Shipboard Service Is Harsh.

[MikeK]

I was a FMF Marine and I spent about a month on an old tub the USS Boxer LPH 4 (at that time) with about a thousand other Marines. I remember salt water showers when they ran low on fresh water. For my money life on a LST (USS De Soto County) was better but the flat bottom was a killer if you were prone to sea sickness.

Some people are exceptionally prone to seasickness -- and I am one of them!

I was among the first to board a Japan-bound APA, which got me routed to a bottom rack in the very bow, which is the worst possible place to be for one who is prone to seasickness. Because the rise and fall of the bow in rough weather is literal torture for one who is sea-sick. And I was so miserably sick I recall seriously thinking about jumping overboard if I were able to climb the ladders and find my way to the main deck -- which I wasn't. I was suicidally seasick, and that's no lie.

I eventually learned that, in addition to Dramamine tablets, downing a whole sleeve of saltine crackers will prevent or quickly relieve the misery of seasickness. I did that every time I boarded a ship after that horrible experience and it always worked.

Saltine crackers.

I was a field radio operator when we practiced wet net landings off troop ships climbing over the side into the little Mike boats my wireman was always immediately sick. The poor guy would position himself downwind in the back of the landing craft where his puke would not hit anyone and the circling sharks got a free meal.

Oh, brother -- are you bringing back memories.

Those goddam net drills. Bad enough on calm days, but when the weather was even slightly rough the landing boat would drop, then come up and hit you hard enough to knock you off the net.

I recall a fellow next to me on the net looked up at the same time as the web sling clip on the B.A.R. came loose and dropped off the shoulder of the Marine right above him. That 16lb weapon hit him square on the nose, breaking it and knocking him off the net. He ended up with a broken nose and a broken wrist (from falling).

Memories. When were you in? I was '56 to '60. Japan, Okinawa, and LeJeune. MOS 1345: Engineer, Heavy Equipment. I got out before 'Nam (Thank God) .

Semper Fi.

 

[whitehall]

I was a FMF Marine and I spent about a month on an old tub the USS Boxer LPH 4 (at that time) with about a thousand other Marines. I remember salt water showers when they ran low on fresh water. For my money life on a LST (USS De Soto County) was better but the flat bottom was a killer if you were prone to sea sickness.

Some people are exceptionally prone to seasickness -- and I am one of them!

I was among the first to board a Japan-bound APA, which got me routed to a bottom rack in the very bow, which is the worst possible place to be for one who is prone to seasickness. Because the rise and fall of the bow in rough weather is literal torture for one who is sea-sick. And I was so miserably sick I recall seriously thinking about jumping overboard if I were able to climb the ladders and find my way to the main deck -- which I wasn't. I was suicidally seasick, and that's no lie.

I eventually learned that, in addition to Dramamine tablets, downing a whole sleeve of saltine crackers will prevent or quickly relieve the misery of seasickness. I did that every time I boarded a ship after that horrible experience and it always worked.

Saltine crackers.

I was a field radio operator when we practiced wet net landings off troop ships climbing over the side into the little Mike boats my wireman was always immediately sick. The poor guy would position himself downwind in the back of the landing craft where his puke would not hit anyone and the circling sharks got a free meal.

Oh, brother -- are you bringing back memories.

Those goddam net drills. Bad enough on calm days, but when the weather was even slightly rough the landing boat would drop, then come up and hit you hard enough to knock you off the net.

I recall a fellow next to me on the net looked up at the same time as the web sling clip on the B.A.R. came loose and dropped off the shoulder of the Marine right above him. That 16lb weapon hit him square on the nose, breaking it and knocking him off the net. He ended up with a broken nose and a broken wrist (from falling).
I carried a Prick 10 field radio and the old mae west life vests pushing against the radio pack prevented any kind of judging the distance between the net and the boat
Memories. When were you in? I was '56 to '60. Japan, Okinawa, and LeJeune. MOS 1345: Engineer, Heavy Equipment. I got out before 'Nam (Thank God) .

Semper Fi.

I got out in 63. MOS 2531 field radio operator. The old mae west life vests that we wore going down the nets were ok unless you had a radio (prick 10) on your back and in that case you couldn't turn your head around to judge the distance from the net to the boats. With four ft swells it was an educated guess when to let go of the net. We had a couple of engineers (I think) on Gitmo during the missile crisis that got blown up in the mine field.

 

[smith77]

And the heads. The gross slime that was always in the floor of the showers. And the almost overwhelming smell of urine in the head. At least in the 160 man berthing on board USS JFK which I lived in. Then the smell of JP5 on carrier. Some married guys with high career sea pay counters terminated sea duty because they couldn't afford life without CSP. If I coulda had a state room, I think I might have enjoyed it. Met a 1st class on medical hold in Pensacola who had come off a USNS. Said it was really nice duty. No GQ drills, or any other drills. Mostly crewed by merchant marines.. Had a stateroom. No chow line. Walked into dining room, sat down and given a menu.

 

[MikeK]

A ship feels like prison to that guy? lmao

Try doing patrols on an FBM submarine. But the food was good, so there was that.

I hate all types of boats (I get seasick) and I can't stand heights (acrophobica). I must be somewhat claustrophobic, too, because the very thought of being in a submarine that's under water is very disturbing.

 

[MikeK]

I've always loved the feeling of the wind in my face, and the spray of the sea. Maybe it's my Viking lineage.
We could not have won WWII if the Navy was full of the whimps and pansies they have now.

Not just the Navy.

 

[WinterBorn]

A ship feels like prison to that guy? lmao

Try doing patrols on an FBM submarine. But the food was good, so there was that.

I hate all types of boats (I get seasick) and I can't stand heights (acrophobica). I must be somewhat claustrophobic, too, because the very thought of being in a submarine that's under water is very disturbing.

The submarine had 6'5" ceilings and we were only rolling when we were close to the surface. All in all, it was great duty. Except for that whole thing of staying at work for 3 months at a time.

 

[harmonica]

A ship feels like prison to that guy? lmao

Try doing patrols on an FBM submarine. But the food was good, so there was that.

I hate all types of boats (I get seasick) and I can't stand heights (acrophobica). I must be somewhat claustrophobic, too, because the very thought of being in a submarine that's under water is very disturbing.

The submarine had 6'5" ceilings and we were only rolling when we were close to the surface. All in all, it was great duty. Except for that whole thing of staying at work for 3 months at a time.

about what year was that?
...I used to go to the Pearl Harbor sub base quite a few times and we had a sub in the same port as us in South America...and I never went on one...I'm pissed off at myself for that
...I was in the USMC...could you take people on tours of the sub?