In the summer of '83 we where on a Med Cruise aboard USS Silversides SSN679. We made a port call in Naples and were tied up in the harbor close to a US destroyer, the name I don't remember.

After a night drinking in town four of my shipmates decided they neaded some excitement. They took the life raft from the aft escape trunk and paddled over to the destroyer. They had spray cans of moly grease as most know is black. They proceeded to paint a large set of dolphins on the starboard side of the destroyer.

The next morning the CO of the destroyer called our CO to complain about his lovely art work and wanted the responsible party or parties to come and remove the dolphins. The four artist came foward and admitted painting the dolphins. Our CO officially scolded them and then congradulated on a job well done.

When the four artist arrived back at the destroyer they tried to explain that they had used grease from a spray can. They were ignored and handed paint brushes and gray paint and order to paint over there artwork, which they did. The next morning the destroyer got back undrerway with the carrier Coral Sea.

A couple of days later we along with other naval vessels in the area recieved radio traffic about a US destroyer cruising the med with dolphins on her starboard side. It seems after a couple fo days of wave action the paint washed off of the destroyer so that she could proudly display the dolphins she recieved compliments od the USS Siversides SSN679.

Philp (Skip) Edwards former MM2/SS