My Time aboard USS Braine (DD-630) The Beginning: It started when I was in High School: When I was in 9th grade I was given a choice; attend regular high school and prepare for college; go to an agriculture high school and be a farmer; or go to the trade school. I chose the Trade-School, Lynn Trade High School, and selected Electronics for my area of study. Three years went by really fast. I was at the top of my class. My best friend, Rick, and I decided we would go to college after graduation. It was 1964. My first year of college was really strange. One professor told me he expected 3-hours of homework for every hour I spent in his class, and that I should dedicate that amount of time for each class I was taking. I had 6-classes each day. What did I know? It was an 18-credit load. So; I was expected to spend 54-hours at Homework, go to school 6-hours per day, Work 8-hours per day, I had a full-time job, and Drive 90-miles, each way, to school, 4-hours per day. Let's see; 54-hoursof homework, plus 30-hours in class, plus 40-hours at work, plus 20-hours driving back and forth to school. That's 144-hours per week. And; 7 days times 24-hours per day, that's 168-hours minus 144-hours, leaves 24-hours per week to sleep, eat, and be entertained. Needless to say, I dropped several classes, and didn't do well in the others. My first-year GPA was 1.8. I was told I would have to bring up my GPA to at least 2.0 or I would be asked to leave the college, I left. Okay. I still had an electronics background, from high school, I'll get a job. I searched, and searched. Nothing in electronics was available, but I did land a job at the airport, at the freight terminal. I was a loading-dock waybill person. I put stickers on freight-boxes. I made $75.00 per week. Gee! Well, opportunity was not knocking very loud. One day I was at lunch at the airport terminal and a Navy-Recruiter sat down next to me. He started the conversation. He was a good talker. He asked me if I was satisfied with my current job. I said no, I was loosing the Sales-Pitch battle. He invited me to visit the Navy-Yard in Boston, and have a look at what life was like in the Navy. My Dad was in the Navy during WW-II. He seemed to have had a good time. So, I accepted the recruiters invitation. He took me to this aircraft carrier at Charlestown, Boston Navy Yard. Since he was a Chief, we went to the Chiefs quarters for lunch. I was waited on, by this guy in a tee-shirt. The food was good. The recruiter took me on a tour. He took me through Chiefs Quarters on a Carrier. Not a typical environment for a new enlisted man. After our visit to the carrier I went back to the recruiting office. The recruiter promised me a job in Electronics if I joined and I Signed-Up. It was 1966, the Vietnam-War was on, and I thought I was going to school to be trained as an Electronics Technician in the Navy. Well, the recruiter put me on DEP; Delayed Entry Program, so I could get my affairs in order. I could wait up to three-months before leaving. I left in April. I don't remember the date but, I was told to arrive at Boston's Logan Airport at 4:00 P.M. I arrived at the airport at 3:30 and found the recruiter. He escorted me to an area near a Not-In-Use baggage area. There was a 2nd Class Petty-Officer there, waiting for New-Recruits. I met a couple of guys there, sitting on the floor, and we starting talking about where we were from, what it would be like in the Navy, and just casual conversation. We sat there for hours. Finally, at 2:15 A.M. the next morning, we were told to go to this gate, to board an airplane. It turned out to be a Charter-Aircraft. We were heading for Chicago, Illinois. It was my first time on an airplane, and my first time outside Massachusetts since I was 4-years old. We arrived at Chicago's O'Hare Airport at about 5:00 A.M. It was still dark. We were put on a bus, a Navy Bus; a School-Bus painted gray. We arrived at GLNTC; Great Lakes Naval Training Center, at dawn. It was barely light and I expected a Nasty-Person to greet us with yelling, like in the movies, but it didn't happen. We were greeted by three Petty-Officers who spoke civilized. They put us into groups and escorted us to a barracks. We were told to put our stuff on the floor next to a bunk and line-up outside. I hadn't slept yet. We were then marched to the Chow-Hall and told; Take All You Want But, Eat All You Take. I remember that, as if it was yesterday. After we ate, we were marched back to the barracks and were issued 2-Sheets, a pillow, a pillow-case, and 2-blankets, and were told to stay in the barracks and wait for someone to take us where we were to go next. Everyone crashed. It was about Noon when our Service-Week arrived. The Service-Week was a person who was put in charge of our group. We found out later he was a Recruit, just like us, but had been there for about 6-weeks. He had us line-up outside and gave us a few Instructions about how to stand and how to march. He then marched us to the Chow-Hall for lunch. After lunch we marched back to the barracks where we sat in a group and listened to him, for the next few hours. He told us we would soon have a Company-Commander and he would appoint an Assistant and two Platoon-Leaders. He gave us an overview of what to expect in Boot-Camp, and told us to address him as Service-Week. It was; Yes, Service-Week or No, Service-Week, rather than Sir. At around 4:30 he marched us back to chow. After chow we marched back to the barracks where he selected six of us to stand watch, starting at 6:00 P.M. We were told each of the six people selected would