"What Happens On WestPac..."
With the media looking into the potential past misdeeds of the various candidates (Gov. Palin being the most obvious example right now) us Sailors can't help but wonder if anyone is going to try to dig into Sen. McCain's liberty visits to various ports in the Pacific before he was shot down.
Everyone knows the old saying that "What happens on WestPac, stays on WestPac". Here in the age where even the most ridiculous conspiracy theories can get immediate and wide play, I'm wondering if the Democrats will try to pull out some of Sen. McCain's old squadron mates to "break the silence" about what guys who were risking life and limb every day did to unwind when they pulled into Subic. I really hope they don't -- if there's anything that has no relevance to how someone will do as President, it's a bunch of questions about if they ever played "Smiles" in Olongapo.
Personally, I never pulled into the P.I., so all the stories I've heard are second-hand. Likewise, I'm sure none of you ever did anything bad on liberty during WestPac, but I'm sure you witnessed or heard about some behavior that might shock and awe the people back home. What are the most interesting stories you've heard about from liberty on WestPac?
posted by Bubblehead at 1:42 PM
26 Comments:
Pattaya Beach, Thailand comes to mind. About 6 months after I was there, Maxim magazine called it, "Sin City" and inferred that it would be the place that God burned first during the rapture.
I agreed completely with the article.
9/04/2008 2:35 PM
When I was on SEADRAGON in the 1966 and 1967, we pulled into Subic for upkeep. Our entertainment was to go to the Cubi Point O club and find a table in a back corner so we could watch the aviators hi jinks without getting hurt. They rated all the slack they could get considering what they were doing when on Yankee Station. In 1966 the Cubi Point O Club was made of palm tree leaves and bamboo over a cement slab. The airdales would destroy the club in the evening and the staff would put it back together the next day with fresh palm tree limbs so it would be ready for the next night's dismantling. When we returned to Subic in 1967, the O Club was a beautiful modern building with crystal chandilers and a balcony over the main dining area. BIG MISTAKE. The relaxing flyers would conduct flight ops on the balcony and bomb the diners below. It got so bad that COMAIRLANT sent out an all hands message curtailing the activities of squadrons coming off the Yankee Station flight line. The entertainment was not as good after that message. I always thought that the club should have been left as a temporary shack that could be destroyed and rebuilt in a twenty four hour period.
9/04/2008 2:36 PM
See link here regarding Maxim article:
http://www.pattayatalk.com/wiki/index.php?title=Maxim_Magazine_March_2000&printable=yes
9/04/2008 2:36 PM
McCain is in the Black N Society. Ask a Canoe U grad what it is.
9/04/2008 2:59 PM
I was inport Subic Bay last year on MSC ship. Base is clean and neat and working on reuse. A number of manufacturing concerns have built factories in the supply center area. the old shipyard has reopened and they have a floating drydock back. NAS Cubi point has cargo flights in and out every half hour from about 10PM until 4-5AM. The bridge across shit canal now has a nice smoked glass awning over the walkway, the canal still looks and smells the same. You would not recognize Olongapo. Paved streets and sidewalks, three and four story business buildings. NO BARS!!! On the other hand viking liberty (as you remember it) is still to be had in Barrio Baretto and Baloy Beach. Still a number of retired Navy men living there. Engineers had a "miracle" casualty and the four day stay ended up seven days.
Have friend who told me he had his Lt. J. G. wetting down party at Marilyn's in Subic City in 1987. He was on the Darter SS-576 at the time. He and two Chief's promoting to E-8 put together $700.00 for their wetting down. The party went on for two days. In 1974 I went to wedding for a former shipmate who was then on the Grayback LPSS-574. He was marrying one of the local Subic City Belles. The wedding was at the Mayor of Subic City house. When the bride and groom walked down the walkway from the mayors house, four of our shipmates were on the other side of the a chest high cinderblock wall smiling at the happy newly weds while taking a whiz. Yep, It was some place back in the day......
Keep a zero bubble......
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/04/2008 4:26 PM
WestPac 85, women were really starting to serve on non-combatents at a high rate. 2-weeks out of Pearl we were in Guam tied up to the Proteus. I had duty the first night and was BCE/SEO doing an equalizer. Sound powered phone rigged up to the Proteus' electrical operator, who was a hot little redhead EM3. She and I chased each other all over the western Pacific, but I successfully avoided her in the PI.
In Diego Garcia for 10 days right after new years 86 and we thought it was going to be boring. The Spica and the Ajax, were both there. The 'new' Turner Club had just been completed and it was packed with women off of those two support ships that were tired of the same ol' faces. Most mornings the lagoon beaches were lined with orphaned clothes and naked bodies. Several of my shipmates crossed the brow wearing naked after the tide or a unscrupulous shipmate took their clothes while they were passed out.
Our boat's hangout was the Midnight Rambler at the far end of the barrio. We'd hear the horn of a Victory Liner and start flipping pesos out onto the highway and watch the kids scramble for them and clear the road just before the bus would barrel through without any intention of slowing down.
Several of us would head out to the barrio, hop in seperate jeepneys, give the driver 100 pesos for a 'special'. A 'special' being a non-stop, door-to-door service. Each of us would then offer them an extra 100 pesos if they could beat our buddy's driver to the Rambler. Let the fun begin. Who knew those jeepneys could actually go that fast.
And then there were the 'samples' at the Iron Butterfly........
