Originally posted by IC2SS19Z50C5:
quote:
Originally posted by RogerCollins:
You can almost smell the diesel and old food. I left the diesel boats in 1962 and converted from EN to RM, then on to the Nuc navy. Not quite the same.
RC, I looked at your profile here and then checked to see if you were a USSVI member. (BTW, welcome aboard here) And I did notice that you switched from being a main propulsion EN2(SS) to being and RM. I’d like to hear more about that decision. I also bounced your name against the USSVI membership roster for San Diego. Sorry to see you will be “missing ship’s movement” for that event. We had a great WD-4 convention this past May and on Friday the 22nd we had a tolling of the boats ceremony at the Keyport/NUWC museum, right next to the sail of the Sturgeon. Got some good pics of that event or I can post a link here if you like. I wanted to go to Kirkland today for another tolling of the boats ceremony but have too much to do here at home before heading to San Diego… I have a CD full of pictures from the Batfish (SS-310) down in Muskogee, OK. One of my “Target/Skimmer” shipmates (Retired CWO4) lives in OK and traveled up to Muskogee and took a great set of pictures as he toured the Batfish. I can burn a copy of that CD and send it to you if you like. I’ll send it to the address as listed in your USSVI membership profile. Just let me know.
RC, I was desperately afraid of being assigned to a dieselboat out of Sub School. But in retrospect that was a HUGE mistake. The reason I didn’t want to get assigned to one was that in late 71, as you know, most of them were going by the boards rapidly and the few remaining were in Groton. (Which in a 27 year, 5 month, 6 day military career was the worst duty station I ever had!!!!.). My two dream sheet choices were, #1 a SSN out of San Diego and #2 a Boomer out of Pearl. My ships choices always feel on my #2’s, which was always a blessing in disguise. I got some attack boat time in while in the USNR and wished I would have been assigned to one originally. But it was what it was and am grateful I had such a great Gold crew in the John Adams, no regrets there at all!!! (My qualifying Skipper lives not far from me now and we get together occasionally). I’ll be seeing a few of those guys in San Diego next month. After 37+ years some of us are still “very tight”. I’m heading to San Diego with two local base members and am looking forward to a kick azz time while there. Sorry you’ll not be there with us.
“May You Have Fair Winds and Following Seas”
V/R “Buck”
