Posted on Oct 12, 2014
What is your favorite or most memorable Sea-Story?
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Most sailors have a dozen or so...here is one I recall (actually a double-header)...
In 1981...I was on liberty one night...drinking at a bar in Mombasa, Kenya...I was hanging around with this big ole' MM farm boy from our division (3MMR) and we were drinking authentic Ouzo! Very strong and loaded with...well you know. So after about an hour or so...I wandered off to another part of the bar...and I started watching these local men juggling what appeared to be - flaming balls of coal using 2 sticks...when all of a sudden...two local women started fighting and one of them ripped some of the hair braids (Bo Derek Style) from the others head...so anyway...I decided to start looking for my farm boy pal and as I headed back and was turning the corner...I saw a large group of people...they were all surrounding some crazy SOB and were trying to get close to him as he was swinging and hitting anything and everyone that came near him...guess who? Yup...turns out that my new drinking buddy (unbeknownst to me) never drank liquor in his life! Anyhow...this guy was huge and I recalled that he was arrested one time for taking on and beating up five San Diego policemen by himself (no joke)...so I carefully tried to get near him and he finally allowed me to talk and get close - that's when he just collapsed and TG...he finally just passed out! I'm 6'3" and fairly strong, but have never in my life tried to lift the dead-weight of a farm boy!!! I couldn't budge him!! That's when this dude from our ship who had arms the size of tree trunks walked over and just threw farm boy on his shoulders and walked away with him and helped me get him back to the ship safely! As we walked up the gang plank...I saw the were MAA waiting for us on the ship and searched me...they found some contraband including an African hair braid and said WTF before confiscating it and throwing me in the brig...Lol! The moral to this sea story is: "Sometimes...it's better to drink alone!"
In 1981...I was on liberty one night...drinking at a bar in Mombasa, Kenya...I was hanging around with this big ole' MM farm boy from our division (3MMR) and we were drinking authentic Ouzo! Very strong and loaded with...well you know. So after about an hour or so...I wandered off to another part of the bar...and I started watching these local men juggling what appeared to be - flaming balls of coal using 2 sticks...when all of a sudden...two local women started fighting and one of them ripped some of the hair braids (Bo Derek Style) from the others head...so anyway...I decided to start looking for my farm boy pal and as I headed back and was turning the corner...I saw a large group of people...they were all surrounding some crazy SOB and were trying to get close to him as he was swinging and hitting anything and everyone that came near him...guess who? Yup...turns out that my new drinking buddy (unbeknownst to me) never drank liquor in his life! Anyhow...this guy was huge and I recalled that he was arrested one time for taking on and beating up five San Diego policemen by himself (no joke)...so I carefully tried to get near him and he finally allowed me to talk and get close - that's when he just collapsed and TG...he finally just passed out! I'm 6'3" and fairly strong, but have never in my life tried to lift the dead-weight of a farm boy!!! I couldn't budge him!! That's when this dude from our ship who had arms the size of tree trunks walked over and just threw farm boy on his shoulders and walked away with him and helped me get him back to the ship safely! As we walked up the gang plank...I saw the were MAA waiting for us on the ship and searched me...they found some contraband including an African hair braid and said WTF before confiscating it and throwing me in the brig...Lol! The moral to this sea story is: "Sometimes...it's better to drink alone!"
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Posted 10 y ago
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OK my favorite sea story goes like this and "This is No Sh*t";
We were at sea doing flight ops at night and the bow catapult crew were in their crew shelter on the 03 level just below the flight deck on the starboard side during a lull in the operations. Now there was a new guy and he was due for initiation. They wouldn't actually do much to you but the whole idea of it was built up to seem very scary. The guys went to grab this kid and duct tape him to the overhead but he escaped! He ran out of the door, out onto the catwalk, leaped onto the flight deck and ran across the flight deck. He crossed in front of two Tomcats sitting there waiting to take off.
From the perspective of the Air boss in the tower he appeared to jump over board on the port side near the bow. So they called man overboard, the ship stops, drops boats, lifts helo's, etc. and he's nowhere to be found. He didn't turn up at his duty station for the man overboard.
What he'd actually done though was jump into a small catwalk near the bow and then hid down in the fo'c'sle in fear of his shipmates initiation. The boatswain's mates eventually found him there a couple hours later.
Needless to say this caused many ripples and much training on hazing and such. Good times.
My other favorite was watching a helo loaded down with SEALs take off from the flight deck during Desert Shield prior to the Gulf War. Something went wrong right after they left the flight deck. The helo dropped almost all the way to the water but continued on about a mile from the ship before it went in. The crew and SEALs all bailed out. The crew popped smoke, inflated their life vests, and waited for SAR. The SEALs though, those bad-asses just swam back, with their full battle rattle and all. I can remember they basically got back to the ship before the motor whaleboat could be deployed. Sat there dripping wet in the hanger bay and cleaned their gear. That was impressive to say the least.
