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I started this in general, and moved it here.
I rode on two 'gator' ships while in the Corps, the New Orleans and the Alamo.
The New Orleans sucked, the sleeping spaces were hot and stunk, the sailors wanted us to clean and move stuff for them all the time, the TV movies on the boat sucked, and they wouldn't pump any air down to the sleeping spaces any time they could get away with it (see my first comments), plus they were all rude jackasses and stole stuff all the time.
The Alamo was pretty cool. We had to clean and move food, but they would work too, plus there was good food, and the supply officer or captain would pass out cups in the chow line every other day and ask you the chow and bunk areas were, and the TV was good, and when the AC in the back sleeping berth caught on fire a bunch of saliors came running back to put it out, and then they put in a new one, and when some stuff got stolen they got our stuff back.
The Orleans was like a carrier, only small and for helos and AV8Bs, and didn't have a hole in the back.
The Alamo had a deck for a helo, but didn't have any, and the ship was one big alley from the back up to the big metal part where the officers lived and they drive the boat, and the back door would open and the ship would tilt back so we could load the stuff onto the little ships and the hovercraft.
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H. Shooter,
obviously you should have ridden the Subs.
We all, officers included, eat the same food, get the same A/C - plenty and we wouldn't have let you clean or move anything !
In seven years I never saw anything stolen but many things "borrowed" but given back - often after they were used-up ! (Ex. shaving cream)
All done in a ball-busting way.
We hauled a dozen Marines one time and put them in the forward torpedo room. In a Sub any place empty is a place for a bunk. In anticipation of our "guests" we had off-loaded four torpedos and put skid-bunks in there place.
The first morning one of the Marines slide over to me during breakfast (Plates, no trays, eggs to order as much and as many of everything as you can eat) and asked about the torpedo he was sleeping next to - "It's not real is it ??"
When I explained that it was not only real but nuclear he almost lost his appettite. (But not quite.)
The funniest thing was when the guys started to break down, clean and assemble their weapons. We all found some reason to go forward and observe. One E-5 that worked with me came back with this strange look on his face and said " Damn, those guys are in the military !"
We enjoyed them and I think they enjoyed us.
The best thing was watching them sit down and a mess cook coming over and asking them how many steaks they wanted and how they wanted them cooked ! I believe those guys remembered us for about ten minutes but probably still remember the food today.
Finally, on a Sub you formally have breakfast lunch and dinner - then soup and sandwiches at midnight and 0400. In between there's open galley and you can eat whatever you want whenever you want - just clean up your own mess.
Those guys just never got used to that idea !
Four or five days later they departed and I'll bet all had gained at least five pounds.