View Full Version : Life on Ship?
Wolfman07
03-10-08, 08:39 PM
Im deploying on the 15th meu in may and Im wondering whats life on ship like for Infantry Marines? I wondering what we do if we cant really train, Ive heard that we lift weights a ton but thats about it. Any input is appreciated. Semper Fi:flag:
outlaw3179
03-10-08, 10:01 PM
Wake up
Eat chow
P.T.
(Pray for general quarters) if that doesnt happen try to hide on ship and avoid being seen , more than likely every part of the ship will be closed for cleaning.
Get in line for chow. Eat chow.
GENERAL QUARTERS! GENERAL QUARTERS ! Marines man your racks and get some rack ops.
Wake up
Play poker, hearts, spades. Watch a movie in the lounge.
Chow
Maybe clean weapons, do some cheesy class if not Lift, Pt, play poker , hearts, spades ,or scrounge around the berthing for new porn once found: masturbate.
Get in the rack . Masturbate again.
Sleep . Repeat many times.
Ways to kill time.
Read magazines, Play handheld games, watch movies on laptop, lounge, masturbate, clean coffin rack, p.t, lift, listen to music, masturbate, write letters, talk about girls you banged back home, masturbate again, sleep, masturbate.
Enjoy your float.
greensideout
03-10-08, 11:23 PM
Not sure what it is like now but my experience was---VERY TIGHT QUARTERS---A STACK OF EIGHT RACKS ABOUT A FOOT APART---UP ON THE DECK FOR THE DAILY WORKOUT---SOME BOATSWAIN BLOWING HIS WHISTLE AND SAYING, "NOW HEAR THIS, NOW HEAR THIS, HOLD A CLEAN SWEEP FORE AND AFT, MARINES GET YOUR BOOTS OUT OF THE RACK!" We made an impression with the Navy while on board---lol.
davblay
03-11-08, 01:12 AM
Im deploying on the 15th meu in may and Im wondering whats life on ship like for Infantry Marines? I wondering what we do if we cant really train, Ive heard that we lift weights a ton but thats about it. Any input is appreciated. Semper Fi:flag:
Good luck Steve....I had begun to think you had fallen off the face of the earth. Haven't heard form you much since Boot Camp. Good Luck in the Sand box man or where ever you're going.
Semper Fi L/CPL,
Dave
Big Jim
03-11-08, 01:33 AM
Not sure what it is like now but my experience was---VERY TIGHT QUARTERS---A STACK OF EIGHT RACKS ABOUT A FOOT APART---UP ON THE DECK FOR THE DAILY WORKOUT---SOME BOATSWAIN BLOWING HIS WHISTLE AND SAYING, "NOW HEAR THIS, NOW HEAR THIS, HOLD A CLEAN SWEEP FORE AND AFT, MARINES GET YOUR BOOTS OUT OF THE RACK!" We made an impression with the Navy while on board---lol.
This was pretty much it on 2 different LPD's and one LHA on the way from Okinawa to Korea to Australia to Thailand back to the Rock!! Back and forth to the P.I a few times. From Team Spirit to Bearhunt to Kangaroo...alot of miles and beer! One thing for sure though...utilize that condom the Doc gives you before you disembark!! You don't want to bring home anything contagious!!
Stand in line at the armory to draw your weapon so you can clean it. Stand in line at the amory to return your weapon. Go to chow stand in line for chow. Get a peanut butter sandwich and a scoop of rice because all the good chow has already been served. Stand in line at the scullery to put your tray away. Stand in line at the armory to draw your weapon. Get on a helicopter and ride it to some crappy place. Dig a hole. Set up aiming stakes. Fill in the hole then get back on the bird and return to ship. Next day stand in line to draw your weapon. Get an MRE. Get on an Amtrac while riding to shore puke up the MRE. Get off the amtrac spend a week in the field running patrols. Get back on the amtrac and ride it back to ship.
And then.... Libbo in some of the best places to have libbo on earth. Pull in to Perth and there are ladies lining the docks holding up signs that say "I love you US Marine"
Never on a grunt carrier but the USS Midway and USS Niagra Falls can be summed up in one word.....they sucked big time, lol.
LeonardLawrence
03-11-08, 09:45 AM
Loving the descriptions of time on board and they sound pretty accurate.
Don't forget that all companies will field day at once and secure the heads. God help anyone who uses it before inspection. So if you need to vomit or relieve yourself, you will be waiting a long time. At first word of field day, a head call is in order.
Play "where's waldo?" by trying to be the first one to spot the ships Skipper.:)
PT on the flight deck and watching Harriers land and take off can be pretty entertaining as well.
