Uncle Sugar's Yacht Club
My Naval Service
I was once a member of the finest, most powerful navy ever to sail the seven seas. I served on board the grandest ship in that navy. Needless to say, I am very proud of my naval service.
My ship was the U.S.S. Midway, an aircraft carrier forward deployed out of Yokosuka, Japan. What that means is that she was homeported there, that she did not return home to the United States until she retired. If you would like to know more about her, click on her picture to go to her present site.Because of her small size and age, living conditions were spartan to say the least. Her sailors learned to live in the far east, and that became their new home, as it was her's. If they looked at the numbers, many would have wondered why the Midway was still in service.
She only had two catapults, and was the smallest attack carrier in the fleet. Her keel was laid when battleships ruled the seas at the beginning of WWII. She was originally intended to be a battleship, but half-way through her construction, and after the battle of the Coral Sea, it became evident that carriers were the wave of the future navy. Plans were changed, and she became a carrier. Later when jet aircraft came along, She was refitted with an angle deck to accomodate the requirements of higher takeoff speeds and landings.
Thus her construction was a compromise, her port was far away, and her crew was working with what often seemed to be antiquated equipment trying to meet modern demands. They should have been demoralized.
But that was not to be. The U.S.S. Midway was touched by a magic like no other ship. With her two catapults, her crew could launch aircraft faster than a carrier with three. Her crew had a saying, "there's the right way, the wrong way, and the Midway."
Thus they would do what it took to keep her in her place of prominence as America's only forward deployed carrier. Life is tough on a Navy ship, and being forward deployed gave the phrase "first to go, last to know" a whole new meaning. I do not miss the endless 12 on, 12 off shifts, the calls to General Quarters awakening me from a needed sleep, or the announcement "Fire Fire Fire!" over the 1MC. But the nights under the stars at sea were like no other, and the thrill of coming into port made a grown man feel like a three year old on the way to Disneyland.
What I will always miss, however are the friends I made. There is a special bond that forms among men who live and serve together under ardurous conditions. It is like no other. The trust you give a buddy to watch your back when there are a thousand ways to slip up and kill yourself is unique. The trust he gives you to do the same is very powerful, and bonds men closer than brothers. I miss that.
I am out of touch with most of my crewmates now, time has a way of doing that. But for a short while, we served together, we felt a special magic, and our lives were forever changed.
The Navy and the Midway gave me a chance to see and experience things I would have never otherwise seen or done. They made me into what I am today, and I will always be grateful.
Crossing The Line!
A Few Links!
"A good Navy is not a provocation to War.
Do you miss being in the Navy?
Cut a single bed in half lengthwise, and enclose three sides. Add a roof that prevents you from sitting in any position (18" is a good height). Replace the mattress with a steel plate and cover it with three inches of foam to duplicate a shipboard bunk. Place a decomposing animal under your bed to simulate the smell of your rackmate's sheets. Each "bed" should be equipped with: two sheets (with unidentifiable stains) that are twice the size of the mattress, one very scratchy wool blanket that is half the size of the mattress, one pillow that smells like dead, wet fowl, and one pillowcase (again with the same stains) that is about half the size of the pillow. Whenever possible, have someone steal your pillow or blanket to instill a sense of comaraderie that exists on all US Naval vessels. Remember that you only get to lay down after a 12 hour shift. Let someone know ahead of time to ring a gong in your ear and shout "General Quarters, All Hands Man Your Battle Stations" or "Fire, Fire, Fire" approximately 45 minutes into your much needed sleep. Enjoy!
The CV-41 & Cag 5 Home PageMy Sqadron's Home PageProbably The Finest Naval
Aviation Links Page Ever!The Midway NowThe Official U.S.Navy Site
It is the surest guaranty of Peace."
President Theodore Roosevelt, Dec. 2, 1902
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