ET(N)-3 (SS), Navigation ET (3339) - LORAN-C; NAVSAT/BRN-3 and various miscellaneous time standards and time keeping devices.

First off, nice website. Well done!

I was the classic underachiever of the vaunted "Silent Service"--drafted in 1967; I ran for the Navy/Air Force and a field that would keep me away from SE Asia. I was lucky to find the US Navy and made nine (9) deterrent patrols and then got out. I did my job well and somewhat enjoyed it, but "making rate" wasn't my top priority. What they taught me was put to use in the 80s, 90s, 2000s building computer networks LANs, WANs, MANs, et. al.

Along the way, TAGS ships and their missions were often discussed among us NavCenter watch standers during the seemingly endless hours of making sure our SINS didn't run off the plot page and we could meet the position requirements of the next WSRT. We marveled at how much accuracy and detail the systems that we ran (and y'all made possible and viable) were. I ran into one TAGS sailor in New London during some refresher training and his description of your mission made me wish I'd been assigned to a TAGS ship instead of a submarine... oh well.

Thank you for the website. A fun trip down memory lane from a user and benefactor of your efforts.

Communicated from NCS Londonderry via encrypted to these ships as well as MERCAST broadcast Morse code.

As always, just passing through.

My father served as an Army chaplain on board the Waterbury Victory at the close of WW2. I've run across some of his snapshots taken around the deck. He passed circa 2004, but shared with me stories of holding Protestant services on board for the German POWs, and I inherited his pocket German-English/English-German dictionary. Shall I scan some of these old pix and send them in? v/r, Don F. Gibson, Fripp Island, SC.

I was a Navigation ET straight out of C school in Damneck VA. I served a year on board surveying the Pacific, porting in Honolulu. It was a great tour of duty.

A Pleasure to Serve with some Great Minds

ET3(SS) SINS Tech reported from USS George Washington Carver SSBN-656 (Gold) for my last year in active USN.

Great times, great crew, fantastic port calls! Pearl, Ditch, Curacao (very tough to take for 17 days!) , Shellback and Rio De Janiro.

I was assigned to the USNS Dutton via MSTS as an Oiler in the ship's engine department on 31 October 1958.
When I boarded the Dutton she was being converted at Philadelphia's Navy Yard into an Oceanographic Survey Ship.
On 19th November 1958, we left Philadelphia for a 9-day shakedown cruise. However, the Dutton was still undergoing conversions at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in November and December 1958. On 14 January 1959, the Dutton shifted to Bayonne and Hoboken N. J. until 25 January when she again went to BAT #2 on 19 January 1959.
While the Dutton was being converted, On 28 November 1958 we birthed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard until 4 December 1958. Seven days again out at sea, returning to Brooklyn Navy Yard until 5 January 1959 we left to sail at sea until 14 January 1959 birthing at Bayonne, N.J. until 25 January 1959 we left Hoboken. On 29 January 1959, we arrived at BAT #2.
The USNS Dutton was now fully converted to begin her mission of surveying the North Atlantic and the Arctic Circle sea's beds. The scientific attachment aboard the Dutton was a U.S. Navy Oceanographic Detachment, of approximately 3 officers and 22 enlisted personnel, primarily technicians. Varying numbers of civilian scientists and engineers managed survey operations maintaining certain navigation and sonar equipment, usually about 12 oceanographers from the Naval Oceanographic Office, some personnel from the Naval Applied Sciences Laboratory (NASL, later NSSNF), and about 7 technical representatives from private corporations.

We finally departed American waters to sail to Naples, Italy arriving there on 13 February 1959. We left Naples on 16 February 1959 sailing into Arctic waters to begin our surveying journey.

As of the year 2024, I had my 100TH BIRTHDAY.
I have a BLOG in progress named < herbertgbuss.blogspot.com >. In Chapter 4 scroll down to " "Three Ships to be assigned MSTSLANT for Oceanographic Surveys". This BLOG chapter highlights Dutton's ports of call.

I served on the Dutton from (around) 75-77. I was an ETN-2, but I worked in the nav control room as I had acquired the special job code from "c" school. The reason I'm not sure on the dates I served is because I'm 72 years old and can barely remember my name. I do remember Chief Jones, and Lindy Combs (who has a sea story on this site) and Monty Tetly, and Scoot, and Gus, Dave. I'm sorry I haven't kept up with anyone from the unit, but I figured most have gone on the final cruise. I (Batselli) should be joining them soon enough. I have liver cancer, prostate cancer, COPD, lower back surgery, pretty much a taste of all maladies. I have two sons who barely talk to me, an ex-wife responsible for the prior statement, and basically live off my Social Security. And you know what? I'm fine with all that. Hello to my Dutton shipmates. I miss you all

Great ship with memorable voyages.