Sea Stories and Rememberances.

Tom Stanley EN2, 1952-1953
submitted 6/10/2002
    Just this evening, watching the Queen's 50 year jubilee, I was reminded of my first trip to London. Late in the fall of 52 we had been up in the northern North Atlantic on a big NATO operation. After the operation was terminated, about 20 of the world's navies visited some of the major British ports. USS New went into Portsmouth. Anticipating the downtown Norfolk street scene of solid white hats, Rocky Walker (MM2) and I decided, after a visit to HMS Victory, to catch a train for London. Turns out we probably did the smart thing. Not only did we get to visit a great city, we missed out on the fights that erupted in Portsmouth where the Queen was sponsoring a big time bash for the NATO forces.
     I have visited UK several times since that first trip and have been married to a former UK citizen these past 48 years, but that first visit to London was a great adventure. One of my brothers-in-law took me on a tour of Cutty Sark on my last visit. One thing about those Brits, they do have great museums.
     I left New in June, 1953, planning to stay out only long enough to be sure I missed the upcoming trip to Guantanamo Bay. One shake down in that place is enough for any one lifetime. Any rate, my plans were changed when after about three days at home I was offered a job making more per week than Navy per month.
I was in the "R" Division, "A " Gang.

Tom Stanley              tomstanley@prodigy.net
8835 Lawncliff
Houston, Tx. 77040

From:Jim Coleman BM3 73-75
Submitted 6/15/2002
    I think that when I was onboard, the NEW was seasoned and solid as a rock. We made the Med/North Atlantic cruise and the North Atlantic is a monster. She was like a twig in a Jacuzzi. I am also a Shellback. A Golden Shellback from a Med/Middle East cruise. We sailed around Africa. I am a Bluenose as well from our trip into the Artic Circle on some sub tracking (I think that's what we were doing) up there. It was cold, nothing has ever been even near as cold, no winter or condition has ever made me as cold. I had on long john's, my work uniform, those coverall type pants lined, two jackets, foul weather gear, gloves hats, scarves, and remember standing a midwatch on the rotational watches that I did when I was a seaman. (one hour on the helm, one hour on the leehelm, one hour on the status board, one hour on port lookout, one hour on starboard lookout and one hour on aft lookout (that the picture you have on the Web page) (that brought back a million memories). Anyway we usually did four hour watches so we rotated around four stations, when we were on the occasional different conditions, we would stand six hour watches. There was also a messenger of the watch as a seventh position. But one night it was so cold, I was on starboard lookout, freezing my tail off and I remember like it was yesterday looking into the bridge and wishing one of the officers would have pity on us and let the port and starboard lookouts stand inside next to the Captains, and XO's chairs.
We had a little standoff with a Russian Destroyer in the Middle East, we were visual but CBDR (constant bearing decreasing range which meant if something didn't change, it would be a collision course. We didn't want to budge and neither did the Russians. This led up to a very scary couple of minutes, while the Captains played the battle of the wills. I think they finally altered because our skipper was adhering to rules of the road. We had a course change but I think it was right after theirs. We ended up going side by side just long enough for a parade to port when we went by. The Captain said something like "How'd ya like that" to the other Captain. But he said it loud enough for us to hear on the bridge wings. I guess he won the game.
   Another fast memory is some Freighter or Tanker on autopilot, which we didn't pick up till the last minute, I think when we were crossing the Atlantic. It was rainy weather and all of a sudden her bow was right there. I mean we did a hard right rudder and everything. That one scared me. It was close. My heart was beating out of my chest.
Another time when I was in a repair locker for G.Q., they set material condition Yoke after about 7 hours on station. I walked out on the maindeck from the forward repair locker just in time for the guns to go off. The repercussion sent me back in the door that I had just walked out of and on my ass. I couldn't hear for about a minute or so.
   Jim Coleman
   Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class 1973-1975
   Hackensack, New Jersey
   jcshark@msn.com
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