Military Memes
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I spent 2 years on a carrier, USS Saratoga. Crossing the Atlantic in December we hit a storm, and I have seen green water on the flight deck, which is 85' above the waterline.
On carriers, unlike tin can's the mess deck tables are just folding tables with stackable fiberglass chairs. My work space was under one of the aft mess decks (we had 8), and we heard an awful noise. In the middle of lunch, we took a roll and everything slid to one side. The deck was probably 80+' wide, so it was a long slide for some. About half a dozen were taken to sickbay, one with a broken leg, another with a broken arm.
Destroyers (tin cans) were miles off station (where they were supposed to be in relation to the carrier) The carrier was making turns for 12 knots (how fast the props were turning), but actual headway was only 5 knots, loosing 7 to winds and seas.
Subs on the surface in bad sea states are no fun. This is because, unlike surface ships, subs have a round hull, not a V-shaped hull.
Not normally a problem, as subs are designed for underwater travel. But surface transits to and from operating areas, or having to come to periscope depth or surface for casualties in bad sea states for extended periods isn't good.
Been more than a few occasions where I've stood Reactor Operator on such occasions where the ship was rolling port to starboard so much that I was constantly getting Pressurizer high and low level alarms due to water shifting back and forth.
Much better to be operating submerged in bad sea states... and if we're still feeling the rocking and rolling to much... make our depth a few hundred feet deeper.
Not normally a problem, as subs are designed for underwater travel. But surface transits to and from operating areas, or having to come to periscope depth or surface for casualties in bad sea states for extended periods isn't good.
Been more than a few occasions where I've stood Reactor Operator on such occasions where the ship was rolling port to starboard so much that I was constantly getting Pressurizer high and low level alarms due to water shifting back and forth.
Much better to be operating submerged in bad sea states... and if we're still feeling the rocking and rolling to much... make our depth a few hundred feet deeper.
Nope. I do not dig water at all.
I enjoyed time at sea. Carriers are a much better ride, most of the time you couldn't tell you were moving.
I also have a couple of months aboard a destroyer at sea, much shorter on creature comforts, and wouldn't want to be on one in really heavy seas. Like living in a small town vs. a big town, both have advantages.
On either going out on deck at night with no moon is surreal, The Milky Way just jumps out and the bio-luminescence in the wake is amazing.
Meh...
Been to sea on carriers for engineering inspections several times. As a retired submariner, I don't have a problem detecting half a degree just one way or the other, which seems to amaze surface Sailors for some reason.
Changes in list and trim are vitally important to submariners.
Sorry, but nope. I will gladly exit an aircraft while in flight at 0200 in the AM under a beautiful, starlit sky (& I've done it, exiting in the clouds, during a rain storm, being pelted by ice pellets as well), but big water straight freaks me out.
I did an 8-day Alaskan cruise with the fam & was nervous, but the cruise ship was so big, you barely felt the water. We had 'rough' seas one night & I've never slept so good in my life. Running on the treadmill in the gym, with the coastline in sight was particularly disconcerting & running on the upper deck? No. Not gonna happen. Felt like I was running while drunk (which you'd think I'd have been used to by then. Lol!). Disorienting as hell. I don't get motion sickness of any sort, not even as a litter 'casualty' in a Blackhawk for an FTX, with the pilot briefed by the 1SG that he didn't have a hair on his ass if he couldn't make us all puke (coolest/most expensive amusement park ride ever).
I know, it doesn't make sense. I'll embrace the sky, but big water makes my skin crawl.
I did an 8-day Alaskan cruise with the fam & was nervous, but the cruise ship was so big, you barely felt the water. We had 'rough' seas one night & I've never slept so good in my life. Running on the treadmill in the gym, with the coastline in sight was particularly disconcerting & running on the upper deck? No. Not gonna happen. Felt like I was running while drunk (which you'd think I'd have been used to by then. Lol!). Disorienting as hell. I don't get motion sickness of any sort, not even as a litter 'casualty' in a Blackhawk for an FTX, with the pilot briefed by the 1SG that he didn't have a hair on his ass if he couldn't make us all puke (coolest/most expensive amusement park ride ever).
I know, it doesn't make sense. I'll embrace the sky, but big water makes my skin crawl.
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God bless you guys, cause I get seasick in a bathtub. Kids like it when I go snorkeling with them, don’t lose it on the boat only when I hit the water, and of course always lots of fish swimming around me. Kids didn’t know why until they got older.
Chuckman
Senior Member
The couple times I rode subs to do lock-in/lock-out training, it really screwed with my head. Sensing motion but the inability to see the horizon for context was challenging to me.
I've seen a guy just like this. In 1966 I was sitting in the Hollywood USO and saw an older guy in Marine greens go by with a chest FULL of ribbons but NOTHING on his right sleeve - no stripes, no hashmarks, no Nothing! Nothing on his collar either so he wasn't an officer. I thought "What the hell did he do to get busted down to Private?" Then he turned around and I saw his LEFT sleeve. Nothing but hashmarks half way up and stripes halfway down. He couldn't even bend his arm with all that sewed on it. Probably had started out in WWII, went thru Korea and was now headed for Vietnam. Now that's SALTY!!!
My old "Top"/Master Guns had hit every rank from Pvt to SGT three times, and SSG to Master Gunnery twice. He was one of those !!!
Chuckman
Senior Member
My mother's cousin, deceased in 1995, retired in the late 60s E9, Mastery Gunnery Sgt. I remember looking at a pic in his home in awe, 30 years of service, service in China, the Pacific in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Yep; that was the Old Breed !!!
One of my instructors on foreign weapons had a scar in the palm of his hand from a Chinese SKS bayonet from Korea. You could see the exact 5 edge outline in the palm and back of his hand where it went all the way through. Old Gunny had some stories to tell if he liked you and you listened right.
One of my instructors on foreign weapons had a scar in the palm of his hand from a Chinese SKS bayonet from Korea. You could see the exact 5 edge outline in the palm and back of his hand where it went all the way through. Old Gunny had some stories to tell if he liked you and you listened right.
Chuckman
Senior Member
I found my mom's cousin's obit; all it mentions is WWII, Korea, VN, but I know he was in China 1939ish. Sad that he died before I really had an interest to know much about his history; when you grow up in it, it's not a big deal, but the older I get the more I want to know.
ronn47
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Same here with me and an uncle who was the cook and a 20MM AA gunner on a LSI at Normandy.
Went through several transit barracks in 1967 when the Navy was trying to catch me up with my new ship, which was deployed at the time. Saw a "Gold" Seaman on one of the flights.
For those not familiar with "gold" rating badge and service stripes in the Navy, it indicates 12 years good conduct. So E3 with 12 years....
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Back in '89, there was a squad leader in my platoon who was notorious for his ass gas. I'm talking making grunts puke nasty. We're riding around Ft Chaffee, AR in the back of a HMMWV ('pickup' configuration) in the freezing ass winter, so you know the driver & TC have the cab buttoned up & the heat cranked. SGT Duncan's riding in the back, against the cab & rips one. Driver stomps on the brakes & he & the LT bail out of truck, gagging & MFerin' him for all he was worth.
We had a dude in Germany who was bad. Rick'd come in all hung over after a night of hefeweizen & pickled eggs. Made more than one chick fall out of a PT run, puking.
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