stand watch for two hours, and then the next person would take over. The watch was to stand next to the door and make sure no one entered or left, and to watch for fire or any other danger situation. The routine was something like this: Up at 5:30 A.M., march to chow, march back to the barracks after chow, The Service-Week would meet us at the barracks and escort us to different places like; Medical Examinations, Shots, Orientation Meetings, Hair-Cut, Uniform-Pickup, and Class, then at the end of the day, some of us were assigned The watch, while the rest of us got to crash. This routine went on for several days. Once we received our ID-Cards, Dog-Tags, and Uniforms we sent Everything-Civilian home. The only thing we were allowed to keep was a Wedding-Ring, if you were married. At the end of the first week we met our Company-Commander. RDC; Chief-Boyland. I remember him vividly. We were told to call him Chief or Sir. The Service-Week had completed his week and was leaving, so we said goodbye. A couple of days later we were ordered to pack our sea-bags, and we marched to the Other-Side. That was an area for recruits away from the new inductees, and was where the Schools were. We were marched to a new barracks that had a Smoking-Room. We stayed in that barracks for the next 7-weeks. Our routine was a little different. Reveille was, still, at 5:30 A.M. We marched to chow at 6:30 A.M. We then marched to a class at 8:00 A.M. We had classes in all sorts of Navy subjects, as well as fire-fighting and damage-control. We marched to chow at 11:30, then back to the barracks. At 1:00 P.M. we marched to another class, then back to the barracks. I was appointed First Platoon Leader. There were some days when all we did was march and do calisthenics. We practiced different moves like Column-Left, etc. We were kept busy. On some days, we would be taken to the Gedunk. It was this little store where you could buy candy, cigarettes, and shaving stuff. When we got back to the barracks the CC would allow us to go to the smoking-lounge and smoke. Most guys smoked in those days. There were several occasions when we would compete with other companies. We would win flags and pennants. I remember winning Color-Company, because we had the most flags. Then it came time for our Service-Week. Everyone would receive an assignment. Some went to the Mess-Hall to work. They would serve the food and clean-up after the meal. Others were assigned to offices to be messengers, and some of us were assigned to the Inductee-Side to meet new recruits and indoctrinate them until their CC was appointed. I got to do that. They called me Service-Week. That was fun. Then, the last week of Boot-Camp; we got Cinderella-Liberty on a Friday night. That meant we had to be back by Midnight. We took a bus to Milwaukee, and walked around. There were Lots of sailors there. Then our orders came in. Everyone was excited. First, our Dress Blues were delivered. They had been sent to the dry-cleaner so we would look good for graduation. Then we gathered all of our belongings and packed our Seabag. Next we assembled on the Parade-Ground and marched to our Graduation-Ceremony. Then back to the barracks, and waited for our name to be called. Our names were called in alphabetical order. When my name was called, I took my envelope and opened it expecting orders to the Electronics-School. Instead my orders read; USS Braine DD-630, for duty. I was devastated. I talked with my CC and he went to the Admiral and asked if I could have my orders changed. Nope. My CC told me; there was a war on and I would be on a destroyer because of the needs of the Navy. The term For-Duty meant my assignment would be determined by the Command. Wherever they needed me on the ship, is where I would be assigned. My only saving was I had white stripes. That meant I wouldn't have to work in the engineering area, below decks. In other words, all I knew was I was assigned to a ship that was going to war. With Boot-Camp over, I was allowed to go home for a couple of days. Then I was to report to San Diego, California, to my new home, the USS Braine. I went home, to Saugus Massachusetts, and spent a few days with my family. Then I was off to Southern California. Since it was still cool in Boston, I wore Dress Blues to the airport. Southern California was Warm when I got there. I picked up my seabag at the baggage-claim and caught a taxi to downtown San Diego. By the time I got there I was hot; Dress Blues are made of wool. I remember getting out of the taxi at the YMCA on Broadway. For as far as I could see were White-Hats. Sailors, walking up and down the street, on both sides of the street, there must have been thousands. At least it seemed like it to me at the time. I went into the YMCA and asked if they had any rooms available; I was a day early. They were full. So my only other choice was to get to the ship because I didn?t have much money; and report in early. So off I went, looking for a bus to the Naval Station. I asked another sailor how to get to the base and he told me what bus to take, and what to do when I arrived at the base. Here I was, 19-years old, and in charge of my life. I had no fear of being away from home but, I didn?t know what to expect next. What a trip. My time on board: It was 1966. I can't remember the date but, it had to be sometime around the first of June. I remember walking past the piers in San Diego, looking for a destroyer. I was told in Boot-Camp, that a Fletcher-Class Destroyer had Two-Stacks, and finally finding this Single-Stack ship with the hull-number 630 on it. It