Angles, Dangles and Gumby
  by
Sean Dupre TM2/SS/DV - USS Spadefish SSN-668 (637 class)
Every submariner has experienced "angles and dangles" in preparation for patrol. There was always a forgotten cup of bug juice crashing to the floor or a locker door flying open. 

During one deployment, the USS Spadefish's one and only QM2/SS "Gumby" McGinn decided to make a joy ride out of the angles and dangles exercise. You would have to know Gumby, he was a high school wrestling champ from Michigan with an 18" neck and a very boisterous personality. He flattened out a cardboard box, sat down in the middle of it and wrapped the sides up with his arms. Facing the forward passageway Gumby waited for the next 30 degree down angle and off he went sliding past the head and up to the forward compartment hatch. 

He made a return run on the following up angle and by this time a small crowd had assembled in the mess decks to cheer him on. One more down angle and Gumby was preparing to ride out the last up angle back towards the mess decks. By this time he had worked out the kinks of the cardboard sled and was really picking up speed. 

As Gumby entered the mess decks area full steam ahead, the Captain had called for a left degree turn in conjunction with the up angle and Gumby lost his balance and crashed in to the stainless steel cabinets under the bug juice dispensers. 

There happened to be a bent up piece of steel on one of the cabinets, which took a chunk of meat out of Gumby's love handles. Needless to say, Gumby visited both the corpsman and the Captain. What a way to start a patrol! 

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