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Arriving to the U.S.S. St Louis LKA-116 in 82. I had the world by the ass... Fresh out of bootcamp, reporting to my first ship. It was grand to say the least. I did not care about much of the boat, all I wanted was to get to my job...the engine room.

The first week was educational and I'll never forget it. I walked up on some guys working on a pump. I watched as they tried to free it from it's mount. The taper pins in it's base were a clear cause for it's stubborness. They told me to go over and see BT1 and get a BT Punch. With my natuaral abilities with mechanical equipment, I thought that this indeed was the proper tool. A punch to knock the pins out of the base of the pump.

I finally found the BT1 and told him the guys sent me over for a BT Punch... ...the next thing I knew I was picking myself off the deck. I got my BT Punch alright, right square in the chest!!

Believe it, or not!!

I'll throw in one more this morning...

As time went on, and the knowledge of the do's and don'ts of sea life embeds it'self, entertainment was a neccessity. At the time, there were a lot of folks onboard who still induldged(smoked a little weed). Well, it just so happened that my sea and anchor detail was on watch in shaft alley, and this was the best part of the boat to "catch a little buzz".

One time, about 6 or 7 guys were down there with me. We burned one and then one of the clowns showed me and the other boot a neat little trick...

Be fore a ship gets underway, there is a period where main control in the engineroom, "spins the main". This is a periodic spinning of the main turbines to keep the rotors from bowing due to very high steam temperatures. A few revolutions in the forward direction, followed by a few revolutions in the reverse direction by the main propeller shaft(s). This will maintain a straight rotor in the turbines.

Down in shaft alley, you would see the main propeller shaft turn a couple revolutions and then stop. So, that is when these guys jumped on and held on real tight... Sure enough, the shaft would turn a couple times both ways and the stop. A couple minutes later, it would do it again and so on... Untill we got an "Ahead 1/3" bell. I was entertaining to see these dorks fly off the shaft and hope they timed it right. If you do not, you'll end up 10 feet below in the bildge, or slammed up against the bulkhead!!

After this little surprize, we did not do it very much after that!!