Chow Time Department: Weps Author: WTSN Bahr Era: 1981 Date: 03/11/06 I remember standing in line for chow for extended periods of time. The menu read one day, "steak and lobster" for dinner one night. did some investigating , and it was no "bull". so I went down to the messdeck and sure enough, it was steak and lobster. So up to the hanger bay to wait in line. We waited and waited. Let me tell you, hurry up and wait was the only way you could get a meal. We waited in line for over 2 hours till we finally hit the mess deck line. Boy were we in for a real treat. They ran out of steak and lobster. They didnt tell anybody standing in that long endless line. Instead when we approached the mess line, to no avail, no steak and lobster, we said! Why the *&*& didnt anybody tell us? Instead we were happily offered grease dipped,I mean 3inches deep of grease, nasty tasting knockwurst instead of what was on the menu. Can you believe that crap? I learned quick! Dont always believe the stupid menu. Just look at the food they are serving you, picture it as a steak and lobster, and swallow it. It all tasted pretty much the same. Like that God forsaken UHT milk. I bet that will bring back some yummy stomache curdling memories!

deep six Department: Ops Author: Ron Era: 1986 Date: 03/12/06 We had this ancient magnetic tape degaussing unit in our DP/DS shop, it was really an antiquated boat anchor, yet we couldn't officially throw it away, as on the books it was an asset or something. Me, as a DP3- and a co-conspiring DP1 - decided to take matters into our own hands one warm, deeply black summer Caribbean cruise night. That puppy went to the bottom of the ocean at about 2:30 a.m. RIP.

5 GAL PAINT FLOATING BY Department: Air Author: ABH1 Era: 1998 Date: 03/14/06 We were at a port call in Turkey, I was on watch. The chief and I hear a splash & spot something floating in the water. He called and has a boat sent out to see what it was. It was a 5 gallon can of white paint. They bring it back & all hell was about to break loose in V-1 because of this paint can. I swore up and down it could not of been my guys! They sent people up looking for anything moving up on the flight deck, all the time I'm protesting there is no way its V-1. I swore there was no painting going on. THEY never found who did it but I found out it was my guys! The guys were painting a space on the 02 getting rady for some zone. I told the dumb f*cks don't do that sh*it when we are anchored and the water isn't moving! I can just imagine the ocean floor is covered with glorious treaures of all the carriers to and from the gulf or any underway adventures! But I will never forget that white paint bobing in the water leaving a thick trail behind it!

Deep six cont.'d Department: Rx Author: Flounder Era: 1983 Date: 03/15/06 When I think of how much stuff RE Div. "deep sixed" without properly surveying it...I try to rationalize it by thinking we were doing the Navy a favor... Aaaagh...Now I remember what FUSPAD means...Damn you Joe...;)

F-18 Slide Department: Air Author: ABH1 Era: 2000 Date: 03/17/06 It was about 4am and I finally decided to go to my rack. We're in the Gulf so the sweat and condensation in Bay 3, from all the garbage and grime and just sweat. Well, I'm walking by and this F-18 is taking some serious slides as we were pitching and rolling a little. I ran back to hangar deck control and told the supervisors they might want to get back in Bay 3 as that aircraft was sliding toward the elevator and the stations were broke in the down position. Finally the ABH1 DC PO grabbed cardboard and rags and started stuffing under the wheels. This a/c had a brake rider in in! It made me nervous! Then I remember a spotting tractor that was parked sideways (suppose to be fore and aft!) and went right out the opening! That was funny but not funny for the supervisor! Ahh lessons learned train the blue shirts better and follow up on the walk around! :>)

Sinkable Trash Department: AIMD Author: Jake Era: 1981 Date: 03/17/06 While we're on the subject of deepsixing shit, I can't help but think how many of those piece of crap MIARS Machines (Microfiche) now gracing the ocean floor! During the 82 Med we gutted one of these machines and were using it to store an instrument can that we were making wine in because it had a clamp on the lid, well we're on our way home and its the night before we pull into Norfolk and we're just about ready to open up the can and all of the sudden it explodes, the chief is sitting right behind it and had to know what the hell happened so he gets up and says he's going to the Chiefs mess.As soon as he left we took the machine nasty ass wine and all down to the sponson and gave it the ol heave ho so I know of one particular machine that now sits just off the coast of Virginia.

Harry Turner Department: Rx Author: Era: 1982 Date: 03/17/06 I Was Talking to Gabe Verespej yesterday at work and he told me that Harry Turner has throat cancer and is not doing too well. He was an electrician on Ike in the early 80's. I believe he lives near Kansas city. I'll try and get some more info.Harry, if you are out there we're pulling for you. R/ Brian T

Deep six revisted Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1996 Date: 03/18/06 Other than the assorted haz-mat that went over the side, we threw a $17,000 water heater over the side in the Persian Gulf. They sent us the wrong type and instead of sending it back to Columbus supply told us to just toss it. That amazes me even today. That and silver seals for the steam valves, those things were level one material and were thousands of dollars each. But, someone put them in a nonlevel one space and they had to be tossed. Hey come to think about it the hanger bay tossed one of their plane-moving-vehicles-things (what they hell did they call them) but that was not on purpose. I was on watch that night and was walking to the smoking sponson when I saw a couple guys running toward the elevator door........too late....splash.

Close call Department: Air Author: Kirk Pendergras Era: 1980 Date: 03/21/06 It was my last night of active duty, so me and a couple of V-1 buddies were out partying and smoking weed, I always kept an ounce in my car between the seat and armrest. As the night ended we pulled up to the main gate when these two Jar Heads decided to ask us a few questions, when the one guy smelled the reefer he ordered me to pull over and told me he was calling the base police to come search my car, his partner was real cool and asked me if I was really getting out the next day. I told him this was my last night out and would be headed home the next day, he looked over at the other Jar Head, then stated "he's a gung hole asshole" then told me to get to the ship as fast as I could. Then the next afternoon I Left the ship for the last time, and went to the side gate praying that asshole would not be there, as I rolled up to the gate that same asshole Jar head jumped up and tried to stop me from gettig off base, so I put the pedal to the metal and shoved my DD-214 out the window:)

rats Department: Ops Author: Ron Eureka Era: 1985 Date: 03/22/06 One night I went down for midrats, which were usually pretty bad as a rule, and the S-2 guy literally put 3 rib bones on my tray. I looked at the serving pan he had pulled them out of - and it was full of just bones. The ribs had been served / reheated so many times over the past day or so, that all of the meat had completely fallen off and was gone. I had a couple pieces of hard bread with some milk that night, as I recall.