Mess cooking
Posts: 7
Location: San Francisco Bay Area | Subject: There ya go...reading again!!
Strange, how I came to be on Subs…As a kid (5-6th Grade) we used to go to the library several times a week. I had been reading some books by an author with the last name of Blyton. Just by pure accident, I picked up a book by then Commander Beech, called “Submarine!”. It was a great book of short stories, detailing war patrols of the WWII boats in the Pacific…I was hooked!!
When I got laid off of my first job, after High School, I went with a friend to see the Navy recruiter. I had no intention at that time of joining. This was in 1962, at the beginning of the Polaris program, and when the recruiter found out I had 3 years of electronics in HS, the recruiter’s eyes got big, and the rest is history.
They gave me a choice of Boot camp; San Diego, or Great Lakes, and since it was February and I was in Detroit, the choice seemed obvious, so off to California.
I became an FT (Bainbridge for “A” School) then off to Sub School. From sub school I reported to the USS Spikefish (SS404) in Key West. The day I arrived on board Spikefish, they started decommissioning, and where do you put a FT Striker, you might ask….well in the forward Engine room of course. My next assignment was the USS Chopper (SS342), and then off to B-school on Mk84 Fire control system.
I got out of B School just about the time the Thresher went down, and spent a lot of time in various TAD duties (Even spent 6 Months on a DDG, just to make sure I didn’t doubt my choice…)waiting for a “ride”. I got assigned to the USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN619), picking her up in Rota just before deployment. I made 3 patrols on the Jackson, and Qualified on her. During the last In-crew, I surprisingly got orders to The Chopper again in Key West. This tour of duty was the best by far I had for my 7 ½ years in the Navy….but the detailer found me, and I did 3 more patrols on the USS James Madison (SSBN627), before getting out in '69
Every one of these sub’s was uniquely different, save one thing….when you were part of the crew, you were family, period. We took care of our own, and you knew someone always had your back. I have not found anything like it since.
Mike |
There ya go...reading again!!
