Let's give a thank you to the Navy Snipes

[Tamaroa]

I was a snipe in the Coast Guard Boats (Damage Control) then after the service went on to serve in the engine rooms of these large commercial skyscrapers. I have wallowed in asbestos been drowned in antifreeze and ingested powdered chromate, all for the sake of snooty tenants. God knows what awaits me down the road but so far I'm ok!!

Bill

[SparrowHawk62]

Yeah, the asbestos was a nightmare for many of us. Any sailor that was in a shipyard was more than likely exposed to it. I know I handled the stuff a few times while rehabbing spaces my division was responsible for.
AB's have another demon to contend with, NON SKID. Silica dust from chipping this stuff off the deck has settled in many a shipmates lungs. Not to mention getting this stuff on your skin, then the wonderfull chemicals they issued to get it off our skin.
Have you heard about the infamous article pupblished in Penthouse's June 2000 issue? I have permission to post it to Navy related sites, so I've attached it here.

[Boats]

Yep we all had many jobs to do and mostly it was either to keep the ship - seaworthy or to support those who needed to get somewhere safely. Shipboard maintenance is constant and the personnel onboard know that this is home for the duration of their assignment.

Repairs were constant and never-ending. We got really good at what we did. The Navy made sure of that. I had good Chiefs and Division Officer's who took their time to make us get it right.

Practical Factor's - sign off sheets - log books - you name it we were all clerks before we were sailors. Paperwork abounded and duties kept getting more and more as you got the stripes.

Responsibilities for others was another factor - breaking in the newbies's and making sure they didn't get hurt or killed was a big chore and always on my mind.

The lessons learned in the Navy have been ones I've carried over all my years. I'm still a "Yes Sir" when asked or told to do something by my superiors - they know it and I can't change the habit its been there for so long.

I made many friends and lost a few. I've tragic events and heroic ones. I've been put in the brig for refusing to refuel an air wing commander's aircraft because the fuel was contaminated and I was under order's by my Division Officer not to fuel any aircraft until we got the contaminates removed.

I had flight deck control bear watch off the line and this guy literally got the Marines up on the flight deck to take me away.

I was released earlier than night by my Division Officer and we went up to see the Captain. I explained my order's and was told to standby - In came the wing commander from a A4 squadron attached to our ship and the Cap ate him a new ass in front of me. I was released and went back to duty.

On another issue I was on Liberty in Hong Kong and ran into some Aussie's at local bar and we of course got snockered real good and decided to swap uniforms.

I don't know what happen next but I was attempting to get up on our gang plank and was told my ship was several docks down.
I showed him my liberty card and ID and I was off to the brig again.

I had on the Aussie's uniform (whoops) and had consumed copious amounts of liquorl. Next day I was up for Mass and got 30 days restriction (all at sea) big deal. Had to buy another new uniform out of my monthly wages (which were damn little then) but it was something that was talked about the whole cruise.

I've got 12 years of these odd ball things that I've gotten into. Once more for the road. Mr. Dearman (a good friend of mine) and a good old Southern Boy fom the South just got his new teeth from the Navy. Store boughts he called them and now all he did was smile a lot - those teeth were his pride and joy. We went on liberty one weekend back at Whidbey Island and I got back before the others. I heard this commotion and it was Billy who just got back form liberty and had just a tad too much to drink.

About an hour later I heard someone throwing up - it was Billy who just upchucked his teeth right out of the window. Oh no he said and he crawled out the window to retrieve his teeth.

He saw them on the ledge and reached for them and fell -three stories down. We ran out there and he was flat on his back and seemed to be OK and in his hand were his teeth and he passed out. Oh well I'll close for now I've many more but I'll save those for another day.

[SparrowHawk62]

Boats, you keep those sea stories coming! Love the one about the uniform!
I too had a few problems with a zero or two. One was at NAS Memphis, me the lowly AR told a commander that he could not open a hanger bay door after 1800 for security reasons. Well, zero wanted to "air out" his birds and opened the doors. Very shortly the Jar Heads arrived, and mr zero was off to tell the base CO why he opened the doors.
Other stories about fly boys who think they have 360 vision while strapped to there air craft. One dope didn't follow directions and wound up in a cat walk. Others had to explain why they came up on power and blew guys all over the deck..

[Dragon Lady]

Boats,
I too love these kinds of barracks tales!
I've a few but none of the Navy flavor. You sailors have every other branch beat hands down when it comes to "What do you do with a drunken sailor" stories.

Keep 'em comin!

DL

[Boats]

DL

If you only knew!!!!!

[sn-e3]

DL they ain't no sea story's theys the real Mc Coy you can tell they are the truth because they start with now this ain't no sh#t. Now thats how you know a true story from a sea fable.

[Dragon Lady]

I used to love it when I'd sit around the trans.maint. shop waiting for something to fall out of the sky and the old folks (ahem) would start telling stories. Chief Stubby (Stubblefield) would always start them with..."Back when I first joined the Air Force..." We'd all remind him that it was called the "Army Air Corps" back then
Oh, he'd start spittin and hollering, but we sure loved his stories. I guess those were some of my early history lessons.

Boats, SnE3 don't ever stop telling them. I love to hear them.


As for the..."If you only knew"...Oh, I know, I'm married to an old Goat.

DL

[locksly]

I have never seen an airconditioned engineroom on a ship.It would take most of the shipes power to aircondition a engineroom. MM-2LOCKSLY

[SparrowHawk62]

Don't recall any A/C in the pump rooms, Arresting grear rooms had A/C, Catapult stations had A/C, Flight Deck had no man made A/C, Hot Suits had no A/C, Crash shack had no A/C, if the Blue or Yellow shirt lockers did, it wasn't worth a damn...