Keeping the blogosphere posted on the goings on of the world of submarines since late 2004... and mocking and belittling general foolishness wherever it may be found. Idaho's first and foremost submarine blog. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me; don't call me at home.)
ADM Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, toured USS Hawaii (SSN 776) last week. Here's a picture of the CNO in front of Hawaii's Lock Out Trunk:
I'm glad to see they still have sound-powered phones on the Virginia-class boats. Of course, if you're going to have them at all, the escape trunk seems like the one place you'd need them the most.
posted by Bubblehead at 8:07 PM
I'm Joel Kennedy -- a married, 50-something year old retired submarine officer and esophageal cancer survivor with three kids who has finally made the transition to civilian life. Politically, I'm a Radical Moderate. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me. Don't call me at home.)
60 Comments:
Looks like a chart locker there also...some things never change.
6/14/2010 8:17 PM
My boss and I are both ex nucs, we've been putting in navy surplus sound powered phones in the ski lifts where we work. Surprisingly , the signal will travel over 3000 feet on on 20 gauge wire.
6/14/2010 10:15 PM
Silly me, I thought that was a washing machine. -- 688i JO
6/14/2010 10:54 PM
Do these people even know how much pain and cleaning they cause with their visits? Can't he just set up a teleconference from the Pentagon? Stay on the East Coast!!!!!!! Go bug Norfolk or something...
Plus he has his hand in his pocket!
6/15/2010 3:00 AM
Looks like Gary's lost some hair and put on a few pounds since becoming the boss...
6/15/2010 4:04 AM
Don't call him "Gary" like you are good friends. Sure you may have met him a few times, but he's the CNO. Have some respect.
6/15/2010 6:19 AM
Anon 6:19
I guess I should continue to call Joel "Eng" then also.
6/15/2010 7:59 AM
anon 6:19, dont call you "anon", call you dumbass.
Master AssClown
6/15/2010 8:34 AM
Prior "Master": don't you call yourself AssClown, you CNO, you.
6/15/2010 8:44 AM
Wasn't that new uniform authorized for E-1 to O-10?
6/15/2010 8:46 AM
Yeah DON'T CALL HIM GARY!!! He prefers to be called Master G or GDawg. Man, show some respect yo.
sincerely Tupac Mullen, and Grand Master Maybus
6/15/2010 9:14 AM
Speaking of "EB Green" (paint): does anyone here know why the directors of "The Matrix" picked the color green for the tone-color of all the scenes that were in the Matrix...?
You won't find the right answer on Wikipedia, etc....so Google away as you wish. Either you know the right answer to this one, or you don't.
6/15/2010 11:41 AM
"Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam". Sad when even a base like PH has to combine to survive.
So who runs JBPHH? The Navy, or the Air Farce?
6/15/2010 12:54 PM
Yeah DON'T CALL HIM GARY!!! He prefers to be called Master G or GDawg. Man, show some respect yo.
sincerely Tupac Mullen, and Grand Master Maybus
Or you can call him Snail, or Sponge Bob's Pet, or . . .
6/15/2010 1:58 PM
Hell, I remember being on the 715 in the middle of a upkeep and the Head NUKE (I think it was Demars) was a coming through. We field day'd for a week. We even got called in at 1600 the first day when we found he was coming just to get a head start.
He came through, saw the scaffolding topside, asked if we were in upkeep. When told yes, he went after escape trunk for 5 minutes, came back topside and went along his way.
Talk about a WASTE of time. We didn't even get extended in upkeep. I always thought it was a waste of time when VIPs came onboard.
STSCS(SS/SW) USN RET
6/15/2010 2:53 PM
I cannot remember the name of the Admiral who came visiting us during Refit in Holy Loch (Bill Hooley??) in the early 90's. We were a couple of days away from getting underway for Patrol so we had a million things to do and none of them revolved around a dog and pony show for the visiting Admiral...
Of course we field day.....of course we stop anything and everything that might be construed as work.
I am back aft as the EDO and I am bored out of my skull with nothing to do and kind of freaking out as the QA officer thinking about all of the open work packages that still have to be completed and closed out before we head out to sea. The clock is ticking and the last thing we need is to waste time showing some Admiral a submarine - go the "F" away and let us get back to work.
