End of a 50 year era is nigh

70SATMan · 03-12-2012, 02:58 PM

Makes me a little melancholy. My Grey Lady is heading out for her last Huzzah.

Navy's legendary carrier USS Enterprise on final voyage – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

It's a little like how I felt when I saw her leave the Bay in 89 bound for a coast change.

Skytrooper · Skytrooper's Garage

I know how you feel. It was sad to see the U.S.S. Independence go to the scrapyard.

billybek · billybek's Garage

Fate protects fools, little children and ships named Enterprise....

Must be hard to see the ship you served on decommissioned.

Joeaksa · 03-12-2012, 05:14 PM

Feel the same way but the good news is that there will always be a ship named USS Enterprise!

John Rogers · 03-12-2012, 06:20 PM

I spent 4 years on there during the Vietnam years. It was the OLD Navy for sure. Some interesting items were: Capt Peterson used to be first off the ship when we got to Subic Bay and would spend the WHOLE inport time with his bar girl. Once when we had a very bad storm come in we all had to come back to the ship so we could set to sea as we were tearing up the pier. The Base CO sent the SPs out in town to get him so we could leave.

We only had one racial incidents on board as back then there was a lot of racial unrest on all the ships! It was a black mess cook hit a mess decks master at arms and about 20 or so of his buddies gathered right outside the 1st class mess until CC Smith the XO came down to defuse things. His first statement was "well boys, just what are the problems here...."!

Twice, we went dead in the water when we were transiting from PH to Subic Bay when we had several reactors (they have 8 total) shut down for maintenance and a couple of the diesel generators (have 4) were ooc and something would break!

We had a 500# bomb slide through the bomb door and go clear to the bottom of the elevator when the elevator failed. We went to GQ quickly and luckily had no explosion.

Once a red shirt hit the rapid shut button on a bomb elevator door and it crushed a pod of air to air rockets and we went to GQ and luckily no explosion!

I bought a Winchester model 94 in 44MAG from the factory in Hong Kong when they were scarce as could be here in the US. Ordered it through the old China Fleet Club!

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

John,
Cool stories!!! Thanks!

Adam · Adam's Garage

Amazing piece of hardware - hard to believe how old some of them are.

Great stories, John! Thanks for sharing, would love to hear more.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Guess they take her to Bremerton and cut her up, that just does not seem right.

emcon5 · emcon5's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobra

Guess they take her to Bremerton and cut her up, that just does not seem right.

Better than being sunk as target practice, which happened to most of the Spruance class destroyers.

KevinTodd · 03-13-2012, 07:01 AM

I remember when she sailed into Pensacola to berth at the NAS there, replacing the "Blue Ghost" Lexington.

A short-lived tenure indeed, but magnificent none the less.

Joeaksa · 03-13-2012, 07:12 AM

Or they could do what they did with the USS Oriskany, "deep six" her off of Florida or another area in shallow water so that she could be part of the reef over there. Have thought of heading there to take a dive and see her one last time.

My brother served on the Oriskany and Phil Sea during the Korean War, so its pretty close to my heart.

Seahawk · 03-13-2012, 07:25 AM

I landed on the Enterprise a few times and a good friend of mine did a few cruises on her when she was a west coast boat.

It is funny that one of the ships I served on is an artificial reef, another has been sold to a foreign military and one I was a plank owner is being scrapped.

Wow. Time flies!

70SATMan · 08:41 AM

I served ship's crew from 85-89. The 86 and 88 cruises had their fair share of excitement. The 86 more so..(Sidra). We transited the Suez into the Med to relieve the America and was the first Nuc carrier to do so. Being out on deck for that was amazing...

Once the Arab Community realized that we were Nuc, there was a huge protest and we were not allowed to transit back the way we came. We were forced to sail throught the Straights of Gibralter and then down around the Cape of Good Hope to get home. It made for a longer than normal deployment but, we hit several ports I'd have never seen as a Westie.

Ahhh, Australian Women...

The only port I purposely wore my dress uniform.

Tales from Subic????? Stay in Subic.....Except for that Filipino tribute band that rocked RUSH like I've never heard (aside from RUSH of course) You could close your eyes with a San Miggy in hand and couldn't hardly tell the difference.

Saw the Whale before she was retired, watched the A7s being replaced, some of the first FA18s in trials, the might F14 and the A6. Never to forget the Sea King who kept constant vigil. Man, I have to get some video transferred.

My father made one Tiger Cruise and for an ex Navy CT who only saw San Diego and Guam, had a blast of a week.

The talley of men we lost at sea during my 4+ years is still sobering and we were still considered peace time.

Oh, by the way.....Tom Cruise was a little beyotch while Top Gun was filmed on board.

Jim Richards · 03-13-2012, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 70SATMan

Tales from Subic????? Stay in Subic.....Except for that Filipino tribute band that rocked RUSH like I've never heard (aside from RUSH of course) You could close your eyes with a San Miggy in hand and couldn't hardly tell the difference.

Yep. I'll never forget (or speak about in mixed company) Subic, or more accurately, Olongapo.

quicksix · quicksix's Garage

Ahhh Subic city,I think I stil have my Subic city assault uniform around somewhere.
Sat,we served about the same time.I was homeported in Lemoore and deployed aboard Kitty Hawk and Nimitz.We made the last cruise of the A-7,one that I would rather forget.
Great times and I made some friends who are still in my life all these years later.

Seahawk · 03-13-2012, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 70SATMan

I served ship's crew from 85-89.

Never to forget the Sea King who kept constant vigil.

My Buddy was with HS-6, the H-3 folks.

Subic, Australia, Singapore, Maldives, India, HK, etc...it was good to be a west coast sailor on FFG's and CG's

sammyg2 · 03-13-2012, 11:33 AM

70SATMan · 03-13-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Yep. I'll never forget (or speak about in mixed company) Subic, or more accurately, Olongapo.

My shop's favorite place was this very little joint well out of the way called Sunshine Place. Coldest beer in Olongapo and the girls left us alone so we could play pool and darts.

May still be a picture of me up on the wall for all I know, though its not likely the place is still there I guess.

70SATMan · 03-13-2012, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seahawk

My Buddy was with HS-6, the H-3 folks.

Subic, Australia, Singapore, Maldives, India, HK, etc...it was good to be a west coast sailor on FFG's and CG's

Probably never had to deal with liberty boats then

Mombasa was a great port as well. I took additional leave so that I could take a four day safari to Tsavo and Amboseli.

We never hit India but, I've worked there several times since.

70SATMan · 03-13-2012, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quicksix

Ahhh Subic city,I think I stil have my Subic city assault uniform around somewhere.
Sat,we served about the same time.I was homeported in Lemoore and deployed aboard Kitty Hawk and Nimitz.We made the last cruise of the A-7,one that I would rather forget.
Great times and I made some friends who are still in my life all these years later.

The shipboard DMSP system I cut my SAT teeth on were on both the Kitty and the Nimitz as well (all carrier apps except Rota and San Diego shore). We were a pretty small specialty group and crews often helped each other out. During one work ups outing, we pulled into San Dog. Myself and a couple of mates trudged on over to the Kitty to help them get their system up and running. That was the only other US carrier I've ever stepped foot on to date.