Midrats, geez ours consisted of a cup of coffee we made for ourselves.

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Dick

Midrats were great, no doubt about it, but nothing could top that hot cup of coffee during the 4-to-8 on the bridge at nautical twilight approaching sunrise.....ahhhhhh.......

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

Time for a sea-story.......
My first cruise on the USS Coral Sea had us E-2's and E-3's standing messenger watches on the Flag bridge. One of the duties of the messenger on the morning watch (0400-0800 for you land lubbers) was to make a fresh 48 cup pot of coffee. (The Navy runs on coffee....). It was to be made by 0600 and tradition had it that no one touched the fresh pot until the Admiral came onto the bridge and drew the first cup. I should mention that it wasn't a simple task to make this pot. The flag bridge was on the 06 level (that's 4 levels above the flight deck (02 level) and the pot had to be carried down to the 02 level to find a spigot that was high enough off the deck to get the pot under it to draw the water. Any way, I digress... One of our E-2's on his first watch faithfully made the trip down and up the steep ladders to fill the pot and followed the directions on just how many grounds to put in and it was ready by 0600.
At 0615 the Admiral arrived on the bridge, drew his fresh cup of coffee and went out to the port wing of the bridge to watch morning flight ops. The next thing we heard was "ACKK!!! WHAT THE H...?.

It seems that the E-2 had gone down 4 decks to fill the pot with water, but had selected a brine faucet instead of a fresh water one.

We had to throw the coffee pot out and get a new one.Never could get the taste out.........

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Too bad you weren't on a Nimitz class, much shorter walk!

That's a good one, deadin!

Reminds me of something that happened in the Chiefs' Mess on my first cutter. E-2 and E-3 guys would take their turns at being mess cooks (actually, food serving and clean-up) in there and in the wardroom. One of my E-2s, a really squared-away young man, was assigned to the Chiefs' Mess and was doing his usual overachieving job there. One day he decided that all the coffee mugs needed a good cleaning, including that of the Chief Boatswain's Mate, whose cup was the grungiest, most stained one of the bunch. When my E-2 had finished with it, it was sparkling white like new. When the BMC went to use it next time, he gave the E-2 a tongue-lashing like only a BMC can. He liked his cup the way it had been.

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

Back in the day of sailing vessels, the marines were the best shots and placed in the crow's nest where they fired down on the opposing vessel's deck. In today's navy, they are the ship's police force and run the brig. This according to the military channel and gunny ermie.

I know the feeling. There's a certain "Je ne sais quoi" about having a slight sheen of fuel oil and such floating on the surface. I didn't learn to clean my cup until well after I got married.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Fuel oil??? One time the water king's helper wanked out & pumped JP-4 into the drinking water. Flushed the tank as best as possible, but you still got an oil slick. Found out it was a damn good laxative - no constipation anywhere!

My money is that the E2 did it on purpose.

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... a little behind in my work

Livestock are taboo?

Might as well post a question here that I've had for a while.

What do you call the formation where the crew lines up on the edge of the deck all the way around the ship? I don't even know how to describe it any better than this to even search the inter-web.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

Coffee story

I was a YN3 on the USS Oklahoma City, 7th Fleet flagship about 1972. I was working in the Plans Office (N6) I had to make coffee for the office because the Capt. said the other guy that had been making coffee made it "taste like mud". I decided to try and get the boot too. I would take the coffee pot down the passageway to the cl0sest head and fill it with water and coffee grounds. I then gave the grounds two shots of powdered hand soap. Much to my dismay, the Capt. thought it tasted great.
As a side note, the urn would make 45 cups. There were about 6 officers and 2 enlisted. There would be a little left at the end of the day if the Col. was not there. If the Col. was present, I had to make two urns. Also saw the Col. smoke a pack of smokes in 1 hour. Dean

Manning the Rails. An honor accorded to passing ships or special docking events.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

"Manning the rail." Usually not done all the way around the ship, though; just on the side facing either the dock (as when a ship is being commissioned, or returning to home port and coming close to the dock to moor), or when another military ship is passing from the opposite direction, in which case the crew that are on deck will be directed "Attention to <whichever side, port or starboard>" to salute the other vessel as part of "rendering honors."

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

jlrhiner and vigil617,

Thank you for your replies. I figured it had to do with rendering honors, just never heard what it was called.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

One morning we sent a new "boot" down to the Bosun's locker to get a bucket of steam. Being obliging, the bosun' mate put two of those white urinal deodorizer pucks I a bucket and sent the "boot" on his way telling him they would turn into steam by the time he got back to us.

One of many jokes we played.

