the dark side of the 98 cruise Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1998 Date: 01/25/06 There is another side to the 98 cruise. We were supposed to leave on June 10th but, sometime around Feb. I think the Capt. G.C. Brown (I think our best one) calls everyone onboard the ship into the hangerbay, right before we pull into work from one of the workups. So there is like 3,000 of us in hangerbay 2, there is a map of the Persian Gulf on the elevator door, and a makeshift stage set up. Most of us had allready heard (from the great communication device called the mess decks) what this was all about. We were not leaving for our cruise in June, It was going to be April. That was what the Capt said as well. He pointed at the map and informed us how dangerous Iraq was and everyone else in the area. He also told us how important it was that we be there....yada, yada, yada...... Stay tuned for part 2....it gets worse.

98 cruise Cont. Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1998 Date: 01/25/06 So everyone put their cars in long term storage, cancelled their leases, put furninture in storage, some guys wives went to stay with their parents, every one was ready to make the April 10th cruise on April 9th. Then came the announcement on the 9th. We are not going until June now. The mood onboard surprised me. Most people I knew were not happy about being delayed. Their wives had went home, they had no car. They had turned everything off. I had just got back from putting my car in storage. I had just said good bye to my girlfriend. I know of 2 guys in my shop alone that got divorced because of this. Their wives demanded that they quit the navy, if the navy was going to pull this crap. They did not understand you could not just quit, I guess. For some it was like a 9 month deployment instead of 6. I later read in some magazines that my D.O. had, how the officer community realized how they had screwed us so they gave us the battle E. I knew the Battle E was fixed!!!

Capt. Brown Department: Air Author: ABH1 Era: 1998 Date: 01/26/06 I remember standing in the hangar bay listening to that speech! I was impressed with Capt. Brown. Him telling how this was Top SECRET. I thought wow he trusted us enough to tell us what was going down. So that Battle E was fixed? I had waited my whole carrer for an E. I know Crash was good. We could clear an aircraft from the deck in less than a minute. ABH1 Deshotel and Chief Knobber got to go to France to show them how to clear a deck that quick. We had to take a survey on how the change date of the deployment effected us. I had sent my son back to his father so I was ticked. I told them the survey was a joke. I asked would the ship get comp time she said no its just lessons learned. Didn't we leave in June straight from the JTFX. Do you have your picture of the rooster tail signed in gold by Capt. Brown? He said his son asked him to take a pic from of the back of the ship and he wanted to personnaly sign each one to the crew for his departing. I had alot respect for Capt Brown.

Greg C. Brown Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1998 Date: 01/26/06 I have that picture, it is hanging on my wall right next to me now. I liked how he wanted to meet every sailor, and tour every space on that ship. I think I beat him on the every space thing. During one of our yard periods I had to confirm every foot of potable water pipe, and hotel steam pipe. So I had been in every stateroom, everyshop, and places that you would not even believe. That and the fact that the cat 02 levels were "somehow erased" from the list of spaces in the 3M office. (I.E. there is no record of that oily pit of pipes anymore) Capt. Brown let us have overnight liberty inport. What other Capt. did that after him? NONE! Capt Brown believed that if you did not get in trouble you should not be punished. However if you did get in trouble, stand by, chances were you would get the maximun sentence and a discharge. I had many friends that got BCD's for DUI's and less. Was it wrong, maybe, but of all the Capts. I had on that ship, Mr Brown was number 1! and I hate officers!

Catapult 02 levels Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 2001 Date: 01/26/06 AHH yes, the catapult 02 levels, that "no longer exist" on the command zone inspection sheets(you are welcome present day cat shoppers). They are 20 foot by 20 foot spaces on the 02 level. Catapult 2's 02 level was just dirty, however number 1's always had about a foot of oil and water from the launch valve. We used to watch for nukes to take their favorite girl to their 02 level vent plenum, I think they were hepa filters, right? Anyway, by the time they were getting naughty we would of climbed from 1 accum to the 02 level, and pop open the little water tight hatch that connected the cat with the vent plenum. Followed by us saying "what are you guys doing OH MY GOD, PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!" We never turned anyone in for it, we just had fun. Hell we were doing it too, but not there, that is a story for later. To get to the other 02 level you had to go through an airdale office on the port side 02 level. We found an airdale living in there once, had a mattress and everything.

3 M OFFICE Department: Air Author: Can't say Era: 1998 Date: 01/26/06 I remember needing some kind of workcenter test and I was spending alot of time in the 3 M office putting in work for RCOH, so I knew everyone in there. I went in, it was about 9 pm, we were headed for Dubi and I jumped up on the table and spread my legs as a joke and said hey I need some help. Well, he thought I meant something eles. He goes there are other people in here. I said they could watch, because I was just there to get information. Now this guy was whore and tried to Screw anything so there is no way I'd do anything. This guy followed me for days, on the ship and off! Guys I worked with laughed their ass off about that. I told him about the mandatory workcenter test and he asked what grade do you want. I didn't want to seem to smart took an 86 for a score. Some of our spaces also disappeared for zone and some of the spaces turned up with new space owners? Hhmmmm.....wonder how that happened. Slight of hand, or maybe intervention of friends for distraction.

ZONE Department: Air Author: ABH1 Era: 2000 Date: 01/26/06 We had zone inspection and the XO on that cruise hated me with a passion. I had found a t-shirt that was all black and in white lettering said "we're all whores" in tiny print. Well I hung it up on the bulkhead for someone to claim. I put next to it my LEAVE ME ALONE shirt written in big letters. The XO came in, looked up saw the shirts and said those have to go! I looked bewildered and said really? Ok. I said they were lost items and I had hung them up to be claimed and added we really are all whores as this was the suppy space and alot of trading went on. He did not like my response or did not think it was appropreate! The man had no sense of humor!

Zone Inspection surprise Department: Engr Author: The Bull Era: 1997 Date: 01/27/06 I was in the divion office at the wrong time and ended up being sent to lead the officer that was doing a zone inspection on some of out spaces. Everything was going great, infact the guy even told me that I did not have to call him sir, and did not hit half of what he should of. Then we got to the last space. The B and A crane. We climb and crawl and fight to get there, but we find it open it up and I could not believe it. It is was pretty good sized, and someone seemed to be living up there. It was set up like an apartment. It had a matress, pizza boxes, doritos, tv, misc food, and piles of trash. I could not believe it and neither could the officer. He did not have me write down what we found, he just said to mark it as gear adrift, then we found the nearest phone, so he could call my D.O. and tell him what we found. Never found anything like that on any other zone inspections. We always seemed to lose a few keys to a few locks whenever there was a zone inspection after that.

In memoriam? Department: Rx Author: Flounder Era: 1985 Date: 01/28/06 Hi Pete - I second Dr. John's motion - could we possibly have a page for all of those among us who've shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain, and joined the bleedin' choir invisible? (Sorry, couldn't resist the Monty Python reference.)

CREW MEMBERS ? Department: Engr Author: LARRY Era: 1986 Date: 02/01/06 HEY IS THERE ANYONE THAT HAS POSTED ON THIS SITE LIVE IN MICHIGAN OR WASHINGTON STATE ? IF SO WHAT ERA WHERE YOU ON THE MIGHTY IKE ? ALWAYS NICE TO MEET CREW MEMBERS. ALSO, IS ANYONE INVOLVED WITH A VFW HALL (SMOKE PIT)? THANKS !