Friday 16 Dec. 1977

" I got a letter from Kevin last night. He said that he didn't like the 'Connie' (USS Constellation CV-64) at all and wished he hadn't swapped.

I sold my wide-angle lens today to Lt. Stewart for $40. I should've asked more, I had 4 or 5 calls about it. 151 days 'til I'm home."

Thursday 15 Dec. 1977

"Payday today. 152 days left of the cruise and 647 days left in the Nav. I got $49 & owe $14 of it, which leaves me with $35 'til the end of the month.

I went to sick call today because my left knee started acting up again. The Doc said the same things all the others said. He gave me some pain pills and told me to take whirlpools."

Wednesday 14 Dec. 1977

"Another day less to go 'til I'm home. 153 more days."

Tuesday 13 Dec. 1977

"We pulled out of Pusan today and went back on shifts. I find it very hard to sleep in the compartment during the day, there's too much noise and everyone keeps turning on the lights.

Everything is just about same-same. No mail, probably won't have a mail call 'til the 18th because they're flying on jet engines and don't have room for incoming mail."

Monday 12 Dec. 1977

"We worked about a half day today. So I borrowed some money from Dale and went on the beach.  Just went to the Army Compound and wound up getting a backgammon board set & a cribbage board. Liberty secured at midnight, I was aboard by 9."

Sunday 11 Dec. 1977

"I had duty today. I pulled 'Petty Officer of the Watch' on the Quarterdeck. We're using the fantail as the Quarterdeck while we're here in Pusan. So everyone uses the accommodation ladder on the fantail to board the liberty boats. My watch was 12 - 16:00, so I had to relieve the 16 - 20:00 watch for chow. We have to work tomorrow and we leave Tues. morning."

Saturday 10 Dec. 1977

"I took Bob Daniels' duty in OE Div. today. He stood mine in Hawaii, so I was obligated. I guess it's just as well. He didn't have any watches, so I stayed in the shop all day. HS-8 is flying helo's back and forth between the Army compound and the ship all weekend, so we have to cover it on PLAT. They stop around 17:00."

_____________________________________________________

Friday 9 Dec. 1977

"We anchored out in Pusan harbor this morning. I got off early and was about the 5th man in the enlisted men's line. So I waited about an hour or more and finally we got to get on the liberty boat. It was an LCU and held about 400 people. So people at the end of the line that I saw when I was waiting got on the same boat I did. It was about a 45 minute trip to the fleet landing and on the way we just missed colliding with a freighter from the starboard side. He must have been doing 15 - 18 knots. Our boat's pilot made a hard port turn, went 360, and the 2nd liberty boat beat us to the beach. When we got there, they just lowered the ramp in front and we walked out just like the Marines did there 25 years ago.

Since there's no Navy facilities here, we went to the US Army's Hialeah Compound where the manufacturers and merchants had a "bazaar". They had all sorts of stuff there. Tennis shoes for $4, jackets for $10, leather goods real cheap, jade & soapstone chess sets, and statues at really good prices, etc. I bought a soapstone chess set for $13, a pair of leather gloves for $3, and a jade statue for $4. I saw beautiful jade chess set for $28. I wish I had the money. Then I ran into a guy I knew from the ship and we walked back towards the landing.

I really don't like Korea. It's not as modern as Japan in most ways, and Pusan is a most depressing looking place. You can't see any trees or shrubs growing around it. It looks barren. You really notice the smells and it smells bad. It's cold here, and I think that one day is enough of Pusan, at least for me. I don't have the money nor the opportunity to explore further, but you can't drink the water and can't eat the food, except in the best restaurants, without getting sick. So I think I'll stay on the boat til we leave."

Thursday 8 Dec. 1977

"SecNav (Secretary of the Navy) came aboard today, he went on TV with the Captain, but I missed it. I was sleeping. We anchor at Pusan tomorrow. I've got duty on Sat. & Sun., so I don't think I'll see much of Korea either."

Wednesday 7 Dec. 1977

"Flew most all day. I got to see that Russian destroyer today. Real sinister looking! (haha!) It does make you think about why we're here, . . . in a place that we probably have no business being."

