Mark Twainfortyrod |
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| Great Sage of the Sea Posts: 911 | Subject: Mark Twain "We had this hope, that if we lived and were good, we would get to become pirates" We didn't become pirates, but we were diesel boat sailors, and that's pretty damned close. Scott Polard | ||
| GaryKC |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 3896 Location: Kansas City Missouri | Subject: RE: Mark Twain On Odax, Aug 1971, GTMO Hilton, Feb 1972, Dove in Mississippi River, Downtown New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Med run March - April 1972, Lisbon, crabs, learned what a hangover was, qualifying. Turned 18 on Odax. Next was Tusk, August 12, 1972, 10,000 Dive..Med run Aug - Sept 1972, Yep, two Med runs on two of the last diesel boats, 4 trips across the pond in 1972. I loved all watch stations. Lookout watch with nothing save air on water perched above the distant horizon stretching absolutely everywhere. You and 70 others, all in a metal tube hoping to play nice with an absolutely beautiful and absolutely deadly Atlantic Ocean. On the way back across, port lookout, heavy north seas, rouge wave hit starboard side perfectly. After 54 years I swear, my left hand was within 15 feet of the surface. I've never been more afraid or endured the most puckering since. March 1973, GTMO Hilton. Turned 20 on Tusk. 2007 - For some reason http://www.usstusk.com/ I can imagine hearing the sounds of 3 Fairbanks Morse engines singing to me, from long ago. Edited by GaryKC 2026-07-27 5:23 AM | ||
| Don Gentry |
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Admin Posts: 2396 Location: Renton, WA | Subject: RE: Mark Twain Oh I clearly remember sail planes hitting the surface of a rough northern sea on the surface (why we needed to surface I don't know to this day) but the boat did shudder disturbingly. I was BLESSED with a high resistance to sea sickness which served me quite well then and later. I still remember coming out the yards post refueling/overhaul and seeing some yardbird down on the deck on all fours, puking his guts out, and one of the seniors Chiefs looking on saying, "... man I'm sorry your are sick but when you are done there... you're gonna have to clean that up..." | ||
| Gil |
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| Master and Commander Posts: 1727 Location: SoCal | Subject: RE: Mark Twain I remember coming out of Pearl for a week at sea. Captain let our LTG take it out in glassier than glass seas inside the harbor. We (deck gang) were standing at rest topside when we heard puking coming from above. Looked up and it was that very officer standing next to the Captain puking his guts out. One of the senior chiefs was next to me, and all Chief Thompson said was, "Wh---'- Ass!", now we'll have to dive just to take puke off the sail. | ||
| steamboat |
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| Master and Commander Posts: 1856 Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: Mark Twain Picking up Cuban boat refugees off of Key West (1962-64), keeping them topside for trip back into port was closest I came to being a pirate! Steamboat sends | ||
| steamboat |
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| Master and Commander Posts: 1856 Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: Mark Twain Picking up Cuban boat refugees off of Key West (1962-64), keeping them topside for trip back into port was closest I came to being a pirate! Steamboat sends | ||
| geno |
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| Old Salt Posts: 314 Location: Vista, Ca. | Subject: RE: Mark Twain '72 coming off ops in Haiphong Harbor we met up with a nasty typhoon. We had a shaft seal leak which made it even funner. Topside was mostly fiberglass. Pulled into Subic Bay wiith chainfalls keeping the sail intact due to the numerous cracks. Withoout them no one could stand watch on the bridge. Aft deck was missing one clam shell exposing the engine exhaust piping and numerous planks in the forward deck were gone making ling handling tricky. Pulled up to the pier opposite the Newport News. Her ckaim to fame was 8 days earlier she had an explosion in her turret. When you hit the beach you could not buy a beer. Seems like somehow word got out that we had been "depth charged like in WW II". It was hard too explain that Newport News had a much rougher time and you should buy them a beer but no one would listen. | ||
