SEA STORIES

I always ask those that served on board through the years to share some of their stories, and many are willing to help out - I'm always eager for contributions! - Jim

 

.....The windshield wipers were originally installed on the inside of the bridge by the yard workers........

There were usually 65 radarmen (or radar strikers) who worked in CIC (Combat Information Center) aboard at any one time. We were divided into four sections with one section on watch at a time. I was a Radarman First Class and the enlisted supervisor of my watch. There were usually two officers on each watch. We were in OI (operations intelligence) division. CIC is the nerve center of the ship and collects,  evaluates, displays and disseminates all info regarding the task force and it's activities.

......It was always an exciting time for me when we dropped the pilot off and headed out to sea.......My favorite spot on the ship was on the 0-6 level (Three decks above the flight deck) watching flight operations. I am now 78 years old and there is nothing I have ever witnessed that impressed me as much as watching the pilots and flight deck personnel in action. They were unbelievably knowledgeable, well coordinated and safety conscious. Their responsibilities were awesome. And I have been told that the average age of the flight deck people is something like 20........

Somewhere along the way we had acquired a dog (dachshund).  We thought of her as being a half a dog high and two dogs long. I guess she got to hanging with the wrong crowd while on liberty for a short time later she came up pregnant and soon gave birth. We were working with Task Force 77 off Korea when the pups were raffled off. When the winners names were called, one was a pilot who had been lost over Korea that day..........

There were a number of 20mm gun mounts on board when we were commissioned but they were taken off after the Med cruise....... My worse time aboard the Big "O" was the five months or so we spent in the Brooklyn navy yard after the Med tour. That was a drag. We wanted to go to sea.............

Best regards,

James Allen

Mr. Allen sent this to me via E-mail, He was on board from 1950-1953 

When the USS Pueblo was captured in January 1968...we (the Oriskany) were making a transit from westpac to Alameda....and moments after the capture took place, I learned of it through teletype chatter over the "alpha" teletype circuit with a land-based operator on Guam who had just relayed a flash message about the incident. ... the "alpha" termination was our main communications circuit to the world and we were in the middle of the pacific .... far out of any normal comm range...so I am pretty sure I was the first and only person to hear this news ....

It was time for chow...and on the way out of the radio shack...I mentioned the Pueblo incident to the guys hanging out in radio....2 or 3 people..... and proceded to chow..... Waited in the chow line for 15 minutes....and was just getting my tray filled...when I heard the mess cooks talking about the USS Pueblo capture... heard it again while I was eating from some snipes..and again on the way back to radio from some of the air wing..... word had spread around the ship...word of mouth inside 30 minutes... That was an incredible demonstration, to me, of the power and speed of the rumor mill aboard a ship....even a large ship....

Regards,
Wayne

Wayne Neighbors

USS Oriskany CR Div 1967 - 69

*TRANSFERED FROM WAYNE'S WEBSITE, WHICH HAS BEEN RETIRED

I wasn't on watch when it happened, but one night during an UNREP a Marine who was helping dispose of retrograde fell off the portside elevator into the water. Since we were still unrepping we couldn't go into man overboard. The escort destroyer (wish I could remember who it was) fished him out and the helo picked him up and returned him to the O-Boat. The story goes that the MarDet C.O. was waiting for him on the flight deck and when the Marine got out off the helo he apologized to his C.O. for leaving the ship without permission.   Ron Camp

*TRANSFERED FROM WAYNE'S WEBSITE, WHICH HAS BEEN RETIRED

During my first cruise on the "O" with Vah-4 in 1962 we were suddenly awakening to a man overboard at about 3:00 am. Our crews compartment was just off the starboard foward 5" gun tub. Most of the Vah-4 guys were in the tub looking out to where the ships search lights had zero'd in on the guy in the water. As we pulled along side him, all of a sudden a large empty coffee tin goes flying into the water and almost hits the guy. To this day I don't know if someone was trying to save the dude, or if they were pissed that the whole ship had to get up and they tried to zonk him. Anyway we all laughed at the time thinking it was funny, but I bet the guy in the water wasn't amused and was glad to get back aboard. Later Larry!!!!

*TRANSFERED FROM WAYNE'S WEBSITE, WHICH HAS BEEN RETIRED

Your question has brought back some good and funny memories. One of my fondest, was while standing in the chow line, a sailor escapes from the brig. He comes running down the chow line with his bald head shinning and four Marines chashing after him swinging there batons. The funny part comes when all of a sudden a bunch of hungary sailors stick out their feet, and four Marines hit the deck, while the imprisioned sailor gained a little ground. he was eventually caught, and the Marines got a chance in use their sticks which was sad, but to see these highly skilled and neatly dressed killing machines hit the deck, brought smiles to us for some time to come. Larry Gast 66-68

*TRANSFERED FROM WAYNE'S WEBSITE, WHICH HAS BEEN RETIRED

The un-rep with the Nitro,(appropriate name) I was on the forward starboard sponson manning a Fire Hose. As we watched the approach it seemed that we were getting very close. The next thing the collision alarm sounded and none of us knew what it was. I went to the railing after we had struck the Nitro and locked up. No more than 15 ft. from me a guy on the Nitro was looking right at me and said,"I'm to short for this Bullsh-t. We both laughed and soon after we seperated. Funny that night but the next day we were busy all day re-making the torn up railing.
 

