USS John Marshall (SSBN-611)
Sea Stories
As the title states, this is an area where we'll be placing Sea Stories. We all know what they are. They all really really really happened. At least we will say so to our dying day. Just in case they didn't; they should have. Please forward your story about life on the John Marshall to Al and he'll place them in this area. This idea came about due to a memory that Al had when we were going out through the golden gate bridge for sea trials following the MINSY period in the mid-1970s. A brief repeat follows:
Now for the sea story; if you were around in the mid-1970s when the JM was going through refueling overhaul, missile upgrades at Mare Island there was often difficulty for subs clearing the Golden Gate due to the tides, the current, and rather large waves. In fact, one CO was washed off the sail and lost from one boat (Plunger or Barb I think?) before the JM finished overhaul. One of the comments Dick Helm made was that he regretted not having any pictures of him from that era. I responded back that it was too bad nobody had a camera on the bridge when he was OOD on the sail as the JM was going out through the Golden Gate. Anyway, I’ll let Dick share his side of the story:
“Yeah, that would've been something to see, fer sure!
I probably wouldn't have gone anywhere because the wave peened the windshield over and laid it on my gourd, keeping me from "floating" up out of the bridge. The CO was behind me, hanging on to some of the bridge structure, so I was pretty well wedged in.
That happened after I had slowed to 1/3 and Denny Dyckman called up on the 7MC, "Bridge, Navigator; we're going backwards!" So I goosed it up to 2/3. Shortly thereafter, I saw the wave coming and told Control to shut the lower hatch. Can't remember if they got it in time; when I could, I looked down into the doghouse and saw what looked like the results of a toilet flush - a "swirly" was in progress. Not sure if that was the bridge trunk filling up or the Control Room getting a saltwater bath.
It was real, it was fun, but it wasn't real fun. Later, Dick.
The first story below is a follow up to the above.
| From... | Story... |
| Wayne Newton |
I was a (very green) JO during the sea trial Dick mentions
below. I was in the control room standing by the helmsman (if
memory serves). I also recall that on one of our transits in/out of the Golden
Gate (maybe the same one as this story) the JM was doing a
standard bell, but Also reminds me of a time on the bridge of another boat...a big
green wave came over the sail. There was just me and the
lookout. |
| Steve Manofsky | Just before
going up to New London for middie ops a "fun time" a lot of people
remember, we went on one of those "lets not pull in but stay out and drill" times so we swung by Charleston on the way up because we were low on steam generator chemicals. They sent a torpedo retriever out for the delivery. We went topsoide for the inital survey, I went topside and SAEC (wicz as in wiczed it) went out with me. It was gorgeous out ,windy a little rough and the sea was deep blue I heard crazy Bob yelling and I turned around. There's Sigmund looking at me framed in front of a huge wave about ready to wash over us.I started yelling SHUT THE HATCH! SHUT THE HATCH! We were pretty lucky, he shut the hatch, I took a quick bath, and we only got the inside a little wet. |
| Doug Smith |
While heading down to San Juan
Puerto Rico for bqr 21 ops we started hearing a strange 60 cycle
hum..Of course we were in the
"Devils Triangle". We surfaced the boat, and Lt. Palmer had the con. He called down to the torpedo room on the 7mc and told me to bring a guy, 100 feet of air hose, two life harnesses,and an air grinder to the bridge. Plamer was convinced that the 60 cycle hum was coming from a ladder rung on the side of the sail. So we went to the bridge, the seas were rough as hell and Lt Palmer said he would be wave watch while i went over onto the sailplane and cut off the ladder rung. Over i went. I was just starting to grind off the rung when a wave washed me off the sailplane. i was hanging there when Lt Palmer said.."look out..wave coming" needless to say i was soaked. I finished cutting off the ladder rung, we went back down below, dove the ship and still had the 60 cycle hum!! |
| Mike Barry |
I went from TMSN to Warrant Officer on the John Fish. I was a TM1 (SS) and was the senior rag hat.
Chief Clifford was a Chief of the Watch in Control. My instructions to the E5s and below "no one but a TM wakes the Chief and when you do, you simply go to the goat locker, stand outside his bunk with a slightly sweetened black coffee (stirred 2x to the right and 1 to the left) and say Chief its time to get up". That’s the way it was done and I believe the other Chiefs wished their troops did the same. TM1 (SS) Lester Jensen Jones and I were best buddies (wives included) and we both worked in the Missile Compartment. We had a "pre-expended bench supply locker" in the lower level that had lots of lead plate 250 for preserving bolt threads. When I made Warrant, I stayed as the 1st LT for the following upkeep and Jones took over the Missile Compartment. When I sent a Deck Gang member down to get some lead plate 250 from Jones, Jones told him there wasn't any. So I went down. I said hey Jones, what do you mean there's no lead plate 250? [We were standing alone at the time] when he responded with "all the shit in the Missile Compartment used to be your's...now its mine". Just then another TM (Charlie Langer?) walked up and Jones said "lead plate 250?? Yes sir Mr. Barry I'll get you some right away." Jensen, Clif and I still stay in touch, 27 yrs later. |