Italy Department: Rx Author: Richie Ralston Era: 1984 Date: 11/04/05 I just got back from a six week vacation in which I went through the Med. But this time I had cash and was free to do what ever I wanted. I'd say the it's no different then when we were all over there, but it's much nicer not having to worry about the Brass, the Clam Shell etc. Best of all, no cold burgers on the dock, and no boat ride back to IKE. The Uzo in Greece was just as I remembered it, but then again, after too much of that stuff, it's hard to remember anything. :) Hey Pete....Sorry I've been away for a while.

orange coveralls Department: Engr Author: MM2 Dupler Era: 1996 Date: 11/08/05 Sometimes the Khaki's did not think about what they were doing at the time did they. The ships fireteam when I was onboard was called the Nuclear Fire Party, or NFP for short. Now everyone think, what else could NFP stand for........Naval Federal Prison. So what did the Khaki get as a unifrom for the fireteam. Bright orange coveralls, that said IKE NFP on the back. They looked just like prison coveralls. So for those of us wise to the joke. these guys were wearing prison coveralls that said IKE naval federal prison. We also thought that IKE NFP could stand for IKE No Fires Please!!!!!!

Shipyard Worker Locked in the RC Department: Rx Author: Naked Bill Era: 1981 Date: 11/10/05 We fixed a valve in the RC by isolating it with a freeze seal,staying onboard till 9PM doing the repairs. MMCS Colpus ("The egg with legs")let us leave our tools, etc. in the RC overnight. I did a temporary closeout inspection and locked er up. The next day we opened it up, got our stuff out and were ready to bag ass for an early start on the weekend when Rubberhead (the shutdown watch) announces he doesn't have his green card and asks me to do the closeout. I just did a good one 12 hours ago so I did a quick tour of lower level and locked it up again. Cliff Baker secured the Control Point Watch and then a shipyard worker comes up asking where his bud was. Cliff lets out a classic "Oh shit!" and the next thing we know we're in front of CDR Johnson being disqual'ed. The day prior he'd given me my first Good Conduct Medal, how ironic! The yardbird was working on the upper level, far away from where we were working and good ol' Cliff forgot that he had let him in there 15 minutes prior!

Mark Myers' Last Watch Department: Rx Author: Naked Bill Era: 1982 Date: 11/10/05 Mark had CSW for his last watch and I was CRW. Me and the RAW would toss a cup of water on him from RAW when he made his log tour. The third round he shot back with the CSW firehose! Loosing touch with common sense, we raced to FPW and commenced a frontal assualt with it's firehose!! Next thing we know, I'm paged and told to meet the PPWS on 4th deck. So up I go, soaking wet. The PPWS was an RE or E-1 Chief who ripped me a new asshole but lcuky for me, didn't take it any further or my career would have been over right then and there! We spent the rest of the watch cleaning seawater out of the driptrays on CSW!

Messing with the other plant Department: Rx Author: Naked Bill Era: 1979 Date: 11/10/05 When the ship pulled in overseas, one of the plants would be shutdown, the other would remain steaming. Duty sections were made up of guys from both plants (and those out-of-plant pukes) so you'd wind up standing watch in the "other" plant. 6 hour watches are incredibly boring so to kill time we find ways to mess the other plant's stuff. We'd find the dirtiest area of the watchstation and one section of one pipe bright white. That way when their Chief saw it he'd make his guys paint everything in the area. Like I said, it was friggin' boring on those long watches!

More Buttons... Department: Rx Author: Jay Era: 2002 Date: 11/10/05 Ok, they do have two colors of the button now, both Blue and Gold. That's not the point here though... Basically, it's required uniform attire. During the check-in process, I had an interview with the CMC. After he finished telling me about how great the ship was (which was contray to everything I had heard up to that time), he leaned over his desk and asked me if I had $3 on me. Wanting to help out, I of course said yes and he respknded with "GREAT!! Follow me!" He took me right down the ship's store and put one of those buttens up on the counter for me. I looked over at him and said, "You're joking, right?". Yeah, that didn't go over too well... Nothing like getting off on the wrong foot with the CMC when you're a brand new Chief on the boat! As far as the blueshirts, yeah they're kissing butt big time if they have one on. I make it a point to continually give the ones that wear them crap. Kind of funny when they see a Chief calling them a dig-it for wearing it!!

Standing watch in the other plant Department: Rx Author: Mike Era: 1990 Date: 11/11/05 I was in RM-22 almost my whole time on Ike and stood watch mainly in 2 plant. When I became an "office bitch", they needed a CRW for ORSE in 1 plant so I started standing watch there. It was kind of cool standing watch regularly in the other plant, but the guys used to watch me like a hawk. I guess they thought I was going to steal their tools or parts, I don't know. After awhile, they realized I was ok and things eased up. I don't know how it was when you guys were on Ike, but in RM division one of the plants was always the "problem child" plant. 1 plant happened to have that honor most of the time I was on Ike. If you were a STAR baby and went to 1 plant, your name was MUD -- those guys were ruthless.

My ORSE Trick Department: Engr Author: MM2 Dupler Era: 1996 Date: 11/11/05 I do not know if many people in the plant knew this or not, but us that operated the steam side of the catapults had to go through ORSE as well.(the engr side not the airdales)We had spot checks and inspections and the like. The part that always bit us in the ass was when they would do space inspections, those bastards would dig and dig until they found something in each and every space. And it was stupid stuff like dust in the ventalation. After we had spent weeks painting and cleaning and kicking dirt airdales out of our spaces. We never got hit because of valves or anything material. So when I became catapult superviser I had a plan. Next time ORSE came I would cut a few sponges into 4 peices and put a peice in each space. Against the khaki advice I did it. Guess what, every space they went into they saw a peice of sponge and noted that "cleaning gear adrift in the space" and then leave. Then we would pick up the sponges and be done with it. I'm sure it was worst in the pit though.

Tee shirts on the I/O cruise Department: Rx Author: peter Era: 1980 Date: 11/21/05 On the I/O cruise we were allowed to lose our blue shirts and just run around in Tee shirts. - Since I slept in my shirt and shorts - getting up to go on watch was very convenient... just slip on your pants and shoes and you're off - all ablutions were performed in the plant down at CTG LL. So, it was about 4-5 minutes from when my feet hit the deck to when I signed into the logs. There were some 1st and 2nd classes who wanted the confort of wearing just a Tee shirt but didn't want to give up the "prestige???" of their rank. These guys would take the silver crow that goes on your ball cap and pin it to their left chest. I always thought that was so pathetic.

FOD Walkdown Department: Engr Author: MM2 Dupler Era: 1996 Date: 11/21/05 One of the times I got caught in a FOD walkdown I was on watch. This airdale stops me as I left the hangarbay and tells me to join HIS FOD WALKDOWN. I told him that I was on watch(do not ask what I was doing in the H.B.)and that I could not stop for such things. Keep in mind this guy was sitting at a door and had some blonde chick on his lap. He informs me that everyone has to take part even CO's and XO's. I called central on my hydra and they even told him to get lost. By this time I was pissed. I said look here AIRMAN, who are you anyway,you do not even have a crow and you want to screw with me. (I know I got cocky) He then told me he was a first class, I asked why he had no crow on his shirt, he said that they mean nothing to airdept, and that e-1's could tell e=6's what to do. I knew he was full of crap then. But I was stubburn as a bull and would not back down. By this time the walkdown was over and just walked away. His head had no hotwater for awhile after that.