Educational & entertaining read About life on a fleet boat

Ducimus · 04-09-10, 05:31 PM

Since we have some newer folks here, this bears reposting.

If you want to know what it was like to live on a fleet boat, look no further then the recollections Dex Armstrong. He served on the USS REQUIN (SS-481) in the post WW2, cold war era as the nuclear fleet was starting to replace the old "smoke boats". While its not WW2, nor about any historical events, if you want to know the down and dirty details about life as a crewman on a fleet submarine, you won't find a better source.

Without further ado, i give you:

The After Battery

tater · 04-09-10, 05:52 PM

Wow, great link. Funny as hell, too.

Admiral8Q · 04-09-10, 06:16 PM

Excellent!

04-09-10, 10:38 PM

I was stationed on the Carp (SS-338) in Norfolk in the mid 60s. I knew and hung out with some of those people. Thelma, the waitress at Belles was a fixture on the strip outside the base. She was lewd and rude and crude and probably slept with half the Atlantic fleet. I remember one night around closing time and she is behind the bar yelling OK boys slap em down on the bar and I'm going home with the biggest one-and they did-and she did. Percy Turner the engineman was on the Carp when I came aboard and he was a very funny guy. He was also a very large person and after one patrol he had to stay on the boat for a couple of weeks after we got back to port because he couldn't fit thru the hatch! We had a party one time where the married men brought their wives and as we were sitting around shooting the **** someone commented on the size of his belly and his response was yeah but it all turns to peter at midnight at which point his wife screams out in mock horror "Oh Percy". Some of the best times of my life were on that boat! The COB on the Carp put the boat into commission in WW2(as a seaman) and decommissioned her in 69. Back then Submariners were the only ones in the Navy who could have mustaches and beards so we took full advantage. I had kind of scraggly beard but I kept it cause They wouldn't let me stand inspection with it. Guys had earrings on the boats way back then! We wore sandals and cutoffs out at sea. I(and a lot of others) would probably still be in the brig if we were on a Carrier with all those petty little bulls**t rules the surface Navy had. Good times-good people I miss 'em all!

Urge

04-09-10, 05:31 PM	#1
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	Educational & entertaining read About life on a fleet boat Since we have some newer folks here, this bears reposting. If you want to know what it was like to live on a fleet boat, look no further then the recollections Dex Armstrong. He served on the USS REQUIN (SS-481) in the post WW2, cold war era as the nuclear fleet was starting to replace the old "smoke boats". While its not WW2, nor about any historical events, if you want to know the down and dirty details about life as a crewman on a fleet submarine, you won't find a better source. Without further ado, i give you: The After Battery

04-09-10, 06:16 PM	#3
Admiral8Q Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada Posts: 1,077 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	Excellent! __________________

04-09-10, 05:52 PM	#2
tater Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Mexico, USA Posts: 9,023 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 2	Wow, great link. Funny as hell, too.

04-09-10, 10:38 PM	#4
Urge Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	I was stationed on the Carp (SS-338) in Norfolk in the mid 60s. I knew and hung out with some of those people. Thelma, the waitress at Belles was a fixture on the strip outside the base. She was lewd and rude and crude and probably slept with half the Atlantic fleet. I remember one night around closing time and she is behind the bar yelling OK boys slap em down on the bar and I'm going home with the biggest one-and they did-and she did. Percy Turner the engineman was on the Carp when I came aboard and he was a very funny guy. He was also a very large person and after one patrol he had to stay on the boat for a couple of weeks after we got back to port because he couldn't fit thru the hatch! We had a party one time where the married men brought their wives and as we were sitting around shooting the ** someone commented on the size of his belly and his response was yeah but it all turns to peter at midnight at which point his wife screams out in mock horror "Oh Percy". Some of the best times of my life were on that boat! The COB on the Carp put the boat into commission in WW2(as a seaman) and decommissioned her in 69. Back then Submariners were the only ones in the Navy who could have mustaches and beards so we took full advantage. I had kind of scraggly beard but I kept it cause They wouldn't let me stand inspection with it. Guys had earrings on the boats way back then! We wore sandals and cutoffs out at sea. I(and a lot of others) would probably still be in the brig if we were on a Carrier with all those petty little bullst rules the surface Navy had. Good times-good people I miss 'em all! Urge