Comments

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  Craig Lami August 4, 2009 at 10:04am

  Don't let Dave be to modest. I worked with him in A School. He camped right in there with the best of his class.
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  George E. Demand August 3, 2009 at 10:56pm

  I had always thought that I was a good Molder...at least during my first enlistment. On the Prairie, when cores had to be done I was tasked to make them. I always seemed to be assigned to the complicated projects(when we got them). Dennis Briggs and I were the go to guys.
  I got out of the Navy after my first enlistment and when I returned in 1988 my skills were rusty.
  On the Proteus our main job was PLAQUES! Many,many,many plaques...it seemed like our only reason for being. One other big responsiblity on the "Old Pro" was "sockets" Wire rope zinc poured sockets.
  Dave McKown, Dan Osborne and I went through a lot to get certified to handle the QA work packages for the sockets. (we always complained that it was BM's job)
  My point with all this is that I thought I was the "shit" but reading the stories of previous Molders and seeing the pictures...I must admit that "I couldn't hold their riddles". Molders like Mr. Asche were the REAL molders. Us plaques makers are the pretenders.
  Right now I want to give "Big Props" and recognition to the better Molders who served before me. Thank you
  I still believe that being in a small rate made us unique.
  "Fleet Molders...Iron men of the Navy"
  MMOMM Master Manipulators Of Molten Metals. (Dave McKown gave that to me)
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  aldo crose July 25, 2009 at 10:47pm

  I worked in an aluminum foundy in fl. for about one year and ended up buying it. I then bought two more non ferrous foundrys in the nest year and moved all three foundrys into one location. I then worked and built that business for four years and then sold it. I then took a job in N.C. running a large brass foundry that made valves. This was an automated shop with two Hunter 20 es and a auto pour. Auto shake out and auto grinding. The shop was great and the work force was the best but Corp. life realy was bad so after three years I called it a day and went back to Fl. All in all I had a great time but nothing could compare with Navy life and the great people I was stationed with.
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  Richard caswell July 25, 2009 at 6:00pm

  I worked at a ductile iron foundry here in Michigan as Grinding room Supervisor kinda small operation did about 25k a day mainly Valve castings and electrical motor cores the civilian sector sure is alot different than Navy sure miss that
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  Dennis Pennington July 25, 2009 at 3:05pm

  I worked in a large brass Foundry in PA, it employed about 800 at that time,when I got out of Navy 1st time in 1987. We cast brass billets anywhere from 14" dia. to 9 1/4" dia. and about 25' long.They were used to make parts for GM and numerous other manufacturers. They had Ajax furnaces and five Tama furnaces of which the largest was capable of melting 25,000 lbs. of brass at one time. I worked in the Metallurgical Dept. and basically tested the composition of the metal before it was poured. Were some really good people there but civilian world is not the same as the good old Navy was and never will be.
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  Richard caswell July 25, 2009 at 2:04pm

  dammit sorry chief i spelled ur name wrong RHEA
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  Richard caswell July 25, 2009 at 2:00pm

  Hey Mark,
  I was on board Land from 90'-93' I was there with Smitty for awhile Roger Kinney, Chief Sellars and Reah, CWO2 Uptagrafft I was put in the rigging loft to fix problems there ran the foundry for a little bit but yea Divers always came first in the division lol.
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  Craig Lami July 25, 2009 at 12:53pm

  Mark,
  What year was that? Was that ML Nick Smith? When we were in Rota Spain in '73 an ML2 Nick Smith and I traded duty stations. I moved from the Simon Lake to the Holland and he went the other way.
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  Richard caswell July 25, 2009 at 2:25am

  Hello all Just joined a couple of days will write more soon
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  Glenn Kamppi July 24, 2009 at 10:03pm

  Yeah, I work on the Navy Base in Everett, WA with 2 retired Master Chiefs (BT and FC), retired LCDR LDO, a 10-year RM1, Reservist CDR (who was the CSO on one of my ships) and our "College Boy" office manager. We make a damn good team! We get a lot of people in the Ship Maintenance world (MSMO contractors, AIT's, etc.) who come through our office that just DON'T understand how things should be when it comes to doing something for the Navy that they're paid to do. When I get attitude from someone, I school them up and tell them if they want to keep their job they better do what the hell they were paid to do. That usually gets their attention. I love busting AIT's who try taking short-cuts and not accomplishing an Aleration in accordance with approved Navy drawings. I got a letter of appreciation from an Admiral-select a few months ago for my diligence and work ethic. Not that it will do me any good other than go on an Eval (yeah we have Evals!) but I try to help anyone I can in the Navy maintenance and logistics community. I'm on the ships everyday helping sailors with all sorts of problems such as APL issues, parts problems, 3-M Coordinators with all the problems they have, etc. I know about every Chief on every ship here, plus all the ones on base. Knowing that I'm doing something for someone that no one ever did for me while I was in the Navy makes me feel good!
  
  Anne, Jerry Barbon works in the same building as me and I see him every day now.
  
  Joe, they have an OSLR position in Norfolk that just posted and a SCLSIS analyst job in Bath, Maine.
  
  Okay guys and girls, take it easy and stay ductile!
  Damn, I wish I could get some sand in my shoes!