I think I saw the great White you guys mentioned (Diego Garcia Lagoon) one night at anchor watch on the Carl Vinson. Dunno what was going on at the time, I think I was boning up for a third class exam that was coming up. IMA tweats almost never get clued in about jack.

But there I was out on the forward portside Sea Sparrow sponson wondering what in hell there was to watch for, when a WHOLE bunch of fish went by the floodlit area around the anchor chain. This I thought was very cool, and I halfway wished I had a fishing rod in my cruise stuff for when I got off watch...

And then something absolutely prehistoric swam through the lighted waters.

I know the circle of illumination had to be pretty good sized since the spot was mounted on or near the flight deck. I'm guessing it had to be thirty or forty feet wide, but that thing was still moving through the lighted part even after it's head was no longer in view. I think my blood completely froze at the sight of it.

I also know that the anchor chain links (I've been to the windlass room and focsle more than once!) are wider than a mans waist, and it looked like a swingset chain next to the body of that monster. It's one thing to see sharks in a tank at Scripps, but that mother(F)er made me step back from the rail when I saw it - that's an absolute fact.


I'll give you a short story about Mombasa Kenya or two while I'm at it:
'Been there several times on the Chucky Vee (CVN-70) back in the late eighties and early nineties. And yeah - it's definitely one of the ports where we "anchored out". But what is unique I think about Mombasa is that there is a wicked current that runs north along the shoreline, strong enough that it was a serious mistake for the ship to contract a single screw vessel as one of the liberty boats.

I'm not sure what that ship was normally used for, the inside of the hull was wide open below decks and to this day I could swear I remember the smell of lots of horse dung. You could go below and perch on the angle iron along the inside of the hull. I have no idea what the name or registry was. It was at least a fifty footer (maybe 75), and looked a lot like a small and outdated tramp steamer.

The Captain, or master, was an English or Australian fella with a speech impediment almost exactly like Elmer Fudd. ~And I know this not because I struck up a conversation with the man but because of this:

After two attempts to tie up at the barge that we had at the fantail of the ship - each time getting a line to the barge from the bow, but before a stern line could be tied on, the current swung the liberty boat away from the barge until it was in line with the ship. The twin screw boats were able to counteract this, but this one just wasn't up to it. On the third try - a whole crowd of BM's grabbed a line from one of the starboard capstans and ran it to a stern bollard on the liberty boat - and BEGAN TO WINCH THE BOAT SIDEWAYS to line up with the landing barge.

To this day I recall the liberty boat masters voice yelling:
"WET GO THAT WINE FOWWUD! THAT IS VEWWY DANGEWOUS!!!"

On the second day of liberty at Mombasa, the CO came over the 1MC and announced that NO ONE would be allowed to go ashore wearing gym clothing, sweats in particular, and that the crew had to leave their "BOOM BOXES" aboard ship. This was interesting... A lot of the "Brothas" aboard, it seemed, had intended to show the theoretically backwards locals how "Sophisticated" they were. SO they turned out at the gangway wearing sweatsuits, Mr. T starter kits, and carrying huge portable sound systems

I remember on the last day inport that time, a bunch of us from IM3 shop 9 were at a small bar on the north end of town where a number of locals including some very nice native ladies. All along I had marked particularly the European influence of the Mombasa people, and also their tremendous pride in the Kenyan University. One of the first class PO's at a point put the question:
"So, what do you think of the black Americans that you have met?" And it was a totally innocent thing to ask. But the whole place got quiet...

The young lady he had asked that of actually covered her face with one of her hands, and did not want to answer - but PO1 Kepler insisted nicely, and eventually she turned to him and said:

"Do you KNOW? They have NO INTELLIGENCE!!! NONE!!!"

This was also back in the days when the AIDS virus had first been identified, and during the INPORT BRIEFING over the ships closed circuit TV it was told us to avoid sexual contact with the natives because of the danger of this 'killer disease'. In the course of talking with these people we found out that the citizens of Mombasa had received much the same warning as a public service announcement on TV because THEY BELIEVED WE HAD IT!!!


I think that's enough for tonight, and I hope I have not offended anyone but you know what they say at the beginning of every true sea story:
"~Now, this ain't NO (S)!"

 

That's the one! That's it! I sh--t you not!