Funny how chatting on here invokes long forgotten memories. The 1-MC sounds all Marines heave out and thrice up ... sweapers sweapers man your brooms .... get a good sweep job fore and aft. Funny how on a boat out in the middle of the ocean can accumulate dirt on the floors.
The captain has opened the flight deck for morning pt. Go out there and run ... first you are running uphill then you are running down hill then somehow while running uphill you are running downhill. Don't step on the padeyes or you'll turn an ankle. Finish PT and have to do a FOD walk.
Forgot to mention. I was on the Frederick, Bristol County, Tuscaloosa, Debuque, Wasp, and Belleau Wood.
Ed Palmer
03-11-08, 10:08 AM
Never on a grunt carrier but the USS Midway and USS Niagra Falls can be summed up in one word.....they sucked big time, lol.
Are you trying to tell me that the Navy has GAY ships?
Are you trying to tell me that the Navy has GAY ships?
I'm not going to answer that one Ed, ha.
Devilfrog
03-11-08, 11:49 AM
Also depends on what kind of ship you are on, my first WestPAC was on an LST(Schenectady), just my company and the amtracs. We got to do alot more stuff, boxing, pugil sticks, etc. Second one was on a LSD (Cleveland) which was loaded with brass so it was more from the hip classes and constant field day.
BTW the Schenectady was blown up by the Air Force & Navy in 2004
Crusader20
03-11-08, 02:11 PM
Wolfman <br />
<br />
I would agree with Outlaw on about most of the stuff. <br />
<br />
I remember alot of standing in line for chow that wasn't great. <br />
Lots of sitting on the upper decks with a cotton swap in my...
CHOPPER7199
03-11-08, 04:35 PM
Did I Not See Anything About General Quarters? Wtf, Stayed In Your Closet Till All Was Cleared. Better Make Sure The Bunkies In There Were All Clean. Geesh Not To Mention Replunishing The Ship With All The Chow And Just Maybe A Fresh Movie And Mail. After Being Couped Up IN THAt Thing ,why Not Would You Hit The Beach Full Bore. Lmfao
While in Hong Kong we had a mandatory formation and morning PT every day at 1000 while in port. Our CO would receive the report then say our first exercise of the day will be Marine Corps push ups ... we will do one of them ... ready exercise. One Two Three Four I love the Marine Corps. Fall in ... libbo.... see you tomarrow.
sparkie
03-11-08, 07:14 PM
Fantail Liberty,,,,,, Go to the back of the boat,{fantail], Throw your money overboard, beat your head against the bulkhead, hit the rack with a dirty sock in your mouth. When you wake up you will feel like you had a great nite on liberty.
That came from a month on a boat without seeing land in 1971. The Glorious USS Tripoli- LPH 10. Oohra. :banana:
E5NAMKROW
03-11-08, 07:18 PM
P.T.
Weapons Cleaning/Drills
Field Days
T.V./ Movies
and alot of card games
and general boredom
good time to work on mci
SlingerDun
03-11-08, 09:01 PM
Order an MCI lesson or two pertaining to your MOS. Have them in your possession before you deploy. Try hard to complete the course(s)while underway as it's easy to forget about it once you leave the ship. Learn how to relax and be calm in crowded spaces surrounded by a mob of young impatient studs you cant escape for long. This takes time and practice but studying and writing sure does help. Buy a language course or some kind of lesson that stimulates learning and will benefit you more than playboys and Louis Lamour books, gameboys. Wrestling and boxing in the berthing area is a good way to cut loose with somebody who gets on your nerves -and somebody will- but if your intentions are malicious seek a referee, preferably a senior NCO.
Make friends with Sailors:marine: You're a guest on their vessel and they got the huss at sea. Some of them build their own hooch in the boiler rooms and have their own secret dungeons where musicians jam or various interest groops gather, others have access to some pretty cool military equipment but Marines wont be invited if they behave like Jarheads:evilgrin:
--->Dave
SGT VAS
03-17-08, 11:46 AM
I was on the Essex with the 31st MEU. You will spend your time doing PMEs, Field Days, Weapons Maint., and vehicle maint.
It will suck no matter what toys you buy.
crate78
03-17-08, 03:20 PM
Keep your eyes open in the head.
On the Breckenridge, the troops' heads each had two rows of about a dozen stools back to back. There were no individual flush units, just a continuous stream of water running through a trough under the stools.
At the right time of day when most of the stools were occupied, it was great sport to take a big wad of toilet paper, set it on fire, drop it in the upstream end of the trough, ---and run for your life!
crate
SgtHopperUSMC
03-17-08, 03:50 PM
Don't forget that most of the berthing areas for Marines are right next to the magazine, engine room and below the water line.:banana:
Sgt Leprechaun
03-18-08, 07:39 AM
Man, Outlaw, you are right on the money! LOL.
