F-14 goes bye bye Department: Rx Author: Rich Ralston Era: 1984 Date: 09/22/06 The Navy retired the ever familiar F-14 Tomcat today. Kinda ends a chapter for many of us that had to bob and weave around them on Ike. What are they going to do with all those birds?

Department: AIMD Author: Jake Era: 1982 Date: 09/22/06 Hey Arch the same thing happened to us but this was when we were in the yards over in Portsmouth, I think it was right after the 82 Med, anyway we were sitting in a car outside the base club and we were there awhile getting nice and toasted, when the base security drives by they see us sitting there and ask us what we're up to so we tell them we are going in the club so they tell us go in or we're going to have to leave, we say ok. Next thing you know the cop on the other side of the car goes over and starts talking to the other cop, so one of the guys in the back stuffs the bag of weed down the back seat. No sooner was this done when the one cop comes back to the drivers window and says" We think someone in there was smoking marijuana and we want to search the car" so we did our damndest to try and talk them out of it but no luck, so they start going all through the inside of the car and cant find nothing (cont)

Continued Department: AIMD Author: Jake Era: 1982 Date: 09/22/06 we were almost off the hook when one of the cops decides to pull up the backseat, I'm shitting bricks at this point, so the cops pull up the back seat and start looking around but can't find anything here when they put the weed down the back seat (it was about 1/4 oz too!) it was rolled up like a bag normally is anyway it got hung up on one of those flat springs of the cushion on the underside of the back seat and the way the cop had the seat tilted he couldn't see it. They knew we were smoking weed but they couldn't find anything, I know it really burned their asses not being able to pop us but they had to let us go. needles to say we didn't make that mistake again. Man I hated Portsmouth!

Jamaican, mon ... Department: Ops Author: Arch Era: 1987 Date: 09/22/06 Weed and coke galore were just footsteps from fleet landing when we hit Jamaica. Little boys would run up to you to make a sale, hell, you didn't even have to break your stride. I bought a few buds, and some hash oil. I smuggled the weed onboard, but decided the oil was too risky, and ditched it over the side of the liberty boat in the dark. I hid the weed in the lagging in an outboard passageway, and only retreived what I wanted during the quiet night hours. Still, a junior O came out of nowhere one night and nearly busted me. Evidentally, the ease of availability of this plentiful bounty got back to the command. The CO came over IKE TV and announced a unit sweep once we pulled out of port. I was just back from liberty, and high as a kite as I watched the tape roll. Major bummer, I thought. I drank a lot of water, and jogged whenever possible for the next few days, and passed the unit sweep. Although in all probability, they didn't test all 6000 samples.

smokin' on the O-8 level Department: Ops Author: Arch Era: 1987 Date: 09/22/06 Marty and I enjoyed the Jamaican bud as we sailed into the tail end of the Caribbean cruise. Now, I know the HT's and MM's had places where they could fire up deep in the bowels of the ship, and not worry about a thing. But for Ops people, it was a lot tougher to find a carefree spot to smoke up. Marty had access to an electronics equipment room - two levels below the bridge. There was a weight bench and boom box in there, so that provided good cover. We would do one-hits listening to Yes, pumping iron, with me chain smoking to cover the smell. I thought it was pretty ironic we were two levels below the OOD. One night we were up to the usual, when the hatch door dog / handle slowly started opening (locking it was possible, but we had decided that would only fuel suspicion). Marty jumped back onto the weight bench, and I hotboxed my cigarette to increase the smoke screen. The door opened, and it was some new junior O, completely lost. "Sorry guys, wrong shop".

Smoke and Coke in Jamaica Department: Rx Author: Dan Fuqua Era: 1987 Date: 09/22/06 I agree, what I hated about being in Jamaica, in '87, was constantly being bothered by guys trying to sell some "Smoke and Coke"... marijuana, and cocaine. I think of all the liberty ports we hit from '87 to '90, Jamaica was definitely the worst.

Time in the reserves Department: Rx Author: Dan Fuqua Era: 1993 Date: 09/22/06 Someone else had mentioned that after they got off Ike, they did some time in the reserves, and liked it. I have to agree. I finished my 6 years on Ike in 1990, and wanted to try the reserves, since I had a younger brother who was in the reserves, and he said that he had a good time. I joined the reserves in 1993, after being off active duty for 39 months. They took a stripe, because they didn't need any MMs, so I came in as an SK2. I was home based in Phoenix, AZ, but was never there. We were always flying out somewhere. A couple of months we went down to San Diego, a couple of months we went up to a base near Flagstaff, AZ to learn how to handle explosives. Our 2 week training was always in Pearl Harbor, HI...boy that was rough. (Ha Ha) Plus being in the reserves set me up to be picked up for Officers Candidate School, right after I graduated from college.

F-18s do everything? Department: Air Author: Dan Fuqua Era: 2006 Date: 09/23/06 I was just reading a few news stories that the S-3 anti-submarine planes are being replaced by the F-18 E/F super hornets, which is to be compeleted by 2009, and the EA-6B radar jammers are going to be all replaced by F-18Gs, by 2010. I guess the whole air wing is soon only going to consist of F-18s, and helicopters, since they just kicked the F-14s off.

Department: AIMD Author: Jake Era: 1981 Date: 09/23/06 Thanks for the pics Sol, I wish some more people would post a few especially some liberty pics they're always good for a laugh. I have a question about the one picture of the hatch with the scuttle open, I noticed some blue tile around it and I couldn't help but wonder if a nasty looking hatch like this was up in officers country some where? I just can't see a filthy looking hatch like that with alot of zeros around?

Picture of the Hatch Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1996 Date: 09/24/06 Jake from AIMD, That hatch is located in the XO's p-way just forward of repair locker 3 on the second deck. Right around wardroom 3's lounge. It leads to a shaft alley, and #9 airconditioning plant, and if you know what you are doing a stock room full of goodies. That is considered officers cuntry but not like that on the 03 level. (at least not while I was there.) When I would have an "under instruction" watchstander I would have him climb down that ladder and I would stay at the top of the hatch. When he got to the bottom and went through the WTD to get to the ac plant I would chuck a heavy nut or bolt downthere. It would clang around down there forever, and the nub would come running out certain that the ship was falling to peices around him. AHHH goodtimes, you get fired for doing stuff like that in the realworld. As for liberty pics, all of mine are too incriminating or dirty to be placed online, as are most of the stories. So I am afraid those will stay underwraps.