I somehow convince the XO to allow me to do one job for M div, one job for E div, one job for RC div while we wait for the anointed one to grace us with his presence. To this day I have no idea why the XO actually allowed me to do this - perhaps he was afraid of all the work piling up not getting done.
Of course the one job that M div picks is the hydro test of something down in ERLL and of course this is where the Admiral makes a beeline for when he comes back into the engine spaces!! Hey Admiral - give me a pressure reading on that gauge while you are going around the piece of equipment!!
He never said anything about it. He was probably so surprised to see work taking place during one of his tours - probably had never happened to him before!
6/15/2010 7:22 PM
I cannot remember the name of the Admiral who came visiting us during Refit in Holy Loch (Bill Hooley??) in the early 90's. We were a couple of days away from getting underway for Patrol so we had a million things to do and none of them revolved around a dog and pony show for the visiting Admiral...
Of course we field day.....of course we stop anything and everything that might be construed as work.
I am back aft as the EDO and I am bored out of my skull with nothing to do and kind of freaking out as the QA officer thinking about all of the open work packages that still have to be completed and closed out before we head out to sea. The clock is ticking and the last thing we need is to waste time showing some Admiral a submarine - go the "F" away and let us get back to work.
I somehow convince the XO to allow me to do one job for M div, one job for E div, one job for RC div while we wait for the anointed one to grace us with his presence. To this day I have no idea why the XO actually allowed me to do this - perhaps he was afraid of all the work piling up not getting done.
Of course the one job that M div picks is the hydro test of something down in ERLL and of course this is where the Admiral makes a beeline for when he comes back into the engine spaces!! Hey Admiral - give me a pressure reading on that gauge while you are going around the piece of equipment!!
He never said anything about it. He was probably so surprised to see work taking place during one of his tours - probably had never happened to him before!
6/15/2010 7:25 PM
RADM Houley could be difficult sometimes, but generally he was a no bullshit guy. Knew how to get to the core of an issue and solve problems. Called things straight.
6/15/2010 7:33 PM
On the good ship 767 we spent a few days in field day shiftwork during DMP to make the industrial work area 'presentable'.
6/15/2010 8:34 PM
So sad that the Navy will waste so many man-hours and so much money just to kiss someone's ass for 10 minutes. Just think of all the asses that need kissing! So many to kiss, not enough time to do them all! We MUST get to field daying NOW! The mission can go to hell, but we absolutely MUST kiss that ass while we can. The mission will wait, the asses will not!
6/15/2010 9:12 PM
Yep ANAV that would be one of our chart lockers, still gotta keep plenty of paper charts on board, just not up to date.
CNO was on board for maybe 20 minutes then came up and talked to the crew for 15.
Besides the hands in the pockets...the politician coulda used a haircut as well. haha
6/15/2010 11:52 PM
Calling the CNO Gary: why not - he calls me John.
Houley: Wild Bill was a certified good guy, bright as hell. Recruited into nuclear power back when the crop always contained iconoclasts. We had a few then. Jay Cohen was another. Dick Riddell. Nubs Greer. These guys a). had fun, b). made boiling water seem easy, and c). extended the ability of submarines to do their job.
On cleaning the boat for VIPs: Bud Kauderer had this to say to a group of PCOs...
'Every now and again a CO will get it in his head that field days for visitors are wasteful of valuable time and decide that he wants to present his boat to the visiting VIP 'exactly as it is day-to-day.' Kauderer paused. looked around the room, and then said: 'Gentlemen, that guy is too dumb for command.'
Having visited boats more time than I can count, I've developed a simple set of rules: if the lines are seamanlike, the topside watch friendly and squared away, the pier and topside area uncluttered and well stowed and the area behind the ladder at the hatch doubler clean ... it's a good boat and well run. It takes about 3 minutes to form what is invariably an accurate picture of how a boat is led and operated.
6/16/2010 4:09 AM
STSCS(SS/SW)--Was that around 1990 or so? I was on the Buffy then. Seems like that was the CO/XO solution to EVERYTHING at the time--field day. Run she may, shine she must!
