How To Simulate Being A Sailor

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[brivette]

I believe it was because the attrition rate was so high. I believe there was an 80 percent drop out rate.

[wyokostur]

oops...thought it said stimulate :-) Wish my Dad was still around to share this with him. He was retired Navy. He would have loved this.

[bmwcyle]

Here you go sand crab.

[JRios1968]

Thanks for reminding me why I chose to go Air Force (which has its own share of silliness...)

[GATOR NAVY]

Been there, done that.

[BIGLOOK]

Submit your R&R request to the Flight Chief.Leave to the sound of laughter.

Submit a request for a new flight suit. Leave with copy of the request to be forwarded to supply via the mail.

Return from mission at 2200, read the flight bill for your next....0500 launch. Midrats at 0000.

My time with the fleet was rather nice, except that as TDY there weren't any racks available so we slept on a blanket on the deck, strapped to a stanchion, polishing the deck all night long in high seas.

The movies on the mess deck were great. I'd seen them before with my father, who was career MMC and took me to visit his ship in port on Fridays 10 years earlier.

[fredhead]

There’s one thing I remember that I can’t seem to find a way to duplicate. Sleeping in a berthing between the bow catapaults on the JFK. 150 MPH freight train coming thru your rack every 45 seconds.

We were one deck below the cats, and just aft of the fo’c’sle. I got used to the catapaults, but the anchor dropping that one time when i was asleep scared the hell out of me.

3 1/2 years there, 3 1/4 years near the arresting gear on the Nimitz, and 3 years with a berthing (thankfully) on the third deck on the Ike. But the idiots from fuels would come every night around 0200 to sound tanks, and wake everybody up.

[magslinger]

You win!

I thought I had it bad, I had a rack on the Midway about 15 feet to starboard of centerline under the #3 wire. I was working night shift at the time. Everytime they landed a Phantom it sounded like they were crashing 20+ tons of airplane right over my head.

Oh, yeah, they were!

[goat granny]

My son, (an old navy man) said they have marines on ships cause no one trusts a sailor with a gun...(Unless its anchored to the ship...)

[Right Winged American]

Jeez, slinger—we have more in common than I thought; top rack under #3 wire, against bulkhead next to starboard water-break wheel for said wire. (Think paddle wheel in large, stand-up bathtub...

Served aboard a War II Essex (USS Intrepid CVA-11) of Yankee Station in '68, so racks were really racks; aluminum tube w/grommented canvas & cotton rope. Foot-and-a-half under flight deck armor, not even any pipes to muffle the sound!

Only A/C space available to us was the Library; Chaplain's writer walked around with sawed-off broomstick to whack shoes if you dropped off while "Reading"; next shot up side of head if heavy sleeper...

When we got back to The World at Norfolk, buddy showed me around the America; A/C in berthing! Shiny-clean decks, racks with extra storage under, stacked 3-high so you could almost sit up in them... I mean, talk about the OLD navy!

Turned out had an Uncle who served aboard Intrepid as 40mm gunner in '44, when things were REALLY tough!

Need more coffee... (Colombian!) getting that shakey feeling agian...

[jfkcv67bt]

Three years on JFK as a BT- work in a Sauna for 9 hours a day plus watches unless doing firesides and watersides on a boiler-then work until finished and be denied food in the meantime in the galley because you are “too dirty”. Yeah, I wanted to reenlist!

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

Hey, stranger.

Long time no see.

(Good sea stories for this old permanent shore duty sailor.)

[magslinger]

At least we had A/C, when we did have. An IO cruise with three quarters of the cooling capability down is not much fun.

Didn't the America have transverse racks? I recall one of the First classes griping about that. Apparently they were no fun at all in weather.

[Billthedrill]

6. Once a week, blow air up your chimney, with a leaf blower and let the wind carry the soot onto your neighbor's house. Ignore his complaints.

OK, now that one's going to be a little obscure to this here new nuke-and-turbine Navy, but those of us who used to run 600-lb plants can relate. You aren't supposed to blow tubes in port. During the day. And get caught.

Hmm...yeah, if you really want to simulate that old-Navy experience you'll nail sharp-edged ledges about eight inches up from all of your door sills right where the tenderest part of your shin is. Then run in and out of your door until you need a splint. At night. And if you're a submarine sailor, you can hang another one at forehead height. Fun for all, especially if you're six foot six!

[New Perspective]

Be promised that ever 18 months you will receive a $30K bonus for being a qualified nuclear engineer. At the 17th month, 29th day, you are told your role has changed to a piston cleaner. At the 18th month, first day, your role is changed back to nuclear engineer- no bonus.

OUCH!! That is low even for the Navy.

[Right Winged American]

IIRC, they were set up like a cubical, three port, three starboard, and three transverse.

I didn't even think of that...

eeewuuu...

... North Atlantic, Sonar spaces *right* above the cut-water. Rollers coming in felt like a REAL fast elevator going up, then bounced down 3 HUGE bumps.

Lather, rinse, repeat ... Endlessly!

Strapped into Stack seat, belts on, and 5-gallon bucket by my leg. Thought I was gonna die ... then worse when I realised I WOULDN'T, dammit!