Broadside "Instant Classic"
CDR Salamander posts a great "Broadside" cartoon. It reminds me of the way I used to "welcome" new Chiefs of the Watch. If I was OOD on their first qualified watch, I'd have Manueuvering "whoop" them on the 2JV after a higher bell was ordered and report, "Have indications of reactor supercriticality and negative temperature coefficient in Maneuvering". It was always a blast to see them try to repeat it back, and then hear the inflection of their voice as they reported it -- they were usually thinking, "Am I reporting our imminent deaths here?"
It was like a no-sh*tter I heard someone tell from the Ustafish: New guy arrives on the boat from BESS; his chief takes him under his wing, shows him around the boat, helps him get settled in. Gives him only one piece of advice: "The reactor is safe. The only time you have to worry is if you hear the announcement 'The reactor is critical'. If you hear this, just drop what you're doing and get the hell off the boat as soon as you can. If you're quick enough, you'll probably survive, although you probably won't be able to have kids." He said it was quite humorous about two hours before their next underway; the announcement was made as the kid was in a line handing down supplies. His eyes got really wide, he dropped the box he was holding, and headed straight for the Weapons Shipping Hatch...
Speaking of handling supplies: Did anyone ever "float test" some particularly hated item of food as it came across the brow? We lost a box of rabbit that way once...
Going deep...
posted by Bubblehead at 10:26 AM
6 Comments:
Another good story:
One day a new R-Div'r came into maneuvering for some checkout. As EOOW, I was obviously a trusted source of knowledge. I ensured that he knew all about the "explosive bolts" around the reactor, and the button in the CO stateroom that would fire them in event of a catastrophic Reactor event. Quite happy with his new knowledge, he went off in pursuit of other learning. I had forgotten all about it until a month later when the R-Div chief came busting into maneuvering demanding "What the hell are you trying to tell my guys." After a little calming down, the chief finally saw the humor in the event.
Of course after that, it was amazing how many coners knew about the explosive bolts...
7/11/2005 11:00 AM
We float tested a Jacobs Ladder once. I figured it would float being orange and wood and all. Sunk like a stone...go figure. To this day I still think about all of the times I hooked my safety line to it putting the BST beams over the explovive bolts. If the Ladder unhooked from the safety track I would have been down to the bottom of Hood Canal in no time.
7/11/2005 12:39 PM
A box of TDU weights makes a really cool splash when thrown into the water....
The duty section was doing a small stores load one day in Yokosuka. I was loitering on the pier, waiting for my liberty buddy, when a box of TDU weights self-destructed and one of the weights went onto the water. Nice splash. Somebody picked up another one and dropped it in. Another nice splash. Somebody tried throwing (as opposed to dropping) one in. Better splash. Then somebody else came up with the idea of throwing a whole, unopened box in. Very nice splash. About that time my liberty buddy finally appeared topside and we left.
Heard later that some O-ganger over on the Midway (parked, as usual, at the neighbouring pier) saw what was going on and called our duty officer to let him know. Supposedly our CO was threatening that unless the guilty parties confessed, he was going to make the entire duty section, forward and aft, chip in to pay for the missing TDU weights....
RM1(SS) (ret)
7/11/2005 4:59 PM
Stores load, what a fun time. The Sonar, Radio and ET Girls would be outside of Sonar, Radio and ESM (637) and we Agangers would be on the ladder outside of AMR1. The good stuff always got pilfered before it got down to us. Hot Chocolate, mixed nuts and candy were always high contenders for a detour out of the line. We were on station in 79 when the Chop came down to AMR1 requesting a #10 can of mixed candy. One showed up about ½ hour later.
That Damn Good Looking Aganger From Iowa
7/13/2005 4:03 PM
Number 10 cans of Lima Beans never made it across the brow on the USS Tunny in the early 80's. You don't need Lima Beans screwing up a good steak dinner. Does anybody remember the cans of freeze dried whole shrimp?
7/14/2005 2:17 PM
Well, I don't actually consider this is likely to have success.
11/23/2011 1:30 AM
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