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Old 02-18-2005, 07:50   #31
Pete
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LCMs (Mike boats)

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Originally Posted by QRQ 30
Those flat bottomed landing craft weren't very smooth riding.
IIRC the Mike boat we used with the ACE board ended up with the SFUWO school for a number of years. I saw it down there during a number of the requals I went on. I think the last time I saw it was around 82/83. I think I have a picture of it somewhere and will look through that big box I've been going to put in order for the last 10 years.

The "Captain", a SP4 we called Spanky, drove it down the waterway from Ft Eustise (sp?), VA. Maybe the Army though it was cheaper to keep it there a while rather than drive it all the way back.

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Old 02-18-2005, 08:29   #32
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The "Captain", a SP4
Our Captain was an SP5. He had almost 20 years and that's is all he ever did in the Army. I know he had to return to CONUS once in a while but he was as close to being a permanent resident in the Canal Zone as one can be. That boat was his wife and baby and he knew every screw, nut and bolt on it.
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Old 02-18-2005, 09:11   #33
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This is a great thread.

Pete, I am very glad you are on board!
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Old 02-19-2005, 10:30   #34
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Summer of '66

We lived in screen sided buildings, much like Vietnam. It was a great summer. Key West was still cool. The Navy food was great, but we often dined on longustas. I still remember those freaking jellyfish. I had a blue tee shirt which the instructors made me remove as it was similar to what they wore. That was one hell of a summer...bar fights in Marathon, free beer in Key West.
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Old 02-19-2005, 16:44   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SP5IC
We lived in screen sided buildings, much like Vietnam. It was a great summer. Key West was still cool. The Navy food was great, but we often dined on longustas. I still remember those freaking jellyfish. I had a blue tee shirt which the instructors made me remove as it was similar to what they wore. That was one hell of a summer...bar fights in Marathon, free beer in Key West.
Thanks Mark. I knew we lived in some sort of temporary building.

The 10th in Germany had no permanent site. We trained at Chiem See. Squad tents were set up for us, there was a mess tent and field showers. For all parctical purposes we were "in the field".

Do you know how you can spot a military combat swimmer?

One arm is three inches longer than the other from "Cast and recoveries."
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Old 02-19-2005, 17:50   #36
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Octopus Attack!!

In '67 we went to Livorno, Italy for sub/ salt water diving. BTW the Leaning Tower of Pisa" really does lean.

The first thing we noticed when going out of the harbor was that about 1/3 of the ships docked at the harbor were flying the Hammer and Sycle. For some reason we couldn't get clearance to conduct ship bottom searches on them.

The Med. is incredibly clear and we were on a rec. dive. There were octopi everywhere. One of the divers grabbed one. Who grabbed whom was a matter of opinion. Faster than you would think possible that octopus was sitting on the diver's head and had all eight arms wrapped around the swimmer's mask, regulator hoses and whatever else he could grab. It was truly hilarious and I about drowned from laughing so hard underwater. We took the octopussies to a Ristorante in town and the mama cooked up a good meal of calamari.

http://tadahling.tripod.com/sitebuil...s/scan0028.jpg
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Old 02-19-2005, 18:30   #37
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QRQ:

Calamari is squid.

Polpo is octopus.

TR
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Old 02-19-2005, 18:45   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
QRQ:

Calamari is squid.

Polpo is octopus.

TR
doh, I was not going to say a word!
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Old 02-19-2005, 19:00   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
QRQ:

Calamari is squid.

Polpo is octopus.

TR
OOOPS!! Well as long as it isn't poopoo.
I thought squid was a form of swab.
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Old 02-19-2005, 22:00   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by QRQ 30
We took the octopussies to a Ristorante in town...
I wouldn't dare submit this in best quotes, but it makes me chuckle.
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Old 02-20-2005, 09:37   #41
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Summer of '66

The big boat we used for ocean diving was aptly named "Green Beret." It was refered to as a "Q Boat." I guess the "Q" could mean a few things given we were based in Key West. In reference to the Emerson rebreathers, we initially practiced in a pool at the Boca Chica airbase. Once we started on the Emersons, the flutter kicks disappeared.
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Old 02-20-2005, 10:07   #42
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"Q" boats

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Originally Posted by SP5IC
I guess the "Q" could mean a few things given we were based in Key West
On one trip down there we got seconded to the Navy for some odd reason. They were dropping sonar bouys from a P-3 (?) aircraft. They were using an area that was about 45' - 60' deep and they wanted the bouys back if they sank.

