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Crew
Posts: 70
Location: Naples, Fl | Subject: RE: Where Were You
On the USS Lafayette (SSBN 616) Blue Crew at EB still under construction living on a barge. |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 46
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On a destroyer, USS Bigelow DD 942, in Mayport Fl. We had just arrived from the Med about 2 or 3 days earlier. We had a call back on Friday the 19th and were under way on Monday the 22nd and on station (Walnut Line) when the President gave his speech to the nation that night. Until then, we didn't know what was happening but we knew it was serious. The old timers were concerned when we removed the barrel plugs from the 5 inch guns and covered them with canvas sleves.
Keg |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2672
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: Where Were You
Sirago SS485 Was in Portsmouth Va. yards. They were asking for FN volunteers for sea duty, for the Cubera or maybe it was Torsk, not too sure. I volunteerd but was turned down because I was married....
That really made me think about what was going on!! |
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Old Salt
Posts: 403
Location: Sacramento/Twain Harte | Subject: RE: Where Were You
I was three years out of the navy at the ripe old age of 23.  At the time I was in Mexico buying produce for a large chain store. I felt pretty safe, because who the hell wants Mexico? Even the Mexicans don't!!! Help me, please help me! Im surrounded.--- John396  |
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Old Salt
Posts: 489
Location: San Freakcisco CA area | Subject: RE: Where Were You
Like someone posted, the so-called "Cuban Missile Crisis" started on October 16, 1962 -- BUT our government didn't make that bad news "public" until 22 October, a full 6 days later. I was between Midway and Pearl on a tincan returning from a 3-year deployment to Yokosuka. We had a real "control freak" CO who was sweating making his 4th stripe so much that he micromanaged everything down to mess cooks cranking pots and pans in the scullery. In all my US&N years, I never worked for a worse pain in the ass.
ALL message boards were routed to the CO first -- and god help the poor radio shack messenger who did otherwise. As many of you know, on the DBFs, the CO was usually the last one to see the message boards - which gave everyone else an opportunity to be prepared to make recommendations or have an answer ready. But not with this CO ... he was first, then often began peppering some hapless officer with questions while the poor slob had no idea what the old man was talking about because he was in the dark, Most of the time it was our Ops officer who starred as leading victim in the show.
Anyway ... we were all seated in the wardroom for a meal - lunch, I think - when the RM knocked, came in looking like he was on death watch. Whenever the RM interrupted a meal, we knew there was FLASH traffic. He handed the message board to the CO. After the old man initialled off, he told the RM to return the message to the radio room and not distribute it any further. By now, we were all literally on the edge of our seats. The old man abruptly got up, told the XO and gunnery officer that he wanted to see them in CIC immediately, and left, The XO and GO quitely got up and left on the old man's heels while the rest of us sat there with our faces hanging out, thinking or saying WTF??
The Ops officer went up to radio, promptly returned, and told us the RMC, citing the CO's order, wouldn't let him see "the message."
The next thing we knew, General Quarters was being sounded. So everyone went to their appointed station and waited. And waited. And waited. What in hell was going on? Were we at war? Was there a Russian sub setting up a bow shot on us?
After about 15 minutes of this, the CO came on the 1MC and announced "The President has ordered a full naval and air blockade of Cuba and we are awaiting further orders from C-inc-Pac.
Cuba?? Blockade?? This was a scene right out of Doctor Strangelove - here we are about 3 days from either Pearl or Midway out in the wide blue Pacific and there is some ruckus with Castro off Florida in the Atlantic?? How in the world does could that possibly involve us?? -- Unless, of course, the Russians or Chinese had jumped in, but he didn't say anything about them ....
I guess the old man just wanted to be the first one to start firing those 5" guns of ours if we went to war -- but what was our target, anyway?
After about 2 hours, we went back to normal steaming with absolutely no explanation of what had happened, why we went to GQ, or what was happening next.
Now, if you think this tale is strange, wait until I tell you on 22 November what we did that day in 1963!
And, as the big boys say, NTINS!! |
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Crew
Posts: 50
Location: Bremerton,Wa | Subject: RE: Where Were You
We had just came back off our third patrol on Abraham Lincoln(SSBN602 )Blue Crew and I was waiting orders for DEPCOMSUBLANT(STAFF) and was sweating an other run in December.I finally got the orders a couple days before departure to Holy Loch.Things was quite busy around the submarine force those days |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 17
Location: Fresno, CA | Subject: RE: Where Were You
I was in the first grade learning to Duck and Cover!!!! |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 13
Location: South Gate, California | Subject: RE: Where Were You
I was 25 years old, out of the Navy for over 4 years, single and working for Boeing in Great Falls Montana on the Minuteman Missile program. We were trying to get as many Missiles ready to turn over to the Airforce as possible, programed and targeted to fly south if neccessary. Lots of overtime working in the Montana snow. |
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Old Salt
Posts: 251
Location: Beavercreek, Oregon | Subject: RE: Where Were You
IBM basic training, had got out of the navy in August of 62. |
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On Blueback going through overhaul in Mare Island. Squadron called and wanted a RM2(SS) to transfer to Charr ASAP. Within a matter of hours I was on a plane headed to SDiego. Reported aboard and we got underway. Ended up in WestPac. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2253
Location: Foothills of the Ozarks | Subject: RE: Where Were You
I had just graduated from Sub School and was home in Detroit wondering if I was going to Cuba
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Senior Crew
Posts: 214
Location: Ladson SC | Subject: RE: Where Were You
USS Cubera SS-347 Norfold Va watching the guys off the Orion strip gear out of the boat to be able to get other boats underway. We had Main Induction problems and could not submerge so we were the local parts department. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1005
Location: NE Florida | Subject: RE: Where Were You
I was attending BQQ-2 sonar school in lovely Key West.
