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360 entries.
Larry W. Walls wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:52 am
Hello "Chief O'Neal"

Served with you as Pre-comm crew aboard the America CVA-66. Worked as LPO for GMT1 George James in the aft magazines. Your office was right outside the mag doors. LT B.P. Brown was our Div Officer and CDR Gunn was Weps Officer. Skipper was CAPT Heyworth, XO CDR Austen .

Some of the other crew were: Jerry Baldwin, Frank Bianco, CWO Berry, E-9 Martz .

As with all Pre-comm duty, it was arduous and quite dangerous. Notable incidents you may remember: Sitting anchored at Gitmo and getting hit by a damned fruit boat. (Caused serious misalignment to our aft Terrier missile rails.) Going through a violent hurricane on our maiden trip to relieve the FDR, and the hull being lifted out of the water and frying the journals (Couple weeks in the yards at Genoa to fix that. .) Escort destroyer boilers taking green water through the stacks and blowing up a boiler (Killed several and burned many more with live steam. ) Had an A4(?) come up through the belly of an A3J killing 5 or 6.
Had an "Angel" try to lift off the flight deck with a tiedown attached and it rotor-walked off the deck into the Bosphorous Strait where we were anchored in Istanbul. All the aircrew survived.
I still have shin-scars (and hearing loss) from working night-ops up on the flight deck as a Tech Monitor and loading crew member. What with suicides, and pilots diving into the Med, we probably lost 12 or 13 people on our maiden voyage. And--to top it all off-the Rosie dumped oil all over Spain, and of course the entire continent was pissed at the Navy. Being named the America didn't help any either.
There was a demonstration in Taksim Square in Istanbul and they chased the entire Shore Patrol detachment (including me and a LCDR in charge) across the Square where we finally made it into a hotel lobby just as the Turkish mIlitary showed up and opened up with machine guns into a crowd of perhaps 500 people. I saw several (9-10) hit.

As a young E4 this was all high adventure and made great sea story material for the future. Hell, by the time we pulled into Cannes, OTHER things were on our minds. Such as the W-Div party at the Carleton Hotel in Golfe Juan. Things settled down a little after that-and the cruise kind of finished up fairly normal.
I do remember you and Ensign Kegler being assigned to the aft spaces.

Nice to hear from you.

Larry W. Walls GMTC, Ret 1961-1981
JIM ONEAL wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:52 am
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE IN "W" DIVISION OF USS AMERICA COMMISSIONING CREW. I LEFT THE SHIP IN FEB 1966 WHEN I MADE WARRANT W1. THANKS .I DO ENJOY THIS WEBSITE.
JIM O'NEAL CWO4 RETIRED
Pete Fogal, WT1(SW) wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:52 am
Looking for those I served with;
NAVMAG LLL West Loch 80/84
USS Independence CV62 84/87
POMFLANT Charleston 87/90
USS Fulton AS11 90/91
USS Canopus AS32 91/93
Retired from Recruiting duty in 99. Totally miss time spent with friends in the GMT/WT community
jerry noll wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:52 am
looking for tom jarvis
Charles J. Galbreath wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:51 am
Jim Little send me an E-mail. Would like to call and talk.
In any case I wish you and your family the very best
Jim Little wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:47 am
I have many memories of Bill Grizzard. I relieved him on the USS Midway in Yokosuka as a green CWO2. He left a squared away outstanding division I was always proud of. They passed the first DNSI/NTPI a carrier had passed for over 4 years..."0" deficiencies. Bill remained in Japan and we often baby-sat his boy Anton (who was killed in a murder suicide tragedy). As a CWO/LDO detailer I tried to offer him a job as a SEAL armorer...he refused and retired. Saw Bill at many NNWA reunions..."We think not of our shipmate as departed, but rather as having been transferred to a celestial ship or station where sometime in the future we shall all be together shipmates once again, because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us"..Rest in Peace Bill....
Don Norris wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:47 am
Thank you Wayne Shook for the info on the Polaris. Will be e-mailing you about this!
Don
Wayne Shook wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:47 am
Don, the A3 Polaris had a trio of MK58's. The earlier A1 and A2 versions carried a single W47.
Don Norris wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:46 am
Can anyone tell me if I am right or wrong? The Polaris Missile was armed with 3 Mk64 warheads.
Rick Jones wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:46 am
Reaching out to Charlie Bunch to see how he is doing. Please drop me an email when you get a chance.
John Hawkins wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:46 am
I was the Handling Officer in charge of Barge Movements. Please email me what you heard.
Rudy
John Hawkins wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:45 am
Was anyone assigned to Yorktown in the 79 time frame who was involved with Barge Loading. I was told of an incident concerning some items involved in a barge incident.
Kimo Uratani wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:45 am
Pat, I am a Kimo Uratani.

Don't know if I'm "the" Kimo you're looking for. There could be others, you know.

I recall a Pat Allensworth from Lockheed-Sunnyvale, Reentry Body world, who I believe had previously been NSO at SWFPAC.

Have not had contact with Larry Feldbrugge in many moons. Hope he's OK. My e-mails are being returned to me.

Thanks for the alert Lou Rivera.

Saw a few familiar names: Leischner and Murdock
Pat Allensworth wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:45 am
Looking for Larry Feldbrugge and Kimo Uratani
John Kneale wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:45 am
Hello fellow nuclear technicians. Does anyone in your group know a Torrano Alvores? He has tried to become a member of the NWTA and also join faacebook pages USAF Nuclear Weapons and the 464/2w2 pages. He claims to have been a Master Chief in the Navy, and will not answer any of the qualifying questions on these sites. He has also attempted to start several nuclear related facebook pages. Our thoughts are he is someone trolling for information. Please let us know your thoughts.
Craig adams wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:44 am
Drop me a text David Corning !!
Craig adams wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:44 am
Yes David Corning . E mail me !!
Sam Yeagley wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:44 am
Wesley Reimer I was at Yellow Water from 63 to 66.
JIM ONEAL wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:44 am
SORRY, MY LAST SENTENCE SHOULD READ "I WAS PROMOTED TO WARRANT W-1 ON 1 MARCH 1966."
JIM ONEAL wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:43 am
WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM GEORGE JAMES OR ANY MEMBER OF "W" DIVISON COMMISSIONING CREW OF USS AMERICA CVA66 1964-1966 I WAS TO WARRANT W-1 MARCH 1 1966.
David Nations wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:43 am
Doug Sprouse, you are remembering my Brother Gene. He passed in 1974 at the young age of 42. I spent my years 67-70 in plant 2 with Batten, Ch Jarell Gunner Klemowich (ms), George James, Price, Gatlin, and others. Saw Breaud at NWTG LANT late 79 or early 80, he was retired.
Doug Sprouse wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
Hey Chief Nations. I was there then. You were pretty bad ass. I was on the other side of the plant with GMT1 Ryan and GMT2 Woods. Fun watching GMT1 Brode and Ryan flip each crap mercilousy when whenever Brode walked through our side. I was on Ryan's hook so I had a front row seat. GMT3 Leishner and I got tranferred out to overseas duty at the same time. We took his car to Montana to save the airfare. You ran a tight ship Chief
Wesley Reimer wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
Looking for anyone who served at Yellow Water Naval Magazine in the lat 1950s to early 1960s.
David Corning wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
Craig Adams, were you on the Independence in the early 80’s?
Roger Lankford wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
Reply #257, I was there 58-60 nwsn/nw3, Able Plant/M bay. Ret 6/1987 W4.
Dave Nations wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
Dennis Kemp, I was stationed with BM1 EOD Jack Kemp at Yktn Weps Sta. Any relation to you ? Thanks Dave N.
tom "rosey" Rosenberg wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
Guess I should have posted a date-this would be 1970-1971 or so as most Div Officers seldom stayed for over a year but he was still aboard when I was Discharged 06/02/71 rosey
rosey wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:40 am
to John and Lou thanks for the reply- Just received a message from Ray about CDM Murdock passing as was wondering if this was Mr Murdock, he was a Lt CMD an W Div officer my third cruise aboard the Hanna- Outstanding officer and a great man. Somewhat strick but very fair, well respected by all in the division- Wondering if this was the same person-he was a Mustang but I can believe he made full Commander as that's who he was!! rosey
Dave Wilson GMTCS Ret wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:40 am
Trying to locate GMTCM Reed and CWO Gary Minor
Don Smith wrote on September 16, 2024 at 10:40 am
Memorial to Steven Madison, GMT1, passed 88 or 89