Tuesday 6 Dec. 1977

"We had 2 Russian 'Badgers' fly over us today and nobody knew about it until the Air Boss and people in Pri-Fly saw them fly by.

They flew in under RADAR and none of our escorts identified them. One flew by on the Starboard side, then the other flew right over the Flight Deck, probably taking photos of the planes, all the missiles and things exposed there. Also we've been shadowed by a Russian destroyer since this morning, at least. He came pretty close a few times. Oh, by the way, the reason for all this company is probably because we're in the Sea of Japan now and that's pretty close to 'Ivan's' Home Field."

Monday 5 Dec. 1977

"I got my Christmas box from home last night and also a card from Linda Godfrey (now Sullivan). Everything else is sameo - sameo."

Sunday 4 Dec. 1977

"Nothing unusual. I saw some islands during the day. I don't know where we are, but we're probably rounding the south of Japan."

Saturday 3 Dec. 1977

"Normal work day. UnRep'd for ammo, then with the 'Sac' (USS Sacramento) for fuel. Got a lot of photos this morning of our escorts, they were very close. No Flight Ops, just Alert status til 10:00 tomorrow."

Friday 2 Dec. 1977

"Normal work day. Flew heavy most of the day. Went back on 12 hour watches. Also got a letter from Denise and from Mom."

Thursday 1 Dec. 1977

"We left Japan today. Pulled out of Yokosuka around 08:00. We started flying around 13:00 and had a GQ in the afternoon. Found out that the Chief may be getting out of the Navy in January."

Wednesday 30 Nov. 1977

"Last day in Japan. We leave early tomorrow morning. Got the systems back up and operating. Cinderella liberty tonight, but I've got the duty anyway."

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Cinderella Liberty: 

Liberty that expires at midnight. Used mostly in foreign ports where the captain is concerned for the safety of his crew or as a subliminal form of punishment.
         - from the Unofficial, Unabridged Dictionary for Marines
 

Tuesday 29 Nov. 1977

"Normal work day, making progress on work to be done. Stayed on the boat again and played guitar. They had another concert on the hanger bay. I didn't go, again."

Monday 28 Nov. 1977

"Normal work day, still doing inventory. Stayed on the boat and went to bed fairly early. Oh yeah, they had some sort of concert on the hanger bay. I didn't go."

Sunday 27 Nov. 1977

"Got to bed this morning at about 4, fortunately I got to sleep until 11:30. Then I went to work. We got off about 4:30 PM and the Chief told everyone who wanted to go with him that he'd buy the 1st round. So me, Don (a guy in the shop), and the Chief went out to a dept. store looking for a 'futon' (I think). It's a big silk quilt. We found one for 98,000 Yen (about $400). Too Much!

After that we went to a sushi bar for a beer. The Chief had sushi, Don & I had tempora. I was having a little trouble with my chopsticks. Don said he knew why,  . . . he said I should have left them together. I looked and saw his, they were still connected at the top. We all started laughing.

We then went and played pachinko. I started with 300 Yen of balls and did pretty well. I lost them all, but did win enough to keep playing a goodly amount of time. Then we went down some off the track streets with a bunch of Japanese bars and stopped in one. I had some Akadama wine (very good) and Sake (not bad). The Mama-san didn't speak English and we didn't speak Japanese. It was a lot of fun. We met two young guys at the bar, they spoke a little English, and asked me where I came from and my occupation. They said that they liked The Beatles very much, and asked about some movie stars.

They said Don looked like Ringo. We had a good time."

----------------------------------------------------

In 1977, I had never heard of futons or pachinko, and knew little about sushi and sake. I don't remember if the popular culture at the time did either.

Saturday 22 Nov. 1977

"Got duty today and shore patrol tonight.. Everyone worked today doing the same old stuff.

For shore patrol, I walked a beat down 'Pirate's Alley', about a block off the base. I mustered at 17:00, was on the street by 19:00, and got secured at 03:00. It was interesting at first, but it gets old after a while. The beat was 2 blocks (about 200 yds), and doesn't take long to walk. It would have been alright, except for the rain. It rained, and rained all night and I didn't have a coat. Just a sweatshirt under my black shirt. I wasn't cold until about 24:00, by then I was soaked through."

