I was assigned to the USS Samuel N. Moore (DD-747) from June 1959 to May 1962, a destroyer home-ported in Long Beach, CA and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 23 (DesRon-23). This was my first shipboard duty in my career. The first time underway was my first time of “absolute sea-sickness”. I spent the first day underway “manning the rails”. Once I got that out of my system, never was sea-sick again (well, maybe a little “woozy” when riding out a typhoon or two).
I first started out in the Deck Division for several months. This was the low-life duties of chipping paint, painting “Red Lead” primer, and painting lots of “Haze Grey” and “Deck Grey” throughout the ship. I also got the great duty assignments of “Scullery duty” and “KP duty”, not to mention the cleaning of “Heads” (Navy Restrooms).
I was later offered an option to get into the medical division as a corpsman striker, working under HMC “Doc” Ben Mayotte until his retirement in 1960. Since I was so fed up with the Deck Division duties, I absolutely said “YES” to the inter-division switch, knowing it had to be a much better “racket”.
During my duties in the Medical Division, I learned quite a lot in First Aid, Minor Surgery, Pharmaceuticals, and Microscopic Biological Research. I learned to make some of the best “Terpin Hydrate” Cough Syrup on the west coast, 190-proof. Seems there was a lot of demand for my “special cough syrup” when at sea. Any time we deployed overseas, I assisted in giving all the necessary shots to the crew, like Typhoid, Tetanus, DTP, Chickenpox, etc. I never did like needles. The first time giving shots, I thought I was going to pass out, but later I got over it. I really got good at giving penicillin shots in some of the shipmates rear-ends while we were overseas.
Towards the expiration of my first enlistment, I was offered Hospital Corpsman School in San Diego if I re-enlisted for another 4-year term. I thought it over and determined that this was not for me; that I wanted to get into electronics.
Since there were no open billets in the “ET” (Electronic Technician) gang, the next best thing was to get into the “Radioman” gang.
The last few months that I was attached to the USS Moore, I joined the communications division as a radioman striker. Since my main interest was electronics, this was as close as I was going to get into the electronics field. I eventually “shipped-over” (re-enlisted) under the STAR program that guaranteed an “A” School for me, and if I graduated in the top 10%, I would be advanced to pay grade E-4. I re-enlisted and it got me the orders to Radioman “A” School in San Diego upon completion of my tour of duty on the Moore.
During my duty on this ship, we made two WestPac deployments of about 6 to 7 months each, visiting Hawaii and the countries of Japan, Okinawa, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Hong Kong was a great liberty port. I had a couple of custom-made suits and a “white sport-coat” made on my first visit there, that were very inexpensive. Visited the “Tiger Balm Gardens” that was a very impressive Chinese “fantasy land”.
We also made trips up to Seattle and Everett, WA; and operations at sea off the coast of Mexico. We also conducted cold weather operations off the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
While attached to the Moore, we participated in a couple of 1962 nuclear tests, designated “Operation Dominic I” in the Pacific. One of the tests was conducted near Christmas Island & the second was off the coast of southern California.
AKA…Red- Served on the SSN 696 from Sept 1989 to Dec 1995, after 23 years in the Navy, she was the best damn boat and crew I ever served with. Had a lot of good times, MT Pintatubo, Australia, Kodiak, Alaska…great times!!
Jared T-bone, G-low, Eric E-dog Jone, James Sparky Starks, Tone, Cory Grape ape Harris, The Mac Man Mclaister, Huckfin Freeman, Morris Foghorn leghorn Folgum and all the Homies I have forgotten, reach out i’m in San Diego.
Just checking to see who was dead, but lost the bet as Thompson and Williams both were on my list… Thompson sated once that he told his father “He would never die in the gutter because scum floats.” My thanks to you Mr, Thompson for proving that theory was correct. Mr. Williams “Flounder,” I can still remember you without any fish terms being used on your part, and still crack-up from the both of you… Yeah, you both are missed.
Was on the City 1991 to 1996 the best boat ever good times and bad times ( Mt. Pinatubo) The best crew ever!!!
For "Tony “Flipper"”…trying to find Jim Fennessey…any clues…haven’t seen him in years. We lived in Hawaii together.
Mike ICC Calvillo USN Ret. caluw1@yahoo.com
Served onboard the city from April of 1980 until November 1982. I served with the A gangers with Poppie ,Mutry, Stone,Hansen,O’leary,TJ Ludwig,Jimmy John,Flounder,Pena. What wonderful times during west pac’s,bellows beach,beemans what a great crew those were some of the best years of my life. Great memories!