We were at sea doing flight ops at night and the bow catapult crew were in their crew shelter on the 03 level just below the flight deck on the starboard side during a lull in the operations. Now there was a new guy and he was due for initiation. They wouldn't actually do much to you but the whole idea of it was built up to seem very scary. The guys went to grab this kid and duct tape him to the overhead but he escaped! He ran out of the door, out onto the catwalk, leaped onto the flight deck and ran across the flight deck. He crossed in front of two Tomcats sitting there waiting to take off.
From the perspective of the Air boss in the tower he appeared to jump over board on the port side near the bow. So they called man overboard, the ship stops, drops boats, lifts helo's, etc. and he's nowhere to be found. He didn't turn up at his duty station for the man overboard.
What he'd actually done though was jump into a small catwalk near the bow and then hid down in the fo'c'sle in fear of his shipmates initiation. The boatswain's mates eventually found him there a couple hours later.
Needless to say this caused many ripples and much training on hazing and such. Good times.
My other favorite was watching a helo loaded down with SEALs take off from the flight deck during Desert Shield prior to the Gulf War. Something went wrong right after they left the flight deck. The helo dropped almost all the way to the water but continued on about a mile from the ship before it went in. The crew and SEALs all bailed out. The crew popped smoke, inflated their life vests, and waited for SAR. The SEALs though, those bad-asses just swam back, with their full battle rattle and all. I can remember they basically got back to the ship before the motor whaleboat could be deployed. Sat there dripping wet in the hanger bay and cleaned their gear. That was impressive to say the least.
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FN Mike McCormack
I used to see them train on my way home on the strand near my apartment in Imperial Beach when I was stationed at NI...a Seal wife once hit on me in the apartment laundry room while he was at sea...I told her to get the *#*# away from me! Lol....your story jogged my memory too...I was standing smoke watch on the 010 level (cv64) perfect view of the flight deck and a new FA18A Hornet came in for a landing and either snapped or missed the arresting cable....just rolled off the deck as the pilot bailed OUT with an explosion....all I remember thinking was - HOLY SH*T!! Why isn't anyone doing something, that's millions of dollars sinking!!!! Then it occurred to me...what could they do? Lol
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I may be Army, but we have boats, too.
I was sailing back to Ft. Eustis on an LCU2000 (Type shown below). The vessel was off the coast from Cape Hatteras. This was in December and the vessel is a shallow draft, flat bottomed boat. Add 20 foot seas into that formula and you know you're if for a fun ride.
I had to report to my watch station on the bridge at 0800, so I ate two single serving boxes of Cheerios prior to reporting to my watch. About two hours later, and still dealing with the 20 foot seas, I began to feel nauseous. I stepped outside onto the bridge wing and all of the contents from my stomach abandoned ship from my mouth. I blew chunks right into the wind. That wasn't smart. Remnants of Oaty goodness smacked me into the face and proceeded to hit the side of the wheelhouse. That was the first and only time that I got seasick.
I was sailing back to Ft. Eustis on an LCU2000 (Type shown below). The vessel was off the coast from Cape Hatteras. This was in December and the vessel is a shallow draft, flat bottomed boat. Add 20 foot seas into that formula and you know you're if for a fun ride.
I had to report to my watch station on the bridge at 0800, so I ate two single serving boxes of Cheerios prior to reporting to my watch. About two hours later, and still dealing with the 20 foot seas, I began to feel nauseous. I stepped outside onto the bridge wing and all of the contents from my stomach abandoned ship from my mouth. I blew chunks right into the wind. That wasn't smart. Remnants of Oaty goodness smacked me into the face and proceeded to hit the side of the wheelhouse. That was the first and only time that I got seasick.
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I was in the Army, so not too many opportunities to be on boats or ships. I was medevaced one time by chopper, and was supposed to be airlifted to a hospital ship. I was stoked, a grunt living in the lap of luxury for only a few days with real women nurses and hot food. Chopper pilot took off, and, never having flown out to sea, apparently chose not to experiment this time either, so I was sent back to a MASH unit. I got in late afternoon, and the doctors were already breaking out the beer. Didn't get any, either. I wonder if that is why I walk funny now.
Kind of like the only time a truck was ever sent out to pick me up from a jump - I had just landed on top of a bunch of WAC's, and they were all excited. Me, too - then as soon as I recovered the chute I hear a deuce and a half and guys yelling "Sarge, jump on the truck!".
I felt like the NCO jeep driver in the original MASH movie - "Damn Army"...
Kind of like the only time a truck was ever sent out to pick me up from a jump - I had just landed on top of a bunch of WAC's, and they were all excited. Me, too - then as soon as I recovered the chute I hear a deuce and a half and guys yelling "Sarge, jump on the truck!".
I felt like the NCO jeep driver in the original MASH movie - "Damn Army"...
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SGT (Join to see)
You'd be surprised SGT Craig Northacker, the Army actually has boats like this Logistics Support Vessel (Pictured Below).
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