IT'S ALL A MATTER OF LUCK

Folks every once in awhile there happens to be a first hand accounting of a WW II adventure that comes to light.

This is an accounting of an Ensign, as wet as the gray paint of the ATR he was assigned too.....being placed to "re-place" the Captain on very, very short notice.  Hell he'd only been out of Candidate School a few days.

Well let me tell you....this gentleman had one exciting adventure...and he was just starting out.

This is the story: HERE

SS ELIAS HOWE

This is about a Liberty Ship that was put down by a Japanese Submarine.  The name of this ship was the Elias Howe, of which I do not have a picture of this particular Liberty Ship.  [if anyone of the readers has a picture of the SS Elias Howe and wishes to share....please contact me via my e-mail]

So....if you're into Liberty ships and or Merchant ships this detail of how this ship was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese then you may wish to give this a go.

Just click HERE to read about the sinking of the SS Elias Howe.

JELLICOE AT JUTLAND

ADMIRAL JOHN JELLICOE

Now readers if you have not heard of this gentleman....then you may need to brush up on the "Battle at Jutland."  Admiral Jellicoe was an "up and comer" in the Royal Navy.

He was sent to all the "hotspots" to clear up all the "smoke" ....and the "top brass" was thinking he was the best thing since "white sugar."....that is until the "Battle of Jutland" came along.

Well here is Jellicoe's fall from grace.  What you never knew about Jellicoe at Jutland.

You can link to the article HERE.

SS ELDENA

The Eldena and the U510

Now folks this an interesting ship history....I've been writing ship histories for a long, long time and this one has where the U-boat is saying one thing and the Allies are saying another....so who is correct?

Well we may never know....but what the heck it is an interesting read.

If you wish to give this a go...click: HERE

SS EFFINGFAM [FREIGHTER]

The freighter SS Effingham was to join up with the PQ-13, of which is well noted as the Murmansk Run.

She actually did accomplish this task....but eventually found herself 90 miles behind the convoy due to heavy seas....which was common in the area she was sailing in.

Well to top it all off she met up with the German sub U-435....and all hell broke loose.

If you wish to "know the rest of the story" just click HERE

THE MALE STRIPPER

THE MALE STRIPPER 

The following is a “Very

True” story about a Navy Diver.

He became “The Lead Diver” for a

“Mine Specialist & Body

Retrieval” dive group, of which

was involved with many “under

the sea situations”. Ok......so just

keep that in the back of your mind

as the pages of this story is flipped before

you. We’ll refer to this sailor in this story as

“The Navy Diver”.......

Well this group of fellows just pulled

in to “Sheepshead Bay” in New York from

several months at sea on a submarine. They

had pulled in on a Thursday, and “The Navy

Diver” granted “shore leave” to his group of

divers on the following Friday.

Friday very late morning arrived and

the group departed for the nearest “Watering

Hole”....or you non-Naval individuals, “A

Bar”. To be more specific they were in

search of a “Strip Club Bar”....and low and

behold!!!!!....it didn’t take them long to find

this “second home to a lonely sailor”

After the dive group, of which

consisted of 5 guys, planted there butts on a

bar stool, warmed it up a bit, had the

barmaid turn up music, settled in for more

beer, and the arrival of the “strippers”. In

the mean time, in walked “The Navy Diver”

to join the “well oiled group”. Then the

party, beer, and stories started to flow.......oh

my!!!!.......the “place” started to jump. Loud

music, plenty of beer, and just plain raising

hell !!!!!!

Ok.....well all this went on for

awhile, and for awhile all was forgot about

on “the strippers” to make there appearance

of “dancing on the bar”. Well....when

realized....was told that all would

begin

sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooon!!!!!!!!

About an hour later, the music

developed that “down beat” of

stripper music and out stepped “The

Blond Shaker” upon the bar. Well this lady

strutted up and down the bar, dressed in her

“outfit”, of which would not hide the private

area of a mouse. Well of course it didn’t

make any difference what she had on......the

group.....[especially “The Navy Diver”]

voiced there disapproval of the time frame

of its removal.

Well.....the event did not unfold fast

enough for “The Navy Diver” whom had his

share of beer, and was voicing his wishes.

The “The Blond Shaker” came

down the bar, stood in front of “The Navy

Diver” and said, “Hey sailor, if you can do a

better job, and shake the butt any

better....come on up and do your

thing”.................sooooooooooooooooooooo

ooooooooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!......the group

looked at there leader.....and said with their

looks, “Hey boss, put up, or shut

up”..............so guess what folks.......HE

DIDN’T SHUT UP......

“The Navy Diver” put his beer down

on the bar, got up on the bar stool, stepped

on the bar...........motioned for the music to

be turned up....and let me tell you folks he

started to dance up and down the bar to the

“yelling....and encouraging comments” from

the Friday crowd. Oh yeah!!!!........”The

Navy Diver” really got into this

situation.....so......OFF----came the shoes,

socks, and the upper sailor uniform....man

was he into the beat of this thing.

Ok.....so he strutted his stuff up and

down the bar...a wiggle here....and a wiggle

there...and then he started taking off the

pants.......Whoa !!!!.....removing them real

slow to entice what “females” were part of

the bar group.....and “The Blond Shaker” she

was having a ball with this. Well he finally

got the pants off....and was whirling them

around above his head....[nothing on except

the shorts]....and the crowd was going nuts.

Then he started to “inch” the undershorts

down...........yep...you read correctly.....”The

Navy Diver” was going “all the way”.