We were loaded up on a LCU (?). It was a "drive on the back" craft with the beach landing ramp on the front . The well deck ran the full length. It had a two story tower on the right side and stairs to an area below the well deck that had bunks and the machinery spaces. If I ever figure out how to make pictures smaller I'd post them.

With the flat bottom on it half the guys were seasick most of the day. The cook liked to make chillie and hot dogs for lunch. I thought it was good chow but some of the others could not even come close to that area of the boat due to the smell.

Now does this sound like military planning or what? Remember the Navy was in charge, not us. We would load a dive team per boat in a number of little whalers and spread out over the drop area. As the plane dropped the bouys the boats would home in on the nearest ones and move over to them. One drop me and I think Juan were looking up and Juan goes "Hey Chief, that one looks like it's coming a little close". The chief gunned the motor and the bouy hit right where the boat had just been. Of course it sank and we bailed out to fetch it back.

All in a days work.

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Old 07-16-2008, 10:29   #43
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SFUWO pictures

just goes to show, you let people take pictures these days and you'll end up on Flikr lol

row 2, 3, and 4 (SFUWO inside compound shots)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/poddiverradio/page7/
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Old 07-17-2008, 04:51   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by QRQ 30 View Post
Can't see the whole building but this is one of them. Bata Boot is in the black T-shirt.
That tin hut looks like our HOME, where I spent the summer of 69'. There was one Q-hut for living, a small shed for the tanks, a class room/shower/head, and the dock,, about it..

We didn't eat with Navy,, We use to wade off the dock to collect Lobster for Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner. The missile site was still active so the Marine Patrol stayed 500 yds off Flemming and let us be..

Weekends we treated ourselves to Lumm's, then moved the party to a place called the White Horse Inn on Truman..

I think we were the last class to use the LPSS-315 Sealion for training. It was de-commissioned and sunk for target practice in Sept of 69'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sealion_%28SS-315%29

We started with 70 some, lost two good man using the Emerson C/C, and graduated 11 or 12??
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Old 10-08-2009, 22:52   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by QRQ 30 View Post
Our Captain was an SP5. He had almost 20 years and that's is all he ever did in the Army. I know he had to return to CONUS once in a while but he was as close to being a permanent resident in the Canal Zone as one can be. That boat was his wife and baby and he knew every screw, nut and bolt on it.

This may be the LCM and crew of which QRQ speaks! These slides date from '71-ish when I was on the ODA attached to JOTC for "support". We were picked up by the LCM at "Point Blue" beneath Fuerte San Lorenzo on the Chagres River, and taken "upriver" - ala "Apocolypse Now" - to the Expedient Obstacle Crossing Site, where I was the "assistant" to "Knot Man" - Sgt Jones.
Pic #1 - SGT Pierce - heading upriver
Pic #2 - The LCM arriving at Pt. Blue just before dawn. We had to travel from Ft. Gulick to Ft. Sherman, and then out to Pt. Blue to meet it and load our equipment, pick-up our 193rd support troops and head upriver to set up the Expedient Obstacle Crossing site.
Pic #3 - SGT Gates - aka "Knot Man" - who could tie all the intricate knots that held the "Slide For Life" together. He was due to DEROS within a year, and I was assigned to "learn everything he knows" and take over upon his departure. He is eating his "C-Rations" lunch here.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg LCM-UpRiver.jpg (10.4 KB, 55 views)
File Type: jpg LCM-PtBlue.jpg (6.6 KB, 50 views)
File Type: jpg ExpObsCrx-Jonesy.jpg (11.9 KB, 65 views)
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Last edited by ZonieDiver; 10-09-2009 at 13:03. Reason: Correct name
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