Were you always on the Pacific?
Were you always on the Pacific?
Were you always on the Pacific?
Yep, home ported in San Diego.
Our ship rotated with the USS DIXIE and USS PRAIRIE. 9 months at home in San Diego and 6 months overseas in Japan, Philipines, & Taiwan. Our ship was a Destroyer Tender and we provide repairs to ships of the fleet both overseas WESTPAC (Western Pacific) and CONUS (Continental United States).
Overseas we put in lots of overtime to make those repairs. The tin cans (destroyers) were only alongside for about a week so repairs had to be done within that time frame.
My first two years aboard PIEDMONT I worked in the Pipe Shop and then I went to Diving School and finished my enlistment working in the Diving Locker.
At the time, I always looked forward to the end of my enlistment, but many years later I often thought, "I shoulda stayed in and retired from the Navy after 20 years." Nonetheless, I'm very proud of my time serving our country.
Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY!!!