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27 comments
I was assigned to the USS Samuel N. Moore (DD-747) from June 1959 to May 1962, a destroyer home-ported in Long Beach, CA and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 23 (DesRon-23). This was my first shipboard duty in my career. The first time underway was my first time of “absolute sea-sickness”. I spent the first day underway “manning the rails”. Once I got that out of my system, never was sea-sick again (well, maybe a little “woozy” when riding out a typhoon or two).
I first started out in the Deck Division for several months. This was the low-life duties of chipping paint, painting “Red Lead” primer, and painting lots of “Haze Grey” and “Deck Grey” throughout the ship. I also got the great duty assignments of “Scullery duty” and “KP duty”, not to mention the cleaning of “Heads” (Navy Restrooms).
I was later offered an option to get into the medical division as a corpsman striker, working under HMC “Doc” Ben Mayotte until his retirement in 1960. Since I was so fed up with the Deck Division duties, I absolutely said “YES” to the inter-division switch, knowing it had to be a much better “racket”.
During my duties in the Medical Division, I learned quite a lot in First Aid, Minor Surgery, Pharmaceuticals, and Microscopic Biological Research. I learned to make some of the best “Terpin Hydrate” Cough Syrup on the west coast, 190-proof. Seems there was a lot of demand for my “special cough syrup” when at sea. Any time we deployed overseas, I assisted in giving all the necessary shots to the crew, like Typhoid, Tetanus, DTP, Chickenpox, etc. I never did like needles. The first time giving shots, I thought I was going to pass out, but later I got over it. I really got good at giving penicillin shots in some of the shipmates rear-ends while we were overseas.
Towards the expiration of my first enlistment, I was offered Hospital Corpsman School in San Diego if I re-enlisted for another 4-year term. I thought it over and determined that this was not for me; that I wanted to get into electronics.
Since there were no open billets in the “ET” (Electronic Technician) gang, the next best thing was to get into the “Radioman” gang.
The last few months that I was attached to the USS Moore, I joined the communications division as a radioman striker. Since my main interest was electronics, this was as close as I was going to get into the electronics field. I eventually “shipped-over” (re-enlisted) under the STAR program that guaranteed an “A” School for me, and if I graduated in the top 10%, I would be advanced to pay grade E-4. I re-enlisted and it got me the orders to Radioman “A” School in San Diego upon completion of my tour of duty on the Moore.
During my duty on this ship, we made two WestPac deployments of about 6 to 7 months each, visiting Hawaii and the countries of Japan, Okinawa, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Hong Kong was a great liberty port. I had a couple of custom-made suits and a “white sport-coat” made on my first visit there, that were very inexpensive. Visited the “Tiger Balm Gardens” that was a very impressive Chinese “fantasy land”.
We also made trips up to Seattle and Everett, WA; and operations at sea off the coast of Mexico. We also conducted cold weather operations off the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
While attached to the Moore, we participated in a couple of 1962 nuclear tests, designated “Operation Dominic I” in the Pacific. One of the tests was conducted near Christmas Island & the second was off the coast of southern California.
AKA…Red- Served on the SSN 696 from Sept 1989 to Dec 1995, after 23 years in the Navy, she was the best damn boat and crew I ever served with. Had a lot of good times, MT Pintatubo, Australia, Kodiak, Alaska…great times!!
Jared T-bone, G-low, Eric E-dog Jone, James Sparky Starks, Tone, Cory Grape ape Harris, The Mac Man Mclaister, Huckfin Freeman, Morris Foghorn leghorn Folgum and all the Homies I have forgotten, reach out i’m in San Diego.
Just checking to see who was dead, but lost the bet as Thompson and Williams both were on my list… Thompson sated once that he told his father “He would never die in the gutter because scum floats.” My thanks to you Mr, Thompson for proving that theory was correct. Mr. Williams “Flounder,” I can still remember you without any fish terms being used on your part, and still crack-up from the both of you… Yeah, you both are missed.
Was on the City 1991 to 1996 the best boat ever good times and bad times ( Mt. Pinatubo) The best crew ever!!!
For "Tony “Flipper"”…trying to find Jim Fennessey…any clues…haven’t seen him in years. We lived in Hawaii together.
Mike ICC Calvillo USN Ret. caluw1@yahoo.com
Served onboard the city from April of 1980 until November 1982. I served with the A gangers with Poppie ,Mutry, Stone,Hansen,O’leary,TJ Ludwig,Jimmy John,Flounder,Pena. What wonderful times during west pac’s,bellows beach,beemans what a great crew those were some of the best years of my life. Great memories!