was the right number but, how could this be a destroyer? I walked past it twice before asking someone where the USS Braine was. I later discovered the stack that was missing, was removed to repair the boilers. I reported aboard the Braine at the wrong time of day, because the OOD was the First-Lieutenant; LTJG Tieslau. First Division had openings, and he was in charge of First Division; so, I was assigned to First Division. Here I was; trained in electronics, and on the Deck-Force. And, nothing I could do about it. I figured I'd better make the best of it, so I didn't complain, at least not out loud. The ship had just received 42-Midshipmen. So; there were no racks or lockers available. I was told to stow my gear in mount 54's Handling-Room. Mount 54 is a 5-Inch gun, mounted in a turret. The Handling-Room is the area under the gun-turret where the powder and projectiles are kept at the ready, after they are transferred from the magazine. Since we weren't shooting, the room was empty. As I recall, it was a rectangular room with some sort of hangers on the bulkhead, and pretty small. There were three of us bunking in there. Everything I owned was in my seabag. I had to unpack and repack every day. That was not fun. I slept on the deck, with no bedding, because I had no bed. Watches; My first assignment was the After-Lifebuoy station, when the ship was underway. I wasn't assigned watches in port, yet. After-Lifebuoy; What a neat name. It was called that because the responsibility of the person on watch was to look for people in the water, and throw them a Life-Ring, and, more important; report to the bridge so we could pick them up. We would stand our watch in the Gun-Tub of Mount 33, which was on the 02 Level near the stern. There were always two people on watch. One wore the Sound-Powered-Phones and was in constant contact with the bridge, along with CIC; Combat Information Center, and the Look-Outs. Both people would watch the stern of the ship and the horizon, looking for anything in the water, especially people. I never saw any people in the water. There was one night; we were on watch; it was really dark, no Moon, and we were at Darken-Ship. I remember wearing those red-lensed glasses for an hour before going on watch. We had been on watch for about an hour when I saw this red thing, kinda oval in shape, hovering on the horizon. At first I thought, It's a UFO, and we talked about it for some time, trying to determine what it was. I was on the phones. I called the Bridge and reported what I thought I saw. They laughed, and told me there was nothing on radar, and it must be my imagination. I kept looking at it; It kept getting bigger. Then, all of a sudden, I realized it was the Aircraft-Carrier's Hanger-Deck lights. I could see people walking around on the Hanger-Deck. I called the bridge again, and reported the carrier; close abeam on the Port side. All of a sudden, the ship rumbled, we got covered in black soot, and the ship was turning to Starboard. We almost collided with the carrier. I don?t know if that was ever recorded, but it happened. While on watch, we sometimes talked about what it would be like to stand the Lookout watch. So, one day I asked Ski, actually his name was BM1 Mikulski, if I could trade with someone, and stand Lookout instead of After-Lifebuoy, and he said yes. That was exhilarating. To get to the watch-station you had to go through the bridge, then outside to a ladder, and climb up on Top of the Bridge. There were these two-sided Plexiglas-enclosed areas, like a wind-break, one on each side, overlooking the bow. I stood Port Lookout. Standing up there, the ship crashing into the waves, water spraying up, almost up to the bridge. Wow! We each had binoculars and Sound-Powered-Phones, and were to watch for anything on the horizon, and report to the bridge. I didn't see much, but I really enjoyed being up there. I was on top of the world. I got to stand that watch twice. Anyways; Three-section watches; Ugh! So, let's see; I had to get up in the morning before the rest of the ship. Sweepers, Sweepers, Man Your Brooms; which meant I had to get a broom and sweep the ship in a particular area. Then get in the chow-line, at the end, because everyone else got in line while I was sweeping. Hurry and eat because Quarters was called at 0800. Muster on the forecastle in port, and, on the Port-Side, aft of frame-72, when underway. Frame-72; That was a place where the Bow-Area was cordoned off by doors, one on each side of the ship. When we were underway, no one was allowed forward of Frame-72, except for authorized personnel. Then; It was Turn-Two, Commence Ships Work, my assignment; find little rust-spots, scrape them, wire-brush them, then red-lead or zinc-chromate them, then paint them. Haze-Gray for bulkheads, and Deck-Gray for decks. So; Underway, Shift Colors. It was 11 June. The ship is full because of the Mid-Shipmen. Some are in blue-jeans others are in khaki. We had both, Third-Class and First-Class Midshipmen. The Third-Class were sophomores in college and this was there first trip At Sea. The First-Class were seniors in college and were to be Commissioned, after graduation. So, now I have Working-Hours; 0800 to 1600, and watches to stand. It went something like this: Up before reveille, sweep, go to breakfast, go on watch at 0800. Stand watch 'til Noon , go to Lunch. Report for work at 1300. Work 'til 1600 then, sweepers, just before dinner, causing the end of line position, again. Go eat (fast) because I'm on watch at 1745. Actually, we got to go to the head of the chow-line as