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SubTitle: Never a SNIPE!!!
Posted by: J. Ritter (ritter@interserf.net) on 11/27/1997@13:52hrs:
In Reply to: Re: More Navy ships from SI posted by: DAN BLAINE on 11/27/1997@10:14hrs:
I learned to like snipe work doing extra duty - they tried to get the rebel out of me. I really kept ET's in business as a Radarman. After "B" School in SF Bay, where the had three major islands (Angel, Alcatraz (devils) and Treasure Island (purgatory) where I attended my advanced training. Extra Duty there was called 'stupid study' and I went to some of that to keep my grades in the top 10%. Turned down the Navy's offer to become an EW Specialist at graduation. On my next ship assignment spent some colleteral duty maintaing the SPA-4's and SPA-8's in CIC. The ET's had their hands full with communications equipment and needed the help. The Senior Chief ET didn't like me working on the gear, but knew from the questions I asked that I was usually on the right track and was reducing their workload. There was one ETR2 who I did not really get along with and he was always asking me technical questions to stump me. About three weeks before leaving the ship for a DLG Pre-Com I showed him one of the strobe crossover points on a SPA-8 cursor. I told him the problem had me stumped. He left me alone for the rest of the time I was on the ship. One of my RD shipmates met me a few years later and told me that the ET found the same problem with the other two SPA-8s we had and was to proud to ask anyone about the problem. He said that the guy finally found out that it was an "additional" pourly documented feature and could not be corrected. It only took him six months to find out, and really made my day. I learned that most of the good ET's appeared to be screwing off most of the time becouse they took care of the equipment. The only things that did not work were either a logistics problem where they could not get the parts or an engineering problem designed into the equipment so it would never work. The real unsung hero's of all the ships I have been on have been the snipes. Hard hot watches, toil and work kept the ships of my era going. On two of my ships I adpoted a fireroom and had my guys help with damage control equipment, PMS and painting. I also sent a few there for extra duty knowing the were rteally going to help a shipmate, get some team sprit, and als realize how eazy they had it. Usually did not have any problems onec they "learned' the lesson. I know becouse I had to learn the same lesson.
I hope I have not pissed off nay of those wonderful snipes who get everything dirty and blow tubes on freshly painted topsides!! They were also good at wasting make-up feed water so we had to go on water hours. My wife is still amazed that I can take a shower in less than two minutes, including a shampoo. I can't tell her I'm afraid some- one will catch me taking a 'hollywood' shower. Most Staten Islanders are wondering what the heck were talking about!!!!
Happy Holiday,
John