Seafair is in Seattle this week. Blue Angels and the US Navy.

Today we visited the USS Crommelin. (I took no camera, all pics are from their website)



It wasnt the biggest ship there, but it was damn sure way cool. We got to oogle and see the Phalanx up close, go down in the Control room (Do they have any damn lights in that thing?) and even got a special tour from the bridge. The QM who works up there was on liberty, and he had his family up there. He asked our tour guide if he wanted him to give us the talk since he works up there. And he did. Guess who found the "gas pedal" and "steering wheel" right off? And no that didnt qualify me to drive the ship, and yes I asked!



The guy on the left was the one I started a conversation with in passing while leaving, hell he walked me off the ship chatting. The guy on the right was the ?bowsans mate?" (Anchor dude). All hands were highly professional but still very real. We have soime great sailors in our Navy.

And I had on my Bush '04/ 10 out of 10 terrorist want anybody but Bush t-shirt on.

Today was a good day.



Sad note- Our Firefighters on that ship have respirators from WWII. Early vintage POS. They are the very last ones in the Navy to have these. The shit belongs in a museum, not on the Firefighting equipment of my .mil. I will have to call Sec. Rumsfeld Monday and see what we can do about speeding up that upgrade they are due.

Respirators from WWII,     WTF???


Looks like you had a great time!



WWII?      WTF?

One of the few things I miss about living on the west coast: Touring the navy vessels.

Thanks for reviving a few (almost-forgotten) memories!

Quoted: Respirators from WWII,     WTF???

It was some sort of very old rebreather type system that takes a canister that turns carbon dioxide into oxygen.

The shit was so old, when you looked at the canisters you wondered where the hell they still got them from and why the hell they still had them. They are the last ship in the entire Navy to still have these.

I had a blast!

I'm glad somebody else can appreciate what a pain OBA's were.
OBA (Oxygen Breathing Apparatus) Type 4  Being replaced by the SCBA( self contained breathing apparatus)
www.dcfp.navy.mil/cgi-bin/MuseumCatDescrip.cgi?category=1

Quoted: I'm glad somebody else can appreciate what a pain OBA's were. OBA (Oxygen Breathing Apparatus) Type 4  Being replaced by the SCBA( self contained breathing apparatus) www.dcfp.navy.mil/cgi-bin/MuseumCatDescrip.cgi?category=1

Thats that POS!

And I notice the only pics on the entire internet are from a damn museum!

Thats a sin and a shame, especially considering they are on for combat rotations.


I will be making a few calls Monday morning. That is total bs.

Oh yeah, OBA's. what an oversized, clumsy, difficult to get to work properly piece of shit they were! You definitely wanted to be sure it was working before you entered a space with fire/smoke. If you didn't you probably wouldn't get it working in time to save your ass.

Not OBA related but I think that Top pic was taken off of South America( Unitas exercise) somewhere. If you look at the Flight Deck of CG-51 Thomas S Gates Homeported out of  Pascagoula Mississippi you will see orange Target drones. I'd also say that was the Ships Command Master Chief( E9) that you talked to. CAV VET if you go to the Home page of the Museum Link you might find some additional Contact info.

Quoted: I'd also say that was the Ships Command Master Chief( E9) that you talked to.

Senior NCO? He kinda seemed cool enough and yet in command enough where I could see that.

CAV VET if you go to the Home page of the Museum Link you might find some additional Contact info.

I did and I wanted to send them this link so they know I enjoyed the tour, know I thought they did a great job, know I dont like the way they are getting reamed by DOD/USN, and just know I appreciate it.............but there was no link.