Greetings! In the 70-79 semi-psychedelic 70s...please update my e-mail address. It is now danboggs@netwest.com. Thanks!

Dan Boggs ex-fan mechanic 1st class U.S.S. Enterprise, 1975-1979

1/6/07

1/8/07

KP,

Regarding the lady who was inquiring about memorabilia. Unsure if I could help with a war cruise back in '44 but she could check http://www.ussashland.org/. They maybe able to help her find memorabilia and have her father join the venerable LSD-1 org.

Now for a cruise in 1978 or later….recommend she contact Naples NEX. 011-39-081-813-5372. Overseas number. Can't remember the guys name (nick polidors or something) name but she should inquire about cruise jackets. They maybe able to direct her appropriately to get jackets of some type. Believe Nick can custom make a cruise jacket at a higher costs. Just provide him size, countries visited, ship logo, etc.

Hope this helps

Schmidty

1/8/07

KP,

All I can say is you gotta have stones the size of cannon balls to open for guitar greats like Steve Morse and Robin Trower. Love watching your Youtube videos.  Keep rockin'

A.H.

KP Note: Stones? Don't know about that. All credit goes to my band mate R. Chavez, the hardest working local band promoter in the world. The other Phoenix bands (the ones we usually open for) must go ape shit when they open the New Times and see our logo splattered all over the place or see our posters downtown. We're now pulling away all the hippy types from the Dead cover bands, too. It's soon to be a Mooj Nation!

The truth is the record biz is dying. No one buys CDs anymore. Bands like us (downloadable on Myspace, etc. ), who give away music for free, do well (but don't make money). The whole myspace music scene is were it's happening now.      

1/8/07 

1/8/07

I heard through the grapevine that their is an opening in the I&C shop at Diablo Canyon.

PK

1/8/07

KP Note: I wasn't sure if this was meant only for me (as I have stated on numerous occasions my dream is to wind up back in SLO). If so, PK, contact me immediately and I'll yank this. Otherwise another ex-navy nuke might be able to use this.  

1/8/07

I would like to be added to your roster. I was onboard 02-06 in EM-22 Joanna Strifler joatnnptc@yahoo.com. Don't laugh at the email address I've had it since A school.

1/11/07

KP Note: Joanna (and Marlayna above) how about some sea stories!!! You both were female steamside MMs ... Us old salts would love to hear some of your adventures! What was your most memorable watch?

Ram, I just looked at the line-up for the Rock -n Roll marathon this weekend and saw that you guys are playing at mile 25. I will be running or limping past there sometime Sunday-I'll yell something up to you. It's been a while since I've looked at the site and its always a trip to see photos and hear from people from almost 20 years ago.

As for advice for Nicholas D., I would recommend saving as much money as you can and go to college somewhere. I went from the Navy to San Diego State, starting as a nutrition major. When I saw the caliber of people who were "pre-med," I figured that it was something well within reach. I spoke to a counselor and did everything that she said to do to get into med school. I ended up getting into Harvard Med and graduated 8 years ago. Not that you should go to med school, but the nuke training prepares you for virtually anything. If you figure you learned to be a power plant operator at the age of 18-21, you could be trained to do whatever you want. I have since met several people in medicine who were once Navy Nukes. If you don't want to go to college, then I would think that there are many things that you could do with your existing training, but I wouldn't give up the chance to go to school if not for any other reason than the experience (education, parties, girls, whatever. . .). Good luck to you dude, but don't sell yourself short.

Later, Craig EE-30 86-90

1/12/07

KP Note: Hey Craig, I'm answering this late (after the marathon). It was great seeing you. You were so bundled up that I didn't recognize you at first! It must have been fun running in 29-degree weather! It was so cold my guitar strings were frozen stiff! 

Hi, my name’s Chas Benson. Been on Big E from 2002-present.

rideandpaddle@yahoo.com

1/12/07

Ram,

Don't know if you got my first emails or not....lol. Love the site and glad to see all those peeps from years back. Add me to the site. Larry Cormican....aka Corn/HeftyHen. RC14 86-91, RC23 94-96. Add my email address also.

larrycormican@bellsouth.net

1/13/07

KP Note: HeftyHen!!!! I thought you were already on this site but saw that you weren't. Welcome aboard, fellow cool-clubber! I got most of your derelict RC14 brethren on this site (hopefully their emails are still good). Are you still in the Nav? I recall seeing you when I did the dependent's day cruise on Big E in '95. You were the Reactor Duty Chief that day and I couldn't believe it. 

Jay Williams, RC11 2001-2004 jaynles@hotmail.com

thanks, jay

1/15/07

McKinsey, Dan RM23 1981-1985 dannynhm@sbcglobal.net

Thanks, Bro!!

1/16/07

1/18/07

RL Division-'89-'90 (" I had it...YOU got it...good luck")

CHRIS BRUNDAGE clbdcab@earthlink.net

1/18/07

Link

Also, if you're in Arizona and want to see a great show be at The Marquee Theater this Sunday.  anyone who is anyone will surely be there!

KP

Ram,

Just wondering if you could post this on the site. Looking for a way to contact Rodney Malbon. Hoping that one of the faithful readers of the site no where he is at now. He was on the Pig in the 90's for six or so years. I hear he is still in and a master chief, just looking to reconnect. If anyone has a whereabouts on him please email me at rwallen1@cox.net. Thanks,

Richard

1/21/07

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29233

KP, A week or so ago I exchanged E-Mails with some of my old buds regarding Singapore. Made me have a flashback.

In early '75 we pulled into Singapore for about a week. The first day I took off sightseeing with Gary Stenike. I had a serious case of the shits due to having taken my malaria pill that morning but, between bouts of diarrhea, I still managed to do a lot. Around noon, we are approached by a street tout. Gary wanted to find some fabric for his Grandma to sew. The tout said he knew a great place to buy fabric and took us there. It was in a very strange building. It was about 10 stories tall but only about 40 feet on a side at it's base. There were vacant lots on all sides of it, so I don't know why they built it so narrow. The shop that the tout wanted us to visit was on the top floor. We had to climb the 10 floors via a very narrow staircase. Each floor could hold only a single shop due to the narrowness of the building.

When we got to the shop, a salesman grabbed Gary and started showing him various fabrics. Despite my reluctance, a very insistent salesman grabs me and starts showing me a bunch of fabric that I had absolutely no interest in. He showed me some silk brocade shit that grabbed my interest. It was pretty neat and had some awesome gold embroidery. The bolts of fabric themselves were in impressive yellows, blues, greens and reds. The fabric had a number depictions of various events which the salesman would point to, say some unintelligible shit ending with "Hist-o-ry O Sing-a-po." I guessed the guy was trying to tell me that the depictions represented the history of Singapore. This stuff was pretty expensive and I really wasn't in Singapore to buy fabric anyway. When I spotted Gary paying for his purchase I caught his eye and we made a mad dash for the stairwell. I broke free from my salesman and fled down the steps with the salesman in hot pursuit. The stairwell echoed with our footsteps, and from above we kept hearing my salesman yelling. "Come back! Come back! (unintelligible) Hist-o-ry O Sing-a-po!" When we got out on the street Gary and I were laughing our asses off.

An hour or so later Gary drags me into a shoe store. I kept asking Gary (and myself ) why we had just spent several months in the Indian Ocean just to end up in a shoe store in Singapore. As Gary looked at some wingtips or something, I spotted a very interesting pair of cowboy boots and picked them up as much out of boredom as curiosity. They were the softest shoes I ever felt. An attractive salesgirl comes over and starts telling me about the boots. They were made out of some rare and ultra-exotic leather like (and I'm ad-libbing here) alligator scrotum or ostrich foreskin. These boots turned out to be very expensive and totally out of the price range of a Navy E-4 with less than four years. (I guess this was to be expected. I mean how many ostriches does one have to wrestle to the ground and circumcise to get enough leather for a pair of size 10 1/2 boots?)

Fortunately, after the shoe store I finally got Gary interested in the seamier offerings of Singapore and we started acting more like sailors are expected to act in an exotic foreign port.

PP

1/23/07

1/23/07  

I got a bunch of good laughs reading the stories on your site. My experience was tame compared to most, especially since I never made a deployment.

My story began in college; the nuke officer recruiter found me in the spring semester of my sophomore year at UT Knoxville. I signed my name in DC after the semester ended, thus entering a delayed entry program. Two years later I graduated, and two weeks after that I started the 16 week OCS in Newport. Most of the guys in my class were nukes, and most of them went to Orlando in November. I went in October, so I was in 9201. Saw a night-time space shuttle launch from the sidewalk at NPS, and I bought my first motorcycle there, but otherwise it was just a lot of hard work. Of course, there was the occasional tour of bars in town.... From there I went to Idaho (A1W), then back to Newport for five months of SWOS, then to the Big E. I remember reporting to the FAF and getting started on quals pretty much right away. Reading some of the stories from the enlisted guys, I have to say I had no idea how bad it was for them. I lived in an apartment in Newport News about 20 minutes or so from the ship, so I didn't see much of the ghetto by the shipyard, except for the walk from the parking garage to the ship.

When I got there, we were divided into divisions by plant and by crew; I forget which crew I was on, but I was always in 2 plant. Later on someone decided to break us up by rate, and I went to M-div.

None of my memories of those two years are vivid any more, but I do remember seeing the ship transformed (big holes everywhere when I arrived, where machinery was supposed to be) as it was put back together. Then we did physics testing and initial criticality, which was cool. Then fast cruise, which wasn't. Then sea trials, which was. Then ORSE, which wasn't (but hey, we passed). Not long after that I was removed from the watch rotation to take the Engineer's exam, and then I left the Big E.

Ass chewings....hmm. I remember the MPA chewing me out for something or other, and the station officer constantly chewing me out for steam and oil leaks in 2MMR (gotta get the bilge DRY!), but nothing funny stands out.

My first chief was MMC Martinez, and I could not have asked for anyone better. He was awesome, both as division LCPO and in the plant as PPWS. Other than that, I remember some of the guys--Carpenter, Carter, Trogden, Keeling, Doyle, Cluney, Ravenscroft, Isom, McGarrity, Epperson, Campbell, and of course Scott Crew (Screw). I can picture some other faces, but can't recall their names. Other watch officers that I remember--Korn, McFadden, Wyand, Cook, Trammel, Carlson.

It seems like RE guys didn't like hanging out in EOS (surprise!), so I didn't get to know any of them very well. I think one of them in particular hated me, but I never did know why. He was a good electrician and a good watchstander, so it didn't bother me too much that he was pissed off all the time. Anyway, I mostly knew just the mechanics and reactor operators.

I vaguely recall one particularly grueling eight-hour watch with a ton of stuff going on. Very early in the watch the ELT came over and talked chemistry; then I did a bunch of evolutions, both with ship's force and shipyard. I don't remember what all we did, but there was not a single pause for eight straight hours. No watch relief, no pee break, nothing. Anyway, toward the end of the watch, the next PPWO came in to review the logs, etc. He noticed something funky with S/G chemistry and asked me about it. I had completely forgotten about the S/Gs, and so did the ELT! What a crappy way to end a watch, with that sinking feeling that comes with knowing you screwed something up. Well, there was the obligatory investigation, and as I was sitting in the ready room being grilled by higher-ranking officers, I had no excuses other than the fact that the entire watch team was busy for the whole watch, and with all the things going on, we just plain lost track of one of them. I half-way expected to get DQ'd, but nothing happened. That was pretty much the end of that.

I remember the station officers and such trying hard to have zero defects. All I can say about that is if you do something long enough, you're going to make a mistake, no matter how well trained you are. Procedures and rules and babysitting won't change that. As long as it's not malicious (some things were) and did not endanger lives (some things did), I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Top Gun has been mentioned in several posts; it came up with the junior officers, too: "Hey Maverick, do some of that SWO stuff!" "Right ten degrees rudder, steady on course 010." "Right full rudder, steady on course 010 aye!" [long pause] "Sir, my course is stead at 010!" "Very well."

Yeah, that's exciting.

It's been over ten years since I left the Navy, and sometimes it's hard to accept that so much time has passed. But now I've been married for seven years and have a daughter, and life is good. Thanks for sharing all the sea stories, both good and bad. It's definitely interesting hearing about some of the things I missed, as well as some of the things that I remember doing.

Feel free to post this.

Greg O'Keefe M-Div, 1993-1995

1/24/07

1/25/07

Hey, Saw your website, looks great! I wanted to get listed as being on "the pig" from 1995-1999 in RL Div. My email address is vroomans@ornl.gov. Thanks and keep up the good work.

Steve

1/26/07

KP Note: Hey, another Oakridge boy! Back in 'the day' all nuclear engineers passed through there (or SR). 

1/26/07

KP,

Thanks for putting up this site.  I am a current junior officer on the GW. I just qualified (yeah!). For obvious reasons don't use my name. I must say reading this site was a real eye opener. I hope that during my career I never underestimate the intelligence and hard work of the enlisted men that serve with me. I will share this website with others. Thanks again.

1/27/07 

Good day to all, Dan Fisher here from Maryland, RM-23 & RM3 1981-1985. I've kept in touch with a few guys over the years and lost touch with that many more. It's good to have Buds located all over the country. If nothing else, when your kids go off to college, you can use a Buds address to say they live "in state". Actually it usually beats a cheap hotel room while on extended vacation or just a place to hang out till the cops quit coming around at your old place. Thanks to Jim Selman for pointing me to the site. I would have never found it on my own. All you guys still working at plants should post it on a board for others to check out. Hello to , Mark Best, Tony Boone, Paul Burke, Brad Davis, Donn Davis, Dan Dean, Al Decker, Guy Gaines, Fred Hirayama, Rusty Maxwell, Dan McKinsey, Wayne McKinzey, John Pitzer, James Puckhaber, Mike Quitter, Jim Selman, Jim Tarkowski, Jim Taylor & Mark Valdick. Those were names that I recall right off the list. Some time when I get up in the attic, I'll post some pics from long ago and far away. Nothing too shameful. I've been looking (not hard enough to pay for a professional) for Dan Dean (81-85) and Bill Timberlake (81-83). If anyone has a lead on either of these guys, I'd appreciate it. 

Later Gentlemen, Dan Fisher

justme@goeaston.net

1/29/07

1/30/07

The P'Mooj is now played on the Hopi Reservation radio station in Northeastern Ariz! Our bass player dropped off a CD and we are now in their Rotation. (The 5-6 pm weekday slot.) The signal pretty much covers Winslow, Flagstaff, Southern Utah, Southern Colorado, Etc. Listen if you can.

On a related note I am seeking artistic types that are willing to do their art for art's sake (in other words there is no money to be had). This summer will be The Summer of Mooj (see my latest P'Mooj newsletter to get my drift). I want to start making those posters like they used to have in the old days (Fillmore psychedelic Grateful Dead Moby Grape type stuff). This summer the P'Mooj is going to put on huge 'old school Monterey Pop Festival Human Be-in' type shows with lights, etal. We're even going to be our own opening bands (playing under various pseudonyms). I think it would be cool to post those old style 'groovy' posters all over Tempe. Make the folks think we might even be legitimate;) Let me know if you might like to try your hand at this.  Also, if any of your wives can sew, let me know. I want to wear one of those Ted Nugent bear skin loin cloth things (I'm only kidding--or maybe not).

KP

1/31/07

re:

Ed Book Comes Aboard ...

Howdy,

I wonder how many remember me. Please add my name to the list.

~~~ if you're the same Ed Book who roomed in Bremerton in '73 with Wayne Binnington, Wally Campbell, and ???? ... and had us rolling on the floor in laughing jags with your fake Polish language spiels that went on and on ... yeah ... then i remember you. ;)

-steamer- 

new addy for youse nubs: newts2004@yahoo.com

2/5/07

dear P'Mooj....

I love the tunes, man. Great stuff, especially the bluesy songs. After reading the last newsletter, I came up with a question...

What the hell does "chemistry" have to do with making music? I mean, how does Avegadro's number or the number of moles per milli-liter tie in with kick-ass jams? I heard that the long-haired guitar player was once heavily into chemicals... maybe he would know.

Arrgh! Walla Walla, WA

hehehehehe!!!

KP Note: The P'Mooj has 6.02x10^23 times the good vibes of your average rock band.

2/5/07

2007 REUNION INFO!!!!!!

2/5/07

Do you have a link/section for D1G, Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs?

Class 8403 Section 14 sexgods?

(RC Department, 2 plant, USS Chuck Wagon (CVN-70) 1985-1988)

Edward M. Moran

Ed_Moran@EXTEX.net

2/7/07

KP Note: Thanks for stopping by, Ed. You were on the CV the same time as my pal Dave Lipari (RE Div I believe).  

I am Terry Carner, I was in RM-11 from 91-95 and RM-22,23, and Tech from 99-2003, yet another two time loser. I was amazed at some of the names I saw. Thanks for the effort to keep this thing going.

terry

busted_gears@yahoo.com

2/7/07

I read your comment about female nukes on your Big E website. You mentioned a radcon ET. I was wondering if you would recognize a photo of her if you saw it. I have a cousin who was a female nuke... Could have been her. That she was a bitch cannot be argued. She retired as a master chief, I think. If she is the same, I have an interesting sea story involving her and my (now ex) wife I think you will enjoy.

C.R. (former tuber)

2/8/07

KP Note: I doubt I'd recognize her but there were few female nucs in the navy in those days so it was probably her. I speak for most of the gang here: send in your story (we'll remove names if need be). Tuber stories are rare on this site so we'd love to hear one or two of your sordid adventures as well!

KP, Love this site. I was MM3 on Saratoga. I enjoyed the stories very much. I haven't thought about places like Hong Kong, PI and Singapore in years. I wish someone from The Saratoga would do something like this. My memories are dim but I'm starting to remember names, places and long ago beers.

Thanks!

Luis Grant, Knoxville, Tenn.

2/8/07

KP Note: Luis, you should start a Saratoga story site. It may take a while to find people but just about everyone seems to 'google' their old ship name these days. It's all worth the effort once you find even one old shipmate.   

2/9/07

2/9/07

Greetings to Luis from the Saratoga - I was assigned to the Sorry Sara prior to nuke school when it was in the SLEP program drydocked in Philadelphia. I was assigned to 1 Aux during my short (3 months?) stay prior to leaving for Fla. Your name seems familiar...I remember some funny stuff from that time.

As we were in drydock, the uniform o' the day was a green, almost army looking coverall. Very crappy looking but needed in such a dirty environment. We rode from the barracks to the ship in these old run-down buses and hard hats and safety glasses were included with the uniform. At the end of each day, I remember how the bus drive back would look like it was full of coal miners - everyone was grubby, sweaty, and tired. So tired that hardly a word was passed amongst us. One day as we're driving back to the barracks, the song "Bette Davis' Eyes" came blasting over the drivers radio and when the clapping part came on, all these grubby squids started clapping perfectly in time. I found it to be hilarious.

Standing 12 section duty was glorious. The Saratoga had an escalator for the Captain that seemed like it was at least 200 feet long. It passed down through quite a few decks. Usually, watchstanders (fire and flood patrol) were grouped in twos. My partner on one night parked his butt on the railing at the top of the escalator and slid the entire length down that escalator. I watched astonished as his head quickly became a small dot in the distance.

On another night, my partner grabbed an OBA timer, found an out of the way berthing space, and camped out. I was too nubbly to attempt such a thing so I struck out on my own. Climbing high up into the ship, I quickly found myself on the bridge. A hole cut into the top of the bridge lead to scaffolding that probably went up another 30 or so feet for structural work that was being performed on their radar unit. Up I went. Before I knew it, I was as high as I could be on the ship sitting on 2-3 staging planks - the view all around was stunning. I sat, smoked a cigarette, and pondered life. Then I had to piss. Should I, I thought? Yeahhhh. Next I knew, I had the longest urine stream of my life stretching down into the cavernous mouth of that drydock. I was probably done peeing before it even hit the dock!

Thanks for checking in Luis, I haven't thought about this stuff in a long time...

Bill P__c

2/9/07

KP Note: I should have asked Luis when he was on The Saratoga. If I recall correctly, by my time (~85) The Sara was used primarily as a training ship (or am I thinking of the Lexington). I recall an 8502 classmate (Bob Fears) was sent to the Saratoga as a conventional EM after rocking out of NPS. 

Hey,

I love the site. It is great to reminisce about the old days which back then seemed so painful. I guess it wasn't that bad, we got through it. Please update my email address on your site. My name is Jeff Strange and I was in RM14 and 23 from 92-96. My new email address is strangefamily@earthlink.net.

Thanks,

Jeff

2/13/07

I was reading the Idaho Falls newspaper this Sunday and came across an obituary for a guy named Richard Austin. The obit said he was an ET (1st class) on the Enterprise. It says he graduated high school in 1979 so I imagine he was on the ship from 1981-1985? Definitely before my time. I figured someone might remember him. FYI.

2/13/07

KP Note: Thank you for sharing this information. If anyone can share some memories about Richard Austin, please do so.

Hi Bill, I remember the guy who they are talking about. You can ask Jim Whitset if you want corroboration. The dude was an ET who went AWOL for a while during the infamous Yard Pac in 79-81. Everyone just thought he was weird. It turns out he has what is now called gender dysphoria. Long after he got out he had a sex change operation and went to live in New Orleans as a woman. His name was Dave but he changed it to something a bit more feminine. He had a web site up for a while but it went away. As I recall he was from Mobile or somewhere down on the gulf coast. Keep up the good work on the site. I visit often to lurk.

2/13/07

Our shipmate Danny Loudermilk

I am saddened to report that our shipmate and friend, Danny Loudermilk, passed away Jan. 2, 2006. Danny experienced a long and sad illness.

I learned of this today, 2/13, after being prompted by Doug Ortego, about the fate of Danny, and then speaking with Carolyn, Danny's wife of 31 years. His wife and family remain in the Vallejo area.

By the way, Danny was a real hard-nosed wackco 3 Plant Puke... and loved him for it.

Any photos of Danny are welcome by Carolyn and should be forwarded to [Contact Jules]. Below are my photos that I sent to Danny Xmas 05.

from your shipmate Jules J. LaMontagne, ET1, West Pac '74, 3 Plant

As with our other fallen shipmates and friends, I think a VT and memorial would be in order. Is there anything or any way we can come together to help his family? Jules, you seem to be in contact with his wife. Do you know of anything we can come together to do for her?

Rick Ellenberger

About Danny's family...

My contact with Danny's wife Carolyn is minimal. But I did have a few words with her. Danny has been gone for a year now and she seems quite settled.

She was especially fond of the photos I sent Danny Xmas 05... she said they are on proud display. And I feel that more photos of Danny might be an appealing thing to her.

Also, we have at last one guy that lives in Vallejo... maybe a group Big E sympathy card might be an idea... we could do something and have it hand delivered.

Need more ideas for something simple and efficient we could all sign... We could assembled an file on "Flickr" of all our "Then and Now" photos, as friends of Danny...???

Jules

2/14/07

Site Searching Tool

KP,

I think you have been had! R__ is telling lies

Regarding the letter sent by R___, about getting it on at power school with his second cousin and wife, history says he lies. The timeline isn't working out. The two lines in his story tell me he is not even close to being a nuke.

"I was in A-school in GLakes when I received a letter from [her] informing me that she had enlisted as a Navy nuke. She is the daughter of my father's brother, making her my cousin. She finished BEE and A schools and arrived in Orlando when I was in the last third of NPS."

"After finishing NRS in Idaho, I was sent to a boomer out of Charleston"

R___! Dude! The last boomer left Charleston in 1989....a couple of ex-boomer sailors who were stationed in Charleston work for me in Kings Bay, GA at TRF. King's Bay is where the east coast boomers are now R___. And I was an instructor at Nuclear Power School in Orlando starting in October 1994. The first female students came in November 1994. Now there were two female nukes in the Navy but they were first classes or beyond and could only be on tenders and crap. My fading memory believes those two were a failed experiment in 1979 by Rickover but they lingered. (Remember the HP tech at power school guys, the first class..what a beeeotch). My MM A School class number was 8839B when I was at NFAS Orlando then 8901 in Power School. There were no female nuke students then either...just all the scrub TMs and such who came to drink at the Mariner's Club and march to the galley. Those were easy pickings but not someone I'd take home to momma nor try to wake in the morning as I attempted to sneak out and get a medical exam.

So R____, not to be nasty but can you remember your power school class number? ERS Idaho???? Hmm it was known by several names such as NRTS (National Reactor Test Station), INEL (Idaho National Engineering Lab) and even NPTU Idaho Falls. Really ERS? I didn't see your cousin at power school in 1988. Did you or her even attend much less serve in the Navy? No matter what year you pick for your story ,1989 or 1994 your fantasy is not even fit for Penthouse Forum

Apologies KP for the rant but this guy is in the mold of people who go to veterans events wearing awards they never earned and/or wearing a uniform even though they never served.

Pretty soon it will be time to go on an IA. Afghanistan is in my future. I am all about tax free and stuff but there is no amount of money I'd die for. Everyone take care

Schmidty (RL 90-94)

2/15/07

KP Note: I must point out that I removed traceable portions of R's story to protect the identity of his cousin and him. I don't recall if he stated what NPS class he was in but if he did I pulled it.  I also removed the rate of the female cousin 'bonkee' for the same reason. I do not recall what era he stated he was in NPS school. Seems to me it was from the early 80s. 

R, if you're out there can you clarify what NPS class you were in? I believe your story (or maybe I just want to believe your story).

KP-

My rusty, crusty memory fails me at times, but I seem to recall that there were some ealy 80's female nukes, but that they all went to the few shore billets for nucs that were available, making them hated and scorned. There were only a few, so if this fits into R____'s story and timeline, I'd understand the "sensitivity" of too much detail. The individuals would be rather easy to identify.

Not that I believe this story... it does sound a little to "Penthouse Forum" to me...

Arrgh!

2/17/07

KP,

Us 70's era nukes didn't grow up with the Internet. We now thank Al Gore for inventing it. Guys who haven't been in contact for years are starting to reconnect. Unfortunately, our group is getting in the age range where we occasionally find that some of our long lost buds are no longer with us. Such is the case with the news about Danny Loudermilk.

Most of the 7401 crowd had been aboard the Big E for less than 24 hours when we pulled out on Westpac. I think we got our BNEQ qual books about the time we pulled into Hawaii. One day on the transit to P.I. Gary Steinke went down into the starboard side lounge (known as the non-smoking lounge.) There was nobody in the lounge, so Gary lays down on one of the benches and takes a nap with his qual book on his chest. When he woke a short time later, he thumbed through the book to figure out what sigs he was gonna try to get that day. When he laid down for his nap, his RC section was virgin. Now, about half of the boxes are signed off!!!! (Someone had evidently lifted the book off Gary's chest, signed off a bunch of signatures , and then placed the book back on Gary's chest, all without waking him. The sigs are all from the same person. The sigs are very large, and Gary makes out the name "D. Loudermilk". Gary figures this is a made up name, and someone is just f**king with him. Gary gets pissed!!! He goes around Rx berthing demanding to know who had just f**ked with his qual book. Danny 'fesses up to the "crime", ensuring Gary that the sigs are indeed legit and Gary finally calms down. Looking back on it, I had a shitload of "D.Loudermilk" sigs in my book too, only I had to ask for mine. Danny's kindhearted gestures ensured max liberty for many of the 7401 gang when we got to the P.I. (We owe you big time, dude!)

Fair winds and following seas, Danny.

Pat

2/17/07

2/17/07

KP Note: Hey, Glen from W. Texas (Cruiser Ghost), weren't you also on the Truxtun?

KP,  Not sure if this was a common thing in NPS but I too had sex with my cousin. Except my cuz was a man. He was half Indian and half Oriental. And I too became a bubblehead nuke. Small World, eh?

ETC (SS), USS Memphis (SSN-691).

2/20/07

KP Note: Okay.... Hmmm. I know. This letter's got to be fake. Or maybe not.

Hi, Ram.

So I'm a reference on cross dressers!? I don't think so. There was an ET2 Dave on my crew in the yards from 79-80 who used to talk all this anti-war crap and that if we were ever in a battle he'd scram his reactor, blah blah blah. One of those typical liberal types who thought he was smarter than everybody else. Anyway, way back in the early pages of your website I cited his picture as being under Enterprise in classmates.com, and that it sure looked effeminate. I've not gone back and seen if either that entry or the classmates picture are still there as I'd long forgotten until my name pops up!! I think he may have had a brother named John Boy, if that helps. That's all I know, and I don't know anything else that would make me a reference on such things, and I don't know how the hell I got associated with that.

Saw Rick Ellenberger's name. He was an EM1 in the RT void when I got there in 78, in the PI. Amazing how when we were young we thought the older guys were so old, wise, experienced, and all knowing. I guess compared to us nubs, they were. Hi, Rick. That thought just made me think of Rich Cheney. If you're out there reading, Rich, howdy.

Jim W.

2/21/07

2/23/07

Name: Dutch Van Gaasbeck Reactor Dept. Rm-11 and eventual LPO 2 tours of service on the Big 'E' 75-80, 88-91 e-mail Dutchmon@aol.com

2/23/07

Here are photos [digitized from 35M slides] from the humanitarian visit we made to the island country Mauritius and its capital city Port Louie [I hope this isn't a rerun].

In Mauritius, the Big E was tasked to restore security, housing, power and communications and to provide food, water and medical services to the American Ambassador and staff. The services extended far into the city and then the countryside. Many stories came from this visit. Our task was stringing electrical power cable down the rural roads and terms to the houses. Some shipmates below include Robert Slusser 3 Plant RO, maybe Richard Privett, a forward RO, I think Gerry V., and more.

In the country we ate local hand picked foods; mangoes, peppers, corn... and sometime the local farmers would bring us food. The bus pic below shows a garbage can in the isle as we were shelling or cutting and eating something... likely Mangoes. We swam on exotic very remote shell laden beaches. I remember a real kick, the road we were on, was "Rue de la Montagne"... translated as "the mountain road"... and my name. We were all young and easily awed.

We were anchored in harbor not far from the French carrier Clemenceau. The assisted in the recovery effort, no doubt, for the French Ambassador. At a local joint in Port Louie I sit with French sailors wearing one of their covers.

Jules

2/25/07

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Greetings, most royal King --

I found this picture on the INEEL web site, and it shows the business-end of the STR prototype. But that's where my knowledge ends -- can you or any of the members explain what we're looking at? Being publicly posted, I doubt it contains classified info. Is that the water brake in the background-upper? Seems as though that's the propeller shaft (I believe the STR had but one shaft) What are the officer and the enlisted man looking at? Looks like the dial of an old-fashioned scale -- seems unlikely. And why the external control panel? From the looks of things, they're running the plant at a flank bell.

Anyhow, any insight would be appreciated!

Mike Chapman

2/25/07

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KP and Gang,

Thanks so much for putting this site together. I served on CV 63 (Kitty Hawk) and found this site in a non-related Google search. What started off as just a this looks interesting, lets check it out turned into an amazing journey.  I hope to buy you a beer someday. 

2/25/07

T. Jackson  (E-Div, CV 63, 1975-1977)

Ram,

Just checked the web site for the first time in a while. Just read about Richard Austin. I looked him up in the '84 yearbook. I remember him. Big kid. Stood watch in two plant, I think. At least a few times. I recall he was a phone talker when I was Throttleman and him in control equipment when I was CRAO. Worked with Dave Shoop a lot. Talked with a slight lisp. My thoughts go out to his family. RIP shipmate.

Tony Boone

3/1/07

I have an "all hands" request for any photographs of Danny... dig deep... please send to me at jjlamont@aol.com

To stimulate your thinking, the time and place would be 70 to 73 in Boot Camp, ET School and Nuc School. And, as Danny always said, on the "Tunaprise" 1973 through 1976 in the PI, Hong Kong, Mombassa, Singapore, or Alameda. These photos will be arranged and forwarded to Mrs. Loudermilk as a gift from us all.

Your efforts will be appreciated, many thanks,

Jules J. LaMontagne, ET1, WestPac 74, 3 Plant

3/1/07

The photo posted with Mr. Chapman's letter was almost instantly recognized by myself as the water break attached to the shaft of the S1W (First and Finest) prototype. I was amazed that I recalled it, since I seemingly can't hardly remember what the hell I did just three days ago anymore. I spent six months there from the Fall of 80 till May of 81. All the Idaho prototypes are now history, as I understand. The water break was how this prototype simulated shaft load. Once you became fully qualified, you got to be the water break operator and you sat at the panel. The higher you wanted plant power, the more water resistance you applied to the brake. This was the prototype for the Nautilus. INEEL, I thought this was a typo. I have always known the facility as INEL. Alas, political correctness is spreading its evil reach every where. The facility is now known as INEEL and stands for Idaho National Engineering and ENVIRONMENTAL laboratory. Will it ever end . . . ?

Rusty Maxwell EM-1 RE Div. 81 - 85

KP Note: I recognized it as a water break, as MARF had one just like it. E-Div actually stood the water break watch and we even had to get a checkout on it. I don't recall qualified students having to stand the watch, though (at least I never did).

List me... hell yeah

Druck, Tim EM23/EM22, 1996-1998 tcdruck@insightbb.com

Boy do I have some sea stories for you guys...

TimD

3/2/07

Dan Diaz here ex Load Dispatcher. I served on The Big E from 1974 to 77, Lots of interesting stories, brings back lots of memories, some good some bad. Regardless, its a hard place to forget. Love to hear from any old shipmates

dan@diazclan.org

3/2/07

Hey, I take exception at the 90’s being labeled kindler, gentler… anyone who believes that never met Devil’s Eyebrows or Mickey. M-Div was freaking tough back then, and the rest of the ship feared us. Me? I was a 6’, 200 pound pussy, more or less, to these guys, knuckledragging gorillas and we had to get them to sign our qual cards?

Got some legendary stories from that Med cruise of 96… Eric taking a main lineshaft to the back of his head (he was henceforth known as Shafthead, by a strange coincidence) or Timmy Miller damn near getting killed in a 150psi steam line rupture. The time a rotorhead killed half a SEAL team showing off in a Sea Stallion on Angel duty… Nub Court with King Triton Covarrubias sentencing me to an oiled-up paddling with a dustpan, tied over the handwheel to SW-3 in 2MMRUL. The time Devil’s Eyebrows tossed LT Sanders into the ocean in Mallorca. Getting the whole ship thrown out of Cannes. Missing Rhodes to go to the Persian Gulf (The 38-year-old Big E set the transit record from the Med to the Straits of Hormuz on that run – that record still stands) but making up for it with 10 days in Naples.

God forbid we catch an RT nub playing cards. Speaking of, anyone remember the guy named Frank who ran the poker game in the back RC lounge and kept the numbers in an official logbook? He got orders off the ship in the middle of a Med cruise, somehow. Anyway, cards was a status thing, and there was always a pair of spades games going in the M-Div berthing lounge, usually one for white guys and one for black guys and the white guys they allowed to play with them – hey, it was an honor to play spades with Sharif and those guys – they kicked the average white guys’ asses – Reef had the biggest ‘fro allowed by regs. Rickey the House Boss ran the crib and woe to the guy who F’d up and found himself lost in the crib.

See once we weren’t nubs anymore, me and Shafthead (aka the Toxic Twins) spent more time taping people to things than anything else, really – used to go tape up anyone sitting in the RC lounge when we got off watch just for practice, and taped up the entire RT office one time. We had this move down, where Shafty would toss a roll of tape over the mark’s left shoulder and roll into the backs of his knees, while I would catch the tape high, hit the target in the shoulders and flatten him, applying the Double Chicken Wing on the way down. I would give the tape to ET and he would wrap the legs, and then we’d attach the victim to something in the overhead, or one time we put a guy in the shower and scrubbed his feet with pine oil (yeah, he got the message) maybe tape two guys in the 69 position… you never know. One night right before I got out we caught an RC nub (the nerve!!) in M-Div berthing talking shit about us being a bunch of knuckledraggers – we hi-lowed him, taped him, and before you could say LantFleet Record my nuts were just above his forehead, threatening the teabag… he freaked and went to the MAA, and we went through one helluva night getting questioned in this post-TailHook Navy. Chief Little was PISSED. The MPA thought it was hilarious though… Tim Dull, right? I just knew the Chief was gonna let ‘em hang us but somehow he took care of us. I swear if I saw Chief Little today I’d beg his forgiveness for all the fucked-up stuff I did.

Anyone remember rigging a seawater relief valve down the Captain’s Ladder with me, and the Skipper arriving during the extremely unsafe evolution? That screwed up bilge pump in 2-plant that didn’t work at all but you had to run it so the sound would cover your illegal eductor. Taking logs on things that didn’t exist anymore. It wasn’t all bad though. I remember rebuilding a pump on the 2 Booster Flats with Jack Covarrubias one night and learning a helluva lot about pumps and about life. I remember that one-on-one, Brian Sellung didn’t stutter, and I miss old Schlong like a MFer. I remember dumping a 5-gallon bucket on McGonagle one night while I was still a nub and he was so pissed off… I really thought he was going to kill me. I wish those guys who didn’t like me in 3-Plant knew how much I admired them when I met them, and how bad it hurt to be shunned. And I’m glad the 2MMR Hammer Mechanics took me in. Even Tony Wright. But not George Lester. Fuuuuuuuck George Lester. Who was that kid that worked in Admin because he was a smart enough guy to get through Nuc school but a DANGEROUS watchstander? Anyone know what happened to Chief Wilson? Remember R__ M__, the perv from 3RMR that would start a normal conversation with you and before you knew it he was telling you how he never showered the first few days of a cruise because the last thing he did before he left was have sex with his wife and a couple of drops of Astroglide would revive his old lady’s, uhm, remnants, on his schlong?

Plenty more where that came from – who says the 90s were the New Navy?

TimD

3/3/07

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