I hit the ships library and read my way thru several sections, just for something to do. I'm a prolific reader anyway but I read about a hundred books.
The advice on MCI's is a good idea as well. Order as many as you can and wait to do them on ship.
Storage space will be EXTREMELY limited. As in, aboard USS Nashville (LPD-13), we had one small locker slightly larger than a shoebox, and one tiny 'wall locker' that wasn't big enough to put anything in but some porn movies. The rest of our gear was kept in our MOLLE packs, seabags, and where-ever else we could find a space. Word to the wise, take ONLY what you really need, nothing more. Stuff get's up and walks away, or you (literally) pitch it overboard because there is too much stuff.
If you have any pretensions to modesty, you won't when you come back.
Eventually, the noises and sounds will become 'normal' but for the first few nights, they'll drive you nuts.
"Sweepers Sweepers man your brooms, give the ship a good sweepdown fore and aft...". The Navy takes this crap seriously. Before you get off the ship for the last time, at the end of your deployment, you'll be cleaning for almost a solid week.
Watch the knee knockers and head bangers. Don't try to jump em. You'll end up in sick bay. Expect to have banged up shins until you get used to stepping over em.
I never got sea-sick, ever, even in the Adriatic in November. But if you do, you'll be one miserable SOB. Word to the wise, take some drammamine or other over the counter stuff with you before you go.
Speaking of over the counter meds, take along some cough/cold meds, allergy meds, Recon candy (Excedrin, extra strength), gold bond foot powder, and whatever else you may need. The ship's PX sells very little in the way of that stuff.
Take advantage of every opportunity to sightsee in your various ports of call, if you can. Instead of blowing your money on booze and hoors, go on as many trips as you can. Yes, have fun in the local 'gut', but you'll regret NOT seeing tourist attractions later on in life if you don't do it now. Castles, battlefields, shops...do it all. Take plenty of pictures.
Speaking of pics, make sure you take pics of the mundane, every-day type stuff, like your berthing area and other places you see every day. I did that and now, many years later, am very glad I did. Since you will have tons of down time, make sure you write WHO and WHAT is on the photo, on the back of it (or on the description in the computer file) because sure enough, a year later or five years later, you won't remember who it is, what the date is, or where it is other than "aboard USS Scow in the Pacific...".
If you smoke/dip, bring along at least one extra carton/tube. Doing gator squares with no UnRep for 45 days, the ship WILL run out of that stuff fast. Things will get ugly, rest assured.
Shipboard service is something you'll never forget, I assure you. Lots of good memories and friendships will be made for sure! You'll know your berth-mates entire life stories several times over before the deployment ends. And they'll know yours.
awbrown1462
03-18-08, 09:35 AM
went on two ships with f2/12 watch out for the navy asking you to stand mail bouy watch. every morning we all would look for this one 2nd LT so we all could salute him you only had to do this one time a day inless it was the ship Capt or your CO..his arm would be sore all day. I was the Supply person for my unit would tell someone had to check on the tucks and supplies in the hold and hide alot down there LOL have fun
crate78
03-18-08, 07:55 PM
One time on the aircraft carrier, USS Lake Champlain, a bunch of us Marines got bored and began a football game in one of the hangar bays--using a ball bearing for a football.
We had a serious football game going. Somewhere in the middle of it, I looked over to the side and a Navy Warrant Officer was watching us. You could just see a question mark about a foot high over his head, like "What the h*** are those Marines up to now?'
Of course, he couldn't see the ball bearing, all he could see was us running around.
On a serious note, watch out for any sailor with an armband that says "MAA".
It stands for "Master At Arms", but a literal interpretation is "A**h***. They're a bunch of dorks that run around the ship squaring people away whether they need it or not, yelling at the chow line to move it over against the bulkhead, etc.
There was one 1st Class on the Lake Champlain who was so obnoxious, even his shipmates couldn't stand him. One night while we were in port, and he was on liberty (Naples, I think), someone pulled him into a dark alley and beat the tar out of him, bigtime. They had a big hearing aboard ship. Marines testified sailors did it, sailors testified Marines did it, sailors testified they saw him trip over a curb, other sailors testified they were with him and didn't see anyone touch him, other sailors testified they saw him fall down some stairs, etc. etc. etc.
The Navy officer holding the hearing finally threw up his hands and threw the whole works out. I think the man in question got a very loud and clear message. He wasn't quite so obnoxious after that.
Anyway, enjoy life aboard ship.
crate
outlaw3179
03-18-08, 09:34 PM
Lol.. Crate I can totally picture you guys playing football..That must have been a f'd up look on that semens face.