Watch-Relief's. I get the Second-Dog-Watch. On watch from 1800 to 2000. Then; Time for bed. Down to the Handling-Room. Grab my towel. Take a shower. Get dressed. Lay on the deck. Go to sleep. Up at 0330 because I'm on watch at 0345 I have the 0400 to 0800 watch. When you get the 0400 to 0800, you get to have breakfast after the watch, then report to the boatswain's mate, sometimes, without going to quarters, otherwise you wouldn't have enough time to eat. Then back to work as close to 0800 as you can make it. Then it's this strange routine: Watches go like this: 0800 to Noon, then the 2nd Dog; 1800 to 2000, next morning the 0400 to 0800, then the 1st. Dog; 1600 to 1800, and the Mid-Watch; Midnight to 0400, of the Third-Day, then 1200 to 1600, then 2000 to Midnight, then back to the 0800 to Noon; all, over a 4-Day period. And; Work from 0800 to 1600, when you're not on watch. In addition to all of that, it was, General Quarters, General Quarters; All Hands Man Your Battle Stations. Since we were on a training cruise to Hawaii for the Midshipmen and the crew, we had GQ; General Quarters, at all hours, lots of times. My station was Mount 51 Projectile-Man, I was later moved to the pointer position for Condition-1AS, and for Condition-1AA; it was Mount 31 handler. I was later moved to the loader position for Mount 31. Mount 51 is the forward-most 5-Inch gun. My first job was to put the 54-Pound projectile on the breach-loader in front of the powder-can, and push the lever to load the gun. The second position was as the pointer. That was fun. I got to rotate these Pistol-Grip-Handles which, in turn, would cause the barrel of the gun to go up and down; until it was switched to automatic; then the Gun-Director took care of aiming the gun. Mount 31 was located on the Port side, amidships. It was a Twin-Mount-3-Inch/50-Caliber gun. The projectile and powder were in one piece. It looked kinda like a 30-30 Rifle-Cartridge, only much bigger, about 3-Feet long. My first job was to pass the bullet to the loader, and later, I became the loader. As loader, I got to put this bullet into the revolving magazine while the gun was shooting. That was exciting. The Mess-Decks were located two-decks below the Main-Deck. The Chow-Line started on the Main-Deck, on the Port-Side, at Frame-72. You went down a ladder to a deck that passed the Ships-Post-Office, then down a ladder to a deck where the Ships-Store and the beginning of the buffet-line, or chow line, was. You went through the line, got your food, then went through a door, into the eating area. All the tables and seats were welded in place; the seats against the bulkhead had cushions with storage underneath. There was a hatch leading down to the Reefer-Deck just inside the door. The forward bulkhead had two doors leading to First-Division Berthing. In the center of the forward bulkhead were a Coke-Machine and the Movie-Screen, rolled up. On the aft bulkhead were the coffee-pot and the drink-machines. Eating there was fun when we were underway. You grabbed your knife, fork and spoon, and put them in your shirt-pocket. Slipped your finger into the handle of a coffee-cup, grabbed a tray, went down the line, got your food, and proceeded through the door to sit. Once at the table, you had to ask someone to watch my tray, because if the ship rolled your food could leave the table. Get your drink, milk, coffee, or Bug-Juice. Bug-Juice was some sort of Kool-Aide that was green, red, or yellow. Then, back to the table; hold your tray, from sliding, hold your drink, from spilling, and eat. I am right-handed; so, my right hand held my fork while I ate and my left hand had my index-finger in the cup-handle and my left-thumb held the tray. When I drank, my right thumb held the tray. It was a practiced skill, to say the least. After eating you exited on the Starboard side, passing the scullery, up the ladder, to the deck where the Personnel-Office, the entrance to Officers Country, and the IC-Room; where the main Gyro-Compass and Targeting Computers were kept, then up the next ladder to the Main-Deck at Frame-72. One night I was heading up from the messdecks. At the top of the ladder, on the main-deck, there was this guy. He was sitting on the deck, in the passageway, in front of Trans-One; Surface Radar Transmitter Room Number One. He had this multi-meter in his lap and was looking at this tech-manual. I asked; What are you doing? And he said; Trying to figure out why this row of tubes won't light up. Well; me, with my vast knowledge, Mmmm, well, at least I thought so, asked if I could help, and he said; How?. I explained that I had gone to three years of school for electronics, and was not given A-School out of Boot-Camp, even though I was promised it, but was sent here instead. He said; Okay, take a look. He moved over. I sat down. Took the meter. Measured the filament voltage, it was zero. I traced the circuit back to a blown fuse. He was impressed. He'd been looking at this thing for hours, and he was tired, too. He asked me to wait there while he went to get a replacement fuse, so he wouldn't have to lock the door. While he was gone, I shorted the fuse with some solder, which, of course turned the radar on, and hooked up an oscilloscope to the end of the string of tubes. It turned out to be the receiver-amplifier. Kinda like an IF-Strip in a radio, if you know what that is. While I was tinkering, this door opened up next to me, it was CIC; Combat Information Center, and this Lieutenant stepped out. He asked me who I was, and what I was doing. Oops. After I explained what had happened, and