I came aboard in Malta and transfered off in NJ. Glad that I stumbled across the site.

I was contacted by Jim Bitter. A blast from the past. He referred me to this site. Just a lot of good memories. Now I have to look for photos.

For anyone interested in Bergen Norway, there are lots of web cameras placed on the Bergen Newspaper site, BT.NO and also on the BA.NO. doing a search for Torgallmenningen will bring you to the BT.no site with a video camera of the mall area and you can check.

Missed the Dutton in Yokosuka but rode the Hess to Guam to crossdeck. Served as Nav LPO until Oct 84 New Orleans. Returned to Dutton as GI Tech Rep from 7-86 Guam to 3 88 Ivory Coast. Anyone remember Barnies Beach Hut in Guam? Moose McGilcuddys and the Monkey Bar in Hono. In Rio when Bowditch almost sunk...what a mess. The poker game every night underway in Supply - many thanks to Gary E. Ahh, who can forget hitting golf balls underway up on O-4. Me, Gordo, Manning, and others on the bow when we ran aground in Curacao. Transit through the canal, twice - slept through the first on. Any idea where Bill Truslow (Gravity), Megan Hughes (Gravity?), Gary Esposto SK1, Johnny Pence ET1(SS), and Sir Ed Gauthier are these days?

I sailed as AB for about a year and spent the time with some great guys. Especially Leroy Everett, the baker. What a character! I was lucky to have known them all.

we my first sea command, right out of "C" school.

1977-78 USNS Dutton--Seattle
1978 USNS Bowditch--Bermuda
1979, 1980 USNS Hess--Hawaii, Japan, Guam
USNS Barlett--Cayman Islands

I arrived at NAVO in Bay St. Louis, MS a week before Thanksgiving in 1977. When I arrived the first thing they informed me was "you don't have a proper security clearance, so you need to out to sea." One day after Christmas I was headed to Seattle to catch the USNS Dutton. We spent several months in the North Pacific, much of the time was Hov2. On the second survops we had a rouge wave strike the vessel--that'll teach me to go for ice cream at 2 am.

After that, I quickly learned to stay on big vessels in southern waters!

Being a young pup, it was the time of my life!! Wouldn't trade those days in for all the tea in China. Years ago I heard this from an salt--he said, fairy tales begin, "Once upon a time . . .", yet sea stories begin "This is no bull!" (I'm being kind) He was right . . .

Just discovered your website while looking up information on the Bowditch. I spent a few years on the Bowditch. The normal tour of duty was a year but I spent additional time aboard as a trade for some schooling.

I travelled on the Bowditch from Craven Point, NJ to Baltimore and then to Bergen, Belfast, Athens, Naples, back to NJ. Then thru the Panama Canal to San Franciso and on to Japan where I was discharged from the Navy. Lots of memories of the ship.

spent 4 years onboard usns h h hess (tags 38). don't see much about her in here

I boarded the USNS Michelson in Bergen, Norway in March of 1963 and was assigned responsibility to maintain the Bendix G15D in addition to standing computer watches and other duties. We typically spent 30 days at sea and 3 days in port - initially Bergen, Norway and then Belfast, North Ireland. I shared a stateroom with 3 other sailors and have fond memories of playing cards in the rec room, volleyball in the forward hold while at sea, parties in our stateroom on the weekends at sea and liberties in port where we spent our time in the local bars with the local Irish young ladies. I remember the ocean stations where we dropped Nansen bottles and took core samples in rough seas and subzero weather as well as the brandy we were given to warm up when we came inside. I also remember the hairline crack on the deck, the fact that the ship was top heavy and could only take a maximum of a 39 degree roll and the Russian Trawlers that tried to get in our way and foil our mission.
In retrospect, my 14 months on the Michelson was a life changing experience that provided a foundation for my later career in maintaining computers and my lust for travel and adventure. I would not trade this experience, even the week of terrible seasickness before I got my sea legs, for anything.