SS QUALIFIED GS Owners

[Jobuha]

Ok How many of us have qualified or been underway (Submerged) on the Finest Submarines that have ever patrolled the waters....... We will even include the Boomer Sailors on this ......

Sound Off..... state year and Hull number and maybe even a memorable moment......

[RJ82much]

Good job Butch, I hope your fellow sailors follow you over to this topic. In the event they don't notice, feel free to PM them.

It's great to see this forum being used for everything it can be.

Though my job didn't require rides on the boats, we had many former crew members hired as consultants. A strange, & interesting breed of men! Ha Ha Ha

For me, the most memorable story comes from my (deceased) uncle who served in the pacific during WWII. He wouldn't talk about his experience to anyone, but I was so fascinated that he finally decided to give just me (a young teenager at the time) some insight. He told me what it was like to lie on the bottom while being depth charged. They stayed there, dead in the water till the air became virtually unbreathable, the battries nearly dead. He told of the stench, the fear, the darkness, the unrelenting bombardment - there wasn't any glory in his tales. I felt so fortunate that he agreed to share to me. WOW. I have tried unsuccesfully to find what his boat number was. I don't recall what his duty was, but he was a typical submariner - short, thin, & tough as nails.

[larrybell]

I served on two boats during the 8.5 years I was in the Navy. I was on the Pickerel (SS-524) for a about 5 months. Almost qualified, then I went to Nuke school. From nuke school, I went to the USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633). I made 6 patrols, and I did not want to take her through the yard period. So, I went to instructor duty at the Prototype.

Are you boat sailors members of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc?

[larrybell]

Bob,

We have three WWII boat sailors in our sub vets group. They are wonderful people.

I guess we boat sailors are a little different because we were trusted to do our job, and we did not always have a senior enlisted or officer standing over our shoulder.

[mfa]

I lived on the beach of New London for a year when I was a kid -- right across the street from the lighthouse. Watching the subs go in and out all the time, plus a tour of the USS Guardfish, gave me a life-long fondness for submarines. My active duty as a quartermaster in the Navy was spent at the Ops Center in San Juan and Roosevelt Roads, though...

[Jobuha]

My first boat was the USS Thomas A. Edison SSBN 610 (79-80) at the ripe ole age of 17 as a deck seaman E-1. Completed two patrols out of GUAM. I then transfered to a Brand New LA Class, USS NEW YORK CITY SSN 696 (80-85) As a MMFN A gang E-3, Also during this period I rode the USS BARBEL SS 580. Seeking more fun and excitement I went to a New Construction unit USS PITTSBURGH SSN 720 (85-88) After almost 10 years at Sea and qualified all Senior watches (COW,DOOW, DCPO) I rotated to what I thought would be Shore duty NSGA ADAK AK (88-90) only to find it it was classified as sea duty. So off I went to m first shore duty in 11 years, SUBASE IMA PEARL HARBOR (90-93) R9 division X31D. ( MADE CPO HERE) After working on all the PH base subs I decided to try going back in time so I took orders to the USS KAMEHAMEHA SSN 642 ( ex SSBN 642, converted to SSN / SEAL Delivery) (93-97). Left sunny Hawaii in 97 to trek back east to CSS-8 for squadron duty (97-00) Was assigned to the USS JACKSONVILLE SSN 696 as the Chief of the Boat (COB) (MMCM A agang) (00-04) transfered to the COMSUBLANT TRE ( Tactical readiness & Evaluation Team) 04-07. Retired after 28 years of service. Looking back I would not have done anything different....... WHAT A BLAST..... Started this adventure LOWER THAN WHALE CRAP..... and ended Head Mother In Charge......

[larrybell]

I believe that the Navy has removed quartermaster's from submarines. I know that there are a lot fewer rates than when I was going to sea.

[Jobuha]

larry,

we still have QM's on Subs but have been combined into 1 rate ET... Yhis includes the QM's IC, ET(Nav) and RM..... they are all ET's now...... As far as TM's they are MM(w) and A-Gang still rule......

[larrybell]

Yes, I knew that they had been combined, but I thought they called everybody ETs. I was an IC1(SS). Our subvets group has a good relationship with the crews of the USS Tennessee, and I was talking with them a while ago. I probably got things mixed up. By the way, my years of service run from 1963 through 1972.