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John

In your case you are in Corpus. Go aboard the Lexington. Most of the volunteers there are ex-Navy and in many cases retired from the Navy/USMC. They can answer the most arcane questions on things naval and naval lore. Even the volunteers that are ex Army are forced to be knowledgeable about the Navy and it's strange terminology.

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Can my S&W Mdl 10 shoot +P

After all, everybody knows a pinch of salt takes the bitterness out of cheap coffee. If a little is good......

manning the rails

No but vodka with a few drops of red food coloring can be put in a Lavoris bottle.

Someone mentioned midrats. The JFK's forward galley was open IIRC 22 hours a day. From 0400 to somewhere around 0800-0900 they served bacon, eggs, coffee and such. Then they would close for an hour and reopen with sliders, hot dogs and bug juice. Then around 0300 they would close again to set up for breakfast. I think they closed for 4 hours once a week for a heavy duty field day.

Red bug juice for me. I seem to remember we had purple bug juice once but I may be thinking of something else.

On the Captain's birthday, we had ship wide holiday routine. They laid out a track on the flight deck for races (440, 880, 50 yard dash, etc.) and flag football, plus a smoker* on the hangar deck. The best part was they set up grills made from 55 gallon drums and cooked steaks and lobster. You could have as many steaks or lobsters as you could eat.

*For you lubbers, a smoker is a series of boxing matches.

BTW, anybody still have their original ditty bag?

CW

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μολὼν λαβέ

Still got mine. Keep my shoeshine kit in it these days.

The measure known as a "gill" was used for the standard issue of rum to both US Army and Navy through the war of 1812.

I did until about a year ago when the house burned down - lost all my old uniforms, souvenirs, etc.....

That's all I had left from my discharge in 1971. I'm currently replacing my medals, just for old times sake.....

Howdy folks, does anyone know if any company still
makes the old canvas Navy hammocks?? TIA
Chipmunk6

I served aboard the USS Franklin D Roosevelt CVA42 from 1965 to Sept 1967. When standing watch 0400-0800 you had to make a fresh pot of coffee and have it ready before the chief came down in the morning. Heaven help you if it wasn't ready. Messdeck master at arms was always coming down looking for extra coffee cups and silverware. We'd hide them in the stiffeners on the hull so he wouldn't find them.
Still have my seabag and a pilot's parachute bag in the closet. Managed to do two crossings of the equator, got a shell back certificate around here somewhere. Frank

Been there; done that also. Which DE?

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S&WCA 1729

Rum?
If you were on deck during refueling or replenishment and got wet, the
Doc would give out 2 oz bottles......

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I got wet MANY times, but never got any rum for it! Maybe Doc hoarded it for himself? Of course I was in the tropics, so maybe that didn't qualify......

I was a brand new EM-FA standing messenger watch in the aft engine room .After waking up the relieving watch standers I had to make a fresh pot of coffee, to be ready for them when they came on duty, well,I too made a pot of coffee with salt water . I had just settled into my bunk when I was rudely summoned back to the engine room to explain what I had done. I showed the chief the faucet where I got the water- it was not labeled thank God- so all I got was a tongue lashing ,and had to clean the pot and make it properly . Lucky for me the pot survived! Can you imagine the repercussions If the Mid-Watch had NO COFFEE???

Correct!!
I guess a modern version would be when returning to Treasure Island from WestPac on the USS Coral Sea someone in the boiler room decided to blow the stacks just as we were passing under the Golden Gate. Somewhere I have a picture of the center of the bridge disappearing into this huge cloud of dirty black smoke and appearing on the other side....

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

USS DeLong DE684.

BTW, I anybody is interested, they have just about completed restoration on the USS Slater DE766 docked in Albany NY. I believe she is the only Destroyer Escort still afloat. Google it, she looks beautiful now with her modern set of war paint.

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Dick

3 1/2 years in the after engine room on DDE 450 '58-'62
took many of those 45+ degree rolls
also crossed equator twice. '59 and '61
jackpot

A lot of people say "How can you take a 45+ degree roll and not just keep rolling over?" Well,
#1.....Ballast
#2.....Help from a counterwave.
#3.....Luck
Several times in a hurricane, I've seen it roll over far enough to scoop seawater into the Motor Whaleboat full like you were scooping up a cupful of drinking water from a bucket. Not fun.

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Dick

diamond........51 degrees was supposed to be the point of no return.
also we would turn the way we were rolling. as I remember.
jackpot

Time for another sea story…
I call this one “Anybody find an anchor?” or “The day the Kennedy lost its anchor:”.
June 1973, the USS John F. Kennedy was due for a port call in Cannes, France.


