Popeye's Sea Stories

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
The navy in recent years has lost few aircraft..better safety is practiced these days.

I was aboard the Midway only two months when this tragedy struck..



.. a total of seven aircrew dead that evening. The Midway was ordered immediately to her home port of Yokosuka Japan for an investigation.

In 1972 aboard the JFK we lost several aircraft...



On the Nimitz in '91 we lost only one aircraft an A-6E Prior to entering Subic Bay..on the America in '81 we lost no aircraft..however an Tomact did crash on the flight deck shearing off it's starboard landing gear.
God rest all of their souls...they died in service to their country and a cause greater than their own and we owe them all, and their families, a great debt of gratitude. God comfort to this day the families of those who passed...it is something they will never forget, and may they cherish the memories of their loved ones...their heroes...until they are again reunited with them, above.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
^^^Amen..

My second oldest son served on active duty in the USN for 9 years. He's was a drilling reservist. He ended that in 2009.

I remember the day I picked him up from work in 1998 and on the drive home he told me he was joining the Navy.

"Dad..Did I tell ya'?"
"Tell me what"
"I'm joinin' the Navy"
"Really??" My chest puffed up about two more sizes.
"Didja tell your mom yet??"
"Nope..I'd thought you'd tell her?"
"No way..You do it"..
Silence for a couple of minutes..
I said.."Why are you joining up?
"Because"..
"Because why?"
"You know"
"No I don't"
"I wanna be just like my dad"..

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Posted by another sailor in another military forum.

Ships have Theme songs:

Every ship has a theme song or piece of music they play over the 1MC (Public Announcemnt Speakers). This usually happens when the ship gets underway for a criuse or at the conclusion of a UNREP (underway replensihment) session.

The USS Enterprise always plays the theme from Star Trek.

The USS Wabash always played the "Wabash Cannonball"

The USS Robison DDG-12 had a reputation of hitting the good ports and played the Beach Boys "I Get Around"

The USS Texas usually plays "Yellow Rose of Texas" or "University of Texas Fight Song." (USS Texas skipper alma mater)

My ship, USS Carl Vinson usually played the theme of "Battlestar Galactica" (old series) "Flight of the Valkrie" or "Carmina Burana".

Our skipper was a Texas A&M alumn, he never missed a chance of playing the Texas A&M fight song when sailing alongside the USS Texas.

The rivalry between the skippers got so bad that they had a battlegroup chili-cook off.

The Nimitz theme song was the theme from the movie "The Final Countdown"(1980). On the Midway sometimes the theme from the movie "Shaft" (1971)was played.
 
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bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
The USS Wabash (AOR 5) theme was "Wabash Cannon Ball". The Wabash is being broken up for scrap as we speak in Brownsville TX..A very proud ship.. whenever they pulled along side for an replenishment they played that song..

"The Wabash Cannon Ball"..no one could deliver like the "Wabash Cannon Ball'..

Johnny Cash version..

 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
The continuing saga of the Last WESTPAC of the Fightin' Hanna..1975

Operation Frequent Wind was the evacuation of Americans, Vietnamese and third country nationals by helicopter from South Vietnam on 29 April 1975.

1,373 U.S. citizens and 5,595 Vietnamese and third country nationals were evacuated by USMC, USAF and Air America helicopters to U.S. Navy ships off-shore in an approximately 24-hour period on April 29-30, 1975, immediately preceding the fall of Saigon.

I, Big Daddy Popeye was there..34 years ago. I was stationed onboard the USS Hancock CVA-19.

This is what occurred on the flight deck of the USS Hancock CVA-19 during Operation Frequent Wind. I was assigned to "G" Division flight deck crew. "G" division is comprised of Aviation Ordanceman. We handle Aviation ammo. This story is written as best as I can remember...

29 April 1975 of that day my friend one Mr Jimmy Bishop said..""Was that ever one of the sadist days of my life.. Remember seeing{on Tv} them shove UH-1B's over the side of one of the carriers because they were running out of room to operate. I was having a cold brewski at this little Irish Pub named McGoo's...seems like yesterday""

About 0530 on board the USS Hancock CVA-19 on 29 April 1975 AO2 HD awoke me and told me it's time to get to work. Oh joy,oh joy!! Another day of loading .50 cal ammo and waiting. It had been more than 10 days since we left Singapore. All old Hanna was doing was cutting doughnuts in the Tonkin Gulf and waiting for Saigon to fall.

Meanwhile in Saigon US Ambassador Martin knew the end was near.The North Vietnamese forces were getting closer to Saigon. It was just a matter of time before he would have to tell Washington to order the evacuation of Saigon. That occurred at 1000 that morning when he called Sec. Of state Henry Kessinger..