the ET returned and confirmed my story, We; both, were put on report and scheduled for XO's Mast. I was an E2 with no clearance, from First-Division, and should not have been in the transmitter-room. Well; During XO's mast, I got to tell my story, and as a result, got no disciplinary action. And; due to the radar being fixed, I finally got transferred into OI Division as an electronics technician striker; but, not without restrictions. The First-Class Boatswains' Mate; Ski, wanted to keep me for watches and the GQ-Station, until the Middies got off the ship. Well; At least I was in the Electronics-Group. Arrived in Hawaii; Two, very long weeks later. My Dad was working for the Navy Yard, in Pearl Harbor at the time, and was standing on the pier when we arrived. I was working below decks, and didn't see him. He came aboard, without me knowing, and asked the Quarterdeck Watch if I could be let off the ship. I had duty so I was supposed to stay on the ship. He asked to speak to the Captain, and got special permission to get me off the ship. I was in big trouble with my section-leader. The First Class ET; McNiece, was not very happy, either. He told me; Someone else would have to take my place, that didn't have duty, and that wasn't fair. Even though I found out after the fact; I got the day off, and spent the next three weeks paying for it. Ah, what the heck. I remember; The 3rd. Class Midshipmen wore a white hat, like ours, except it had this blue-ring around the top, as part of their uniform. I was on the pier one day and overheard another sailor explaining to this young lady, who was visiting the ship, that the blue-ring meant that person had a venereal disease; VD. It got to be quite the joke on the ship; we started calling them VD-Hats. After 3 days, I think, in Pearl we were off again, on our way to Everett, Washington, and San Francisco. Then back to San Diego. After the Middies left, I was finally assigned a rack and a locker. But, there was no room in the OI Division Compartment, so I ended up in the Supply-Compartment. The Supply-Compartment was an area at the stern of the ship, just under the main-deck, and just above the screws, and very noisy when the ship was at sea. At least I had my own rack, and a place to put my stuff. Anyways; my job was to clean the After-Head. The head was located on the main-deck. You would go up the ladder from the berthing compartment, into Mount 53's handling room, through the door into the toilet-area. If you went further forward you went into the shower-area, then through a door where the ET-Shop and ships office were, and the exit-door to the main-deck. I got to clean toilets and urinals, and polish the bright-work in the morning; And, in the afternoon I was the compartment cleaner. I got to sweep and wash the deck, collect and distribute the laundry, empty the butt-kits and empty the trash. These were the after effects of the stop in Hawaii, thanks to my Dad. After the 3-weeks or so, I got somewhat of a reprieve from ET1 McNiece. I had finished my courses for E3 and he recommended me for promotion to E3. A pay-raise, and I was assigned some actual ET-Work. It seemed there was more work to do than there were people. I got to do PMS-Checks on some of the electronics equipment. PMS was the term used to abbreviate the Preventive Maintenance Schedule set up for all shipboard equipment. Soon after I was promoted, it was close to the time when someone would have to be assigned to the mess-decks as a mess-cook, from the operations department. About every three-months, there was this rotation of E3 and below personnel. The messdecks required people to serve the food, make the coffee, wash the dishes, actually they were aluminum trays, and clean. The term for these people was Mess-Cook, even though they never really cooked anything. All departments would send an E3 or below to perform this service. After the Middy Cruise, we were scheduled to go to WestPac; The Western Pacific, in October, so we were involved in ASW exercises off the coast of California, and I was excused from mess-cooking because of my work in the head and the compartment. In August, we got the word our WestPac-Cruise had been changed to September; about 30-days sooner. So our exercises were canceled, and we went back to San Diego early, to prepare for deployment, on 14 September. After we departed, I was allowed to test for ETR3. I had finished my practical-factors and courses. I took the test, and, poof; I was promoted to ETR3. Whew; I didn?t have to go mess-cooking. Thank heavens. That was my first waiver. Normally, I would have had to wait at least a year before being allowed to test for advancement. Because I'd made E4, I was assigned to trans-one as my GQ Station, and no more watches at sea. I thought I would have more time to sleep. Wrong. We ET's had no underway-watches, so we were called upon to fix the electronic equipment anytime it broke. Which was often; at least it seemed often. The ET-Gang had 12-people, including me. Six were assigned or specialized in radio equipment and five were assigned to the radar equipment. The ET1 was the supervisor of both. The Radar group; my assignment, had two radars, surface search AN/SPS-10, and air search AN/SPS-6, the IFF; Identification Friend or Foe Equipment, the ECM; Electronics Countermeasures Equipment, the repeaters; the display equipment, and all associated test-equipment, to take care of. If the radar went down, we fixed it. It didn't matter if it was 2-in-the-morning or 3-in-the-afternoon. And, we worked 'til it was fixed. Sometimes 10 to 12 hours. And; we