In The Navy (On the Boat), Part 4

My Boat did eventually return from its cruise. They kept getting extended over and over. I found out later, that being extended is VERY MUCH the norm and how much that sucks.

I went down to the pier to meet the Boat when she returned. I thought it odd that a local Sheriff was there waiting too. So as to not bash all of the “great” Navy Wives out there (and there are some, I suppose), I will only say that the Sheriff waiting when a Boat pulls in was typical. He was there to serve divorce papers to some unsuspecting guy, just coming off of a long ass haul under water. It was never pretty. Many of the sailors being met by their wives or girlfriends were in the dark about what antics their women had been up to while they were “out”. That’s what they called it, being “out”, when you were off serving your Country and praying your woman would be at home keeping her skirt pulled down. I guess this all gets back to my plea to anyone in the service to say single. I watched people get crushed.

I suppose the women might have been wondering what their men were up to too? I can answer that ladies. Those men were under water. When they came up and it was not home, 99.9% of them just drank too much, they might have looked, but the huge vast majority never touched another woman. They were too drunk!


Now that the Boat was back, I began my assimilation into the crew. I got to know the Quarter Masters (QM) quickly (we work right next to each other) and the Chief QM scared the hell out of me. He was deeply critical and always seemed demeaning and un-trusting. Kind of mean.

The Navigation Department Electronic Technicians (Nav ETs) were real nice guys and helped me learn about what they do. I found everything on the Boat ties into or supports something else. It’s all very complicated and I won’t try to relate everything together here, but some of them might come together as the story goes on.

I got to know the Sonar team pretty well, but the rivalry between us was very evident. I got to spend some time in the Sonar Shack and learned how the system works. I learned how they interpret the waterfall display of everything the “passive” Sonar Dome is feeding into the computers and how you can tell a contact from biologics (fish or shrimp often).

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/policy/vision/vis99/v99-79.gif

The “jog” in the middle of the screen is because the boat changed course.

You would be amazed at how loud shrimp are!! Listening to the Whales sing was very cool, and other species were easy to identify too, once you knew what you were listening to.

The Torpedomen (TMs) were a split of nice guys and real jerks. I made every effort to get along with them all, because we worked hand in had a lot. I learned quite a bit of social skills in getting the jerks to think they had it over on me and they then eventually accepted me as a co-worker. I had never bothered to do such a thing before (I just ignored the A-Holes normally), but I really felt it was required here. We would be locked up together, after all. I let them take me around the torpedo room and I would ask the stupidest questions to make them feel oh-so knowledgeable. Then I would Ohh and Ahh at the answers. It was funny to me and a bit sad, that it was so easy. The TMs that were not jerks actually complimented me in my success, I loved those guys (not in a gay way). The jerks coddled me mostly, almost like I was their child.

The Torpedo Room was a mass of shiny steel rails, water pipes and tons of hydraulics, with some high pressure air thrown in for good measure. BORING ALERT!! The steel rails held the weapons as they were moved from place to place by the Hydraulics. There were two sections of floor that could be raised up to let you move weapons from the center stows, to either the port or starboard sides. There was an upper and lower row of weapons. Most were Torpedoes and the rest could be Tomahawks or Subrocs.

It was a fascinating system of rails and deadly weapons, all working in harmony to fill the torpedo tubes as fast as possible. Really, it was a wonder to watch this place in action. I wish I could find a picture.

I will meet the rest of the crew next and take my first real ride out to sea.