When the Cuban Missile Crisis began to heat up in September 1962, the ROOSEVELT (CVA 42) had just left NS Mayport for its umpteenth Med deployment. The newly married JO’s (junior officers) would gather on the fan tail to watch the wake that pointed towards the brides they had left. Misty eyes were the uniform … Continue reading Cold War Dark Operations: Soot, as a weapon? Revenge of the Snipes in the Cold War
After commissioning from OCS in Newport, followed by six months of Combat Information Center School at NAS Glynco (Brunswick, Ga), I reported to USS F.D. ROOSEVELT CVA 42, in Mayport, FL. After qualifying as a CIC Watch Officer in August, 1962, I volunteered to stand bridge watches to train for qualification as an Officer of … Continue reading OOD Underway
After serving on the House Armed Services for decades and as Chairman of the Seapower and Strategic Materials Sub-Committee, in 1980 Charlie Bennett was the third senior member of the House of Representatives and the second in seniority on the Armed Services Committee. At lunch he asked me to serve as his Chief of Staff. It meant leaving an interesting, fulfilling position as VP of Taft Corporation in Washington, D.C. It was decision time.
Flash: the U.S. Navy plans return to teaching celestial navigation. In my view, this is one of the smarter moves the Navy is making to ensure its ability to safely navigate no matter what and no matter where. In the early 1960s, at OCS, we learned the basics of both piloting and celestial navigation in … Continue reading U.S. Navy and back to the future Star Power
Signal flags are still important aboard Navy ships, helping those within visual range to share important information such as course and speed…but this flag combination brought questions, and then gales of laughter on the bridge of this carrier. On the bridge of the Rosy one afternoon we had a mix up of signals between us … Continue reading What The Hell Flag Signal
Gainesville, Florida Veteran’s Day Remarks For almost a hundred years, now, America has devoted this day–the day the guns fell silent to end the First World War–to honor and remember–the American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and other members of our armed services who have fought for–and protected–our country—and the right to freedom and self-determination around … Continue reading Standing Tall for America, a Tribute to our Little Guys
Author’s note: this “blog” was actually written in 1963 while I was the Asst. Navigator for the USS F. D. ROOSEVELT (CVA-42). It is dedicated to friends who also served in ROOSEVELT and have stood this same watch, including: Bill Brinkley, Paul Dickson and Steve Wood. Shoes shined, lint off uniform, tie straight, buttons buttoned, … Continue reading The In-Port Watch on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Sixties
“We do it all!” (USS Saipan LHA-2 motto) These Log Entries will highlight the USS SAIPAN (LHA-2) during the early 1980’s during which this Watch Stander spent many months aboard–from the waters off Norfolk and Little Creek, to New York’s exciting harbor, and to the frigid, but beautiful and strategically important waters of the … Continue reading USS Saipan (LHA 2) “We Do It All”
The Captain’s Night Orders are directives prepared by Commanding Officers for watch standers regarding the safety of the ship when they are not on the bridge, typically when they are resting or asleep. U.S. Navy Regulations require Commanding Officers to prepare instructions for the Officer of the Deck who will be responsible for the navigation … Continue reading Carrier Captain’s Night Orders: “Call Me…”
We were “the stick” in case the “talk softly” part was not successful. When the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV A-42) was towed toward the oblivion of the scrap yard in 1978, she consisted of some 65,000 tons of obsolete steel and equipment–but she left many more tons of memories with the tens of thousands … Continue reading Memories of the Fru Dee Roo