Deep Purple !! Deep Purple!! Was called away on the USS Hancock CVA-19 at about 1100. ..Operation Frequent wind was under way! Fightin' Hanna would answer the call one more time.

My job was to load up the USMC helos with .50 cal ammo. Then I was to man the deck edge bomb elevator forward of the island and place evacuee luggage on it after it had been inspected. Well WE all did more than that that day.

The sky was soon filled with USMC helos, some filled with "Grunt" Marines to secure & establish landing zones in designated areas "in country". I will not ever forget the sight of all those ships..48..and all those helos.

Jimmy mentioned seeing helo's being pushed overboard. That was on the USS Hancock CVA-19 and the USS Midway CVA-41. We had to push 19 of the Republic of South Vietnam(RVN) helo's overboard. 2 Chinook's and 17 Huey's. They were clogging the deck. Plus they had no landing gear{wheels}. Just skids. When the first RVN Huey's landed they were dragged to the bow and spotted there. As more and more helos arrived it became apparent that we could not keep the RVN helos and recover our own USMC helos.

So when a RVN CH-47 Chinook landed with its non-folding blades we pushed it off the fantail. It ripped the safety netting off the round down on the fantail. It made a big splash when it hit the water. That helo's starboard engine was on fire. When that helo was circling ole Hanna' there was a 50 cal machine gun that was manned and ready pointing out of the starboard forward door. Smoke was bellowing out of that starboard engine. Capt. "Field Day" Fred Fellows called the ship to GQ over that.

I once read another internet account that claimed that these helos were salvaged first for parts. This is not true. We did not have the time. We simply pushed many of the RVN helos into the Tonkin Gulf. Period. Another account claims a Cessna landed on the Hancock. Not true. The Cessna actually landed on the USS Midway CVA-41. I know. I was on that flight deck for 29 straight hours. Click the link below for pic of the Evacuation on the Midway.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


When the nice pretty silver and blue Air America Huey's started coming aboard they were dragged to the bow and spotted there. A lot of those Air America pilots were drunk. It is a wonder that none of their helos crashed. We could not souvenir hunt in those birds like we did the RVN helos that we did keep.

When the RVN officers & families & Civilians etc starting really arriving in droves. Many were ARMED. You name it.. they had it!! A lot of 45's,38's,9mm,22's.. sawed offed Remington shot guns. I saw a so sweet .357 Colt Python with a six in barrel. I saw a lot Of knives. The Jar heads..OOPPSS I mean the Marines were in charge of searching the evacuees. They had this box to put the weapons in. Well you know Marines & sailors. Some marine "Confiscated" that Colt Python. Most of the weapons were thrown overboard.{Sic} Most of the RVN military,civilians and American evacuees had large sum of cash and gold. After the evacuees were searched they were sent down to the Hangar deck were they were deloused and quartered. Some were placed in vacated berthing spaces.

Later that evening after the dust had settled a USMC CH-46 flying plane guard crashed just off the port side of the Hancock. Two crewman were lost. A Memorial service was held for the lost crewman on our way back to Subic.

All in all we wound up with over 2000 evacuees on the Hancock. One child was born to a Vietnamese woman on the Hancock. What was he named? John Hancock...

Big Daddy Popeye USN/retired USS Hancock CVA-19 AUG'74 'til Aug '75
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
^^^Amen..

My second oldest son served on active duty in the USN for 9 years. He's was a drilling reservist. He ended that in 2009.

I remember the day I picked him up from work in 1998 and on the drive home he told me he was joining the Navy.

"Dad..Did I tell ya'?"
"Tell me what"
"I'm joinin' the Navy"
"Really??" My chest puffed up about two more sizes.
"Didja tell your mom yet??"
"Nope..I'd thought you'd tell her?"
"No way..You do it"..
Silence for a couple of minutes..
I said.."Why are you joining up?
"Because"..
"Because why?"
"You know"
"No I don't"
"I wanna be just like my dad"...
WOW! Popeye, my friend, it just doesn't get much better than that! God bless you all, and tell him thank you from the Head Family for his service to the Republic!

My son-in-law has now been in that long, but he re-upped and is now in a program to be made a pharmacist and an officer and will be leaving subs and going either to large surface vessels after his schooling (all paid for...and he's doing it right here in Boise at BSU) , or at the San Diego NAval Hospital.

He has enough sea time already to just stay on shore...but he is thinking hard about at least one tour on a carrier, or a large amphib like a Wasp. He'll have a ten year commitment when he gets done with school, but will then retire at 45 with 22 years in, and may make Lt. Commander or Commander while he's at it.