6/16/2010 5:46 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
6/16/2010 10:12 AM
You think a visiting Admiral is bad, just try the President of the United States.
While on the Jimmyfish (SSBN 622) way back in 1977, while in the shipyard at Newport News, the brand new USS Los Angeles, just down-pier, was going to be graced by a visit from then president Jimmy Carter.
We had the "Jimmy Carter *might* cross our brow memorial field week".
It was a horrible experience.
I formed the opinion right then and there that there are no drama-queens on earth quite like a naval officer in the presence of a VIP.
I have not seen anything since then to dissuade me of that opinion.
6/16/2010 10:12 AM
6/16/2010 10:15 AM
@Anon 12:54
JBPH's CO iscurrently Navy, the Deputy is AF. When they get relieved, they switch. There are two "CMC's" right now, one of each. The XO is a Navy Captain. There is still a lot of seperation in the Joint base, but I understand that we are still combining services and functions.
6/16/2010 10:17 AM
Glad to see sailors still bitch about field day. However, there is a reason for keeping a clean ship. It is easier to spot small problems when the ship is clean and relatively spotless. It is also easier to keep the ship clean if you don't let it get away from you. I spent many hours in shipyard and in upkeep. An hour of daily cleanup after the "yardbirds" left on day shift and before the second shift descended on the boat, paid off in shorter deep cleaning field days and encouraged the yard folks to clean up after themselves, making the whole task much easier.
As a CO, I had a bet with the NAVCENTER PO that I could find some dirt or grime in his space. After two patrols, I lost that bet almost every week. The expectation is that a clean ship is a well run ship so every CO wants to give that impression to visiting brass. If you are proud of your ship, so will you. Rubby Duck is correct on the first impression. So, keep complaining, and keep cleaning. You will be happier for it in the long run.
6/16/2010 10:24 AM
Dear Rubber Dick,
Your obvious desire to feel connected and important continues to come across as arrogant.
Maybe you've been on a first name basis with the current CNO, and maybe you still are. But other than you, who cares?
Stick to your often insightful, usually slanted commentary. There's a minor bit of worth there. But your self congratulating babble is a worthless waste of everyone's energy.
6/16/2010 11:38 AM
Dear John
If you'll be my bodyguard,
I can be your long lost pal!
I can call you Betty,
And Betty, when you call me,
You can call me Al!
Love
Paul and Art
6/16/2010 12:48 PM
Rubber Ducky,
you're the one, You make bathtime so much fun, ... Rubber Ducky, you're my very best friend, it's true.
Love
Ernie
6/16/2010 12:49 PM
PC Assclown,
I am still waiting on my assclown qualification's board. I completed my PARS for Assclown and all in rate Assclown PQS. I routed a chit through the Assclown chain of command and all asses signed the chit. If I do not get the board soon I might have to consider assicide. Hook a brother up with a qual board.
Asses and elbows,
Assclown UI
6/16/2010 1:04 PM
As the bull nuke, my general impression was that the aft spaces were generally cleaner than forward when underway; not so much during upkeep. Once, NAVSEA 08 was touring the waterfront and we were walking through our boats a couple of days before with the Commodore. The Commodore walks through the head and berthing which is a shitpit on one of our boats. He gets the COB, CO, XO, and Squadron CMC together and basically tells them, "If the places where you live are this filthy, then I know your ER is not ready. Give me a call when you're ready." He then chewed the rest of the staff out for having such low standards. The boat was ready for 08, but we didn't get that "welcome aboard" feeling anymore on that boat. They were a bunch of prima donnas anyway.
6/16/2010 2:15 PM
The boat was ready for 08, but we didn't get that "welcome aboard" feeling anymore on that boat. They were a bunch of prima donnas anyway.
Ya, I'm sure an entire boat's crew were prima donnas. It couldn't possibly have been that the crew was rightly pissed for having to do yet more BS field daying. How fucking dirty could birthing on a boat be? Answer: Never bad enough to warrant being called in for after hours or weekend extra special field day sessions. BULLSHIT like this is precisely why you are constantly on the retention bubble.