We noticed in the early evening that the lights were on all over the piers and that torpedoes were being taken from storage to the boats. In the morning there wasn't a boat to be seen.
The Sonar School armed the SA's & SN's and started a "beach watch" for invaders. Invade Key West??? After some stone crab alarms, that got cancelled. For a while, it was Football 13, Navy 0.
Then the National Guard & Army showed up in strength and set up south-facing radars & all sorts of comms gear. The local price of beer tripled.
It settled down to a watch-and-wait after a few days, which lasted for some time. I was sent to new construction, so I don't know how long it lasted.
DBF
Coyote
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: RE: Where Were You
PaulR - 2007-02-28 2:17 PM
RCK - 2007-02-28 1:22 PM
October 16, 1962 ?
ET "A" School, GLAKES
Bingo! Sort of ... ET'A' School, TI SF |
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Mess cooking
Posts: 7
Location: San Francisco Bay Area | Subject: RE: Where Were You
I was in Key West, assigned to the USS Chopper...We wondered what all the fuss in town was about. There were jeeps going around town telling all to return to their commands. When I got back to base, the Chopper was out at the outer quay wall loading war-shots...
went out, but don't recall we did anything "interesting", but we were loaded for bear!!
In hind site it has been said that the most dangerous part of that whole deal was the E2's patrolling the beech with loaded M1 Carbines....
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 561
Location: Belleview, Fl | Subject: RE: Where Were You
I was a twinkle in my dad's eye whom at the time was stationed in Newfoundland as a RM3 on Super Connies and chasing the Russians and trying to keep their airplane out of the Barents Sea. Half of his Squadron went to the cuban missile crisis and the rest of the squadron (to include him) stayed on patrol around Greenland and Newfie making sure that Uncle Ivan wasn't bringing anything else to play..
Hey Joe it was Torsk (SS 423) that went to the crisis and had you made that run you would have met MM2(SS) George Vest, a great friend of mine and a part time Torsk bandit from a while back (2003 work weekend was his last run)... Yes I have been working on him to return home.. For a retired Budweiser Superivisor he is the busiest man I have ever met.
Darrin |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Where Were You
Key West trying like hell to get paid. Pay records were in Disbursing Office on ORION and we were so damn broke we picked the heads off shrimp for a quarter a peck basket. Cats followed us for three days and the iodine in the shrimp made our fingers swell up to the size of half-smokes...Later, Jack Purdeee founde a place that paid you $25 for a pint of blood...We got enough to buy beer for damn near a week. We never did anything but look like lost sheep until they put us back on a bus and send us back to Norfolk...Am I authorized to wear the Key West Shrimp Pickers Missle Crisis ribbon? DEX |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1431
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We were half way between Pearl and Seattle when we were told to head to San Diego and load warshots.....torpedos not the sailor. When we got there things had abated so we all headed to the base bowling alley and SOME had a bit....understatement of the year....... too much to drink. On the way back to the boat we made so much noise the Exec of the Gilmore came down to the insurgent sailors and told them to knock it off and put out the smokes. It was a fueling pier afterall and they were in the process of undergoing a change of command ceremony, One of the drunks threatened to punch him out if he didn't leave them alone. A short time later our skipper was told by the base commander to get his sub the hell off his base AND DON'T COME BACK!!!. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1269
Location: Hopewell Junction NY | Subject: RE: Where Were You
ET "A" school, Great Lakes. My previous command had a load of jarheads and was circling some Carib Island, I'm sure.
APA-228
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 566
Location: Inyokern, Ca. | Subject: RE: Where Were You
A amazing as this works out, I was in Connecticut probably playing in the piles of leaves in the front yard. I have four memories of that time. The leaves, a lobster dinner at home that my mom and (short-lived-- 6 months) step-dad had in the living room, him swimming in the ocean (and me thinking he was going out to meet the submarine), and him trashing the kitchen and breaking all the plates during a regular tantrum.
Then we moved back to Tucson while he was underway and never saw him again. John Crockett was (I think) his name. Mom won't talk much about him.
BB |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1814
Location: Boydton, Virginia | Subject: RE: Where Were You
On Atule in Key West, standing 4-8 topside watch when word came down to "make all preparations to get underway" I was in charge of seaman gang and we were on a 2 week upkeep. Painted over hull numbers etc. Long story, but after repacing our screws 2nd time (First put on BACKWARDS) entire SUBRON 12 underway ON THE SURFACE AND IN FORMATIOIN) heading north. Our battlecry was "Trouble south, heading North". If I had known then what I know now about what was happening, I would have been scared stiff. But I thought we could kich ass with our 20 year old diesel boat.
Steamboat sends |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9165
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: Where Were You
Junior in high school
Edited by Ric 2008-03-29 9:20 AM
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1247
Location: Rockingham Western Australia | Subject: RE: Where Were You
1st year of School Cowaramup Western Australia aged 6. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2357
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Thought you were from Carine mate.
No wonder you like Margaret River.
Blue *_* |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: RE: Where Were You
PaulR - 2008-03-28 5:56 PMET "A" school, Great Lakes. My previous command had a load of jarheads and was circling some Carib Island, I'm sure. APA-228
Likewise for ET'A' school ... except at Treasure Island, in San Francisco Bay. I had just reported there after post boot camp leave.
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Where Were You
