A Blast from the Past

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

That is so NEAT! You guys were working out if those things were ballistic or steered? You were covering home-plate without any protective gear on.

Rod's from the God's, indeed!

M

[Sublime]

Air-Force pussies! Only state-room I had was on an ammo ship while briefly aboard as a TAD Diver doing a survey job. What a life: you had your own room, and the Steward would bring in a menu every morning -- it was a MSLC type ship. Those guys had it made!

OBSERVATION ISLAND. I understand that when it was not working for NASA it had Spook's aboard gathering electronic intell. You a Spook, Sublime? We used to host that type whenever we took the TRUTTA to Cuba -- three CT's and an over-see'er. We would go down, the ECM mast would go up, and they would stay in the pump-room with the receivers and tape-recorders till we pulled into Guantanamo.

No time to work models on the diesel boat (too busy drinking in the off-hours), and any off-gassing paints or other solvent bearing consumables were a no-no on the Boomer (not that that stopped the XO -- he was a model building machine). So, no modeling aboard the boats for me. However, while I did my nine-patrols on the DANIEL WEBSTER, I did a lot of model building off-crew, while doing R&R and team-training at Hawaii. Did a lot of model building on the YOSEMITE, VULCAN, and RECOVERY while filling a Diver's billet though. I actually took 30-days leave toward the end of my career so Ellie and I could rig the miniatures for a film we worked on in Kansas.

M

I always pictured you in your Navy days sitting on your bunk with a little set of needle files hand shaping scale brass propellers or something. The USNS Observation Island is headed for the Ghost Fleet in the James River. She's been replaced now with something smaller and more modern. Our ship was about 568 ft long and had a beam of about 90 ft. We had room to spare with a combined USAF/Contractor and MSC crew of about 160 people if I remember. It was like having your own yacht. I shouldn't tell you this because I'm sure this is the equivalent of Navy Heaven. I had a cabin steward that cleaned my cabin, private head and office, plus closed circuit TV that the contractors kept a library of VHS tapes for. Racy stuff on TV after midnight. Yes, I tipped him very well because I did not want the Steward to spit in my water glass or worse. I was not really a Spook as our mission was officially recognized by the SALT Treaty. I was the Technical Operations Manager for two Missile tracking radars and a bunch of other equipment. I guess my biggest claim to fame is getting nuked by the Russians over 20 times. The closest reentry vehicle landed about 200 yds off our beam. The dual shock wave traveling through water and air, along with a 200 ft tall column of water could be very exciting. I guess we always did wonder if they took the nuclear materials outta those things.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Yeah! Go figure!!

Lets retire one of the most feared, butt-kickin' planes ever developed!! Geez!!

A bit on the "slow" side, but by the time the bad guys get a bead on her, the ordinance is on it's way
to the ground!

R.I.P, you a**-holes!! Hah!! That's what you get!!

Mess with the best-die like the rest!!

CG

Hard to hold that bead when you know there is several hundred pounds of high-velocity U-238, already loosed, about to hit you square in the kisser.

M

[crazygary]

Yeah! Go figure!!

Lets retire one of the most feared, butt-kickin' planes ever developed!! Geez!!

A bit on the "slow" side, but by the time the bad guys get a bead on her, the ordinance is on it's way
to the ground!

R.I.P, you a**-holes!! Hah!! That's what you get!!

Mess with the best-die like the rest!!

CG

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

F-4: most intimidating plane I've ever seen. On the ground, or in the air. Those monsters were all business. And they could take it as well as dish it out. You look at a F-35 wrong and it will fold up.

And some ass-hole wants to retire the A-10's??!!....

M

[crazygary]

Well, this old Air Force 20mm "gun plumber" can say, with all due respect,
"We are not worthy...we are not worthy"!! Hah!!

No modeling time available, but got to play with a whole lotta F-4 Phantom weapons systems!!
1:1 scale stuff here, y'all!!

Pretty awesome flighty thingys!!

"Got air cover"??

CG

[Von Hilde]

Air-Force pussies! Only state-room I had was on an ammo ship while briefly aboard as a TAD Diver doing a survey job. What a life: you had your own room, and the Steward would bring in a menu every morning -- it was a MSLC type ship. Those guys had it made!

OBSERVATION ISLAND. I understand that when it was not working for NASA it had Spook's aboard gathering electronic intell. You a Spook, Sublime? We used to host that type whenever we took the TRUTTA to Cuba -- three CT's and an over-see'er. We would go down, the ECM mast would go up, and they would stay in the pump-room with the receivers and tape-recorders till we pulled into Guantanamo.

No time to work models on the diesel boat (too busy drinking in the off-hours), and any off-gassing paints or other solvent bearing consumables were a no-no on the Boomer (not that that stopped the XO -- he was a model building machine). So, no modeling aboard the boats for me. However, while I did my nine-patrols on the DANIEL WEBSTER, I did a lot of model building off-crew, while doing R&R and team-training at Hawaii. Did a lot of model building on the YOSEMITE, VULCAN, and RECOVERY while filling a Diver's billet though. I actually took 30-days leave toward the end of my career so Ellie and I could rig the miniatures for a film we worked on in Kansas.