6/16/2010 3:17 PM
Assclown UI,
Here's your qual board (written, no verbal):
In fifty words explain:
1. Why Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are the greatest politicians ever elected
2. Why DADT, smoking ban, and mixed gender crews are the absolute saving grace of the silent service
Bonus question: Explain the benefits of banning long standing traditions of pinning on dolphins, drinking one's dolphins, and bluenose/shellback initiations.
I await your most PC answers...
6/16/2010 3:25 PM
An hour of daily cleanup after the "yardbirds" left on day shift and before the second shift descended on the boat, paid off in shorter deep cleaning field days and encouraged the yard folks to clean up after themselves, making the whole task much easier
My experience does not match what you are saying but I have had CO's who felt the same way you do.
Different yardbirds have different standards, and the crew is limited in what they can do to effectively hold them to the boat's (much higher) cleanliness standard.
The boat needs to be clean, but I absolutely hated polishing pipes & shitters and such until they gleamed. Why never-dull the sink to a mirror finish every 6 hours - pointless.
My standard was everything to be clean but not gleaming. No paint, verdigris, or dust on pipes/gear/etc w/ no standing fluid (oil) on horizontals and everything had to be properly stowed. That was usually hard enough to enforce alongside other mission/production priorities.
The only thing I wanted shiny was a certain brass plaque and the ship's bell, and I usually did the plaque myself.
6/16/2010 4:40 PM
Assclown Supremeus,
These are troubling questions on many levels but I see the clever ploy in your written qual board.
Nancy Pelosi (stretch queen or banjo butt with her 50 face lifts connecting her face to her posterior) and Harry “Body Odor” Reid are in the same lineage as “Fat Bastard” Murtha, crooks, frauds, whale dung and pond scum. Only in America would these criminals be walking outside of a prison. Note, Murtha, Mr. “Cold Blooded Killers” himself got a ship named after him that will carry everything that he did not have, courage and character in Marines. Kennedy will probably get a sub named after him, he did submerge a car and only killed half of the occupants in the process.
The Navy’s PC Diversity failure program is comprised of many things that include the repeal of DADT, smoking bans and implementing mixed gender crews. These post-modern things will create the obvious failure that the politicians intend them to create. The back-door discrimination and sectarianism created by the PC diversity crowd is a failure and will produce more failure. Hyphenated Americans is a fraud and a scam, either one is or is not an American.
The bonus question about the destruction of time honored traditions by the PC Diversity clowns leads to more destruction of the silent service. Politicians and “Yes” people seek to eradicate tradition and replace it with the post-modern garbage. Someday, the marquees on bases will say, “Welcome to the Gay, Bi, Curious, Incompetent, and Diverse Red Bearded Midget Festival, Bring Your Own Midget (BYOM)”.
These answers are G rated so that the freak shows, weirdoes, sissies, jackasses, knuckleheads and chuckleheads do not blow a gasket or each other.
Yours Truly,
Lil Assclown UI
6/16/2010 5:50 PM
wtfdnucsailor said: "Glad to see sailors still bitch about field day. However, there is a reason for keeping a clean ship..."
Of course most everyone understands the need for routine cleaning, especially in a close communal environment like the boat. That's neither the problem nor the point. It's the stupid, over the top, make-it-all-gleam-so-the-CO-and-XO-can-take-credit-for-all-of-your-hard-work that gets everyone so pissed off.
"If you are proud of your ship..."
Yes, we get it - "Pride runs deep" and all of that. But after so much polishing, the pride tends to get buffed out along with the top layer of brass. Beyond a certain level it all becomes pointless make-work.
When Jimmy Carter came down that pier, we - literally - cleaned ship for *days* before his arrival. (And he didn't even come aboard.)
We didn't even rate a "well done" for our efforts.
6/16/2010 6:19 PM
Someday, the marquees on bases will say, “Welcome to the Gay, Bi, Curious, Incompetent, and Diverse Red Bearded Midget Festival, Bring Your Own Midget (BYOM)”.
These answers are G rated so that the freak shows, weirdoes, sissies, jackasses, knuckleheads and chuckleheads do not blow a gasket or each other.
