PacFleet Clarification Statement Coming...
Austin Powers: Only sailors use condoms, baby.
Vanessa Kensington: Not in the nineties, Austin.
Austin Powers: Well they should, those filthy beggars, they go from port to port.
Interesting article from tomorrow's edition of Australia's Sunday Mail (the article's dated January 24, so that's tomorrow, international dateline be damned) about the visit of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) to Brisbane (the picture above is of the Reagan arriving in Brisbane, from the ship's web site). Specifically, the article makes it seem as though the U.S. Navy is expecting their Sailors to visit some brothels when they're in town:
"ADVANCE teams of American military police have scoured Brisbane brothels and adult entertainment venues in the lead-up to the USS Ronald Reagan's arrival. The giant aircraft carrier with about 6000 crew on board cruised into its Brisbane River mooring yesterday, a signal for venues across the city to call all hands on deck for an expected influx of sailors eager to spend up big while on leave.
"Queensland Adult Business Association spokesman Nick Inskip, who owns the Purely Blue brothel at Bowen Hills, said military police had visited venues across Brisbane to scout for any potential problems and provide contact details if there was any trouble.
"Not that Brisbane brothels were expecting any problems with their American visitors.
"I'll have to be honest and tell you that the fellows are fantastic customers, they are so well-mannered," Mr Inskip said."
Some of you might remember a recent post I had about the UCMJ being changed to specifically make pandering (engaging the services of a prostitute) a punishable offense. I imagine that when someone at PacFleet (or Seventh Fleet) remembers that, we can expect a statement to the effect that 'all crew members have been briefed on the new regulations'. Expect these briefings to have no effect.
I always figured that the Australian port visit portion of a deployment should come at the end, rather than the beginning, as Reagan is doing. (She left San Diego on 04 January, and did her ASWEX south of Pearl during the 09-12 January period.) It kinda doesn't leave you much to look forward to at the end of the deployment if you don't have Australia in your sights...
These "advance teams" they send ashore probably aren't as fun as they used to be. During my first deployment, in '92-'93, I talked to the guys off the USS Ranger (CV 61) who had gone ahead to scout out Perth for the Battle Group. They arranged for "receptions" with the locals -- renting hotel ballrooms and everything. They handed out invitations to women they saw on the street; based on the prospective invitee's external physical attributes, she'd either get an invitation to the enlisted reception or the officer reception (there were about 5x the number of invites available for the former). Unfortunately for the enlisted Sailors, only officers got to go on these advance parties. The girls who got invited to the enlisted reception probably had very nice personalities, though...
I went to the officer reception, and I was a very good boy...
Going deep...
posted by Bubblehead at 7:26 PM
5 Comments:
I went to an wardroom party in Perth a long time ago and a galaxy far away back when it was a man's Navy and not a sin to have fun. No details to share except that: Australians make great hosts, if you have to pay for sex in Australia you are not doing it right, and a good time was had by all
1/23/2006 11:06 PM
(found post via Military Outpost)
Obviously I'm not doing this right, haven't found the brothels yet.
And yes, if you're paying for it, you've got no skill.
It's still not a sin to have fun, you just have to be a little more... discreet about it, I guess.
But the RR is enjoying Brisbane, no doubts about it.
Side note, if you're trivially inclined -- the RONALD REAGAN has the RANGER's anchors.
1/25/2006 4:29 AM
I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms the amendment to the UCMJ.
The expressed intent of the order is the undeniably proper wish to stamp out the "human trafficking" trade.
The well-regulated Brothels in Australia have no truck with such: if they're found to have contravened the stringent regulations, they lose their licences, and the proprietors are jailed. What's more, these laws are actually enforced, as more than one politician (the usual owners) has found out to their cost.
This is a great insult, and an undeserved one, to a friend and ally.
It's also culturally insensitive. Since the visit of the Great White Fleet in Teddy Roosevelt's day, it has been the honourable custom for Australia girls to take the opportunity of neeting clean, disease-free, and well-disciplined young men, healthy and fit, lonely too, and energetically rooting for their safe return home.
It is a great tradition of both our countries, and helps cement amicable, even very amicable, relationships.
There are mothers and grandmothers today who admonish their daughters and grand-daughters to "remember the Coral Sea" where the USN saved Australia from Invasion, and not to let the side down. When they were young, they didn't.
It's an honourable Naval Tradition, and part of our mutual cultural heritage.
1/25/2006 5:44 AM
My ship visited Brisbane in '68. Three student nurses took me ashore and showed me the town.
1/25/2006 5:39 PM
You should talk to some folks on the Connie when they were in port in Aussieland during the summer of '01. Oh there were brothels. Some of them were run by, well, the JAGs had some good stories about enterprising Sailors that DACOWITS didn't think of.
1/26/2006 3:23 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home