I have thanked him for taking such good care of my daughter and grandkids!
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Back to the end of Operation Frequent Wind...

The day after the evacuation we kinds cut doughnuts in the Tonkin Gulf looking for "Boat People" and anyone straggles or downed RVN airmen. We found none. Other ships did. Also an memorial service was held for those Marines lost the previous day in an CH-46 crash just off the port bow of the Hanna.

We then headed to Subic Bay. We thought we'd tie up at Cubi Pt..But no! We tied up in Subic at Alava pier in Subic. Just a stones throw from the main gate. I can still see it and smell it in my itty bitty brain. aarrvv

On the way in we had zone inspection and our division got outstanding! That meant max liberty...But wait..Pres. F. Marcos threw a monkey wrench in the works. He did not want the refugees in the Philippines and no one was permitted off the ships (there were many) except COs until the stuation was resolved.

Why did Marcos take this stand? There was and is a long communist faction in the Philippines that has been fighting the government for many years. They are know as the New Peoples Army. Marcos feared that some of the refugees were actually Viet Cong and would start a revolution in da' PI.

After about 4 hours that seemed forever..of tense negotiations it was decided that the refugees would be quartered at Grande Island. Grande Island is an island at the mouth of Subic Bay operated by the USN. It had all sorts of recreation there. Hiking, fishing, archery, beach, scuba diving etc..etc.. .including cottages for rent for a very small fee.

The refugees were then ferried to Grande Island by various landing craft..We finally got to go on liberty about 1600 The first place I went was to the laundry(I never once put my clothes in the laundry on Hanna..it sucked)..It was so cheap. They washed, pressed folded your clothes for a very small price. I think up to 20 pounds was $3.50..That's the most I ever paid. Next I headed to the Sampagita club for a meal. ..but it was over running with drunks and other assorted sailors and Marines. So I went to the Staff NCO club quite by accident with this Marine Gunny Sgt. I knew on the Hanna. the Staff NCO club was sweet..I had a big ole steak.. then headed for the main gate and on to liberty in Olongopo.....aarrvvv
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Not all the tales I tell are funny. This one is not. It's just sad.

Earlier in this thread I mentioned that back in the day alcohol abuse and general drunkenness was excepted and expected throughout the USN. sad but true.

True story.. on the USS America (CV 66) while deployed with VS-33 in the Indian Ocean I had a young man working for me ..Lets call him AN LMc. He was a drunk. Plain and simple. a functioning alcoholic. He was a very good worker..About 4 months into our cruise i.e. deployment in '81 he and another man were discovered drunk while the ship had been to sea at least a month in a secured spce. I don't know how they got in they just did. In the ensuing investigation it was discovered that they had been drinking E/A-6B radar coolant. Which by the way was 180 proof alcohol. They'd been mixing it with bug juice from the mess deck. For those of you that don't know bug juice is Kool Aid. This radar coolant came in 55 gallon drums with a liquor seal on the cap. Anyway these guys were sent to Captains Mast(Article 15) and punished.

Fast forward To the Spring or Summer of '82. AN LMc had been getting into trouble associated with his alcoholism since we returned to the US in November. As the final straw the USN gave him a General Discharge under less than honorable conditions. He had been sent to the alcohol rehabilitation center to no avail. He had receives psychiatric counseling..That did not work...so he was given the boot. He was unceremoniously escorted off the base, NAS North Island with money for transportation home.

Ok fast forward about three months later...AN LMc was arrested in the chow hall at NAS North Island for being drunk and disorderly. Wait a minute.. I thought he was booted out? Oh he was...here's the rest of the story.

AN LMc had an extra ID card that did not expire until his original EAOS and a chow pass that was good until the same day. It was discovered that he'd been living in the BEQ (barracks) and eating in the chow hall since the day he'd got booted out of the USN. The man had also taken a job as a part-time house painter to support himself.

I know he was arrested and he faced some Federal theft & fraud charges. We never heard from him after that.

Sad but true.
 

Equation

Lieutenant General
Not all the tales I tell are funny. This one is not. It's just sad.

Earlier in this thread I mentioned that back in the day alcohol abuse and general drunkenness was excepted and expected throughout the USN. sad but true.