weren't allowed to go to bed during working hours; 0800 to 1600. It was a rule. So, we napped where we could; in the shop, under a bench, in a transmitter room, with permission, of course. Next; Underway and back to Hawaii, first stop. We were supposed to stop for only a couple of days, but one of the ships-generators broke. We ended up staying in Pearl for 12 days. That was fun. My Dad was working at the Naval Station, so I got to use his car. A couple of my buddies and I got to spend a few days at my parents' house on the Kaneohe side of the island. When I had duty, I had to qualify for, and stand the Petty-Officer of the Watch on the Quarter-Deck, in 4-Sections. That wasn't so bad. Then 1 October; we're off, on our way to Yankee Station; a designated operations area off the coast of Vietnam. We went through a typhoon. We invented this imaginary guy named Don Lifejackets, because of all the Foul-Weather, and because we had no In-Board passageway. The only way to get from berthing to the forward part of the ship was outside, on the weather-deck. Every half-hour or so, the 1-MC would announce; All hands stand clear of the main deck, those traversing fore and aft, don lifejackets; It got to be a joke. Who is this guy, Don Lifejackets, anyway? One night, during the storm, I was called to the bridge to fix a repeater; The radar display device. It was late. I don't remember the time but, the Captain was sitting in his High-Chair; This chair was about three-feet off the deck, it was high. When I reported to the bridge the Captain asked my name. That was the first time I was in close proximity to the Captain. He then asked if the repeater could be fixed fast, because they needed it. I said yes, sir; of course, and went to work. I don't recall what the problem was, but I was able to get it fixed in less than an hour. While I was working on the repeater, the Captain lit a cigar. Several of the bridge group got sea-sick, I think, because of the cigar. The helmsman asked to be relieved because he was getting sick. I was about to leave the bridge when the Captain asked me if I was sick. I said no, so he told me to take over the helm, until a relief could arrive. That was cool. He told me to watch the compass and keep the ship on course something, something, something; I don't remember the numbers. Anyways; One by one, everyone on the bridge was getting sick. There were 100-Foot-Swells, the ship was rolling and pitching, and for some reason it didn't affect me. I was having fun. I had been at the helm for about an hour, and at one point, the Captain left the bridge. On his way down to Officers Country he asked if I was hungry. It was after chow-time and I hadn't left the bridge to go eat. The galley was serving Mid-Rats; food like sandwiches, and snacks. When he returned, he had a plate with sandwiches and two pickled eggs. He, this really happened, asked if I'd like a sandwich and an egg. I said yes, sir; of course, I was hungry. I think the Captain was testing my ability to not get sick. It worked; I like pickled-eggs. I never did get sea-sick. I finally got relieved from the helm, and went back to my rack. As it turned out, there were very few people on the ship who were not sick, during that storm. Finally; the storm subsided enough. We made our stop at Midway Island, with almost no fuel on board, and some other things that had to be fixed. We stayed overnight at Midway, and there was a lot of work to do. PMS-Checks, and repairs, before we got underway again. So I didn't get to leave the ship. Anyways; Off to Yokosuka, Japan. There we met our first carrier. The USS Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA-42; and three days later, 19 October; Yankee Station. We spent some time chasing the carrier. Plane-Guard and Re-Fueling / Replenishing, usually on Sunday. We replenished 41-Times while underway on that cruise. Replenish; That's when we would pull-up along-side another ship. Sometimes a carrier, sometimes an oiler or other transport-type ship while moving along at 10 to 15 knots. They would throw us a line, and the crew would bring over the stuff. If it was fuel, we would pull the fuel-line over, hold it in place while taking on fuel, then slowly let-out the line to return the hose. My station was on the Line, usually on the Port-Side, just aft of Frame-72. The lower you were on the seniority list, the further back in line you were, the wetter you got, from water rushing over the side. On 26 October we were called to render aid to the carrier USS Oriskany CVA-34. She had a fire on her hanger-deck. We tried but we couldn't do much to help. 43-Sailors died in that fire. 1 November; Off to the coast of Vietnam with the USS Perkins DD-877, to do some shore bombardment and chase some small craft; small Gun-Boats operated by the North-Vietnamese. It was called Operation Sea Dragon. We did quite a bit of shooting; 14-Days-Straight; Over 400 rounds of 5-inch ammunition were used before we headed home. One of those times, 4 November, we got shot At. I remember; We were at Condition-Two. I was in the chow-line, outside, aft of rame-72, on the main-deck. We could see our spotter-plane flying up the coast. Mounts 53 and 54 would fire a round every so often. We were talking about how clear the water was, when all-of-a-sudden we heard this loud bang on the O-1 Level. Someone yelled; Hey! Keep the noise down, as a joke. Then this splash, off the Port-Side, right next to us, then an explosion. Then General Quarters; This is not a drill. It was just a little exciting. Our 35-Foot whip-antenna, on the starboard side, was