[Jobuha]

Took this weekend to due PreUnderways on my unit..... Flushed the san tanks, clorinated the water tank, water the batteries, started and loaded the diesel, ventilated the unit out, did a stores load... Wow just like being on a Boat.... the bad thing is I'm still second in command....... for some reason the wife thinks she's the Captian.....

[larrybell]

Well Chief, I guess you shouldn't have qualified her. You know how it is, teach someone your job, and they will be telling you how to do it.

[Jobuha]

True so true.... All The old saying Train your relief got me was..... someone telling me what and when to do it.....

[larrybell]

I looks like there are only three or four qualified boat sailors. I figured that there were probably more.

[Jobuha]

So did I ..... or they don't want to admit to it....... Changing the subject.... I attended the Submarine Birthday Ball last year ( as I have done for every year).. and have noticed the number of WWII boat sailors has been declining..... in a few more years the WWII guys will be gone and we will have no one to honor. :( I gues the next group on the list will be the COLD WAR SAILORS....... The fast boats and the 41 for Freedom guys will finally get their day..... It is a known fact throughout the Navy the Submarine Force won the COLD WAR without ever having to fire a shot in anger...... we came close a few times but never let the fish or the baby killer's go....

The old days of the Bithday Ball are gone..... they too have gotten politically correct....... NO MORE SINGING OF THE SUBMARINE SONGS....... ( the original dirty /nasty / socially unacceptable one)......

[larrybell]

As I stated in a previous post, in the USS Haddo Base of the USSVI, we have three members who are WWII veterans. I know of two or three more in East Tennessee. They are getting rare.

I was thinking the other day, as I approach 65, I began to wonder how many years was left for touring the USA. I guess we will be grateful for any the good Lord gives us.

[Jobuha]

Happy 117th Birthday to all of my brother Chief Petty Officers. Here is to another 117 years of provinding outstanding leadership in the world's finest Navy! Anchor Up!

[evelynz8735]

Good job Butch, I hope your fellow sailors follow you over to this topic. In the event they don't notice, feel free to PM them.

It's great to see this forum being used for everything it can be.

Though my job didn't require rides on the boats, we had many former crew members hired as consultants. A strange, & interesting breed of men! Ha Ha Ha

For me, the most memorable story comes from my (deceased) uncle who served in the pacific during WWII. He wouldn't talk about his experience to anyone, but I was so fascinated that he finally decided to give just me (a young teenager at the time) some insight. He told me what it was like to lie on the bottom while being depth charged. They stayed there, dead in the water till the air became virtually unbreathable, the battries nearly dead. He told of the stench, the fear, the darkness, the unrelenting bombardment - there wasn't any glory in his tales. I felt so fortunate that he agreed to share to me. WOW. I have tried unsuccesfully to find what his boat number was. I don't recall what his duty was, but he was a typical submariner - short, thin, & tough as nails.





Thanks you for the post.
Hi guys, Im a newbie. Nice to join this forum.





__________________
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[Jobuha]

Welcome. this is a great forun for newbies and seasoned pro's.... have a problem ask it and someone here will figure it out

[gojrracing]

rent rv (http://www.rvrentaloutlet.com/) Happy 117th Birthday to all of my brother Chief Petty Officers. Here is to another 117 years of provinding outstanding leadership in the world's finest Navy! Anchor Up!

Happy birthday to them. They are good role model. Great! Keep it up.

[SHADYR]

I see that I'm a little late to the party (last post was in 2010), but thought that some of the former submariners might be interested in my small roll in their subs. Although I was never undersea in one of our U.S. Navy subs, I had the distinct privilege of managing the contracts that designed, built, tested, and delivered the Mk-2 Mod O and Mk-2 Mod 1 ADC's to the U.S. Navy, as well as the British submarine fleet, from 1980-1995. Most memorable moment was the personal delivery of several Mod O's to a British sub docked at Cape Canaveral. After transferring the hardware to the sub, we were invited on board to meet the Captain and several of the crew, as we relaxed with a beer that the British subs have on-board for their crew......RS