Rank
Petty Officer First Class
Where were you or your family stationed?
Great Lakes RTC, ACU-1 Coronado, ACU-1 and various ships in Vietnam, CNAVRES (flag staff) New Orleans.
Current Status with the US Navy
Honorably Discharged
Start date of your service
January 21, 1970
Comments
I do remember the boiler fronts moving when that happened. I haven't done anything with boilers since I got off the ship in 89, shore duty until I got out in 92. IIRC the Midway had M type boilers, that was my first ship.
not a very smart thing to light off the back wall saw a burner front on an lpd expand 4 inches when it lit good watchstanding keeps those fires in the box. How many of you guys steamed m-types?
If fires went out in the boiler while steaming, protocol stated to emergency secure the boiler, then re-lite it back off. This was time consuming. The walls inside the firebox are red hot, so if you turned on the fuel to splash on the back wall, you could get your fires re-lit without losing any time or steam pressure. It was dangerous as it caused a small explosion inside the firebox, and cracked the firebrick. It was a serious offense but happened just the same.
Yes, I keep telling my son about stuff from years ago and he looks it up on the web to see if I am full of crap about it or not. Wish I could do that with my dad.
I remember "mini bikes" from the fifties and early sixties. Always wanted one. Know where I can get the plans to build one?
I wonder how many years the sextant has been obsolete.He sure looks like he knows what he's doing.I remember when the Signalmen had SO MANY different signal flags hanging from the flying bridge ( or yard arm).Wonder if they still do that anymore.
talking about mid rats...you should have been around when they took out,and replaced the life-saving provisions in each of the many emergency life rafts up on the main deck.They had,among other things,packs of Camel cigarettes so old and forgotten they gave away to the nearest swabbie that was said to taste like @#$%!...oh,and don't forget the small cans of tuna fish.with green things sticking to them....I'll stick with the good ole midrats...I had to stand lots of four hour steering watches,and it seemed they were always mid watches.Was steering on the mid once going to Northern Europe and the Stormy North Atlantic was not co-operating,then sonar called up to the bridge reporting a definite Russian sub contact.Everything went crazy,the old man flew to the bridge,eyes red,nostrils flaring,but we never could get the sub to reply to our requests.Finally lost contact.
Hi Douglas,from looking at your pic.I can see you using an old-fashioned,and I would think a totally out of date sextant...Our XO,and quartermasters relied on those for their navigation purposes,and we even at one time had our boatswains' mates on the forecastle using the old fashioned lead-line to take depth readings....Sadly,I found out many years later that my last tin can had a boiler to blow,causing at least three gunners mates deaths.Chances are very good that I could have been one of the casualties had I still been aboard...Didn't spend much time in San Diego,only stopped briefly at a locker club on my way to beautiful downtown Tijuana to see my beautiful Senorita!