Subdeacon Joe Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 DEAR READERS: Here's another entry in our (growing) "submarine graffiti" chapter for the next book... TARGET: The USS Chicago (CG-11), a guided missile cruiser PERPETRATORS: Crew members of the USS Permit (SSN-594), a fast-attack submarine WHERE AND WHEN: Yokosuka, Japan, 1974 While moored behind Chicago, two swimmers from Permit with recent UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) training decided to test their skills daringly. With a can of white paint and a brush, they swam to the hull of the cruiser at night. The swimmers chose their timing by first watching the routine of the deck guards circulating on Chicago. A conspicuous set of dolphins was applied to the stern just above the waterline. The duo made it back to Permit unscathed to a sea of high-fives and hooyahs. The graffiti wasn’t noticed until early the following morning. There happened to be an admiral aboard Chicago at the time, and he was livid about the egregious lapse in ship security. An all-hands meeting at the pier shortly after the crack of dawn was called by the admiral. He strongly denounced such juvenile behavior as inconsistent with the high standards of the US Navy. During a brief meeting with the Permit CO that ensued, the admiral pointed out that the enlisted man standing topside watch on the submarine the preceding night had to have known about the stunt. The admiral insisted that this sailor be among those compelled to paint over the graffiti. So, the topside watch and a couple of his shipmates boarded a rowboat and started making their way across the short stretch of water to the cruiser to repaint the stern. As luck (?) would have it, their transit happened to coincide with morning colors. At exactly 0800, the ensign was slowly raised on all Navy ships (at Yokosuka and elsewhere) while every sailor stood at attention saluting the flag. The national anthem blared from loudspeakers throughout the harbor. This time-honored and sacrosanct tradition was a bedrock of the service, and the three Permit crewmen in the water had no choice but to join in. They dropped their oars and tried to stand up inside the unstable rowboat to face the flag and salute. Everyone with a view of the rowboat cast a furtive glance at the pathetic sight in the water. As The Star-Spangled Banner rang out, its stirring passages seemed strangely incongruous with the sideshow created by “The Three Stooges” in the rowboat. Somehow, by using each other to awkwardly balance themselves while attempting to stand, the men managed to avoid spilling into the drink and offered their shaky salutes. When colors concluded, a huge peal of laughter erupted from the crews of both Permit and Chicago. PHOTO: Dolphins on the stern! (Courtesy of Mike Beaudet) 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 (edited) One of my deployments as a young Marine was a cruise to Norway. I was in an OV 10 squadron, and we were transported on a LHA, a Helicopter Landing Craft that looks like a small Aircraft Carrier, but lacks Catapult or Arresting Gear. An OV 10 can take off from one, but must be lifted back on by crane or helo. Also on the ship was a Helicopter squadron, HMA 362. They had the latest CH 53 aircraft, the first to be outfitted with three engines. This was their first deployment with these helos. The deployment went fine right up until we were staging to reboard the ship. Our OV 10s were lined up outside a hanger on the Norwegian Air Base we had flown out of, waiting for the helos to lift them back on the ship. Our pilots had just gotten out of their aircraft when one of the helos rolled by, but misjudged his distance to the hanger. His rotor blades hit the hanger, tearing it and themselves apart, sending debris all up and down the flightline, hitting two of our aircraft. A couple of the pilots barely missed getting with the shrapnel, and one of the just vacated pilot's seats was torn up pretty badly. Since they weren't going to be flying until we got back stateside, there wasn't an urgent need to repair them, so they were lifted back onto the ship for examination of the damage so that Repair orders could be made, and parts could be ordered for when we got back. BUT WAIT IT GETS BETTER. Back Stateside, when they were helo lifting the damaged aircraft off the ship, a lifting cable got tangled on the hook causing the aircraft to tilt at an angle, and start spinning under the helo. Instead of setting the OV 10 back on the deck, they DROPPED IT INTO THE OCEAN!!! This was a Norfolk Naval Station, and we were going to be on board for a few more days while we sailed down to North Carolina. There was to be an "Open House" on the ship when we got back, so we hatched a plan. We cut out a silhouette of an OV 10, and the night before the Open House, I sneaked out on deck to the helos, (having determined where the particular helos that did the damage were parked during the day), and spray painted the silhouettes in white on the OD Green helos for all the world to see the next day. There was an Investigation of course, but "nobody" saw anything and "nobody" knew anything, so nothing came of it. But a bunch of Senior Officers saw it and were not pleased. Edited July 1 by Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 There are a couple Calfire OV-10As that operate out of Santa Rosa. They fly both as fire observers/directors and as, I guess the term would be Pathfinders for the Grumman S-2s and other air assets, flying low to show the insertion, and laying a smoke trail where the tankers should drop. Also out of Santa Rosa are a Bell UH-1A Super Huey and a Sikorski S-70i. Those helicopter pilots....did any of them make ace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 10 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: The duo made it back to Permit unscathed to a sea of high-fives and hooyahs. The author, who apparently isn’t trained Naval personnel or never was has a couple of things that are incorrect. The Fleet Navy doesn’t do “Hooyahs”. Or they didn’t then. I truly hope they don’t now. The SEALs used it, but not the rest of the Navy. 10 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: At exactly 0800, the ensign was slowly raised on all Navy ships At morning colors the flag is raised briskly or ”smartly”. At sunset the colors are lowered slowly. The author has it backwards. Look at 1206 on this pdf. https://www.secnav.navy.mil/doni/US Navy Regulations/Chapter 12 - Flags, Pennants, Honors, Ceremonies and Customs.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted July 1 Author Share Posted July 1 2 hours ago, Pat Riot said: The author, who apparently isn’t trained Naval personnel or never was has a couple of things that are incorrect. The Fleet Navy doesn’t do “Hooyahs”. Or they didn’t then. I truly hope they don’t now. The SEALs used it, but not the rest of the Navy. At morning colors the flag is raised briskly or ”smartly”. At sunset the colors are lowered slowly. The author has it backwards. Look at 1206 on this pdf. https://www.secnav.navy.mil/doni/US Navy Regulations/Chapter 12 - Flags, Pennants, Honors, Ceremonies and Customs.pdf Dang! Is Alpo on vacation and you're substituting for him? 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 4 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Dang! Is Alpo on vacation and you're substituting for him? Nah, I just hate to see people get things wrong in their writings. It’s like someone made a pretty darn good meatloaf then they smother it with ketchup then gravy. That’s just wrong, like getting facts incorrect in an otherwise well written piece. I can tell you that no ship Command or crew likes it when an Admiral decides to make their ship the “Flag Ship”. All of a sudden the officers get all by the book and the Chiefs get all Blue Jackets Manual and annoying. The Captain gets a little meaner and sh…stuff rolls downhill. Morale dips and then one glorious day the Admiral leaves because he can’t get the proper amount of a** kissing then he runs off to make some other ship’s crew miserable. I only ever met one Admiral that I truly liked. His name was Admiral Train. Helluva Admiral and genuinely a nice guy, unless he needed to be otherwise. He was a Sailor’s Admiral…and he loved Cruisers and Mk 26 Missile Launchers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted July 2 Share Posted July 2 On 7/1/2024 at 2:39 PM, Pat Riot said: Nah, I just hate to see people get things wrong in their writings. It’s like someone made a pretty darn good meatloaf then they smother it with ketchup then gravy. That’s just wrong, like getting facts incorrect in an otherwise well written piece. Yeah smothered with ketchup is enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 3 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said: Yeah smothered with ketchup is enough. Yep. One or the other, not both. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.