Dan Stangl SF 2

*TRANSFERED FROM WAYNE'S WEBSITE, WHICH HAS BEEN RETIRED

Seaman Robert Stone reporting to first division as orderd sir.
Don't call me sir. was the first orders I received. when I came aboard the big 'O' in 1962, via highline from the USS pollex out of  Subic Bay during an unrep.
Standing in front of me was the bigist ugliest Bos'n mate in west pack. I'm a chief petty officer, not a damn officer, he replied.
after the customary 3 Months on the mess decks, I returned to 1st div.
My battle station was on the 5" gun tub starb'd side forwr'd. I thought I done died and went to heaven. when they made me the pointer ( the guy that pulls the trigger ) shooting guns was always a favorite past time. However it when from, bang bang band to, KABLOOWY KABLANG KABAM. Man that was a blast.
I thought nothing could top this, until the told me my duty station was helmsman on the bridge. WOW!
I was raised up on the waterways around the Georgia coast, and spent most of my time in my little batoux with my little 3 HP Johnson dreaming I was the biggest boat on the water.
The dream came true!
I spent so much time on the helm they would literally have to physically  pull me off the helm to give someone else wheel time. even then I would do favors, and cut deals to take someone's watch to get back on the helm.
Capt House would go to bed with me on the helm, and wake up in the morning come back on the bridge shouting. Stone you still here, I would just reply are we going to turn today sir.
I was on side boy detail when Pres. Kennedy was piped aboard. Now that I'll never forget with all the pomp and ceremony going on.
The down side was. My bunk was directly under the starb'd cat. the whole time we were off Nam. air ops 24/7. You still can't surprise me with sudden loud noises.
the sound of steam charging the cats up, after burners kicking in, swoosh ram bam as the birds catapulted off the bow, I called it the big "O" lullaby.
I was discharged in Dago sep. of 64, and not a day goes by that I don't think of the learning experience, and coming of age aboard the big "risk"

...I was aboard rounding the horn and it was pretty rough especially for the two destroyers we had with us. One of them had a flooded compartment. They were finally directed to get behind us and stay in our wake. We also dumped some oil as we went along to try to make their passage a little easier. Whether or not this helped I don't know. They couldn't cook and ran out of bread so we lowered some to them from our helicopter. I jury rigged an inclinometer using a protractor, a piece of string and a small weight and as best as I could tell we were taking 27 degree rolls. Not too bad for a large ship but tough on smaller ones. Our mess tables were not anchored to the deck so they could be taken down between meals with the area being used for the movement of bombs and ammo. Other times they were left up because the movement of the ship wasn't enough to cause any problem. Going around the horn they weren't put up at all because of the rough seas. We sat on the deck to eat for a couple of meals. We had some damage up forward. I don't remember if it was a bow plate or a gun tub. When we left Peru I had volunteered to ride one of the destroyers for a day and night as an observer in their CIC. They were going to leave us the next day and go through the Panama Canal to the east coast. When time came for them to leave us we pulled alongside the "O" and I was transferred back by highline, which was the reason I wanted to go in the first place.

Jim Allen

Oriskany 1950-53

I was an electrician with VF-194 during the 72/73 cruise and was working with the crew performing the maintanience turn on an F8 on the hanger deck the day SN Peter Chan was blown over the side and lost. There wasn't anything that could have been done differently, it was just one of those terrible, unavoidable tragedies. I didn't know him but I still think of that day occasionally and I think of his family and the lifetime I have had that he didn't. God bless him, and all those that didn't return.

AE2 Jim Brannon

VF 194 1972 /1975

I remember in 1963, we were docked in Japan. We were flushing the fire hydrants on the flight deck. A shipmate of mine was having trouble flushing the hydrant above the Officers Deck, when all of a sudden the seaweed broke loose and knocked the bucket out of his hands and the bucket and water landed on the canopy below. The canopy collapsed and the mahogany deck was flooded along with the Marine Captain on duty. Man was he MAD!  The entire ship was called to muster and the Marine Captain tried to identify the sailor. He never did identify him.

I was attached to VA-163 ( Saints) CAW-16  as a AE-3 with our squadron, I had experienced many events that was bad. Many were good, and positive.   The worst by far was the fire in 66.