hit by a chunk of shrapnel, but no one was injured. We shot back, around 300-rounds, and silenced several shore-batteries. That's where the ship got its nickname; The Galloping Ghost of the Vietnam Coast, and the crew adopted the Roadrunner as the mascot. Next stop, 7 November, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Good times; We went ashore via a small ferry-boat. Once there, we walked down the street to find bar after bar, and some shops. That's where I met Wade; He was an ET3 in the radio-group. He insisted I try this Plum-Liquor; we drank several bottles. Some other guys joined us and we ended up covering the table with bottles. Wade wouldn't let mama-san clean the table. We also found out about the restroom facilities; They were outside on the street. This little shack that allowed you to use the street as the sewer. The gutter had raw-sewage in it. Yuk! Then 18 November, back to sea. Yankee Station and the USS Ticonderoga CV-14. Out of 164 days on the cruise we spent 112 days at sea. During the cruise, someone saw the Bilge-Keel; Part of the stabilizing keel of the ship, this 35-Foot section, sticking out from the side of the ship. So, on 25 November we pulled into DaNang Harbor, Vietnam. We had to have this Armed-Roving-Patrol all day and all night. They were told to shoot at anything in the water approaching the ship. Divers were sent down to try to repair the bilge-keel, and couldn't. We ended up with the bilge-keel falling off. Then; 29 November back to sea. We headed north to rendezvous with the USS Long Beach CGN-9 at a place called PIRAZ Station. That stood for Positive Identification Radar Advisory Zone. The Long Beachs' mission was to detect and identify aircraft and surface craft in and out of North Vietnam. We were her Guns; It seemed that someone forgot to provide Surface to Surface protection for that ship, when it was built. This was later corrected when the Long Beach had two 5-inch Guns installed amidships. We were to screen her from the many Junk Fleets that were out there. I remember; one morning I walked out on deck to find the sea full of Red-Sail-Junks, with the appearances of no-one on board. The next morning they were gone. 16-Days of that, then back to Yankee Station. Most of the time spent on Yankee Station we were Plane-Guard for an Aircraft Carrier. I remember one of those Plane-Guard days, when we got a Visitor; Martha Raye was helicoptered down onto the fantail, screaming, and in an Army uniform. What a neat Lady. She spent several hours on board, visiting with the crew, signing autographs and thanking us for our service. She was with the USO Group on the carrier. On 16 December we departed Yankee Station for Sasebo, Japan. We spent Christmas in Sasebo. I remember; I had duty, and the ship invited 30 Orphans aboard for Christmas, and Santa KLAUS; Klaus was one of our crewmembers. The kids had a great time. They got presents, and ate with us on the messdecks. I don't think they knew who Santa was, but they still had fun. We left Sasebo on New Years Eve, leaving the Captain behind for some minor surgery. Shortly after New Years, when we were re-fueling with the Tyco; USS Ticonderoga CV-14, we had to do an Emergency Break-away; that's when we did this 51-degree-Roll; it felt like 90-degrees, we thought we were going to Cap-Size. It was pretty scary. We got the Skipper back on 19 January. Then, 21 January, back to Kaohsiung. On to Hong Kong, 26 January. Then 9 February, arrived at Subic Bay. Every time we stopped at a port we found many new things to do; Site-seeing, shopping, and oh, yeah bars. Then 14 February we headed for home; Back to San Diego, arriving 24 February. We were tied-up to the USS Prairie AD-15 from 25 March to 8 April. 9 to 16 April Moored at Pier 2. 17 to 20 April we participated in ASW exercises. Then back to San Diego for Upkeep. 8 June, we again went on a Middy-Cruise. This time we went to Everett Washington, first. When we arrived 1 July, it was High-Tide and the Pier was below the 01-Level. We walked Down the brow to get off the ship. When we returned, the ships 01-Level was Below the pier. We went Down the brow to get back on the ship. There was a 30-Foot tide in Everett. That was over the 4th of July. Some of the crew marched in the Parade in town. Then back to San Diego, 8 to 13 July, for upkeep. Then 19 July we went back to Hawaii. 21 to 24 July, More good times; My Mom and Dad provided a very handy Home-Away-From-Home, in Hawaii. Then 1 August, back to San Diego. There were 18 ships participating in our Midshipmen cruise. We spent 6 August to 14 September in San Diego, preparing for our Shipyard Overhaul. Then 15 September, Mare Island for Dry-Dock and Repairs/Upgrades. And, because I had no Navy training, I was sent to several C-Schools. I left the ship while it was in the Yards to attend AN/GRC-27 school, MK-10 IFF School, and AN/SRC-20/21 School. When I returned to the ship, I discovered the ET-Shop had been moved. I was just in time to help setup the New shop. When we were in the yards, some of the Gun-Director-Electronics was removed from the ship, and the Space was not in use. Our First-Class asked to use the space for our ET-Shop, and it was approved. What a difference. Our former shop, next to the Ships-Office, was so small, only 5-people would Fit inside; That?s if we all stood. The New shop had two Huge benches, and, room to store our test-equipment. Most of the test-equipment was stored in other spaces before we moved into the new shop. The new shop was a little more difficult to get to though, when we were underway. You