View Full Version : Marines on ship- post good stories here->
CplAllen
03-18-10, 02:36 PM
I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of two MEU's and each one was worth about six months a piece on board a NAVY vessel. (By the way, EVERYONE should experience this) Anyhow, I was looking at some photos the other day reminiscing about ship life and recalling how it was such a crazy life in terms of being underway and not seeing any land for long periods of time (45 days for me) and some of the great stories of living life on ship. So what are some good stories about ship life? I'll post some if this gets popular.
TinDragon
03-18-10, 02:51 PM
I don't really have any great stories (that I can think of, gimme some time, haha), but I have to say that some of those nights were the best nights of sleep I've ever gotten. Those waves rocking back and forth put me right to sleep. Sometimes. Other times... people in the berthing didn't know what "Shut the hell up!" meant.
We did have a good 10-12 people all in a little Starcraft group, played a ton of that.
Surprisingly, I saw very few people seasick. Plenty of people throwing up, but that was a lot more from drinking during port calls than being seasick!
Garyius
03-18-10, 03:26 PM
I was on the Alamo, a LSD. We had some small problems with the navy guys stealing, but the captain and chiefs got our staff back.
Anyhow, otherwise a good ship, well run, good chow. An example was when the AC in the rear troop berthing caught on fire. They had the thing force aired out and a new AC in within maybe 4 or 5 hours.
The captain used to come down every few days and stand at the end of the chow line, after you got your food, to ask how things were. One meal a day, on days when when he wasn't there, the supply O or some chief would be down there.
We were getting near the end of the trip and the captain come down and stood at the end of the line. Someone up near the front told him "This is the best boat I have ever been on, Sir"
The whole line of Marines repeated it as they came up. He had a big old smile.
TinDragon
03-18-10, 03:44 PM
Aha! I have a story now. Chow related.
We're sittin' in line, it's prime chow hours and you probably know how bad those lines can get. Me and a buddy of mine get about three from the part of the line where we start getting food when all of a sudden the line stops. Some petty officer decided to stop the line because he wanted to make sure we got all the choices of food we should have available. Apparently, the vegetables or something ran out. We all told him "We're fine with what's there!" but he wouldn't let the line budge until everything that was offered for the meal was actually there, which took about 20 minutes. Since we'd all been waiting a good 40 minutes as it was, sufficed to say none of us were very happy.
Aha! I have a story now. Chow related.
We're sittin' in line, it's prime chow hours and you probably know how bad those lines can get. Me and a buddy of mine get about three from the part of the line where we start getting food when all of a sudden the line stops. Some petty officer decided to stop the line because he wanted to make sure we got all the choices of food we should have available. Apparently, the vegetables or something ran out. We all told him "We're fine with what's there!" but he wouldn't let the line budge until everything that was offered for the meal was actually there, which took about 20 minutes. Since we'd all been waiting a good 40 minutes as it was, sufficed to say none of us were very happy.
Awww.... wasn't that nice of him to look out for you like that.
ameriken
03-18-10, 03:57 PM
My most favorite time in the Corps was on a WestPac float to mainland Japan and Subic Bay. Been on the Alamo LSD-33 going from Oki to Japan, the Juneau LPD-10 as we went down to P.I., and one other LPD which I cant remember the name (possibly the Dubuque).
I agree with TinDragon, the best sleep I've ever had was on ship.
Stories? Nothing spectacular, except when we headed from Japan down to Subic Bay on the Juneau we had to go 'around' supertyphoon Babe (Sept 1977). For about 3 days we went up and down through what seemed like 30 to 40' swells. I didnt eat anything other than crackers for those 3 days. Oddly, the tables on the Juneau in the chow hall were not tied down and after evening chow I was headed throught the chow hall to the flight deck. They were trying to clean all the spilled slop off the mess deck and had all the tables on one side. The ship took a mean downward dive to starboard as I was passing through and all the tables started sliding down toward me. It was just kind of funny to watch that happen.
On our starboard side was the USS Schenectady LST-1185 and I really felt bad (not!) for the Marines on that ship. It was a smaller flatbottomed boat which really did not do well in those swells. I watched the entire bow come out of the water and then dive under getting almost completely buried up to the bridge.
I loved being on ship and would do it again in a heartbeat.
USS Alamo:
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=673&pictureid=5253
USS Juneau:
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=673&pictureid=5254
That was the one thing I would have loved to do but couldn't.
ameriken
03-18-10, 04:00 PM
USS Schenectady:
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=673&pictureid=5255
Nothing but the finest accomodations for us sardines. I mean US Marines.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs276.ash1/20368_1220296232865_1392704587_30526243_964455_n.j pg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30526189&id=1392704587&op=1&view=all&subj=140116430133&aid=-1&oid=140116430133)
Lazy ass squid:
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=673&pictureid=5252
TinDragon
03-18-10, 04:01 PM
On our starboard side was the USS Schenectady LST-1185 and I really felt bad (not!) for the Marines on that ship. It was a smaller flatbottomed boat which really did not do well in those swells. I watched the entire bow come out of the water and then dive under getting almost completely buried up to the bridge.
