Mess Decks Department: Rx Author: RL Bob Era: 2005 Date: 07/12/05 Just want to confirm that we don't use stainless steel trays. We now use either plastic trays/metal silverware or paper plates/plastic silverware. We only use the paper/plastic if the scullery for some reason doesn't have service steam to attempt to clean the trays. I don't know how well the trays were cleaned 20 years ago, but I usually have to "draw again" in order to get a tray without rice from the last person to use the tray. We've just started to look at it as added vitamins and minerals. Many, many more complaints about the mess decks, but that's good for now. I saw a story on here of someone who used to be in Repair Locker 51. It's now a combination of aft scullery and seating. I'm the 51 phone talker, which means I get to wear the "cool guy" helmet. It's always fun to answer as "Area 51". Lots of fun listening to DC Central talk too, since apparently only nukes have heard of "verbatim repeatback".

Attention all walmart shoppers Department: Ops Author: big stud Era: 2004 Date: 07/13/05 Ok well, i was on my duty day and I happened to be wondering around the 03 level and went to a space that had several phones in it. I was just walking around the space bored out of my mind and i just picked up one of these microphones that resembled a CB radio. I just said ATTENTION ALL WAL_MART shoppers and put it down. I was still sitting in the space when one of my friends came off of watch and asked me if I heard the guy that said attention to all walmart shoppers over the 1MC. I got red and just kinda of told him that i think it was me. He told me that the CO, XO, and SUPO were trying to find out who did it. Man was that embarrising. I thought it was just a regular internal phone that mabye i would just hear in that space. I had know idea that it was the 1MC!

happy faces Department: Engr Author: BT2 Sol The Bull Dupler Era: 2000 Date: 07/20/05 I was just reminded of a friend of mine that would put happy faces all over the catapults.(the eng. steam compartments not air). A good number of them were slathered on the lagging or bulkheads using paint, not pens or grease pencil. They were all over the place too. I think one was on #3 or #4 catapults steam accum. That one was huge, and it was painted on. His other talents were finding a nice quiet catapult space to either sleep in or play game boy until 2:30. He was pretty smart too because he would sleep on a steam pipe so his back would be sweaty like he was actually working. My only graffiti on the ike was a space all the way at the bow and all the way down at the hull, it houses some sort of sonar. Anyway, we had an inport emergency team call down there, I think the only time people go down there is for a year pms check. There 25 years worth of signatures on the wall down there. So if anyone presently on the Ike goes down there look for MM2/BT2 "Sol The Bull" Dupler.

756 days Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1984 Date: 07/21/05 It was 21 years ago today that I spent the last of my 756 days at sea on the Ike, slightly less than half of my time on board. Man, time sure does fly. Jim, I think that was Pete R that you guys stole clothes from as well as me at the Sugar Mountain shower. Between that and Cal falling down at the store and staying drunk and hanging out with those old hippies, that sure was a great trip. I think that was also when we broke the neck of the Jack Daniels bottle, but still carefully drank from it so it wouldn't go to waste.

Never went UA Department: Rx Author: Richie Era: 1985 Date: 07/21/05 Hey Kevin, Been a long time. You have a good memory, but I never did go UA, it was too easy to get out; no need for UA. I did buy a new camaro ten days before I got out, it turned out to be a good car. Never burned a duber on the quarterdeck, but in other hidden places..... Since I got off Ike, I did go back to Florida and lived there until this past March. Two Hurricanes came right over my lawn last summer; I had enough. Now in Raleigh, NC. It's a shame you didn't look me up when you were in SoFla, could have been fun.

Trip to Gaeta, Part 1 Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1983 Date: 07/21/05 This story actually begins in Sorrento, where the Noodle Gang went for some well deserved R&R. While there, we ran into 2 English girls who were employed at a drinking establishment in Gaeta. Gaeta was about an hour's train ride north of Naples and home port of the 6th Fleet, so there was a permanent squid prescence there requiring English speaking bar wenches. Anyway, these 2 girls were quite taken by our resident "Ladies' Men", Wags and Pete Ryan. They invited them up to Gaeta for a visit and said they had plenty of friends that would like to meet the rest of us. The next time we pulled into Naples, the whole gang got on the train and went to Gaeta to visit. When we got there, they must have been surprised. They told us all their friends had gone back to England and it was just them there now. Not to waste a trip, we went to their bar and closed it down, then went back to their place. While Pete and Wags went inside, the rest of us crashed out on the patio out back.

Trip to Gaeta, part 2 Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1983 Date: 07/21/05 I had just dozed off when Wags came out all mad and cussing about his girlfriend. They got into a fuss over something, so we drunkenly talked about it most of the night. The next morning, we headed back to Naples. The next time we pulled into Naples, everyone but Pete and I were on liberty risk. We decided to make another trip to Gaeta since it was just the 2 of us that had overnight liberty. We first went to a pool room in Gaeta and drank a lot of beer and a bottle of Wild Turkey. Then we went to the bar unannounced and Pete went up to this girl expecting this warm welcome. She explained that her friend had gone back to England and that she was engaged and couldn't see Pete anymore. While all this was going on, I decided to visit the DJ stand to see if he had anything besides disco. This stand was located up in a loft, so I had to climb a tall ladder to get there. After discussing music with this guy, I noticed the rafters were within reach.

Trip to Gaeta, part 3 Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1983 Date: 07/21/05 I grabbed hold of a rafter and started swinging from one to another. Pete's girl saw me and told Pete he better go get me. Pete came up and took me out back in an alley and left me there while he went back inside. When he came back out to get me, the SP's from the Puget Sound had found me and were going to take me to the brig. Pete explained that we were from the Ike and we drunkenly pulled out our Ike ID cards. They told us to go back to the Ike and never come back to Gaeta again. We were ready to leave anyway, so we tried to get a cab to take us to the train station. I ended up duking it out with another squid when some others argued with us over a cab, but Pete flung me in, and we were on our way back.

aux boiler Department: Engr Author: Paul Era: 1987 Date: 07/22/05 I already emailed Dupler on this one, but figured it needed telling. The aux boiler never blew up, tho those of you around when we fired the pig up probably thought it did. it was horrible trying to get regular burns on that thing, coordination with the plants and all that happy crap...once every 3-4 months if we got lucky and only once actually online for more than 6 hours. During COH, It was removed as a costly piece of needless shit as it's only purpose as far as I know was to provide emergency warm-up steam in case both reactors went down cold. you couldnt supply propulsion or even launch a bird with it. as far as being haunted... spooky, yes but no one died before it was pulled out as far as I know

RE: Happy Faces Department: Engr Author: MM3 Shean Era: 2000 Date: 07/23/05 Dupler was correct. Although the faces were a mark of "safety". Every good place i found in the Catapults to hide was marked. With paint. With a happy face. The "huge" one he refers to was about ten foot by ten foot and marked a very special place. If ever there was a place to look like you'd been working, or at least rolling in dirt, that was it. it was directly next to an unfiltered ventilation duct which also made it much much cooler right there while the cat's were up. I liked to save that one for "heavy cleaning" days when we were supposed to be up to our ears in dust bunnies. I'd be covered in dirt ... and have gotten some comfortable sleep in the process while everyone else was sweating there asses off. And they always wondered how i had more in my trash bags than they had dust bunnies ... and where i'd gotten dirt ... work smarter not harder. That's what i always thought. I think there were twenty some smiley faces painted in various places in the CAT's.