Baby turning dress whites into 'yellow'
 


  Aaron Wayne

My first child, Cindy, was born on December, 1967.

On Christmas day, I went to see my new daughter and to give my wife, Shelley, a watch I had bought her for Christmas. On December 27, I left for the 1968 westpac cruise which was to become part of the history books. First San Diego, then on to Hawaii. When we were a few days out of Pearl Harbor, we received the news about the 'Pueblo' and were informed that we were headed for the sea of Japan.

Shelley sent letters with news from home and pictures of Cindy, which I carried with me most of the time.
 

One day, "General quarters, all hands man your battle stations.", was not followed by "This is a drill.", but by the chilling announcement that "This is not a drill." The Russians were coming straight at us! As I ran to my station, I checked my pocket for the letter and picture of Cindy.



We were the first American warship to reach station. During the next month and a half, we froze, we did not have enough real foul weather gear for everyone. I remember all hands not on watch being called to shovel snow off the flight deck. And to think this was one reason I left Wyoming to join the Navy in the first place. After what had seemed an eternity, we sailed for Viet Nam, leaving sub-freezing temperatures for 100 degree weather and humidity that soaked the life right out of you. I often took the most recent picture of my new baby out of my pocket and smiled, despite what my shipmates and I were going through.

 



When, finally, our tour was over, we reached Long Beach and snuggled up to pier echo, mwife and daughter. I climbed into the back seat and my mother-in-ly mother- and father-in-law were waiting with my aw handed me my daughter for the first time. I hugged Cindy close, and as babies will do, she promptly turned the front of my dress whites yellow.
 

Picture caption: Russian Bear Bomber flying over US Navy Aircraft Carrier


Now, after thirty-four years, Shelley and I are still together and Cindy is expecting our second grandchild. But what I still remember after all these years is that Christmas eve in the hospital, when I handed Shelley her present and she looked up and said: "But I didn't get you anything."

Yes you did, Darling, yes you did.   

 

 

 

 

Photographer Mate 3rd Phil Spivak remembers the war conditions off the coast of Korea.  Leaving his safe warm rack to go to his general quarters (battle) station. 

"we went to general quarters when the Russian bears were flying in. I worked nights and we were on 12 hours and off 12hours so I was in my rack when we went to general quarters. When he alarm went off I was in a deep sleep, I grabbed my clothes at the end of the rack and started to bolt up the ladder (frightened out of my wits)  In my haste I cracked my knee on one of the steps and had to hobble to my station.  Which as I recall was under a table in the photo lab.

 

Read more about the USS Yorktown's involvement in the communist North Korean seizure of the USS Pueblo  click here

Yorktown Boatswain Mates;
they were the "keel" of the ship

 

  When the US Navy started there were no "boiler tenders", "radiomen", "meteorologists" or "navigators."  Everyone was a US Navy sailor...thus everyone in the US Navy in 1776 was a Boatswain Mate.  The Boatswain Mates, also know as the "deck crew", or "Boats" handled all the REAL Navy chores such as manning the six inch guns, maintaining the ship by chipping paint and repainting as the salt spray attempted to eat the steel that made up the Yorktown, steered the ship, conducting the underway replenishments, and even acted as "sideboys" so that visitors to the Yorktown would receive an impressive welcome when coming aboard the Yorktown.  Boatswain mates would have to dress up in their dress uniforms along with full medals so that the visitors could walk onto the Quarterdeck as Boatswain Mates stood at attention in two lines and saluted while another Boatswain Mate blew the Boatswain's whistle.  Being a Boatswain Mate on the Yorktown was REALLY being a US Navy sailor.

Everyone remembers reporting aboard their ship after boot camp and being ordered to go to the bridge to "polish the navigator's balls."  That of course are the two balls on either side of the compass, set there to compensate for the compass needle pulling to the steel in the ship.  Here are a few other amusing stories about how sailors tease sailors.

 

 

 

 

Rey Colón Boatswain Mate Petty Officer 3rd Class  (BM3) USS Yorktown 1966 to 1969.  Certified Helmsman on board the USS Yorktown CVS 10 remembers;

"I was on board going on my first year and I was still rated as a Seaman Apprentice when Hanson, BM3 ordered me to go to the Boatswain's locker and bring back a "bucket of water line".* Well I being already wise and knowing what was going on I decided to "skate" all day.  When I return with a bucket full of water  with a rope in it, I told him "here it is. There's your water line!"

That didn't go to well with Hanson, and he tells me "you know Colon, your going to get ahead in this navy". From that day on I had the "head" as my cleaning space until I was promoted to full Seaman two months later.  I learned never try to out salt an old salty."

Picture: 2nd division manned
one of the four Yorktown
 6" guns, the helm and operated the
underway replenishments.

 *the water line is that part of the ship that meets the ship hull in the water. There is no way you can get a "bucket of water line".
 

See Seaman Colon's Helmsman Certificate  click here

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