Navy thread

The only currently commissioned Navy ship to have sunk an enemy ship in battle.

///d wrote

I dig this thread.

I watched The Last Ship, so now I know one USN destroyer is crewed by covert operators and can single handedly take on the entire world UNLESS it goes up against a ghost Iowa class battleship...

My gramps was Navy, dad was a Coastie, I ended up Army. Growing up I wanted to join the Navy, sometimes I wish I had because of the traveling the world. One of these days I need to visit a port and see some ships in person.

Join the Navy & see the world... All well & good, but the world is, like, 75% water!

The good part about the Navy is if one doesn't like where they are, the ship's leaving in a few days anyway. The bad thing is that if one likes where they are, the ship's leaving in a few days anyway. The engine room blew-up a boiler on our way to Subic Bay (thankfully, the fireball went up the stack and not into the engine room, which would have probably killed everyone in the compartment) and we had to spend about two months in Subic making repairs. Though I did get a great career out of the Navy and despite our USS Neverport nickname, I would do it again.

I only just found this thread. A great read through.

I went on 2 deployments and got to see:
Haifa, Israel
Jebel Ali, UAE (x 1 million)
Bahrain
Corfu, Greece
Cannes, France
Palma de Majorica
Naples, Italy
Trieste, Italy
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Antalya, Turkey
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Ft. Lauderdale
Key West
St. Thomas

Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore.

c1pher wrote

Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore.

Not to mention port calls in Hong Kong, Subic Bay, Yokosuka, etc.

Nope, never any westpacs. I got off the Gdub before she transitioned to Japan.

I worked with a guy who spent 4 years in the Navy and never set foot on a ship! Might as well have been in the chAir Force!

ezaircon4jc wrote

I worked with a guy who spent 4 years in the Navy and never set foot on a ship! Might as well have been in the chAir Force!

That practically could've been me: two sub runs and three surface runs, all TADs. 25 years in the Navy and my sea duty counter was 6-7 months total. (I had a couple of tours at small commands located on Air Force bases, too!)

Llarry wrote

That practically could've been me: two sub runs and three surface runs, all TADs. 25 years in the Navy and my sea duty counter was 6-7 months total. (I had a couple of tours at small commands located on Air Force bases, too!)

Going in, I had no idea that OS was a 7/2 (sea/shore) rotation. I probably would've picked another rate! I did two cruises (1st 9 months (9/77-4/78) and the 2nd 8 (2/79-9/79)) in three years. The first year we were married I was home 52 days, minus duty days. The first anniversary I was home was our 3rd! When I was up for reenlistment I gave the detailer my demands; 4 years at Pt. Loma teaching, Top Gun school (I was an air Intercept Controller) & AIC Supervisor school. I got everything, except they said they could only guarantee 3 years at Pt. Loma with a year extension, which wouldn't be guaranteed. He tried to tell me the extension was a gimme as the Navy doesn't send people to sea for only a year. I wasn't born the night before, so I said thanks, but no thanks. I got a great career, so can't complain.

ezaircon4jc wrote

Going in, I had no idea that OS was a 7/2 (sea/shore) rotation. I probably would've picked another rate! I did two cruises (1st 9 months (9/77-4/78) and the 2nd 8 (2/79-9/79)) in three years. The first year we were married I was home 52 days, minus duty days. The first anniversary I was home was our 3rd! When I was up for reenlistment I gave the detailer my demands; 4 years at Pt. Loma teaching, Top Gun school (I was an air Intercept Controller) & AIC Supervisor school. I got everything, except they said they could only guarantee 3 years at Pt. Loma with a year extension, which wouldn't be guaranteed. He tried to tell me the extension was a gimme as the Navy doesn't send people to sea for only a year. I wasn't born the night before, so I said thanks, but no thanks. I got a great career, so can't complain.

I was a detailer 1985-88 as a LT; I was responsible for new Ensigns and for Warrants in the Cryptologic field. Best job and worst job ever! I needed to fill Navy jobs with qualified people and balance that with the career needs of the people and their personal desires -- rarely did all three align. In particular, that was a period of expansion of warrants in the field as each AEGIS cruiser had a warrant billet. Given that we are talking about CTs, some of those warrants had little to no sea time and were resistant to going to sea duty billets. In a couple of cases, I got into pissing contests about it but I always won. I got a couple of "complain to my Congressman" letters, which didn't bother me -- a sailor who refuses to go to sea? Pfft! Duh, it's the Navy.

It sounds like you got a good offer on reenlistment, but you were right about that 4th year: No way was that a gimme.

