My Award
I was there when one of the Helo Ships had a boiler explosion. It killed a few guysand they came outoard of us. I think it was the Iwo Jima. We feed their crew and or our crew at the same time.That was where I got my NAM. We hung out at a hotel that had a swimming pool on the top deck with a bar (of course). One our off time we made good use of the hotel. Had a bar down stairs.And wasclose to the Gold Suk.
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My first "Persian Excursion" was in 1972 with VP-4 to Bandar Abas when the shaw still held power in Iran. The barracks we were in had what were called "Persian bombsights" for toilets. (Very similar to the old style Japanese type.) We were olny allowed to use one square of toilet paper or it would jamb up the sewer pipes. An new barracks was being built nearby with western-style comodes, but wasn't open yet when we were there.
You can still see that airstrip east of town on Google Earth. We used the big red hanger at the northwest end of the field.
We mainly existed on "K" or "C" rats back when they still included the three-packs of cigarettes. I carried one of those "John Wayne" can openers from the rats on my dog tag chain for years. (Until someone pointed out that they could be dangerous worn there.)
Didn't get back to the gulf until we deployed to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 1988 during the Iran-Iraq war. Quite an adventure flying all those MAP flights while those two countries were duking it out in an air war overhead. Kept us RADAR operators busy with IFF and ESM.
Got fired on by an allied ship once because they didn't get the word about us being in the area. (This was when P-3s started being painted flat grey. We tended to blend into the gulf haze.)
There has been a lot going on in the gulf prior to 1991.
I'm surprised that we weren't recalled to serve there during Kwait war, since we already had experience in the gulf.
I'm glad I had the experience of goimg there.
My name is Martin Brown and I went aboard the USS Greenwich Bay AVP-41 in 1961 as a Seaman. Made three trips to the Persian Gulf and was discharged in 1964 as a Postal Clerk Second Class. We presently have 368 Shipmates listed on the active roster and continue to search for missing men to be added. If you know anyone that served on the GB from 1945 to 1966 please ask them to contact me by E-Mail: ussgreenwichbay@gmail.com so we may get them up to course and speed with our great crew. See Shipmate Jerry Packer's comment below as we served together and you will enjoy his web site also.
I was the liberty Launch engineer so was required to ride the 50 liberty launch in and out when ever we anchored out. pulling into a new port in a strange country and tieing up to the jetty was incrediably exciting. as you can see I am extreamly happy to have joined the USN.
a picture collection of the ship is a www.picturetrail.com/jerrysplace after a medical retirement I missed the Ocean so we sold everything went to Florida purchased a sailboat and sailed off to the Bahamas & Carribean for 20 years.. Thats another story Dudes.... We need more beer.