On Mon, 31 Aug 2015 12:20:02 -0700, PeggLeg <reply@here.net> wrote:
>I just meant that I spent my Navy years mostly on station...in the
>gulf. The guys in the jungle were the ones who had it bad. We were
>fairly lucky. The Big O had a great crew and we only had one or two
>mishaps while I was there. The worst was October 26, 1966 when, after
>an unrep, some guys were passing magnesium flares hand to hand and one
>of the pins came out. That's the story I heard. Whoever had it panicked
>and tossed it into the flare locker instead of overboard. Needless to
>say, the whole locker went up. It was on the starboard side forward
>hanger bay, and at that time no one knew anything about metal fires.
>(I've been to fire fighting schools after Navy, and there wasn't any
>mention of them until the 1990s or so.) They did the wrong thing: they
>hit it with fire hoses. It made it hotter and spread it clear across
>the forward hanger bay, effectively cutting off all access to officers
>country up forward. Most of the 44 dead were officers. The guy I used
>to hang out with was lost as well. Not a really big deal compared to
>the losses by the guys on the ground, but it's one of those things that
>stays in your memory forever
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Its ALL Relative Mate !
It has stayed in your memory the same as it has stayed in the memory
of the soldiers on land that lost their mates and still have the same
thoughts today.
===================================================
> I was a smoke nut for many years. If I
>smelled smoke, I HAD to know where it was coming from. Weird, eh?
===================================================
No ! I'm like that and have never faced anything like You have.
===================================================
>From what I heard, the guys who were on her were madder about the
>Japanese wanting to buy her to make a museum or something out of her
>than they were about them making a reef out of her. They got up a
>petition and all, and I guess they won. I sure as h--l wouldn't want
>the Japanese to have her.
===================================================
Wow ! I Never heard about THAT !
But... to Me... That Would have been a BIG Insult !
===================================================
>I'm not really sure how the guys feel about
>them making a reef of her, but it's sort of neat that you can dive on
>her whenever you want, I guess. And you're right: I read that she was
>the largest man-made reef as well. We can't keep ALL of them around
>forever. Gotta put 'em somewhere.
===================================================
I suppose that a Reef would be better than selling to the Japs OR
going to a breakers yard as scrap metal.
===================================================
>I haven't burned the one on carriers yet, but I noticed that it is
>mostly during the war. The Big O was built in time to make the war,
>but, oddly, wasn't commissioned until later.
===================================================
I will be honest ! I need the 'built' and 'Commissioned' difference
explained, why not build it and use it straight away !?
===================================================
> She was a straight deck
>Essex class until right before I went aboard when she got an angle deck
>and a hurricane bow. We still had a wood insert deck, though, so we
>couldn't handle the F-4s, they'd chew it up.
>As in most things like that, there were good times and bad times. All
>were "learning" experiences.
>Wow! Really got windy that time.
>Later...
===================================================
I... sort of mostly get the above. Hurricane Bow ?
===================================================
>
>PeggLeg
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* If The Earth Didn't Suck... We Would All Fall Off ! *
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|--Spike=-
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