took us to the airport. We had been told when we get to Chicago report to the USO(I think) and they would tell us what to do. We got there did as told and were informed to wait and the next bus to Great Lakes did not leave for a few more hours. So they told us where to hang out and gave us each a $10 food voucher good at certain restaurants at O'Hare. The food was great by 1971 standards to a black kid from the Avondale ghetto in Cincinnati.
After a few hours ...finally we got on the bus. Made it to Great Lakes and I was surprised that no senior persons were yelling at us when we arrived. It was just another recruit doing "service week" But we did not know. It was late..they gave us uniforms..bedded us down in an old barracks. We heard all kinds of wild stories about what was going to happen to us. None turned out to be true except The barracks we stayed in was just temporary. The next day it was haircuts and an alleged physical and swim test. Finally on the third day we were sent over to RTC to an much nicer barracks. I remember being given the "General orders of a Sentry" and having to memorize that bad boy. I remember staying up and memorizing by the light shining in the barracks.
The main thing I remember about Boot Camp was those huge drill halls and having to sing Anchors Aweigh as we marched through this tunnel that divide RTC from NTC. Another thing was is that I caught pneumonia and spent 4 days in the hospital. Most times when that happens you set ASMOED..administrativaly reassigned..set back in other words. Not popeye. My company commander gave me the answers for the test we had to take that week to move the next week and I with my fantastic memory memorized the test and passed. In fact I deliberately blew two question to make it look real.
And..Once myself and others were sent to NAS Glenview for an eyesight exam to be an air traffic controller. Some SEABEES drove us and bought us some beer to consume during the trip back to NTC/RTC.. They stopped in front of someones house to toss the beer cans in their trash cans but bumped into a tree as they sped off. Dunno how they explained that.By the way those SEABEEs drank over to the NAS and on the way back. Those SEABEEs were on medical hold at the Naval Hospital.
Boot camp was nine weeks long. And when you are there it seems so much longer than that. Especially when you are 17-18 years old..Oh yeah I had my 18th birthday in boot camp.
As it still does to this day.
My son in law will be doing it his third time at the end of his new education experience.
He is going to become a pharmacist and an officer...steppin up into that O cloud! But he'll have a ten year commitment for that one. They are spending a lot of denero on him and wnat to make sure they get it all out of him.
Probably going to end up in San Diego...may go on either a carrier, Wasp/America, or one of the Hospital ships. But he has enough sea duty already from his sub days to also get a shot at a shore billet so he can be at one of the hospitals.
Thanks for posting Jeff.
My son served 9 years on active duty two years as an reserve. He got out of the reserves in 2009. I'm sure his then fiance has something to do with that decision. the other day he was lamenting to me via phone that a couple of the guys in his sonar tech "A" school class are a CPO and the other a SCPO....He knows he would have been at least a CPO by now. Oh well, we live by the decisions we make.. good or bad.
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I was assigned with VS-33 at NAS North Island from January 81 until November '82...This is our squadrons alternate patch;
You can't make this stuff up..
They were know as the Screwbirds. that's right.. The Screwbirds. There was a costume that was worn by some unfortunate shipmate that was an exact replica of the Screwbird on the patch for special occasions..except the big yellow screw was not erect..Kinda droopy. Flaccid in other words.. Like a 70 year old man. One's summers evening in 1980 the squadron had an outing at a San Diego Padres baseball game. Naturally the Screwbird was there raising a ruckus. At that time in the late 70s & early 80s the Padres had the San Diego Chicken as a mascot. The Screwbird without prompting tried to start a mock fight with the chicken. However this was not in the Chickens script for the evening. The Chicken tried to flee from the wily Screwbird but was accosted and in the ensuing melee the Chicken went down for the count. OMG! The beloved San Diego Chicken was out cold! He coulda been fakin' it..never the less.. The Padre fans were outraged by the Screwbirds actions. The Screwbird was escorted outta the stadium by the local constabulary under a torrent of adult beverages, assorted stadium chow and other projectiles.....never ever to be seen in costume again in public. Ever!
My son served 9 years on active duty two years as an reserve. He got out of the reserves in 2009. I'm sure his then fiance has something to do with that decision. the other day he was lamenting to me via phone that a couple of the guys in his sonar tech "A" school class are a CPO and the other a SCPO....He knows he would have been at least a CPO by now. Oh well, we live by the decisions we make.. good or bad.
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I was assigned with VS-33 at NAS North Island from January 81 until November '82...This is our squadrons alternate patch;
You can't make this stuff up..
They were know as the Screwbirds. that's right.. The Screwbirds. There was a costume that was worn by some unfortunate shipmate that was an exact replica of the Screwbird on the patch for special occasions..except the big yellow screw was not erect..Kinda droopy. Flaccid in other words.. Like a 70 year old man. One's summers evening in 1980 the squadron had an outing at a San Diego Padres baseball game. Naturally the Screwbird was there raising a ruckus. At that time in the late 70s & early 80s the Padres had the San Diego Chicken as a mascot. The Screwbird without prompting tried to start a mock fight with the chicken. However this was not in the Chickens script for the evening. The Chicken tried to flee from the wily Screwbird but was accosted and in the ensuing melee the Chicken went down for the count. OMG! The beloved San Diego Chicken was out cold! He coulda been fakin' it..never the less.. The Padre fans were outraged by the Screwbirds actions. The Screwbird was escorted outta the stadium by the local constabulary under a torrent of adult beverages, assorted stadium chow and other projectiles.....never ever to be seen in costume again in public. Ever!
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Like you say...you just can't make this stuff up! LOL!
Glad it was the alternate patch...hehehe.