Comments

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  Thomas Collier January 24, 2014 at 5:43pm

  THANKS FOR THE INFO JIM. ALWAYS THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING "MISSING," TO THE STORY. SAW MANY STRANGE THINGS WHILE IN, AND AS ALWAYS THERE ARE "2 SIDES," TO A STORY.AGAIN SHARING OUR STORIES IS A GREAT. 
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  Jim Decota January 24, 2014 at 5:29pm

  It took over 30 years to get my feet regularly on a deck! She may not be in commssion anymore, but she fills the role for me! I am planning on being on board when she does finally hit the waves again! I'll even take a little sea sickness for the experience! Since she is only a DE it won't take much in the way of waves either!

  Tom, that Bos'n may have been dishing it or he may have seen one of the 3 "DD's" that were lost in Typhoon Cobra. Or, he saw the USS Tabberer ride into a swell that took off her mast and antenae! No DE's were lost to any storms during the war. http://desausa.org/lost_des_in_wwii_action.htm

  

  DESA - Destroyer Escort Sailors Association
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  James W Ward January 24, 2014 at 5:23pm

  The Sheldon was a DD, rock and rolled most of the time..The Hornet was a carrier CVS-12 and we hit some seas a few times where the bow was covered with water.. Everything was tied down..Nothing moved except guys to sick bay..
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  KENNETH ROBERT PRICE January 24, 2014 at 5:05pm

  Carriers were not really subject to too much rock and roll although I do have pictures of the Lexington plowing through some heavy swells and water coming over the bow.  Only time I remember having to hold on in the radio shack.
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  Thomas Collier January 24, 2014 at 4:28pm

  Quite interesting about "bobbing around," as I met a Bosn at the RTC who served WW2 on board a Destroyer. Said the sea was so rough one night that he swears that while he was on deck watch a DE escort disappeared while they were on the roll to the top of a heavy wave. I know what your thinking, he was "full," after asking around it is possible. Never got the name of the DE or would look it up for records.
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  Bob Coombs January 24, 2014 at 4:09pm

  I've only been seasick once, and I suspect that was part of an initiation welcome aboard my new LST duty station. I'd been on T's before while serving with a Seabee unit, and the rocking and rolling didn't bother me then.

  I found it highly suspect that we sat in the calm waters of the Mekong River for a couple of months with plenty of time to chip and paint the lower storeroom, but no, they waited until we hit the high seas before sending me down with chipping hammer and paint brush in hand.

  Chipping, along with the smell of rusty bilge water filling my lungs didn't bother me, but when paint fumes mixed with what little air there was, that did it. I hit the head as quickly as I could scramble up the ladders, then spent the rest of the day in my rack. Haven't been seasick since!
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  Jim Decota January 24, 2014 at 3:52pm

   Funny you should say that David! Although I am probably going to miss ship's movement again! Next month the Slater is headed 100 miles south to the shipyard! OK, it's a river and not open sea!

    I never get sea sick either! Besides, as a Corpsman I figured even if I did I would have access to all the good stuff to keep me steady!
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  James W Ward January 24, 2014 at 3:44pm

  I was on the Sheldon repairing tty equipment when we hit some rough seas.. A number of people were sick, I went on the bridge and the Capt. looked at me and made the comment "Your not sea sick?".. No Sir, then he asked if I wanted to transfer over, No thanks sir, I never did get sea sick. Even when we went rock and rolling is the storm..
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  David W Asche January 24, 2014 at 3:41pm

  About the only thing I wish I could have done while I was in the Navy was become a Shellback.  Closest I got was Guam...

   
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  Terry Schiele HM-2 (RN) January 24, 2014 at 3:29pm

  I thought I was also not going to get to go aboard a ship but it did work somewhat.  We were pulled out of Viet Nam (FMSS Corpsman) on the decks of an LPD.  Went to Japan for Cold Weather training on an LST. (old)  Also had some adventures with the 3rd Marine Air Wing. Traveled to Guam, Midway, and Wake Island by C-130. The LPD was the most stable but had the worst food.  LST bobbed like cork and talk about green marines.  They did have good food though. TS