Scariest stories are when I was on USS Cobbler, you can read about them at USS Cobbler Harold Garland and Lee Hutchens tells it all. I was aboard for all the accidents and one more scary part that wasn’t mentioned was when we were operating as a target for Task Group Alfa (ASW hunter killer group) I was on the helm at battle stations and the CO was on the scope and all of a sudden he goes balistic screaming down scope down emergency and just as we got down the Carriers screws could be heard going over us. The Skipper said all he could see was solid grey in the scope. I had brown skivvies after that one. I have rec’d some good news from my old boss on Cobbler that the Skipper Frank Clifford has retired from the navy as a Capt and living out his retirement in Melbourne Fla. I also notice that DEX Armstrong has gotten into this site. We served together on Requin and have been to 2 reunions so far, and hope to have many more. DEX has quite a few stories to tell.
Vic “Sparks” Casciola
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fufl3LsbSMM
‘We were in the GOT in April 1975, aboard the Big “E”. It was my first DIRSUP ride. I was taking a “break” on the portside catwalk just outside the SUPRAD spaces. It was way cool watching them brand new F-14 Tomcats taking off!! I could feel the heat of the afterburners as they left the deck. All of a sudden, somebody on the flightdeck grabbed me by the back of my dungaree shirt and lifted my stupid ass up onto the deck and yelled, “YOU!!! Follow ME!!!!”. We double timed to the air bosses chair, where I was told to stand at attention. I did so for about an hour, until the air boss, who was calling the shots on the flight deck, and without finishing one sentence before starting the next, lit right into me and chewed on my ass for another hour. Finally he asked me where was I from. I told him, “OZ Division,SIR!!”. He said, kinda to himself, “What the hell is OZ division?”. Another officer standing nearby leaned over and whispered to him, “He’s a CT, sir”. The air boss looked at me for a minute and said, “Aaaaaah, ok. You’re dismissed.” As I was being escorted by the officer who had done the whispering as to what I was, I tried to encourage the point made by the air boss that I was a damned CT, by God. The officer looked at me and told me that it wasn’t that the air boss thought what an important person I was - rather, he knew I didn’t know jackshit about being aboard a ship - much less an aircraft carrier! So much for impressing the boss!!’
You work for who now?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1WIHC2dzLs