M

Man!! I just blew my ramin all over my keyboard. The USAF Navy had staterooms? I think the only stateroom I ever saw in the Navy was on the Midway and had a big blue flag hangin on the wall with a couple white stars stuck on it. There was a Marine in his dress blues blocking the hatch so I didnt see any models in there. I did visit an AF hobby shop on Okinawa once. The Howie G. building 15 was a hobby shop. The Bushnell too, just changed building numbers, same pier. Every time I ever went aboard, guys were always making all kinds of neet stuff in the shops that didnt have anything to do with fixin broke subs. I got a real nice acey-deucy board from the tin benders of one of those ships. Colored nuts and bolts too.

[Albion]

They recently deleted one of my posts that made reference to the thread starter and a tin foil helmet, i might not be too welcome.

[herrmill]

Great read! Now who wants to get on SC & bump that one up to the top?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Alec, you're killing me!

M

[alad61]

My first conscious knowledge of David came about when I learned of the Moebius Seaview kit and began looking anything up on the net for said model release. Undeniably David is a true craftsman. He designs, builds and then deconstructs things into variant kit forms for us mortal kit assemblers to put back together and represent as best we can what he created. In my ignorance I once called myself a model builder. But age, humility and David's forthright explanation has proved me and many others how wrong we are. The sad part is that I and many like me put a kit together, dress it up, make it look pretty and never once consciously or unconsciously consider the talants that gave us our kit or model. So if your like me don't envy David and his peers. Just do the best you can and a bit more to show a finished result that's honours their skill and efforts. Should the ever slim possibility come to meet him I would do my best not to fall to my knees and kowtow at his feet... :)

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Shoot, howdy, M!!

And ah wuz thinkin' you was just another crazy-assed old machinist!! (LOL)

Hey, y'all newbies out there!! Listen up to what this guy is tellin' you!! It comes
from a whole lotta "dues paying"!!!!

CG

Nope. I was rated as a Torpedoman. Later qualified in submarines after cross-decking from the GILMORE to the TRUTTA (never saw a day of Submarine School). Then went to Launcher School to became a Launcher Tech (Polaris/Poseidon system) aboard the WEBSTER. Then scuba-diver school, then hard-hat diver school, then got yanked off the boats by the Diving Detailor, and spent the rest of my time in the diving community. While on the tenders (GILMORE, steam shop; YOSEMITE, dive-locker; and VULCAN, diver-locker) I got myself in tight with the pattern, foundry, and machine shop guys so I could use the machines for my model building.

How does a Torpedoman do that, you ask? Simple: You walk into a shop, act like you own the place, and you can get away with murder (till you get caught). At one point, during my second Med deployment aboard the YOSEMITE, I understand that posted in the Repair Department office was a note warning to keep all Diver's away from the machines -- an easy task, we were the only ones aboard in greens at the time. This might have had something to do with that: I was in the sheet-metal shop the day an idiot MR lost three fingers in the big shears. I swear, I had nothing to do with that! He stayed on board, remarkably. We called him, 'lefty'.

M

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Did you get to refine your craft much while you were aboard submarines? I don't know how much rec time you got. I don't like to brag, but while I was in the USAF Navy aboard the USNS Observation Island, I had my own State room and we did 12 on and 12 off. We frequently resupplied in Yokosuka, Japan for our 50 day deployments to the Kamchatka Peninsula. I stocked up on Diet Pepsi (I hated bug juice and coffee)and modeling supplies.

Air-Force pussies! Only state-room I had was on an ammo ship while briefly aboard as a TAD Diver doing a survey job. What a life: you had your own room, and the Steward would bring in a menu every morning -- it was a MSLC type ship. Those guys had it made!

OBSERVATION ISLAND. I understand that when it was not working for NASA it had Spook's aboard gathering electronic intell. You a Spook, Sublime? We used to host that type whenever we took the TRUTTA to Cuba -- three CT's and an over-see'er. We would go down, the ECM mast would go up, and they would stay in the pump-room with the receivers and tape-recorders till we pulled into Guantanamo.

No time to work models on the diesel boat (too busy drinking in the off-hours), and any off-gassing paints or other solvent bearing consumables were a no-no on the Boomer (not that that stopped the XO -- he was a model building machine). So, no modeling aboard the boats for me. However, while I did my nine-patrols on the DANIEL WEBSTER, I did a lot of model building off-crew, while doing R&R and team-training at Hawaii. Did a lot of model building on the YOSEMITE, VULCAN, and RECOVERY while filling a Diver's billet though. I actually took 30-days leave toward the end of my career so Ellie and I could rig the miniatures for a film we worked on in Kansas.

M

[Sublime]

Did you get to refine your craft much while you were aboard submarines? I don't know how much rec time you got. I don't like to brag, but while I was in the USAF Navy aboard the USNS Observation Island, I had my own State room and we did 12 on and 12 off. We frequently resupplied in Yokosuka, Japan for our 50 day deployments to the Kamchatka Peninsula. I stocked up on Diet Pepsi (I hated bug juice and coffee)and modeling supplies.

[crazygary]

Shoot, howdy, M!!

And ah wuz thinkin' you was just another crazy-assed old machinist!! (LOL)

Hey, y'all newbies out there!! Listen up to what this guy is tellin' you!! It comes
from a whole lotta "dues paying"!!!!

CG