USS Juneau:
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=673&pictureid=5254
I don't think I'd even want to be on a boat as small as yours in a storm... we had enough problems on the Essex, and compared to pretty much anything not an aircraft carrier, it's huge.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/USS-Essex(LHD2)_Shimakaze(DDG172)_Myoko(DDG175)_Hamagi ri(DD155)_Natsushio(SS584)_DN-SD-05-00196crop.jpg
Don't want to post the actual picture 'cause it's huge, but there's the link to it.
ggyoung
03-18-10, 04:39 PM
On the old Valley Forge 1965 I got a Navy butterbar with the old "sea bat" game. For you who don't know what a sea bat is I will tell you. You have to have a cardboard box and a broom. You cut some small holes in it. The you get a few of your buddies on the flight deck gather around the box. Have 1 or 2 of your buddies on there hands and knees saying things like OMG look at them eyes. Soon somebody will ask what do you have in the box. You tell them a sea bat, get down and look for yourself. When they do you wack as hard as you can with the broom.
BLT 3/4 74-75 USS THOMASTON LSD-28, USS MONTICELLO LSD-35 AND THE USS VANCOUVER. SUBIC BAY, HONG KONG, GULF of TONKIN and many other ports of interest.
kman311
03-18-10, 06:46 PM
Enjoyed my WestPacs on the USS Vancouver, USS Denver, and USS Schenectady. Kilo 3/3 was never the helo company while I was there so I never got to ride on the LHA's like the Tarawa. Used to love sleeping out on the flight deck where it was cooler. About 0600 they would call flight quarters and we would go back to the cramped berthing areas.
Also rode on the USS Grapple while it towed 3 Korean era minesweepers to the Persian Gulf in late 88. Spent a couple days on each of the minesweepers while under tow watching over the squids while they fam fired all their weapons and boy those little ships rocked and rolled! Still have great memories of the MSO Inflict, MSO Illusive and MSO Fearless
The first ship I was on the tuscaloosa (LST) don't remember the tack number. Anyway we were on there about a week. That's all just a week. I probably puked 10 times a day for most of the week. I had those gay pink band-aids behind my ears etc but I couldn't even keep water down. Finally .... a salty lance came and said get rid of the band-aid then eat these. Handed me a box of ritz crackers. With that little trick I was never sea sick again.
Ever notice that after you get off ship the land seems to be slowly rocking back and forth?
When on the belleau wood our berthing was right under the gym. That thing was busy 24/7. There were a couple of those rowing machines up there and at 2 in the morning you would hear the dam things .... zzzooo zzzz zoo zzz zoo. All night.
General quarters was always cool. Sailors running around doing whatever sailors do. Marines hit the rack.
SlingerDun
03-18-10, 09:28 PM
without doubt the best thing about sea duty... 'getting off' in the P.I.http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/133/l_3fc7723c0b444207a6f715b561c64ded.jpgcirca 1980
ameriken
03-18-10, 09:33 PM
without doubt the best thing about sea duty... 'getting off' in the P.I.http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/133/l_3fc7723c0b444207a6f715b561c64ded.jpgcirca 1980
Only in Olongapo :p
Izzame2
03-19-10, 03:09 AM
It brings back a lot of memories reading these posts.I was on float with 1st Battalion 9th Marines and was on the USS Dubuque around 78 & 79.
I remember running in formation on the flight deck while the ship was rolling 35 to 40 degrees in the Taiwan Straits.It was hilarious because it was similar to running up and down hills as the ship rocked.
The racks were what appeared to be one inch mattresses laying on a sheet of canvas that was lashed to an aluminum frame with rope.I remember a guy in my platoon who took a pocket knife and cut through the rope just enough to weaken it so when his friend got in the rack his weight broke the ropes and he went crashing onto the guy below him.
When we had chow we could only fill our glasses half full because the liquid would splash all over our meal water logging it due to the ships rocking.We also had to hold onto our tray to prevent it from sliding across the table onto the floor.
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=673&pictureid=5254
Good old LPD-10. I was also on board in '77 from Oki to Mindoro and back. The chow lines were long but the chow was good. I must say though when they sounded general quarters them damn Sailors moved pretty fast.
TJR1070
03-19-10, 08:17 AM
I was on the Debuque in '89 for the return trip from Valiant Blitz. Same problems then as when you were on it Izzame, only I was on mess duty and got the Captain's mess. Some of the best chow I ever ate. The New Orleans and the Tripoli were alright, better berthing than the LSD's, but the Tarawa was best ship I was on.
I would still like any ship that was stopping at the P.I., best libo port ever and it made the long boring times on ship worth while. We were embarked on ships for the trip to the Gulf and we spent so many days at sea straight that they had to give the entire crew two beers each (some obscure Navy rule, honest) but of course I was on watch and didn't get to partake so my friend got mine. By the time I got off watch and went to the hanger bay to see if anything was left there wasn't anything but a bunch of buzzed Marines and sailors looking for more!
Izzame2
03-19-10, 05:26 PM
Great picture sscjoe of the "Da Puke" as the sailors who served aboard her affectionately called her.I believe I have some pics somewhere but, I don't have a scanner to post them.
Tjr1070 I hear and agree with you on the P.I. liberty since it was out of this world.The women were some of the hottest around and they loved to party.Oh boy do I miss those old days at Olongapo city in Subic bay.
Garyius
03-19-10, 07:03 PM
I will say, I rode to a Team Spirit on the New Orleans one year. Maybe 88? The berthing areas stunk of hot oil, the bunks sucked, the food sucked, the 'embarked troops' meal hours also sucked, most of the frame marks were flaked, and the crew hated their officers a lot. A lot.
I got sent over to the St Louis on a cross deck and it was actually nicer, better food, happier crew, and that thing was as old as dirt then.
Cant wait, just attached to VMM-266 today. Heading to the Med with the 26th MEU later this year. Ship life sounds exciting! lol