I, on the other hand, got a bit of bum deal in 1974; I had gotten out after four years to further my Chinese studies in Taiwan and quickly decided to reenlist if I could be stationed in Taiwan. The Bureau of Personnel took their sweet time responding and so I kissed my $10,000 reenlistment bonus goodbye -- that was some serious money for a single 2nd class -- since it was over 90 days broken service. Then they said OK but I would have to reenlist for six years. I agreed, came back on active duty and soon thereafter the word was passed that the station was closing and we would all get orders to elsewhere. So I gave them six years in return for one year in Taiwan.

My dad did 24yr and did 2 med cruises, one on forrestal, one on saratoga. I was active sea duty for 5 years and did 2 med cruises. Of course I was a machinist mate and he was an aircraft mechanic and he also was in a Vigilante squadron and they wouldn't let them stay on the ship. He said that was the best and most boring cruise ever, they would fly on for maintenance and regular flight ops and fly back off to land and they would be left without any work until the next arrival.

Llarry wrote

And there was another side paddle-wheel training carrier used on the Great Lakes for carrier training: The USS Wolverine (IX 64)

Here is a photo of the future USS Wolverine paddle-wheel training carrier before conversion and a schematic. Along with the USS Sable, a unique and interesting footnote in U.S. Navy history.

Cool thread, very interesting read!

During my 20 years as a Hospital Corpsman I managed to stay out of sea/shore rotation and missed out on any ships deployments. My NEC 8486 - Urological Technologist kept me hospital based although I did have to rotate overseas, if you consider Roosevelt Roads Puerto Rico and Pearl Harbor Hawaii overseas

While stationed at Naval Hospital Oakland in the late 80s and early 90s, I was attached to the USNS Mercy Hospital ship docked in Alameda. I trained and supplied her for deployment in Desert Shield, though as personnel wave 3 by chance I never deployed before her return home.

Side note, my active duty wife at the time was on a very long waiting list for elective surgery needed to conceive and once the first wave deployed she was moved way up on the list. My daughter is 30 now, born right there at Oakland Naval Hospital.

Kowalski2011 wrote

While stationed at Naval Hospital Oakland in the late 80s and early 90s, I was attached to the USNS Mercy Hospital ship docked in Alameda. I trained and supplied her for deployment in Desert Shield, though as personnel wave 3 by chance I never deployed before her return home.

Speaking as a non-medical type, it seems to me that the Navy really got their money's worth out of those two hospital ships. The concept was pretty cool: convert an oil tanker to a hospital ship. They've been around for quite a while; we could probably get another couple of retired tankers and do it again if needed. Thanks for weighing in on the Navy thread, Doc!

I find it interesting that being a San Diego based ship, we were required to have a chart of Lake Tahoe! Like we could ever get there!

Llarry wrote

I was a detailer 1985-88 as a LT; I was responsible for new Ensigns and for Warrants in the Cryptologic field. Best job and worst job ever! I needed to fill Navy jobs with qualified people and balance that with the career needs of the people and their personal desires -- rarely did all three align. In particular, that was a period of expansion of warrants in the field as each AEGIS cruiser had a warrant billet. Given that we are talking about CTs, some of those warrants had little to no sea time and were resistant to going to sea duty billets. In a couple of cases, I got into pissing contests about it but I always won. I got a couple of "complain to my Congressman" letters, which didn't bother me -- a sailor who refuses to go to sea? Pfft! Duh, it's the Navy.

It sounds like you got a good offer on reenlistment, but you were right about that 4th year: No way was that a gimme.

I, on the other hand, got a bit of bum deal in 1974; I had gotten out after four years to further my Chinese studies in Taiwan and quickly decided to reenlist if I could be stationed in Taiwan. The Bureau of Personnel took their sweet time responding and so I kissed my $10,000 reenlistment bonus goodbye -- that was some serious money for a single 2nd class -- since it was over 90 days broken service. Then they said OK but I would have to reenlist for six years. I agreed, came back on active duty and soon thereafter the word was passed that the station was closing and we would all get orders to elsewhere. So I gave them six years in return for one year in Taiwan.

I was in cryptology.

c1pher wrote

I was in cryptology.

Do you know about navycthistory.com ?

Llarry wrote

Do you know about navycthistory.com ?

I’m on the list.

Llarry wrote

Do you know about navycthistory.com ?

Are you an NCVA member?

c1pher wrote

Are you an NCVA member?

I was for thirty-plus years but never went to any reunions. I enjoyed the Cryptolog articles on the various stations, but those articles kind of petered out, so a couple of years ago I didn't renew.

Llarry wrote

I was for twenty-plus years but never went to any reunions. I enjoyed the Cryptolog articles on the various stations, but those articles kind of petered out, so a couple of years ago I didn't renew.

Reunion is in Milwaukee this year. Kind of difficult to go unless you live somewhat nearby or don’t work.