So.....he danced up and down the bar

to the strong beat of music, each time

“inching” the shorts down lower......he got

just down to the middle of the bar, turned

around to jerk them shorts all the way

off.....the bar crowd was on there feet,

yelling “take it off, take it all off”.....and he

got them pups down to his knees.....with a

beer in his hand, hips swinging to the heavy

beat of the music....and in walks the

“COPS”. .......so that was an OOPS !!!!!!!

Well.........The Navy Diver...was

hauled off to jail.....the bar crowd put up

bail, and “The Navy Diver” was given an

open invitation for a return engagement.....of

which never occurred. The Navy Diver

never danced on any more bars....or

attempted to demonstrate his “stripper

skills”.....but the event seemed to entitle him

to be called “Stripper Bud” to his dive crew.

Yes folks........... “The Navy

Diver”...[alas “Stripper Bud”]...is still alive and well.

NAVY MOP EXPERIENCE

MY NAVY MOP EXPERIENCE

Well folks, the ship you see

above was my very first ship, USS

Sheldrake (AGS-19), a minesweeper, one of

the many that I was proud to serve on, and I

would have to say had the cleanest decks in

the U.S. Navy.

I do believe, I along with all us other

divers, during the course of our “time

aboard” mopped, cleaned, and painted every

inch of that ship many times over. When I

was not over the side playing with a mine,

and trying to stay alive....I either had a mop,

broom, or paint brush in my hand....just like

every other “sea mate”.

Now you may think to “swab” a deck

is no big deal, but let me tell you it is not an

easy task....especially when you’re a “greenhorn”

kid....fresh out of “Navy dive school”,

and this is your “first ship”.

First day we headed up to

“Greenland” along the eastern seaboard. I

mean to tell you it was cold as hell, waves

about 6 to 10 ft. with sea swells way above

that. A fine morning mist, cloudy, and just a

“Yuk” kind of morning to be on the main

deck of a pitching & rolling ship.

Well you see my duties of diving did

not begin until a mine was spotted, and that

was not expected until we reach the northern

corners of that god awful place of

Greenland. So, until that time I was

expected to get my butt up on main deck,

along with the rest of the crew and keep that

cork in the water clean.

So....we gathered on the main deck

to get our assignments....and since I was the

“new man” on the pole....yep, you got it I got

the “crap detail”.....mopping!!!!!!

So the Chief Boatswains mate

assigned me an area, and stood around in his

warm foul-weather gear, and cup of coffee

to see that I “mopped correctly”.

Now how in the world can “you not”

mop correctly...hummmmmmmmm.....well

he instructed me several times, and each

time he chewed my butt, but I did

accomplish the task eventually....surprise,

surprise!!!!!

You would think that would be the

end of this “Sea Story”.....well not

yet....there is one more “stupid” thing that

the “Green-horn” kid accomplished...and let

me tell you it was a real jewel.

Ok, it came about “chow time” and

the ole Chief Boatswain Mate was getting

tired of watching us mop....[in my opinion I

do believe he was getting tired of walking to

the chow hall to get his coffee]...can’t you

tell I “just love this guy”.

Anyway....he tells us all to go clean

out our mops, clean ourselves up and report

to the “mess deck”.

So.....here I am holding this damn

mop...wondering now how do you clean this

darn thing???? So...I follow the rest of the

crew...and do as they do......I mean that seem

reasonable to me...if you don’t know you ask

or “do as others do”.

Well we went to the “fantail” of the

ship....to you “non-seaman” that is the back

of the ship. I learned that you tie a line on

the mop, throw it overboard, and as it

tumbles in the “wash” of the propeller of the

ship...it cleans the mop. Hey, that look like

a great thing to me....so while we went to

“chow” the mops would clean

themselves....all we had to do later was “dry

the mops”. Looked like a heck of a deal to

me.

So....I tied mine with a line and

threw that puppy in the “backwash” of the

seawater from the ship.....and went and had

my navy bean soup, and corn bread.

Well later that afternoon....I was in

the “crew compartment” helping to clean the

area, and some crew member ask me to go

get my “dry mop” and help mop the crews

quarters.

Oh my God!!!!!....I forgot my mop

was not only dry...it was still “tumbling”

behind the ship.

So....I hustled my butt up to the

fantail of the ship....well everyone else had

gotten there mops...except ole Bud.

I started to haul mine in...and guess

who show up....Yep, you guessed right that

Mr. Good-natured Boatswain Mate.

So....in I pulled.....and as I lifted my

mop up...I could see there was no “cotton

strands” on my mop....”IT WAS ALL

GONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!”.

Well Mr. Good-natured

Man...couldn’t laugh enough....you see I left

the mop in that “tumbling action for so long

it tore all the cotton stands from the mop”

When I pulled up the mop ....all I had left

was the “nub” where it is attached to the

handle. I mean to tell you ....there was not

enough left on the mop to dry a fly nest.

So....the ole Boatswain grabbed that

mop...took it down to the crews quarters,

along with instructing ole Bud to come

along....and showed the “whole crew” what

happens when you leave a mop to long

behind a ship.

Then he “pats my back” an says,

“And this fine young man that provided this

for us, is the same individual that is going to

keep us from getting blown up”.

Tell you what folks.....that only

happened once.....but over the course of a

few months....there was a time or two that

the ole Boatswain Mate said a few

prayers.....and thanked me....that he was not

“food for the fishes”....but that is all of

“another story” at “another time”.

Yep folks the Navy was “short one

mop”....but ole Bud gain one heck of a

“Mop Education”.