To set up this story you first have to understand that the bo’s’n in charge of the anchor detail was a very squared away individual that demanded sharp and precise evolutions from his section. (In other words, he wanted the anchor let out “handsomely” )
On this occasion the young striker that was manning the braking wheel was somewhat inexperienced and when the “smartly” rushing anchor chain started to float away from the capstan head, instead of applying a little brake, he panicked and either froze or ran. The result was that the anchor, 180 fathoms of chain and part of the bulkhead from the chain locker went down the hawsepipe. You could hear, and feel, the roar all over the ship. The anchor was later recovered, but that didn’t soothe the bo’s’n. Nobody could even speak to him for a week.
When he finally calmed down, one of the Quartermasters went to him with a problem that the bo’s’n might be able to help him with. The QM explained that there had been an anchor pool for Cannes and wanted to know whether it should pay off on when the anchor hit bottom or when the bitter end hit bottom.
Nobody could talk to the bo’s’n for another week……..

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

deadin, that is a great story, Cannes is where I first fell in love the many, many times I was going to fall in love over the course of 20+ years in the Navy. It may have helped that I was 18 and fresh off of the farm when we hit Cannes.

bob

Ah, the nutty pony in Nice.......
25 New Francs.

Not that I would........

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I laughed out loud when I read this! Thanks for sharing, deadin!

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

Speak English, man, there are Army people on this forum.

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... a little behind in my work

And udocumented civilians too.

Been there, done that! Chief's Mess cook was my first duty right out of book camp on the Boutwell. Cooking breakfast in the Chief's Mess, and fetching food from the main galley for the other meals. Better being there than on the deck force on Ocean Station Bravo in November/December. I do recall though gaining a bunch of weight, lots of donuts and pies around.

I get teased now in my 60s that I *always* have a cup of coffee with me at work, and the insides look like the BMC's.

Don't worry, they'll have the TM available for you soon to explain it.

Attached Images

M16 Manual.jpg (12.9 KB, 32 views)

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

When a ship can't use a pier for whatever reason, she must drop anchor to secure the ship in a mooring area. Dropping the anchor requires paying out a certain amount of chain attached to the anchor. There are mechanical brakes which are applied to slow the anchor chain, and keep it from getting out of control. When an anchor chain gets out of control, it can do a tremendous amount of damage to the ship. The movement of the anchor chain from the chain locker and finally through the hawse pipe has to be controlled. People who haven't experienced the process can be extremely scared and they do sometimes panic.

The striker is a non-rated (below E3, E2) Seaman/Airman/Constructionman who is attempting to earn E4, or petty officer status. Designated strikers are those who've successfully completed the Navy's "A" schools, training for particular rates. They are also those E3's who passed the E4 competitive exam, but weren't promoted due to tight quotas on a particular rate. The Navy only needs so many petty officers to fill a certain number of jobs.

As an example, I was an E3 striking for Disbursing Clerk (payroll/accounting). I scored 97 on the exam three times, but never got my rating because the Navy only rated the top 2% of those passing the exam. I became a designated striker, and it meant that I no longer had to be a mess cook, work certain cleaning details, etc. If the rate opens up before the next exam, those scoring the highest but not promoted can get those slots.

Arrrr! Ya scurvy lubber...The dog watch found yer slops in the lucky bag, so tomorrow at 4 bells you will muster abaft the larboard beam to be lashed to the chains and take a dozen from the cats. Further if you don't pay for your footing you stand to be keelhauled...... Arrrrr....

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

This is actually the ship I am a Plankowner on. And my Sea and Anchor detail was the Anchor Windlass room.

(long after me though)

It will give you an idea what loosing an anchor is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7pRfix_sNg

Edit to add: Each link weighed @300 lbs.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

It seems that you measure the anchor length in "shots"? About 15 fathoms (90 ft) each?

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

Jim, Great video!!! I forget just what the Kennedy's anchor and chain weighed, but it was a whole lot more than the Tarawa's.....

Another thing that most people don't know is that it isn't so much the anchor that holds the ship in place as it is the amount of chain laying on the bottom.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

That is the advantage to being a draftee. One can lean against the wall and shrug when stuff like that happens.

Why wasn't the end tied to something?

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... a little behind in my work

Here's a handy chart I dug up.

Yes, it was tied to something. It's called the "Bitter End" and it's an attachment to the bulkhead in the chain locker. But it wouldn't stop 15 shots of chain and a 60,000 pound anchor.

About 45 links to a shot, 15 (I believe) shots per anchor, 202,500 lbs total weight of chain. Add the anchor (60,000) for a total loss of roughly 262,500 pounds of scrap metal.

Attached Images

TB-43-01440085im.jpg (41.9 KB, 11 views)

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Actually Dean, I think they're pretty close in size. I believe those are the largest anchors in the Fleet.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner