A Current Nuke on the Big E:

I am currently on board Enterprise. I recognize some of the names & wanna get mine on there.

Majors, Rory
EM11, EM07 1998-2003
alaskanite65@cox.net

Thanks,
Rory  

Email Update

MMC Bush

So MMC Bush went on to harass people as an insurance salesman?  That seems appropriate I guess.  I remember when he had his stroke during the '88 cruise.  I'll never forget how people started cheering in rx berthing after the captain came on the 1MC to share the sad news.  It was almost as if no one liked the guy or something.  The next day a certain MaxDB (the most popular Saturday afternoon DJ on KENT-TV) dedicated Billy Squire's The Stroke to Chief Bush.  All of rx berthing laughed their asses off.  A few weeks later we pulled into Subic and saw Bush sitting on the balcony of The Shark's Cove sipping a San Miguel and smoking a pack of cigarettes.  I guess he recovered from his stroke by then.  He never returned to the Big E again as far as I know.  

Sea Snakes

A few months ago I took my kids to the aquarium.  They had some sea snakes in there and I totally freaked out.  I immediately had a Karachi, Pakistan flashback.   Do you guys remember those friggen sea snakes in Karachi?  Those things were all over the place and they floated around in huge bunches.  I remember sitting in one of those rickity-ass liberty boats and praying that it didn't sink (it was nearly under water the whole 2hr ride into shore).  Remember how the old guys that drove those liberty boats were wasted on hashish and steered with their feet?  

The Outraged Midshipman

I saw some news footage of the TR coming home last week and noticed lots of ladies in the crew.  I guess the Big E also has its fair share of women these days, too.  I wonder if they allow women nukes now?  Back when I was in NPS there was only one gal in all of Rickover's elite nuclear navy and she was that health physics gal that gave everyone their initial radcon survey.  I can't remember much about her other than she was a 1st class ET and rude.

Back in my time women only appeared on the ship (while underway) when they were attached to a reserve wing of some squadron that was qualifying (we were usually off the coast of San Diego for workups at the time).  These women were ugly, vulgar and usually nothing but trouble.  The line outside the XO's stateroom door was usually a mile long when these gals were on board because of all the idiots that got caught messing around with them.  I was always pissed off because these airdale chicks took up valuable mess deck space since they loved to sit and gab for hours after eating. 

During the '89 cruise we had two midshipmen assigned to our division for a week during their summer midshipmen cruise.  One was a male freshman (he wore dungarees) and the other was a female senior (she wore khakis).  The senior basically followed our DO around while the freshman did blue shirt stuff.  

The midshipwoman was a total bitch and made it clear to us that we were nothing but lowly enlisted scum in her eyes.  Toward the end of her assignment with us our DO asked me to take her down to the FWD IC shack and show her the gyroscopes.  (He would have done it himself except he had to go on watch.)  I hadn't been down there in a while so I was surprised to find that the space was highly decorated with Hustler honeys, Penthouse pets and Playboy centerfolds.  Needless to say the midshipwoman was outraged by the graphic nudity and caused quite a stir.  Head's rolled because of it and all the nasty posters were torn down by order of the ENG.

Nude pin ups were all over the ship back in those days; no doubt that in today's PC navy they're banished.

Speaking of nude pin ups, do you guys remember all the nude photos that used to be on the inside of the scram switch covers?  Every ORSE they would mysteriously disappear (along with those scram "chicken marks"). 

A New Photo Page!

Word up homies ..... I finally have a way to organize your personal photo albums (by era).  Nothing fancy, just a page that links to the different photo sites.  Please send your links in and I'll add them to the photo page.

A Pulitzer Prize Winning Photo Essay?

These two photos tell a story like no other.  They were taken during the Toulon, France visit in 1986.  In picture 1, our generous friends "Dicko" (RE03) and "Guido" (RM22) give money to a poor French peasant.  Then a few seconds later (in picture 2) drunk RM14 guys puke their brains out while the beggar contemplates the goodness of America.  These two photos pretty much sum up the whole navy experience, don't you think?

KP

Deputy Dawg Remembered by a Fellow M-Div'r

Those RM22 Guys Sure Were Funny!

I read the story about the RM22 guys pretending to sodomize each other when a new PPWO was making his rounds (on page 1).  The sad thing is I don't think those guys were pretending!  Those guys were always doing stuff like that.  Once I remember someone shit in a plastic bag and then HP-taped it shut.  They then started playing football with it.  MM1 Harvey was the PPWS at the time and came across the flats to see what was going on.  One of the guys tossed him the bag and yelled, "Catch!"  He did.  He then got this real confused look on his face and started to squeeze the bag.  I doubt he ever figured out what was in it.

-T.H.

Welcome to a 90's Era RM

Another Modern Era Big E Snipe:

Mike Bowman Recommends This Site to All You Navy Lifers Out There:

Scram Switch Chicken

After my pal D.H. left the Big E and went to NPTU, Balston Spa, he shared many a Big E tale with his fellow staffers, most of whom were from submarines.  Those tuber guys couldn't believe the stuff we did, especially scram switch chicken.  I remember once some asshole put a fake mark on the switch that was way beyond where the scram breakers actually tripped and so an RO scrammed the plant trying to surpass the mark.       

One tale the tubers at NPTU refused to believe was the "Rx Phil" Skinner story.  I'm not sure why it hasn't been posted on this site (maybe it's better that it's not).  I was on watch the night it happened.  I seem to remember them trying to find the SRE to secure the fill pumps.  The SRE was none other than Goldylocks, who was probably off on a diesel tour of the FWD mess decks.  Rx Phil was disqualified and earned a special place in the annals of Rx Dept: he was thereafter known as the 2nd worst offender of the BFPL curve in Big E history.  (The worst offender was some guy from the the '60s that is credited with why they installed timers on the PZR heaters.)

Memories From the Late 80's, Early 90s:

Found your site a while back, but just had time to read some of the stories and I thought I might chime in with some of my own memories. I graced the Big-E's deckplates from 88-94 so I got both of the underway and dry-dock experiences all in one enlistment. Most of my at sea time was in RM-22 so most of my stories are from there.

I remember the mad shitter. What I remember was not from berthing and showers, but finding shit that had been shut up in an escape trunk for x-amount of days before being discovered. Oh, the pungent aroma which wafted from the hatch when opened!

Remember being in RT and hearing nubs telling other nubs what PI was like?

I remember occupying our time at GQ at Rep 5, scuffing the floor and wiping boogers on the brightwork of the passageway the marines were responsible to clean.

Speaking of marines, I remember having so many nukes on the aft bomb transfer area during a PPE, that the jarheads couldn't see their watch in the cage (which was a security alert, I guess) Anyway, the dumbass jarheads come charging out, locked and loaded, screaming for us to hit the deck. It got really silent, but everyone just stood there. The marine screamed again, using a great deal of profanity for emphasis. It was still very quiet except someone in the back yelled, "Fuck You, jarhead" and everyone busted up laughing. The marines left, but after that, we all had to muster in the hanger bay.

Remember lifed-out airdales coming into berthing trying to recruit people for FOD walkdowns only to be met by uproarious laughter?

Just how many different meals CAN you make out of sliders? 

I cant remember who it was, but one RM22 FC watch kept getting told by MMC Martinez to roll his dungaree pantlegs down. After a few times of this the chief remarked something like, "roll them down or take them off" (can you see this coming?). Yes, the next time the chief came by the FCO was standing there in his boots, socks, belt and TLD with nothing else.

If any current 2-planters read this, is there still a corroded spot on the CTG flats by where all the RM's used to hang out? That was Dave Sanger's goal: to eat thru the floor before he got out. Every day he would pour seawater on that spot and then wirebrush the rust off. It was a quite noticeable pit when I left. He also painted "FTN" on the flats in a different brush stroke right before ORSE but I don't think anyone saw it.

Remember "buttcrust" MM1(C) Harper? He would sneak down the escape trunk to catch people writing in the dopey book. Whenever he left his coffee cup unattended, it usually got the business end of a penis, or a freshly plucked pube.

"Chunk" Wiggins would always sleep naked with his rack curtains open (this was quite common for a lot of people).  One day a guy named Pat Howard wrote, "Fuck me and leave a quarter" on his big fat ass in Prussian Blue. When he woke up, he was blue everywhere. If anyone remembers, that stuff had to WEAR off.

Remember fucking with nubs? Telling them it was their turn to be the "sea bitch." Having them do the "he man test." Putting their thumbs in a vise and when it was tight as they could stand, pull down their pants and leave them there. Maybe have some fun with a grease gun. Also, (in 2plant) doing "PM" on the quick hose connect on that freshwater makeup tank on the CTG flats (I can't remember the name). When they would push in the disc, they would get soaked.

I remember someone from RC22 (Neesh, I think) who would look for people asleep in the lounge and put his dick on them usually for a photo op. Never sleep with your mouth open.

I would have to say the yards sucked worse. Having to wear that cheap fuckin hard hat and safety glasses everywhere. Rotating shiftwork. Newport News is a Fucking ghetto!!!. Having to park in that shit and walk a hundred miles to the ship. Eating on the Ho-Chi-Min trail right outside the gate. Catching yardbirds sleeping everywhere in the plant and not being able to smoke in the plant because THEY kept throwing butts everywhere. Who could forget the shipyard induced 10mil dollar dry radioactive spill in 3RARLL,which required the watchstanders to wear anti-c's for months.

Well better go for now. Anyone from that era who has anything to add or correct, jump in.

(former) MM1Todd Miller kluge@net66.com  

Messing with Nubs Part II and Some Random Thoughts about KENT-TV:

Once during the '89 SRA I overheard some newly arrived nubs talking in the lounge about how boring life at sea was likely to be.  They had no idea what one did all day so I butted in and said that it was actually pretty cool being at sea since you could kick back all day and watch TV.  These guys didn't think much of that until I added that while underway KENT-TV showed mostly porn.  These guys thought that was pretty cool. Then I added that most guys really got into the porn so it wasn't uncommon to see guys whacking off right there in the lounge.  These guys found that hard to believe so they asked my pal Dicko (who was sitting in the lounge next to me) if that was true.  Dicko said, "Sure, everybody does it .... haven't you guys ever been to sea?"  Those poor bastards were dumbfounded and thought we were serious.  They were probably pretty upset when they finally did get underway and didn't see porn on KENT-TV.

On a related subject, do you guys remember when those Bible-thumpers complained to the chaplain about all the nudity on KENT-TV so the chaplain got the capt'n to agree to allow only Rated-G movies on KENT?  After a week of Cinderella, Snow White, and crap like that the crew began to revolt and the skipper allowed R-rated flicks to be shown once again.  

Also, remember how you always knew when a "tit-flick" was on TV because the lounge was so packed that you couldn't even walk through it?  Sometimes guys would park their ass in a good seat hours ahead of time.  I remember guys getting up at the crack of dawn to grab the morning Shuttle to check the TV listings and plan their day accordingly.  Once they called away a PPE during Summer Lovers and got zero participation until all the chiefs came back into berthing and secured the TV.  It was a tough break for the guys that had saved good seats. 

Anonymous Kudos

Please don't include my name just yet but you can post this (without my email address) if you want. 

What a great web site! I've been laughing my ass off for hours. I'm currently serving aboard the ENTERPRISE. I was on the 2001cruise as a watch supervisor. You've got some great sea stories on your hands. You have now attracted the attention of the current Rx Dept. chain of command. I recently spotted the Rx Dept. Master Chief surfing your site and saying, "boy, I hope this web site doesn't get out." But, it already has because I heard of it while I was watch supervisor in a plant. GREAT JOB! To this day, you are rattling the chain of command. Things have changed a lot since you 80's boy's. For one, we have chicks standing watch. Yes, there is a Rx dept female berthing. Crazy huh? No more hazing. Not even taping! It'll get you in front of the green table before you can say "I'm sorry, I was just joshin'." 

Loved the dopey book entries. The dopey book lives on. Although the last one I was in was busted by NRRO. Too bad since it had the top 100 screwable female celeb's in it. We spent many a watch coming up with the top 100. 

To you past Pig sailors, I salute you. I'd love to keep you updated on current E happenings but anonymity is a must since I work in close proximity of the enemy. No email addresses and no names or no more entries. 

-PO1 

Buttcrust Harper!

The Clap Line Remembered

You modern era nukes probably have no idea what a "clap line" is.  Back in the good old days (when all you had to worry about was the clap) this line would stretch from medical all the way back to the aft mess decks.  It began to form about 2 days after leaving port and was longest after PI.  I was always amazed to see who was in the line.  You saw the usual suspects and then people that surprised you, like the happily married guys or the "Holy Joe's," i.e., those 'holier than thou' guys, who were so critical of squid-like behavior.  The Holy Joes really caught some shit.  Most were diagnosed with NSU (or "dirty dick") and then tried to convince everyone that they got it from drinking too much soda.  Yeah right! 

My Old Pal "Deck Drains" Comes Aboard!!!!!!

Ram,

I was searching the Internet for free, cool stuff, when I stumbled across your web site. I hope I'm the first with the correct answer to the Westpac '88 Quiz , question #1: EM2 Hudson, ET3 Walters, and MM3 Bozen were members of: B. The sensitive club. Please send my bumper sticker to ET2 Pfaff, care of the Cool Club. 

I've spent the last couple of hours laughing my ass off. Great site! This is Karl Pfaff (Aka Deck drains, Aka Puffo, Aka Coopboy). As far as an update on some of the other guys from RC-14: Crete is married with a couple of girls, and working at Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Station in Kansas. He's living in Osage City, Kansas. (He doesn't own a computer.) Spuds (Tim Manry) is working for Gulf State Utilities in Louisiana. I don't have an e-mail address for him but I'll let him know about the web-site. John Hull is living somewhere in Arizona. Nobody has been able to get in contact with him. Leonard Ravan (Bulltoad) is living in Spartanburg , South Carolina. Kevin Bellville (Aka buffalo-head) was put out to pasture, and is grazing peacefully somewhere in the Great Plains. 

I particularly enjoyed the story about LT. R and the mysterious ringing phone. I was one of the RO's on the watch team. You should tell everyone about the time you and Miltenberger came into EOS with your heads wrapped in bloody bandages, claiming that the M-divers beat you guys up and it wasn't safe to go to lower level. I remember trying not to laugh while [Lt. R] almost had a heart attack. Please put my name on the list. My e-mail address is pfaff@epix.net. I served on the Pig from December '86' to June '90'.

Short Timer!

Please include my name on this list.... 25 DTG as of today!

Matt Wilson; RM-14 1998-2002
Mjaywilson01@aol.com   

That Nasty Italian Porn (Part II)

Yeah, that stuff was everywhere after leaving Naples.  Who could forget seeing that one magazine called Cults of Sodomy in the aft head, usually wedged behind a toilet.  That thing was thrown away countless times and yet it still managed to surface again and again.  Finally someone tossed it off sponson 7 for the Ruskies.  

One feature each of these Italian porno mags had in common was a good looking woman that slowly undressed (while performing illicit acts).  With each passing page more of her was revealed until --surprise--it turned out to be a guy!!! (or a whatever).  

One day we found a particular nasty photo in one of these Italian porn books that showed a guy doing something rather nasty to another guy, who was doing something rather nasty to a woman.  We tore it out and wrote: "Know Your Chain of Command" on it and then posted it in berthing.  Later that day the ship ran a mass-casualty drill on the flight deck and the repair locker in berthing was manned by a bunch of chowdales.  One of the squadron COs was there and saw the photo hanging up in berthing and ordered it torn down immediately.  The guy couldn't believe we nukes could have so little respect for our chain of command.  I guess he didn't know nukes very well. 

Another E-Div Guy!

Ice Ice Baby

Back in the late 1980s, ice was about the hardest thing to find in the hot, miserable IO.  At that time there were only 4 ice machines on the ship and one or two of them were usually OOC.  There was one place, however, that always had ice and it was easily retrievable for the daring: the 1st class lounge (since it was right outside the door).  I remember hating all those lifer 1st classes that would scream at you when they caught you dipping into their ice bins.  Of course, when I became a 1st class I screamed at all dirtbags trying to steal ice, too.

I used to also hate all the 1st class lifers that took front of the line privileges on the mess decks or at the ship's store.  I vowed that if I ever became a 1st class PO that I would never do that.  But, alas, as soon as I tacked on my PO1 crow I did it, too.  Rules of the road I guess. 

Another Fellow '80s Snipe:

A Modern-Era RM22 Guy:

The Worst Bag Job Ever

Some guys were notorious for bagging the watch.  I remember sometimes guys would get so pissed that they would actually go up to berthing, sign the logs over and then toss them into bed with the sleeping offender.  It was then up to the bag-man to wake up and get his ass down to the plant before anything happened.  

The worst bag job of all time had to be what "Bojo" did to "Happy" Hanson during the '87 workups.  On the night before a two-week mini cruise Bojo begged Happy to let him borrow his truck for an emergency.  Bojo promised that he'd return in time to relieve Happy at 1:30 a.m.  Well, 1:30 came and Bojo was a no-show.  Happy had to stand back-to-back watches.  At 8:00 a.m., sharp, "C" note was sounded and Bojo and Happy's truck were UA. A few days later Bojo came aboard in San Diego and told Happy that he parked his truck in the SFO hourly lot.   It cost Happy about $500 to get his truck out of hock when he finally returned to Alameda.

Bojo's missing the ship's movement was pretty much the last straw in his shaky nuclear navy career and he was denuked and discharged a short time later.

KP

RC Memories

Hey, love the site. I was on the pig from 7/89 to 3/93. I saw both sea life and shipyard life, and even though I was a nub and didn't sleep as much as I would have liked to at sea, the shipyard environment sucked a lot more. One of the first nukes I met on the pig was Brad Stephens. I thought he was a cool guy. He always seemed to be pissed at an EM named Tapp. After RT I did a 3 week stint in the coop. All I did there was play cards and watch pornos with a fat EM down in the coop void. Barnyard Follies was the one I remember more than any other. After my coop duty (by the way, I remember the shower watch) I went to RC-22. The first HOUR I spent in 2 control equipment my qual card got dirty dicked and thrown back in my face. But I was considered fortunate in a way because I wasn't picked on after that. Jess Williams, Bob Neish, Greg Miller (my best friend at the time), John Fay, Joe Ford, Frank Nash, Greg Davis, thanks for all the laughs!! I enjoyed the PI, Pataya Beach, Rio, it sure was an eye opening experience. After the world cruise I stood boring SRO watches on that shitty shift work schedule. Then by a stroke of good fortune I got transferred to the RC shop. To this day I never knew how or why I got to go there and not others. Dan O'rouke, Brownfield, Tom Cluney, you taught me well. I was in the shop for almost my last 2 years and to be honest I really didn't do shit. They made me a QPO to sign qual cards but I never dirty dicked anyone's card! I did take one nub under my wing, his name is Chad Borjeson. I sleazed his qual card, I took his BNEQ biennal exam for him, I took him on trips to Norfolk base to get him off that shipyard shithole. When that BNEQ biennal shit was going on, Chad was the one who went to the print shop to make all the exam copies. Well, he kept one for himself, gave it to me, and of course I aced it. I was one of less than ten in all RX and ENG depts who did so well that I didn't have to take the next one ( I was the only enlisted fuck too- more than 1 person came up to me and said that they never knew I was that smart. I was, just in a different way!) Overall, I used to dread going to work, I absolutely hated it, but as I look back now I'm glad I did it.  One thing that I will never miss though are those ASSHOLE LIFER LOSER FUCKS that made your day turn from ok to shitty and those SLACKERS WHO KISSED THEIR ASSES DAY IN AND DAY OUT. The one guy on page one said it best about how those lifers just make you hate the nav, and everything it stands for. The coolest people I met on the USS ENTERPRISE were those who bent the rules, tried to get along with everyone else, and realized that you have to make the best of every situation. Unfortunately, a lot did not see it that way.

ET2 Jason Savant RC-22 / RC-30 7/89-3/93
jewberries@hotmail.com  

From The Mike Bowman Collection:

Hey all you former nukes from the late 80s, here's some photos from Mike Bowman.  Enjoy!

Web Site Name Change

In order to comply with the wishes of the current Big E Rx Dept. chain of command I will no longer refer to this site as the "official" web site of Rx and Eng Dept.  I guess it's now the "unofficial" web site of Rx and Eng. Dept.  Those of you who knew me back in the Golden Days of surface nuclear propulsion (i.e., the late 80s), know that my dopeybook name was King Paul.  That's where the "King Paul" reference comes from.  

Again, as has always been my policy--anything that you find offensive on this site--and/or think should not be here--let me know and I will delete it immediately. 

RX PHILL!!!!!!!

Hey Bill,

Your memory about the time of the Reactor Fill Incident is not correct. I don't recall who was on watch, you may have been. This is one of those incidents you think would remain etched in memory, which time places into perspective (to be read: fades) the longer the particulars aren't recalled. I haven't thought about the incident in years... 

I don't remember the exact day it happened but it was my first Pre-Crit as an RO. PO1 Barnes was assisting as we were in cold shutdown. I recall we were in some post Hunter's Point SRA mini-overhaul; it was about 0900 and EOS was crowded with personnel trying to get their work authorized for the day and noisy as hell. We were on step one of the Pre-Crit and I was directed to verify the position of the Rx Fill Switch and then to Trip the Unit from the RPCP. Because I was confused about the instructions I had received from Secondary Equipment, I conferred with Barnes, who was distracted by the EOW with another question and told me to just turn it while I was holding the Rx Fill Switch, Secondary Equipment wanted to know what was taking so long and kept telling me to trip it, so I turned the Rx Fill switch. The EOS became dead silent and then bedlam erupted.

Barnes and I were relieved from watchstanding duties for several months. My SRO quals were suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. I had several interviews with the XO where I missed my opportunity to get out of Nuclear; take a different rating; and finish my enlistment. I stuck it out as a Nuke; I don't know what I was thinking, I suppose I didn't want to admit defeat.

After the investigation was concluded, the report determined that the junior person under instruction defaulted to his previous training when placed in an unfamiliar and stressful environment. At S8G the Trip Switch is located where the Fill Switch is on the Enterprise RPCP.

I remember the incident where Stinky and I were discussing the "Enterprise Fact Sheet". What a wonderful hoax! I didn't realize it had traveled outside Engineering.

Lt. Rouche turned up at ComEd's Dresden Station 7 or 8 years ago and lasted less than a year before he left. I never knew into what position he was hired or why he left. He must still be suffering from his Enterprise Experience.

Jonathan Skinner
Aka: "Reactor Phil" "Chinner" "BF" 
ET1 RC-11 March 1986 - January 1990
jonjski@yahoo.com
 

Hmmm,  Word must have spread about this site at GENE.  Great to have you guys aboard!

RT #4 Plant 1970-1974 and list away, my immediate family is dead and there is no one left to embarrass

"Hippo"

Kreutel, William E.
Kreutel.William@gene.GE.com

Please add me to your contacts list. I was in RC-22 from 1986-1989. My E-mail address is hereld.stuart@gene.ge.com.
Thanks.

Hereld Stuart

RC-11 1985-1989
David Boorn
DAVID.BOORN@gene.GE.com

Hoban!

Patrick J. Hoban RC22, RC30, 1986 - 1990 pjhoban@mindspring.com  

Petro's Shit Gag (A True Classic!)

KP,

Stu (Hereld Stuart) turned me on to the site and I‘ve been laughing my ass off ever since. There are so many stories to tell, I hope I can remember them accurately.

During my pre RO quals I was standing watch in 2 Control Equipment. John Fay and Jerry Petro were the A RO and B RO watch team. Our DO, LTJG Jim Crouse (very cool guy, quiet mid-west background) was the Watch Officer.

Petro had this idea for a great prank. Just before watch, we took a Hershey bar (with peanuts) and put it in a plastic sandwich bag. Petro taped the bag to the inside of his upper thigh. 

After assuming the watch, Jerry complained about stomach cramps and did his best to squeeze off a few farts. Mr. Crouse would call Control Equipment to see if there was another qualified RO available to get Jerry a relief to go to the bathroom. Of course, the answer was no. There was only a short time before watch turnover so Mr. Crouse told Petro to hang in there. All the while this chocolate bar is melting against Jerry’s thigh.

Petro continued to complain and finally stood up, screaming “Oh, No!!! Oh, my God!!! I think I’m gunna shit!!!” Doubled up with imaginary pain, he lets out a final yell and declares that it has happened: “Oh, Mr. Crouse, I shit my pants!!” 

Crouse is lost on what to do. The next thing you know Petro has his hand in his pants and pulls out a finger full of the brown stuff! Crouse is dumbfounded. He picks up the phone to call Control Equipment and screams that Petro needs a relief RIGHT NOW!!  

Meanwhile, Jerry is staring at his brown covered finger. He takes a sniff, and EOS goes quiet. He puts his finger in his mouth for a taste and Crouse hits the floor, gagging into the garbage can. He looked like he was going to throw up on his shoes!!

I want to say thanks to all the guys who made my time aboard the Pig bearable. Man, I hated that place, but the memories now are great. I laugh just thinking about the stupid stuff we did. Greg Davis, Joe Carl, you guys were the best! Being in the RC30 shop the last year of my tour was cool, 4 and 20s out at sea! 6 section duty in port because no one knew when we were on watch! I used to fly home for 5 days (military discount, $68 round trip) and get back in time for duty. 

Pat Hoban
RC22, RC30, 1986 - 1990 
pjhoban@mindspring.com

Welcome Bryan!

Florence, Bryan (Flo) 
RM23, RM3 84-87, 88-96, 99-present
threeflows@cox.net

Not The Jerry Petro???

Can you add me to the list? I was in RC22 1985 to 1989.
Thanks, Jerry Petro

p238@megahits.com

More From Rx Phil:

....  I work for Exelon Corp, formerly ComEd, the Northern Illinois electric utility. I instructed Licensed Operator Training at Braidwood Nuclear Station for 6 years before transferring to Electric Operations 5 years ago. Who knows where I'll be by year's end the way deregulation is playing out!

Stop the drugs, your memory is really going! No, I didn't play the harp, 3 or 4 plant ET type I think, I'd have to look at the cruise book to be sure. I had a keyboard that I brought on the second West Pac and played in the Aft Lounge; I lent it to the Jazz Band for Talent Night. Spent most of the World Cruise cycling and rowing on 4x24 duty after a Senior Chief pulled my EWS Qual card during a drill when he found out I was short; accused me of using the Navy, of all things!

I remember being thankful that they moved RC-11 out of Rx Berthing before the Alaska cruise. I can attest to the trout condition being as bad as vividly described. How the O's could permit us to live in those conditions and expect us to perform competently and have a good attitude is beyond comprehension. Living conditions aboard a wind powered vessel in the 18th and 19th centuries were more humane. Living conditions in jail were and are better than what we were subject to, and from the recent accounts still are. Habitability is not a priority with the Nav! 

Who was that high stakes poker player (RM?) who went AWOL before the World Cruise? Always bragged about playing in Poker tournaments. He was into a lot of guys really deep, was it an ET last name of Kim who just couldn't seem to stay away from the table? My last recollection is him owing over $4,000! Way too rich for most anybody's blood, at least while you're in the Nav.
 

Another EE30 Pal!

Hey,

You may not remember me. Barry Palmer EE - 30 Oct. 87 - Oct. 91 . My e-mail address is palmer1@alltel.net

Thanks, 
Barry

E-Div vs. RE

When a nuke electrician showed up on the Pig he was presented with a choice: EE30 or RE Div.  I guess the MMs pretty much had to make the same choice about RM-Div and Engineering. The ETs were pretty much stuck going only to RC Div.  

When we 8502 EMs arrived on the scene in early 1986 the gatekeeper to EE30 was EM1 McKee.  He was the E-Div instructor in the Void at the time and he went out of his way to make sure that all the dirtbag EMs (in his opinion anyway) went to RE and all the squared away EMs went to EE30.  McKee's RE counterpart in the Void at the time was the legendary "Rock n' Roll" Dan Raya and Dan was short and could care less.  I guess I was lucky since McKee thought I was a dirtbag.  Thanks to him I was banished to serve in RE rather than having to languish for 4 years in EE30.  I can't thank McKee enough for that!  

For the most part McKee's opinions on which of the RT'sians were actually the smart ones was somewhat flawed and as a result EE30 wound up getting more dirtbags than RE.  Of course that's just my opinion.  I'm sure you EE30 guys would think different. 

KP

Who Played the Harp?

HME and KP, ...... 12 Year's Later

Last December I had the good fortune to hook up with my old pal HME in Boston.  We had a great time remembering the good old days. It's hard to believe that it's now been almost 15 years since we were both down 4-plant, slamming each other in the infamous RE04 dopeybook.

KP

Gyolai, Skeletor, Clorefams and CNTs

Hey, Ram.

I was just checking up on the site and seeing more names I'd forgotten.

Of course, the lucky ones came to RE, and if they didn't think so they knew so shortly thereafter. E Div was too serious.

Myron Gyolai was our RPPO during the 86-87 time frame. As the RE Chief, I didn't know anything about supply and it wasn't necessary because of Myron. He could get anything. I remember we'd put in multiple 2Ks on the PC-K5 (something like that) contactors in the PZR HTR Fuse and Contactor panel before Westpac because Supply never had enough. Funny, when I then became a Supply Officer I was the nuke's best friend and worst enemy. I could get them anything because I was good at it (nuke trained) and understood their needs having been in their shoes, but could see through all the tricks they'd pull to build up their bench spares and wouldn't let them do it because I'd told the same stories as a nuke and I also had an obligation to protect the integrity of the supply system, which is as complex and equally technical as many things we did as nukes (yes). Nukes would also try to order everything needed, wanting it tomorrow, but I could say "well, tell me about it" and start talking about the plant and cut through their whole big fabrication and it would turn out they needed it next month, if at all, and they only needed one, not five. 

Does anybody remember the "two time loser" speech that the RO Skeletor, CDR McSomething used to give guys leaving the Navy. He'd tell them they were a loser as a civilian, that's why they had to join the Navy, and they were obviously a loser in the Navy which was why they were going to go back and try civilian land again. Consequently, anybody getting out, in his words, was a "two time loser." 

Nobody has mentioned their current duty station, COMNAVBACKYARDSIXPAC. 

I remember the old timer chiefs bitching about how worthless us youngsters were, what is the Navy becoming?, etc etc. Then as I approached my retirement I was saying the same thing, and knew they were calling me a Khaki Clad Youknowwhat, too. What I'd do to counter that is whip out my old driver's license (valid until discharge) circa 1980 and showing myself as a nuke second class, greasy hair parted in the middle and all that from that era.  Definite dirtbag look by today's standards. Usually, all the "kids" would do is look at it, look at me, laugh and then say, "Cool. Sir."  

I haven't seen anything on here about the RE 02 void and what happened there in the 84 timeframe, when RE subsequently was almost all wiped out, or so the stories went. That was between my two tours on the Big E.

Is the RE office still on the third deck, port side by the athwartship passageway, next to the rewind shop? Former five and dimer... 

Jim W.
Retired 

The Pokerhead Remembered

Okay, it was killing me trying to remember this guy's name so I dug out my '88 cruise book and found him.  The 4-plant ET, who lost big playing poker and then tried to get out of paying his enormous debt by turning his fellow card players into the MAA for gambling, was none other than ET2 Wusssssssmund!  God, he was a funny guy.  He was often the Control Equip Room Operator when I was the RE and we always had a blast on watch.

KP

A BEE School Memory

One of my best pals in NPS class 8502 was a guy named Steve Hamil.  He and I started our navy enlistments together in boot camp company 84-077 (along with RC14's Glen Winegardner) in March of 1984.  Steve and I were best friend's through nuke school and then sadly separated in Orlando, when Steve rocked the comp and was sent to the fleet as a conventional electrician.  Steve eventually wound up on the USS Ranger and our paths crossed a few times in SD, when both the Big E and Ranger were in port together.

Last night as I was walking my dog a funny story popped into my head and I thought I'd pass it along.  Strangely, I haven't thought about this story in almost 20 years:

Soon after graduating from boot camp Steve and I were assigned to ITB 163, "main side," NTC GLakes to attend BEE school.  While there we developed an affinity for the nearby Helm's Club and were frequent patrons (since we were underage and couldn't drink off base).  Most of you will probably remember BEE was pretty skate duty.  As long as you aced your stupid tests no one bothered you (Remember PHRED, the computer that read your scantron cards?)  Every 4 days we had "duty" but it wasn't much more than just spending a few hours fielddaying or painting.  

One morning Steve and I mustered (at 0530 sharp) and were in bad shape.  I guess our "near beer" outing the night before at the Helm's Club was a bit more extreme than usual.  Because we had duty that day we were further obligated to muster again about an hour later with the BT1 in charge of the building for fieldday assignments.  Steve and I were assigned the 4th floor head.  When we arrived on the scene with our swabs in hand we were offended to find that some asshole (or assholes as it turned out to be) had puked all over the place.  We complained to the BT1 and he agreed that we shouldn't have to clean up after some jerk.  The BT1 then set out to find who the inconsiderate drunk was and learned quickly from eyewitness accounts that the offenders were none other than Hamil and myself.  (We had no recollection of the event.)  Boy, we sure caught some shit for that and then wound up having to clean all the heads for a whole month.

Also, do you guys remember how in BEE none of our rooms had locks on the door so the chiefs would walk around all morning opening doors as quickly as they could to catch sleepers?  I remember it used to totally suck to muster at 0530 and then stay out of bed until school started at 1230 (I was in the afternoon shift).  I had a fleet-returnee roommate at the time and he taught me the fine art of sleeping inside my locker.  So on those rare mornings when a hangover necessitated a little extra sleep time I slept inside my overhead locker. 

1986 World Cruise Quiz No. 1:

What was the name of the RC-Div guy, who got out of the navy a few weeks after the Big E returned from the 1986 cruise; and then, while a civilian, landed a job filling vending machines on the hanger bay?  While this guy attended to his vending machine duties he also sleazed off anyone's qual card that needed RC sigs since he had been an RC Div QPO.  He just back-dated the signatures to when he was in the navy.

The first correct answer wins a Mooj Head T-shirt!

Mail Call Memories

Remember how every once in a while you'd get a package of goodies in the mail and then feel obligated to share it with whoever else was around when you opened it?  It was a maritime tradition.  One day Dicko and I were hanging out in the office when mail call was sounded.  Like always, about fifteen minutes later the office was packed with people looking for their mail.  A large package arrived for Dicko that day, which he carefully hid before others noticed it.  We both knew it had to be goodies so we waited until everyone was gone and then locked the door.  To our heart's delight it was one of those Hickory Farms samplers!  It was loaded with meat sticks, crackers and different kinds of cheese.  We greedy pigs sat there and ate the whole box in one sitting.  Needless to say, afterwards, we were sick as dogs.  

Speaking of mail call, remember how there was always one guy in your division that had a subscription to Playboy?  Biff Shiver was ours.  Whenever his Playboy arrived in the mail we office pukes stole it.  By the time Biff finally fished it out of the 1-plant mail slot, the whole division had seen it and it was in tatters. 

One guy in our division (EM2 Brady) was foolish enough to get a daily subscription to the Wall Street Journal.  Every mail call he'd get stacks of old WSJs.  The post office guys were pissed and kept telling him to stop his subscription because it was clogging up the mail system.       

Another 90's RM22 Guy!

One Memory Spurs Another....

Mentioning Biff Shiver above I thought of another funny thing.  (Funny to us, not necessarily to poor Biff.)  Biff was a great guy and could dish it out as well as take it.  Back when we were nubs we thought it novel to search the ship for odd-ball artifacts and then toss them into Biff's rack.  Sometimes we'd need two or three guys to carry the thing back to berthing since these things were usually very heavy and large.  Poor Biff would return from watch and then curse whoever it was that did this to him and then try and figure out what to do with the large wrench, pulley, chain fall, rope, (or whatever) that was laying in his pit.  Sometimes these items were also put into Biff's laundry bag and he wouldn't discover them until he tried to pick up the bag (and it weighed 50 lbs).  

The Dreaded Green Sticker

In my box of navy junk I found one of those blue ID stickers.  I think it was an memento from the MMCM reign of terror.  Remember how MMCM would scrape your blue sticker off your ID card and give you a green one if he thought you were a dirtbag?  (The green sticker made it so that you couldn't leave the ship in civvies.)  Of course most of us had spare blue stickers in our wallets so we quickly replaced the green ones as soon as MMCM was out of eyeshot.  

KP

A Peek Back in Time

Fellow REs, I found an old watchbill.  Looking back at the names I see lots of old friends!

KP

The 8502 Pizza Man

When I reported to MARF in the summer of '85 I had the good fortune to run into a former classmate from A-School.  He was in 8501and nearly qualified.  He took me aside and revealed to me the secret of his success.  He told me that since E-Div was in charge of selling pizza (for breakfast, lunch and dinner), they needed one student qualified as soon as the previous class graduated so that this person could go and pick up the pizzas (at Geyser Pizza).  This guy told me to "bust my ass" early on and do everything I could to get ahead of the other EMs so that I would be designated E-Div's next pizza-boy.  At first I didn't believe the guy but soon I realized it was true.  When 8501 was nearing their graduation date I found myself taken under the wing of the E-Div staff and pushed through as the next "hot runner."  The day 8501 left I was at my board and the very next day I was the guy picking up pizza!  In my box of memories I found my final board sheet.  As you can see I passed by the skin of my teeth.  Maybe the pizza fix was in?

KP

The Train Story

Some stories have been told so many times that I can't recall where truth ends and embellishment begins.  The train story is one of those stories.  Most of it is true but each time it is retold something gets added or taken away.  Now that 16 years has gone by I cannot recall what is fact and what is fiction.  I have told this "train story" to countless others (mostly civilians) and they could never appreciate it the way fellow Big E squids could.  Most of you from the '86 cruise will undoubtedly remember this one.  

I would have added this story earlier but since I couldn't remember which parts were true and which were made up I deferred it to others.  But, alas, it never got sent in.  (As, likewise, neither did the "Batman" story.)  The reason I'm adding it now is that I found my Naples to Rome train ticket from that ill-fated ride.  I'll take that as a sign that the story must be told.  Here's what I recall:

I think we were still in RT when this happened since most of us involved were from different divisions.  After arriving in Naples, we took a train to Rome for a day of sightseeing.  That evening, as we waited for the train back to Naples, we drank mass quantities of liquor.  By the time we boarded the train most of us were blotto.  For some reason this train only had one restroom, which was located in the rear.  Most of us sat in the last car to be near the bathroom since we had full bladders.   As the train began leaving the station one of our gang (an E-Div'r, who shall remain nameless) got up and went to the restroom.  

About twenty or thirty minutes went by and so someone decided to check on the poor guy.  The E-Div'r was found laying naked on the floor with his head wedged between the toilet and sink.  His ass was up in the air and presented itself to whoever opened the door.  (This guy was about 6' 5" tall and the bathroom was about as small as the ones you find on an airplane.)  Unsure of what to do the person checking on the E-Div'r returned and told the others about what happened.  We all began discussing a way to get the E-Div'r dressed and back into his seat.  However, this proved impossible to do because the guy was pretty much wedged into the bathroom.  

About this time other travelers began needing to use the restroom.  Each person opened the door and quickly shut it again and then mumbled something in Italian.  Sometimes moms would have to shield their children's eyes after opening the door.  We knew we had to get the guy out of there as soon as possible or we'd have an angry mob on our hands.

And then (and here's where the story gets fuzzy) we observed a man walk back toward the bathroom.  He was a typical Italian looking guy (beret, ascot, striped shirt, etc.) and he opened the door.  But unlike the others he did not shut the door in disgust; instead, he smiled and went in.  And there he remained for a considerable time!  

We had no idea what to do.  Our buddy was in trouble and we just sat there!

The guy finally left the bathroom with a smug look on his face as he zipped up his pants.  We all sat there in horror.  Ashamed that we let what might have happened, happen!  

Finally we arrived in Naples and were able to pull our E-Div bud free from the bathroom.  The next day the poor guy complained of a soreness in a certain sensitive spot and we all hid our eyes in shame.

On a technical note this E-Div'r was the very same guy that supposedly got victimized by the guy in the "Batman" suit in Australia.  Someone else will have to share that story.

KP

The RE 02 Void

Ram,

I wasn't onboard during the 02 void incident, but it happened between when I left in '80 and returned in '84. As you mentioned it was both a parts storage place and hangout. As the story goes, it became more hangout than parts storage and was a very elaborate lounge until the REs got caught partying. Almost half of RE division got busted for dope and kicked out of the Navy or denuked. You may recall there was nearly fifty of us in the 86 time frame, but that was up from only about 25 in late '84. Someone like Ricky Kuhn who left in the 86 timeframe may have been around at the time as a nub and be better able to tell what happened.

Jim  W.

I've done everything possible to keep my wife from reading this site but every once in a while she'll catch me laughing and get curious.  After admonishing me for something I did nearly 20 years ago she suggested that I make better us of this site since I'm now in contact with so many other ex-navy nukes.  She suggested that I post resumes and/or business cards;  start a navy nuke network, as it were.  "Jolly Good Idea!" I thought.  But not because I need a job or have one to offer but because I'd love to read about what my fellow ex-Big E nukes have done since leaving the service.  It would also be interesting to see who still works in a technical field and who doesn't.  And, to show you I mean no harm, I will post my own resume to start things off.  Who knows, maybe one of us will actually get something out of this website after all!

KP

The Crankshaft Arrives!

Steamer Crawls Out of The Woods......

Nuc 'Tudes