I had just got off duty and was laying in my rack joking with a bunch of guys. we noticed smoke hovering on the overhead. This was about 7:30 in the morning. Then we heard, "fire, fire hanger bay one port side". in a few minutes, then came the worst news. "general quarters all hands man your battle stations, this is not a drill.  At that point we knew something was really wrong. The smoke was getting thicker. We were three decks below hanger bay #1, where the fire was raging.  There was about twenty of us down there at the time. We all grabbed each by the belt and started up the ladder. After we made it to the next deck, the smoke was worse, it was burning our eyes and lungs. The acid smoke from magnesium even started burning our lips and eye lids. We could not see nothing.  In panic we were separated from each other.  I ended up alone and crawling on my stomach in a passageway. Holding my breath as long as I could, and then breathing the toxic smoke, for any air that was there. I was about to give up, when I came across something that was cool and refreshing. I was laying at the bottom of a door, sucking in the cool air. I realized that it had to be a compartment with air conditioning.  I hit the door with my fist. I did not know if anyone was in there. Suddenly it opened. I fell in to a ready room, with about 15 pilots and crew. One crew member, knew the way out.  We all grabbed a rag of some form and wet it with coffee that was there, to help us breathe. The smoke was getting pretty bad in the ready room at the time. We made it to the flight deck. We ended up on the catwalk, on the starboard side, on fly one. The fire was raging on the port side, in the hanger bay and compartments forward.  As I got to the catwalk, there were shipmates trying to help a  shipmate. He, whom I later found out was a supply officer. I stopped and tried to help him. He was in bad shape. While doing CPR, his legs was on my  shoulders, and felt cold. I will never forget this moment. He died.

 After, I was walking down the flight deck, in shock.  I was approached by a squadron member, he was so happy and gave my a big hug. I was the only member of our squadron that was missing from muster at the time of general quarters. He thought I was gone.   All of us in our compartment made it out safely.   This, was the worst and most important event, that stays in my mind forever with Vietnam. I lost 44 shipmates, in a matter of hours, not including our shot down and MIA.

 There are other incidents, that caused death aboard my three tours.  If I had to do this all over again, I would!!!   I love, and that's putting it mildly, my country, my ship, my squadron. As of this day, we are still together.

Walter Spain

I went aboard at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 52, spent my "24" months on board until '54 in OR Div. Made TEM-3 my last few months were in the post office, best job in the Navy!

I can fully relate to Jim Allens ventures because I experienced all of them, in other ways. Rounded the Horn, crossed the equator two times, Royal Order of the Blue Nose, the Golden Dragon, Order of Mossbacks etc. The heavy seas at the Horn is the heaviest I have ever experienced and I cruise a lot.

When we hit Pearl, I was sent back to A School  by way of the Mars Flying boat (both ways), crossed the Pacific when returning by MATS to Japan, finally back to the ship after two "high Line" transfers from tankers.

The thing that save me from the "deck apes" job was the fact that I could type, my first assignment In main comm was yeoman and main comm messenger, I was all about the ship delivering messages, so I got to see a lot of the ship. When we were off Korea, I spent a lot of watches on the ship to ship teletype and finally down into the Post Office which turned out to be the best assignment ever. I was shipped over to the Phil Sea in 54 for very short time before being released, the "O" was on it's way west and they wanted us short timers off, it was a the best experience of my life, never to be forgotten, as you can read by this short note.

My best to all my former shipmates who may read this.

 

Jack Warth

Pennant 910 Ft. long   Photo taken as we entered San Diego after the cruse of 65. I was a signalman and helped with the pennant.  Every foot of the pennant represented something,  one  foot for every member of the crew, tonnage dropped etc.

I do believe we were the only ship in the Viet Dam war authorized to fly one.  It was so long the San Diego air port  told us to take it down because it was in there flight pattern to the air port.  We were all given the Navy Unit Citation for that cruse.

More info on the pennant.  It was made for us in Hon Kong. Chief Hayit was in charge of the project.  It was made of nylon ,  because it was so big, grommets were made into it along the top and we attached weather balloons to the grommets to take up. The whole pennant affair was out of naval tradition, very official. I remember Chief Hayit said tradition stated that once the ship was in port the pennant was to be cut up and one square foot was to be given to each crew member.( don't remember that happening.  )

I remember watching the evening news with Dan Rather the first year of the Iraq war. He reported the return of the USS Abe Lincoln from its cruse ( the time that President Bush flew on board ) Dan Rather said the Lincoln had accomplished so much one cruse that it had earned special honors by the navy. He added that no ship had earned these honors sense the Viet Nam war. I'm sure he was referring to Oriskany in 65. It was because of those honors we allowed to fly the pennant.

Jim Kraniak  SM3

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