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When the Kitty Hawk made a foreign port call, one of the considerations for the duty roster was the assignment of Petty Officers to 'Shore Patrol'. This was done in liberty ports where it was judged prudent to have a presence among the sailors roaming the waterfront 'recreational facilities'.
So, while the rest of your shipmates were carousing, you would have to trail along and be the butt of their humor while keeping an eye out for trouble. Not always an easy thing to do amongst the brothels & watering holes. The good news was, the next night you may very well be wandering the same port without the SP on your arm.

Friday 25 Nov. 1977

"I went out to the (Enlisted Men's) club last night and saw some guys from the division, so I sat with them & listened to the Country-Western music until it closed.

I felt awful when I got up this morning. We worked a full day today and will work this weekend too. I went to the base exchange and bought a tea set. I'll get to bed early tonight."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Although I didn't feel the need to mention it at the time, I ate Thanksgiving dinner at the EM club that night. I don't remember listening to country music that night, but I still remember eating turkey dinner on Thanksgiving in Japan.

Thursday 24 Nov. 1977 - Thanksgiving

"I went to Kamakura today and saw some shrines and temples. I walked around Yokosuka checking out the small shops & stuff. I finally got to the train station and took the train to Kamakura. When I got there I walked about 1 & 1/2 miles to Zeni-arai Benton (the money washing shrine). I walked back to the town, went down a few streets in the market place, and ate lunch. Then I took a narrow gauge train to Hase, where I went to the Hase Kannon Temple. There is a carved wooden image, 30 ft tall, of Kannon (the goddess of mercy).

Just a little ways from there is the temple of the Great Buddha, the Diabutsu.

From there I did some shopping and returned to Kamakura, where I took the train to Yokosuka. On my way back to the base I saw a Japanese political demonstration. I don't know what they were protesting, but there were thousands of people, chanting, waving signs & banners, and marching very orderly down the street. Which reminds me, they drive on the wrong side of the street here."

Wednesday 23 Nov. 1977

"Pulled into Yokosuka today and got liberty at about 2 o'clock.

Roger & I  went out in town last night. We went to a Shakey's and had a pizza & pitcher of Japanese beer. It's kinda neat here except that you definitely feel like a foreigner, everybody's speaking Japanese & you can't read any of the signs.

The money here is neat. $1.00 is 240 Yen. After you get the hang of it, it's really easy to figure out prices. The Japanese beer is pretty good, but costs 300 - 350 Yen a bottle in town."

Tuesday 22 Nov. 1977

"I figured out that the camera outfit I want; a Bronica with 3 lens, an automatic viewfinder & Polaroid back, will cost about $1200. I hope I can afford it. We're still doing inventory in the shop.

Today was one Hell of a day! The night crew didn't get to secure at noon, we had to work thru the rest of the day. Then sometime after 18:00 there was no one at the console during a recovery, that's when the shit really hit the fan! The duty section will be working from 07:00 to 22:00, and everyone else will probably work til 16:00 every day. Right now I'm on a shop watch from 02:30 to 06:00 because of all the shit that went on today.

Right now I can go look out on the catwalk & see Japan, we're going thru the channel up to Yokosuka."

Monday 21 Nov. 1977

"I looked at my bottle of Vitamin C's & noticed that they're .50 grams instead of the 50 milligrams that I'd been thinking they were. I've been taking 8 - 10 pills a day to equal what I thought was the 500 milligrams a day that I'd been taking. Now I realize why I've felt so bad the last 2 weeks or so. . . I've been OD'ing on Vitamin C.

Got a letter from from Don Hay and a package from home today also. Then later I got a letter from Will & another one from home. So I wrote a few letters before hitting the sack."

Sunday 20 Nov. 1977

"Roger & I worked the whole night on the fwd camera, as of now (10:00) it still doesn't work. Day crew got the fwd C/L camera working, but there's more to do on it.

We started an inventory of all the spare parts in the shop. It has to be done before we leave Yokosuka. Looks like no Special Lib's in Japan. I may get to Tokyo, but I doubt it. I probably won't get off base."

Saturday 19 Nov. 1977

"Aft centerline camera broke this morning. It looks like we'll be working in Yoko, there's a lot that needs to be done. Chief got the aft camera working but the fwd one is down, something wrong with the CCU. (Camera Control Unit)

Slept awful, my back hurt when I got up. I feel really paranoid, I don't know why or about what though."

Friday 18 Nov. 1977

"Vice Admiral 'Somebody' (I don't remember), came on board today. I was in my rack when he got here. He is the Commander of the 7th Fleet.

Got no mail today. Went to bed after lunch. We were UNREP'ing with the 'Sacramento' when I got up at 23:00."

__________________________________________

Though I didn't remember at the time, I now know that the admiral was Vice Adm. Robert B. Baldwin. He came aboard and transferred his flag to the Kitty Hawk, thus making it his flagship, once we entered the operational theatre of the Western Pacific.

link to UNREP info 

Thursday 17 Nov. 1977

"One good thing about these hours that I work, I'm only eating 2 meals a day. I eat at lunch around 10 o'clock and then mid-rats about 12 hours later. I might even lose weight.

Got a letter from home today, but still nothing from Sue or Diane."

Wednesday 16 Nov. 1977

"Flew cycle ops all morning, about 4 hour cycles. Had a GQ at 08:45, lasted til about 10:30. Went to bed at 13:00 & slept poorly til10 minutes to midnight. I felt awful when I got up. That mattress hurts my back."

Tuesday 15 Nov. 1977

"PAYDAY today, only 12 more til I'm home! Passed thru a storm this morning. Saw lightening in the distance.

(Later)
Got paid $49.00, more than I expected. They had a "smoker" on the hanger deck this afternoon, I can't understand a bunch of grown men beating each others brains out just for fun. Got some ear plugs, slept a lot better tonight, except for the heat. Found out that Nara may be too far to visit when I'm in Japan. We'll see."

Monday 14 Nov. 1977

"A normal day. Moved into the Arresting Gear berthing today, tried to sleep from 16:00 to 21:00 but didn't sleep much at all. Between there being no ventilation in the racks, and all the noise that the AB's make, it's a wonder anyone can sleep. I ended up sleeping for 2 hours behind the equipment rack before I went to work."
________________________________________

The A/G berthing compartment was located aft on the 03 deck directly beneath the flight deck and between 2 of the 4 arresting gear engine machinery rooms. I had moved from the OE berthing, which was much farther forward & down one deck on the 02 level.

Sunday 13 Nov. 1977

"The Lens went down just before the launch. Had to fly the MOVLAS most of the day. We isolated the problem to the LSO panel, the chief is fixing it..

Got the rest of my shots, I had to wait in line for over 2 hours. I got to bed finally at 16:00 & slept til 02:00, 2 hours late for work. While I was asleep, an F-14 came in and hit four S-3's when he landed. He hit the noses of the S-3's with his starboard wingtip."

___________________________________________

The "Lens" refers to the Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (FLOLS). Because of the failure of the Lens, we rigged the MOVLAS (Manually Operated Visual Landing Aid System) as the back-up system. In this photo you can see the MOVLAS lit with the FLOLS dark behind it. (For more info on the optical landing systems click on this link)

 As for the incident with the F-14 (think "Top Gun"). The LSO (Landing Signal Officer) lined up the Tomcat too far to starboard. I heard later that one of the plane's landing lights was out and that he misjudged the plane's horizontal position. The S-3's (Viking) were parked with their noses just outside the foul deck/safety line and about 6 to 12 inches of the F-14's wingtip hit the fiberglass radar dome of each Viking. Imagine seeing them pop like light bulbs as each was struck by the wing. I watched the PLAT tape of that landing numerous times during this cruise.

(Click on this link  to read an interesting article from the pilot's POV of a similar night landing.)

Saturday 12 Nov. 1977

"Went to PLAT today. Checked out of OPS & into Air Dept. I found out I'll be getting flight deck pay. Started working night shift, 24:00 to 12:00, tonight. I'm LPO of the shop. I'm easing my way into the routine of the shop slowly, it'll take a few days. Got a dawn launch to prepare for, also got to get the deck edge cleaned."

Friday 11 Nov. 1977

"Another mail call tonight, no mail. Well, another crummy day. We had GQ this morning after the UNREP with the Sacramento.

The whole routine in this shop is a bunch of BULLSHIT. I don't know why I gotta stick around here til Tuesday.

Crossed another time zone at 18:00, we set our clocks back an hour to conform to Time Zone K(-10)."

__________________________________________________

GQ = General Quarters (Battle Stations)

UNREP = Underway Replenishment:

Thursday 10 Nov. 1977

"Busy day! Found out my transfer is effective 15 Nov. Got shots today, 3, and 2 or 3 more on Sunday. finally got mail at around 22:00. All I got was a bank statement and a bank receipt. Should be more tomorrow.

It looks like we may be heading towards that typhoon.

Had a 'Bear' fly over. Alerts most of the day.

I sure would like to hear from Diane or Sue."

______________________________________________

The "Bear" referred to, was a Soviet Navy reconnaissance aircraft which frequently engaged in a sort of cat & mouse game with U.S. forces during the Cold War.

Wednesday 9 Nov. 1977

"I got the word today that I will be transferred to PLAT/LENS sometime next week. I guess that OE will get the first 3 TV techs to come aboard.

We crossed to -11 Lima Time Zone and set the clock back 1 hour at 18:00. We're riding the edge of a typhoon. That's why no mail's gone off and none has come on board. Hope we get mail tomorrow!"

Tuesday 8 Nov. 1977

"We skipped Monday because of the date line.

My head is so screwed up. I can't seem to get anything accomplished, no matter how hard I try. The Chief doesn't like the job I'm doing, but then neither do I. If I don't get out of here soon, I may have to be carryed (sic) out in a strait-jacket.

I verified my service record today, everything's still there."

Sunday 6 Nov. 1977

"The mail has yet to leave the ship, maybe  mechanical trouble with the S-3?

Things in the shop are a mess, for me at least.

We crossed the International Date Line at 01:00 on what would have been Monday, but we set our calendars ahead at 24:00 Sunday."

Saturday 5 Nov. 1977

"Things are a lot more civil in the shop. My chit went to the Division office today. I'm so valuable that they say they just can't let me go.

I sent out the rest of my postcards and about 10 Christmas cards. The mail should leave the ship before morning. Also mailed $100 for B of A, & $60 for MasterCharge.

Crossed to Yankee Time Zone (+12GMT) about 18:00. Still hot & muggy."

____________________________________________

Remember that this was before email, internet, and texting. Snail mail was the only connection to the rest of the world at the time.

Friday 4 Nov. 1977

"Everybody's suddenly got the 'dumbs'. Still a lot of friction. I'm just waiting for my chit to go thru.

Weather's still hot & muggy."

Thursday 3 Nov. 1977

"We had a false alarm man overboard last night. Somebody on the flight deck dumped some trash & dropped his flashlight. So the Fantail lookout heard a splash, saw the light floating, and called man overboard.

The friction in the shop is getting worse. I'm supposed to be the shop supervisor, but no one wants to accept that.

The weather's hot & muggy."

Wednesday 2 Nov. 1977

"We left Hawaii this morning. I took some pictures of the Arizona Memorial before we left. We went past Battleship Row and around Ford Island. I took some pictures of Diamond Head & Honolulu.

I had a talk with Chief Wetmore about going back to PLAT and submitted my chit. OE Division sure doesn't want to let me go.

1st day of transit to Japan. Position N 20:45 W 158:47 at 19:15 Whiskey Time Zone."

____________________________________________

A chit was the method used for requesting anything up the chain of command. You submitted a chit to your immediate supervisor and, depending on the request, the chit went up the chain until it reached the appropriate level of command for a decision. For a personnel transfer between departments, this chit had to go to the Air Boss and the OPS Boss. If they couldn't agree, it then went to the XO (Executive Officer) for resolution.

Tuesday 1 Nov. 1977

"PORT CALL - Hawaii! Pulled into Pearl Harbor early in the morning & tied up to the NSC pier across from the USS Sacramento. Chris, Bob, Dean, & I went on liberty together. We took 'The Bus' down to Fort DeRussy on the beach at Waikiki. There we bought 2 cases of beer and sat on the beach and party'd. When it got dark, we walked down towards the International Marketplace, had dinner, a few drinks, and bought some souvenirs. Then to 'Le Boom Boom Club' and saw Polynesian dancers. Took a taxi back to the ship."

Monday 31 Oct. 1977

"Boo! Halloween today. Checked out about what I can get if I ship-over. I can ship for 4 right now & get $2,400 over 4 years and a good chance of getting transferred anywhere I want. It's something to think about. Other than that, the same old B.S. 1st port call tomorrow."

Sunday 30 Oct. 1977

"It was HOT today! Got to sleep in til 09:00 this morning. Probably won't happen often. Had a lot of work on surveillance cables today. Health & Comfort inspection today, they inspected all the lockers in the (berthing) compartment for contraband. I talked to the career councilor about how much I could get and where I could go if I ship over. It's something to consider. Payday today, I got $74."

Saturday 29 Oct. 1977

"Another fine day. Warm weather with slightly choppy seas. Saw a lot of flying fish throughout the day. GQ drill this morning, got a chance to write two letters during it. The whole gang's been working hard getting stuff up (and working). Passed between the islands of Hawaii and Maui late this afternoon. Could see the top of the volcano on Hawaii thru the clouds. We're on the leeward side of the islands. Pull into Pearl Harbor on Tuesday."

Friday 28 Oct. 1977

"Beautiful day! Warm, light seas, with a noticeable swell. Crossed to Whiskey Time Zone at 18:00. Position at 19:36 was N 24:25 ; W 147:24. Film chain still down."

Thursday 27 Oct. 1977

"Moderate seas. General Quarters drill called away this morning. Position at 15:00 was W 135:40 ; N 28:45. Position at 24:00 was W 139:10 ; N 27:36. Film chain camera is down, we're trying to substitute one of the Cohu color cameras."

Wednesday 26 Oct. 1977

"Heavy seas (12-15 ft.) last night. Man overboard called away this morning. Unable to determine if it was a drill, a false alarm, or actual. Nobody was recovered. Chief Lewey was replaced by Chief Elman. Our position at 17:30 UTZ was N 30:44 lat. & W 128:15 long. Crossed to Victor Time Zone at 18:00. The man overboard turned out to be a false alarm. 12-15 ft. seas thru the day."

Tuesday 25 Oct. 1977

"Dawn was foggy. Cleared by 11:00 when we got underway. Fire in Marine's storeroom above 1MMR. Burned cables for power, gyro and (we) lost chill water. Caused by papers and other combustibles stacked next to steam pipe. Repairs probably need to be done 'Cold Iron' in Pearl or Yoko. Crossed to Uniform Time Zone @ 18:00."

Background

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the end of my senior year of high school in 1974. Because of the delayed enlistment program at the time, I didn't report to basic training (boot camp) until Sept. After boot camp I attended 3 different electronics schools in San Diego and Chicago before arriving at my first sea duty assignment, the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. The "Hawk" was an aircraft carrier named for the site of the Wright Brothers first successful powered air flight.

I came aboard the Kitty Hawk just as she was returning from a West Pac cruise and preparing for a 13 month overhaul at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state. I was assigned to the PLAT/LENS shop in the Air Dept., but when the cruise started I was the lead petty officer (LPO) of the ship's closed circuit TV system maintenance shop.

Although I had been a crew member for 2 years, I still hadn't gone overseas yet. I decided to write a journal of my thoughts and experiences of that cruise.

I recently found the book and haven't read it since I wrote it more than 30 years ago. I plan to publish this journal here as it was written. I'll reserve the right to edit as I see fit, but will try to keep it as intact as possible. I may also comment on passages from the perspective of 30+ years of hindsight, and hope that readers will comment as well. I would really like to hear from any fellow shipmates from that cruise and read their memories also.