I had two different Capt.s while on the USS Segundo SS-398, The first Skipper liked wine. On one particular cruise he brought a few cases of wine on board. Half way through the patrol we had a spaghetti dinner and all on aboard had a glass of red wine. Compliments of the Capt. Of course a proper toast and hearty cheer of "DBF", (DIESEL BOATS FOREVER} resounded through the Boat.
The 1969 WESTPAC brought us a new Capt and a man who enjoyed going ashore and tipping a few. One memory is standing topside watch in port, and seeing the Shore Patrol bringing the Capt. back to the Boat. They had picked him for being drunk and disorderly. They dropped him off, we called the XO up, he came topside talked to Capt. for a second and they took off together, walking back to town right behind the SP's. Later during the patrol we stopped in Auckland, New Zealand for a few days of liberty. Before heading out the Capt. said he wanted to have a swim call sometime during our patrol. He also wanted a steak fry up on the deck. So we went ashore and acquired several cases of Foster's Lager. You should have seen the look on the Surface Skimmers faces has we hauled the beer across their Destroyers deck, down our gang plank and down into the Boat. They couldn't believe it. Later during the patrol, we stopped in the middle of the South Pacific. had a swim call in the most beautiful water. You could look down underwater and see the whole Boat, stem to stern. During the Bar-B-Q topside every one was allotted two beers. Of course everyone was trying to get the non drinkers allottment for themselves.....Another hearty cheer went up for "DBF", none of us ever wanted to go to a nuke boat.................
