- TOM PUSATERI -
I was in the Navy from Sept 1974 to Sept 1980. I was an ET in the Advanced Electronics Program so I spent the first two years in school. My primary job was the Mk3 Mod6 SINS. I was all set for submarine duty when I "volunteered" for the Bowditch. I spent two years on the Bowditch, great duty. My last two years were on the USS Dixon AS-37, a sub tender (sub school came in good for something).

While on board the Bowditch I maintained the SINS, EM logs (we had no IC man) and the SASS (well, "Frog", the GI rep, kept the SASS running). I was an NIC and sonar watch stander. I ended up as a survey control watch stander, running the plot. The one thing that stands out in my mind was how often we lost power and had to pull the maggie in by hand before they could start the prop shaft up again. That was fun, in February, in the North Atlantic!

 

USNS Bowditch, Jun 1976 - Jun 1978
  XO's_door-800.jpeg (71670 bytes) Our XO Bruce Northridge was getting off at the end of the cruise so ...we stole his door. The guilty parties are as follows:

Kneeling (left to right) is Neil Schmidt and Bill James, with the screwdriver.
Standing behind Neil is Kevin Hoostal, myself, Tom Pusateri and Craig Cochrane.

Bruce, if you're seeing this picture, we hid the door in the bilge under Hydroplot!
(Go here to read the story of the disappearing door!)

  Group.jpeg (2420957 bytes) A group picture created as a going away gift to the outgoing CO Kirk Evans.  Each of us is in a "typical" pose.
  Group_Names1.jpeg (674467 bytes) Names, left side.
  Group_Names2.jpg (543823 bytes) Names, right side.
     
  at seab.jpeg (66236 bytes) Photo album:  Bowditch at sea.

- Click the thumbnail to open the album, then the first album thumbnail to start the slide show.
  Photo album:  Ashore in the UK

 

Contemporary Photos
  Tom-r.jpg (112776 bytes) Tom Pusateri today.