PW
9/04/2008 4:51 PM
Already let out. Didn't you catch Fred Thompson's remarks about him dating an exotic dancer named "Marie, The Flame of Florida" when in Pensacola.
9/04/2008 7:14 PM
"They", the infamous They, started writing up COs and XOs for conduct unbecoming for Subic antics back in 1984, I believe. So the "submarine sanctuary" was much less so for officers in Subic.
The submarine sanctuary in Japan had cold beer. Ice cold.
9/04/2008 9:25 PM
I did four WestPacs from 1976 to 1980, on USS Pollack and USS Guardfish. Of course, all we ever did was play cribbage in the crew's mess. And prayer meetings. Yeah, prayer meetings. That's what it was...
9/05/2008 5:37 AM
This line of comments brings back somewhat fuzzy memories of the infamous FTN Mojo Pub in Olongapo. What didn't happen there just wasn't physically possible.
9/05/2008 6:52 AM
Only thing to say...Island Girls...
9/05/2008 9:04 AM
Let me also add, pulled into Pattaya Beach for 6 days in 88', I saw things women can do that I would never had thought possible. Due to the family nature of this blog, I will not elaborate further.
9/05/2008 9:08 AM
Pattaya Beach in '96 was cool.
Pulling in, our division was behind on training and had to make up a couple before we could put down liberty, and the Nav didn't care what the topics were. For one topic, I had the RM3 go get enough condoms for everyone from the doc and then had him read the instruction of the back of the package. Then I wrote up the critique sheet and documented in the training binder before routing it to show we were caught up. The Nav had a pretty good sense of humor and acknowledged that it was probably useful training.
RM1/SS
9/05/2008 11:05 AM
RM1/SS - My God, coners even need instruction on the use of prophylactics? So much is making sense to me now....
9/05/2008 3:48 PM
I'm pretty sure you should have included sonar, the TM's and A-gang in that training. They never looked like they were really qualified for duty at "the tip of the spear" so to speak.
Spear.... hehehehe
9/05/2008 5:06 PM
Was on the Usta Fish out of San Diego in 1993 and had a 2week stay in Guam on Westpac... Anyone remember the Dallas Club????
9/06/2008 12:49 AM
There is no WestPac dirt on McCain, he was in hack --- Which really prepared him for Hanoi !;-})
Try being a 'defense lawyer' for over 40 new CPO's in Subic...
And then try to get your ship underway the next morning as OOD.
I survived asking my CO to speak more softly..
9/08/2008 7:54 AM
I remember the Dallas Club, there was also the Texas Club...however, one of them burned down. Both, I believe had houses of ill repute behind them. Lots of stories about these 2 places.
9/08/2008 9:28 AM
Texas club in Guam still in operation. What a bunch of Bow-wows working there...... Many massage parlors still operating providng a variety of "services." couple of years ago when Kitty Hawk pulled into Guam for 4 days crew wore-out the girls on the first night ashore. On second and subsequent nights all the massage parlors were closed by 8PM.
"Horse and Cow" Opened up in Tamuning near the old Ben Franklin store in late 2006. Current owner is a nephew of one of the two origional owners, the Luby brothers, Bill and Jerry. Still has a lot of submarine "stuff" in the joint, but not alarms, bell, urinal, etc. from other locations in San Francisco and Mare Island. It's just a marketing deal now.
Yep, Guam is still fun if you know your way around.....
Keep a zero bubble.....
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/08/2008 11:55 AM
Guam was always a good time. Good supply of strippers, massage parlors and, of course, dependent wives and daughters. Good place for the fleet to let off some "steam".
9/09/2008 6:43 AM
did anyone have a mystery shitter back aft during Westpac or other long underways?
Seems there was always a disgruntled nuke taking a shit on the midwatch somewhere in the engine room.
I also heard of a skivvy bandit where somebody would strip down to their skivvies and run around with an EAB on during field day or during inspections that had admirals and such.
9/09/2008 3:25 PM
I used to go out steaming with the Doc (always good for a laugh and the chicks knew who had the penicillin). One night in Hong Kong a Malaysian bar girl carved up my arm with a broken beer bottle, and left a couple deeeep gashes. Almost immediately, I felt a sting in my shoulder and saw a needle sticking out.
"What the hell's that?"
"Tetanus shot"
"WTF, you carry tetanus shots on liberty?"
"You never know dude, you never know".
Hong Kong was a great spot back then. Bull and Bear, Blue Kangaroo, Ned Kelly's, and plenty more. Onbe night I stumbled into some frickin mall cause I needed to take a leak, and I heard music on the top floor. Karaoke bar, with no other roundeyes in the place. Sure, I'll do it. Sang some Sinatra tunes and the place went wild. One of my favorite pac memories.
Apart from that gahddamn monkey in the PI that would puke beer on you.
9/09/2008 5:59 PM
Theres a new facebook group warning others about westpac if you are interested
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Westpac/104089566293372?v=stream&ref=ts
8/31/2010 1:23 AM
It cannot have effect in reality, that is what I think.
11/02/2011 1:53 PM
Wow, there's really much effective information above!
9/01/2012 5:21 AM
I was in the Air Force in Guam back in the late 80's. Discussions of the Dallas Club bring back good memories. Behind the Dallas Club was World Massage...my buddies always told me I had to go "around the world" (all nighter) before I left for CONUS. Never did. There was a guy, Chris Ball, we called Pigpen (he always had body odor)...the Worldly girls always refused him service.
3/27/2013 4:44 PM
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