True story.. on the USS America (CV 66) while deployed with VS-33 in the Indian Ocean I had a young man working for me ..Lets call him AN LMc. He was a drunk. Plain and simple. a functioning alcoholic. He was a very good worker..About 4 months into our cruise i.e. deployment in '81 he and another man were discovered drunk while the ship had been to sea at least a month in a secured spce. I don't know how they got in they just did. In the ensuing investigation it was discovered that they had been drinking E/A-6B radar coolant. Which by the way was 180 proof alcohol. They'd been mixing it with bug juice from the mess deck. For those of you that don't know bug juice is Kool Aid. This radar coolant came in 55 gallon drums with a liquor seal on the cap. Anyway these guys were sent to Captains Mast(Article 15) and punished.

Fast forward To the Spring or Summer of '82. AN LMc had been getting into trouble associated with his alcoholism since we returned to the US in November. As the final straw the USN gave him a General Discharge under less than honorable conditions. He had been sent to the alcohol rehabilitation center to no avail. He had receives psychiatric counseling..That did not work...so he was given the boot. He was unceremoniously escorted off the base, NAS North Island with money for transportation home.

Ok fast forward about three months later...AN LMc was arrested in the chow hall at NAS North Island for being drunk and disorderly. Wait a minute.. I thought he was booted out? Oh he was...here's the rest of the story.

AN LMc had an extra ID card that did not expire until his original EAOS and a chow pass that was good until the same day. It was discovered that he'd been living in the BEQ (barracks) and eating in the chow hall since the day he'd got booted out of the USN. The man had also taken a job as a part-time house painter to support himself.

I know he was arrested and he faced some Federal theft & fraud charges. We never heard from him after that.

Sad but true.

OMG, that is some serious alcoholic problems right there.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Thanks Equation for responding to this thread..:)

I mentioned that in Spanish ports non-rates (E-3 and below) had to be back on fleet landing by 0000 or turn into a report chit.

For those of you navally challenged Fleet Landing is where the liberty boats arrive/depart to take you to the ship when it is anchored out in port.

Barcelona Espana April 1973. The first night the JFK was in port.. on fleet landing about midnight..several hundred squids were milling about smartly some drunk some sober waiting for the liberty boats to get back to the JFK. Who ever was the Fleet Landing officer decided to make two lines ..one for those in uniform and one for E-4 and above in civvies. Naturally this fool allowed the squids in civvies to load the boats first. They were senior. This led to some pushing and shoving. The Shore Patrol stepped in to try to calm things down. I was already in a liberty launch as I got in the last boat loaded before this zero decided to segregate the lines. Bad move on his part. I saw shipmates hookin' and jabbin' and bobbin' and weaving. A few drunks fell into that nasty water as our boat pulled away. I guess it just took a few more minutes to restore order. I actually heard little about the incident the next day on board ship. Such was life in the USN circa 1973...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In Olongopo they use to sell BBQ on a stick. The origin of what type meat it was was probably concocted by sailors. Who were told by Filipinos that the BBQ meat was monkey. As someone who was stationed there for two years and two months I can tell you the BBQ meat was usually pork. Seldom chicken and often dog..That's right..we are talking Rover, Fido, Lassie, Benji, Rin Tin Tin etc..etc.you know woof woof!

I use to know a guy that lived down the street from me named Tom. He was half American (White). He owned a auto repair shop that specialized in VWs and body work. I had him paint my '69 Impala with a Starsky and Hutch stripe and install dual exhaust with glass packs..sweet!. Any way we became friends. One day he invited me to a wedding party for one of his workers.. They had all kinds of great Filipino & American food. I saw something that looked like ribs. So I gathered it up and started to chow down. Tom came up to me and said. "You like those ribs?"
"Yep..They're great"...
"That's aso (dog)" He says.
"Really??!!" I replied.
"It's my guard dogs".."Sarup??" (Taste good?)He ask.
"Yep"
And I continued to chow down
icon_smile.gif
. Oh by the way I had had about 6 or 7 San Miguels (beer) ...
icon_pirate.gif

Mas, Mas, mas sarup! (Very,very, very good)
icon_pirate.gif
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
When I served on the Kennedy in '72 & '73 it was the latest and greatest. Now the USN has zero oil burner CVs. But has 11 nuclear CVNs..Amazing..And in the whole rest of the Worlds navies there's only one CVN...ONE!

Sometime ago I realized that nearly every command I was stationed at in the USN is decommissioned. Except Great Lakes and the Nimitz..

Lets see..

All these commands are decommissioned..Kennedy, Midway, Hancock, America, NAS Cubi Pt, HSL-31, VS-33, HC-11, NAF Diego Garcia & NAS Miramar.

Let's see actually NAS Miramar is now MCAS Miramar. It was turned over to the USMC on 1 Oct. 1996. NAF Diego Garcia was absorbed by Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia some years ago. And HC-11 transitioned to HSC-21..

My oh my how things change.
 
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