Just when I'd gotten entirely fed up with the PC assclown commentary on here from - nothing personal - Rubber Ducky and the like to the point that I was ready to stop reading this board for a few weeks, Lil Assclown UI had to go and write something as hilarious as that.
"Serenity now...!"
6/16/2010 7:50 PM
In the too true to be funny category re. Nancy Pelosi: this classic video.
6/16/2010 8:03 PM
You think a visiting Admiral is bad, just try the President of the United States.
While on the Jimmyfish (SSBN 622) way back in 1977, while in the shipyard at Newport News, the brand new USS Los Angeles, just down-pier, was going to be graced by a visit from then president Jimmy Carter.
We had the "Jimmy Carter *might* cross our brow memorial field week".........
Either my CO or XO had Jimmy Carter do a surprise tour of their boat when they were a DH. Soooo.......
Sometime in 1985/86 while I was stationed on a boat in PH President Reagan was flying to the Orient for something. Since he was flying in the vacinity of PH and in the remote chance AF1 landed at Hickam, and in the unlikelyhood the President left AF1 he might want to take a tour of one of the oldest 637 class submarines in the fleet with all of the pretty first flight 688's lining the piers. And just in case POTUS dropped into AMR2LL and lifted a deckplate BY GOD there had better not be any verdigris on the AFW cooling water piping to the motor generators.
Air Force One, as expected, did a non-stop flight across the Pacific.
PW
6/16/2010 9:10 PM
Does anyone honestly think Ronald Reagan would have a damn clue what to look for even if he did come down on the boat? As long as there wasn't a human turd in the hallway he probably would have thought the boat looked great, irregardless of how dirty it was.
6/16/2010 9:38 PM
AFW piping in the AMR2 bilge? I don't think so...yeah, I know - I'm such a fuckin' geek...seriously though, it doesn't even make sense...
6/16/2010 10:00 PM
That SNL skit about Pelosi is very funny and all too true. She shows great concerns for peanut products. Also, her compassion for the gerbils is noteworthy. Her Village People staff aid is a very classy touch, along with her human ashtray. Also, the eye movements are truly indicative of a person missing a few floors on the elevator ride. She is a fitting representative of her parasite freakshow party led by the mentally deranged and insane, catering to the mindless masses.
6/17/2010 6:37 AM
Does anyone honestly think Ronald Reagan would have a damn clue what to look for even if he did come down on the boat? As long as there wasn't a human turd in the hallway he probably would have thought the boat looked great, irregardless of how dirty it was.
And Barrack Assclown Oblowme would think the turd some portion of the atmosphere control systems.
6/17/2010 7:05 AM
Patty Wayne said:
...might want to take a tour of one of the oldest 637 class submarines in the fleet...
But not the oldest?
6/17/2010 7:25 AM
Hey t: a bunch of people who were a hell of a lot smarter than you underestimated Ronald Reagan as well, and later realized their mistake. You couldn't carry his jock.
6/17/2010 11:45 AM
...might want to take a tour of one of the oldest 637 class submarines in the fleet...
But not the oldest?
The oldest one homeported in Pearl Harbor at the time.
And yes Mark/MM1(ss), AFW piping below the deckplates. Makes it so much easier to walk on the deckplates without twisting an ankle walking on piping.
6/17/2010 3:46 PM
Lil Assclown UI,
You're no longer UI. You are hereby qualified and promoted into the brotherhood, sisterhood, queerhood, etc of fully qualified Politically Correct Assclowns. You are offically a member of the MPCAOA (Master PC Assclowns of America).
Please feel free to go about your daily belittling of those who fail to conform to the new norms. But remember to do it in a kind and gentle way. You have responsibilities you know?
Now get off your ass and turn to.
6/17/2010 3:59 PM
PW - It's been twenty some years, and I don't specifically remember where the AFW piping for the MGs was routed, other than that the air coolers were about five feet off the deckplates. I seem to recall that the valve we'd throttle to regulate air outlet temp was aft of the MG sets. I may be wrong, but my comment is based more on why would the piping would be routed through the bilge when the header ran more outboard around the overhead, or thereabouts - and the coolers were located at the height they were.