We did Mombasa before AIDS hit, at least in the U.S., so there was less stress all around. Kenya, wonderful place and people. Comfortable. They've had some hard knocks lately. Two big tribal fights over land and water, AQ-types from Somalia and a million refugees, bad bombings. More brutal IS-types causing trouble lately. And the Kenyans were just getting self-sufficient with a hydro dam for power, light industrialisation, better farming methods. I hope to heck they can reclaim their country without going dictatorial. Good beer. I liked it better than farther north, up on the Arabian peninsula, better climate and not as fierce about religion. But not much beer. Unless of course... those nasty beer-drinking Yanks and Brits are there in their own compounds
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I was extremely impressed with the Kenyans I met, you can likely tell that. They are a progressive country with a European background as a model, and they are VERY proud of their educational system and forward looking national goals.

They are SO education oriented that they have NO UNIFORMS for their truant officers, and you are not allowed to take pictures of their police. The idea being that kids who are skipping school are caught, turned around, and led back to the school so that they can continue to be taught.

It seems that one of the core values of Kenya is that their children should be as educated, cultured, and civilized as anyone else in the world IF NOT MORE SO...

It's a matter of national pride, and I wish WE had that

 

I wish we still had that dedication and ambition too. Kenya, Singapore, S.Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan (mostly) are hot on academics. Good work ethic.

Some here do, but can't tell it very often from the news. My son's a small-college grad o the east coast, sort of motivated, manages a big grocery store. My two nephews did well at Univ of Reno. One's a chemical engineer, the other works as a high-priced window-washer in Arizona. He's a semi-pro rock-climber with great abilities who rappels hard-to-reach windows on tall buildings. Different strokes...

 

I look forward to a day when ghetto hoodies are told by the ones who got out:

"Yeah, but look at you - and you didn't earn nuthin' yo self..."

Should that become the new ethic, things could turn around

If it becomes better in everyones eyes to stand up instead of lay down or go 'GANSTA' I wonder what may be possible?

All predators and parasites must eventually outgrow that upon which they feed, and then they die
~Faster, if their "prey" turns upon them

And I still believe foolish people are their own punishment

​

~The future belongs to the farsighted. "Immediate needs gratification" is a lie, everyone should be careful of what they allow themselves to be sold as paradigms especially


OH! Or would you like to be sold a "BALLOON LOAN"???
***SSSNNNIKKKERRREZZZ***

 

You're waxing philosophical (whew typing that word stretched my fingers).

Isn't saying "hoodies" considered hate speech or something now. Can't wait for the new AG to be sworn in. Enough of the b.s. from Lynch and Holder. Worst race relations we've had in years, thanks uber-libs.

 

Ya lost me there - and I'm not worried about it.

I still plan to grow my own tomatoes and help my neighbor buds

~Most of them are also hotrodders


~CIAO

 

Ciao

 

No silly, that wasn't the Great White...what you saw was the Nautilus and Capt. Nemo!

 

You let one escape, here's its brother under the Anywhere Pass Bridge!
edit: this is Fake News...(just in case sheesh)

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I've got a copy of that Rex. Once upon a time in site far far away I posted it. I had forgotten all about it.

 

It's a good one ain't it? That sucker is making it's way across the Willamette River. Heading to the Oregon Chapter

 

He had to go somewhere......them Californians under the Golden Gate Bridge was poisoning him and giving a terrible case of acid indigestion. Just wait until he gets his first mouth full of Portlanders....poor sap.

 

After eating anything in a wetsuit and fins i'd get indigestion too lol.

There were some big fish hanging out in Subic Bay too (all ports) eating the garbage from the ships and coastline. The Navy hired local trash barges to haul it off, but stuff was always falling in the water.

 

We span the world, and heavy demands are constant from our political leaders. In overseas combat zones we're running short of fuel, don't have enough carrier task groups for operations and maintenance, Air Force pilots complain of too few combat-ready aircraft and pilots, the Marine Corps needs more combat soldiers and planes. The Army COS says we need 200,000 more troops to handle the tasking in the new emerging world order. Every service is cannibalizing parts from the boneyards. We can do better cutting offense/defense spending used for BS and administration, but that also gets into every Congressional district or Pentagon paperwork drill. Either fund us! so troops aren't being killed for lack of resources, or stop being the world's cop. Then what happens? We don't need more taxes for it, we need smarter management.

The military is very expensive to keep in top shape, but the alternative is not good.
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