6/17/2010 5:04 PM
Stand down MM1. I wasn't attacking Reagan, merely pointing out that he was never a submariner and had in all likelihood spent very very little time on submarines. Further, it's not exactly likely he was going to walk around ERLL with an inspection mirror looking for packing leakage on gland seal valves. Thus, unless a boat had a REALLY OBVIOUS cleanliness problem, he would likely say it looks great. Not due to incompetence, but because he just didn't have the right backgroung
6/18/2010 1:04 AM
pc assclown,
This is truly an honor to be accepted by the MPCAOA. I will persevere to meet the high standards of assclownship. I know that active membership in the MPCAOA is the first step to the much coveted and prestigious honor of gaining entry into the AssClown Hall of Fame (ACHF) in assclown city.
Lil AssClown Jr.
6/18/2010 5:20 AM
I always looked at it this way--it made identification of REAL problems (leaks, etc) easier, and if we kept a high standard, the khakis and other assorted "visitors" would stay off our backs. Did it suck? No doubt, considering my first field day AOR as a nub nuke was the RPFW Bay bilge. However, the powers that be started going too far when we started painting underway (which the guys in E-Div just LOOOOOVED) and while on station on SpecOp were told to undo deckplates and, "field day quietly." Find the balance, folks.
6/18/2010 7:14 AM
I think that one of the biggest problems that I have is when we are constantly get our dicks stomped on for the boat looking like shit by one person, and then being told that it looks outstanding by the CO, Commodore, visiting Admiral, etc. When you get told by NR not more than 20 minutes later that it looks outstanding, it bugs you just a little bit. I mean, it was fucking NR that said it. It just goes back to the root cause. We don't feel appreciated. That's not some kindler gentler navy stuff. You don't have to hug us. Just stop stomping on our shit.
6/18/2010 10:07 PM
PW said:
The oldest one homeported in Pearl Harbor at the time.
The oldest 637 class submarine (by commissioning date) was homeported in PH from 1967 until decommissioning in 1991 (except for overhauls).
6/19/2010 9:08 PM
I just noticed the admiral has his hands in this pockets. I have a story about something like this. I was the weapons ship superintendent for one of the Tridents at TRF Kings Bay. I forget what boat it was. The boat was in the Weapons Handling Wharf and we were scheduled for a very early start. I was standing in the south end of the wharf, relaxing, waiting for the day to start, collect my thoughts, blah, blah, blah. I had my hands in my pockets... none of us are perfect. Just then the CO of the boat comes by on the way to his boat, passes me a couple of feet, stops, turns around and says to me... 'Take your hands out of your fucking pockets, senior chief'. Wow... just about the only time I ever did have my hands in my pockets while in uniform and sure enough I get my ass chewed out for it . But he was a cool CO, so lesson learned.
6/21/2010 12:38 PM
Take your hands out of your fucking pockets, senior chief.
Well why the fuck are they there, SIR!?
freakin' asshole
6/22/2010 6:27 PM
Not sure if I'm the 'freaking asshole' or not... no matter. It's against uniform regulations to place your hands in your pockets. The boat CO was appropriate in his correction of me. As for Roughead, he provides a poor example of leadership in this picture and I suppose I should have made that clearer at the beginning of my comment.
6/24/2010 5:27 AM
Not sure if I'm the 'freaking asshole' or not... no matter. It's against uniform regulations to place your hands in your pockets. The boat CO was appropriate in his correction of me. As for Roughead, he provides a poor example of leadership in this picture and I suppose I should have made that clearer at the beginning of my comment.
The point was if the Navy doesn't want hands in pockets, don't put fucking pockets on the uniforms.
6/24/2010 7:48 PM
We could have everyone wear crackerjacks. There'd be no pockets to worry about. Also, everyone would look like a real sailor, unlike those bullshit new 'uniforms'.
And since the navy is already rocking the our world with DADT, banning smoking, and women on submarines, those pockets are going to become increasingly necessary... how are we going to play pocket pool otherwise?
6/25/2010 4:56 AM
This can't work in reality, that's what I think.
9/01/2012 6:59 AM
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