had to go up to the 01 level, just aft of the Gun-Tub of mount 31. Climb down a ladder to the main-deck, then step over the hatch of the after-fire-room to get to the door. But, it was worth it. There was also a little strange occurrence; After moving Everything into the shop, we brought in the Coffee-Pot. Every ET Shop must have a coffee pot; it's a rule. Anyways; when we made the first pot of coffee, the pot Groaned, and it groaned on each First-Pot of the day, after that; strange. The guys in the after-fire-room would fill the pot with water for us, so we didn't have to go to the galley or the head for water. So we blamed them for the pot-groans. They laughed, and got free coffee, too. Then; Back to San Diego in late December. We spent the rest of the winter of 1967 through the spring of 1968, training with DESRON 21; Destroyer Squadron 21, and 28 May; we were on our way to another WestPac cruise. I asked for, and was granted a waiver, and was allowed to test for ETR2; and did. My second waiver; I was E5, with under 3-years in service. That was not normally possible. When we left for WestPac, I was Number 2 ET; that was cool. I was in charge of the Surface-Search-Radar; AN/SPS-10, and the IFF-Equipment. My other duties included the Repeaters; AN/SPA-4 and AN/SPA-8, and this new radio equipment, that was installed in the yards; AN/SRC-20/21. That cruise was Fantastic. We did the same job as the 66-67 Cruise, but I was more involved. I spent a lot of time in CIC and on the Bridge. I knew Everyone on the ship. The Captain had taken an interest in My Career. I got to know the Captain pretty well. I fixed his Television once, and became a Hero. He knew my name by sight, and was Friendly; well, as friendly as a Captain could be. He wanted me to start preparing for the E6 examination, and he had talked to me about going to college to become an officer, at the Navy?s expense. My closest friends were; the Laundryman / Ships-Store operator; Al Payne, the Barber; Marciole, RC "Louie" Lewis, and a few other guys. We had access to the Galley, the Ship's Store, and the Barber Shop. You couldn't ask for more. All of us were E5s. The best rate to be, on the Braine. We left for WestPac on 28 May. We departed San Diego with the USS Horne DLG-30 and USS Constellation CVA-64. On the way to Hawaii we had Never-Ending drills. We arrived in Pearl Harbor on 8 June, and left on 9 June on our way to Yokosuka, Japan, arriving on 16 June. We left Yokosuka on 20 June, heading for Subic Bay, Philippines. We stayed in Subic from 23 June to 6 July, except for a couple of days of Shore-Bombardment practice. On 7 July we entered Yankee Station, on our way to PIRAZ to join the USS Long Beach CGN-9, and the USS Biddle DLG-34. We left PIRAZ on 20 July to work Plane-Guard for the USS America CVA-66. We steamed with the USS America, the USS Constellation CVA-64, the USS Intrepid CVA-11, and the USS Bon Homme Richard CVA-31 until 28 August. On Sunday; of course, 25 August we went to General Quarters, then to a special Sea-Rescue, when an F-4 off the Constellation crashed on take-off. We searched and searched, but found only one survivor; Lt. McPherson. We found him within the first four minutes of the crash. We were back in Subic on 29 August, after 55-Days at sea. On 6 September; I remember the night, when this Officer; I don't remember who, fell off the brow. Four crewmen jumped down between the ship and the pier and rescued him. We thought it was funny at the time. The four guys each received a medal for saving him. We left Subic on 15 September, back to Yankee Station. On 2 October Commander Van Antwerp relieved Commander Fleiner, at sea. Captain Fleiner was the best Skipper, ever. On 14 October, we left Yankee Station, on our way to Yokosuka. We left Yokosuka on 26 October, on our way back to Yankee Station when we hit some heavy weather. The Vent-Cover on the starboard side came loose, just forward of Frame-72, and the Ward-Room was taking on water. The Captain called for volunteers to fix it. That's when MM1 Paul Schimpf was killed attempting the repair. A very sad time for us. We returned to Japan for funeral services. 29 October, we returned to Vietnam. We went back to DaNang. We sat in the harbor at night, for four nights, shooting at the hillside; and during the day, we went back to sea and fired at the coastline. All targets were identified by these little Single-Engine Shore-Targeting aircraft. We left for Hong Kong and arrived there on 10 November. Mary-Sue and her girls gave the ship a Paint-Job. That was cool. Normally the Deck-Apes would paint the ship with Brushes and Rollers; Mary-Sue's girls used Mops, and had the job done in two days. On 15 November we headed for Subic. One night there, re-fueled, and we headed South, on our way to Australia. We became Shell-Backs on 20 November, crossing the Equator at 126.21 East What a celebration/initiation. Everyone on board, except this one sailor, participated. What a blast. We, who were crossing the equator for the first time, were Lowly Pollywogs, and had to be Initiated into the Realm of King Neptune. There were Several conditions that had to be met before we were considered to be Shell-Backs. Being a Shell-Back is every sailor?s dream. Next stop; Darwin, Australia to pick up a Pilot, to take us through the Great-Barrier-Reef. Then on to Brisbane, Australia. We had a Ball in Brisbane. We moored in these peoples Back Yard. The Family was there to help us Tie Up. We walked across their back yard to get to the street. While in Brisbane we found the people to be Very Hospitable. They Loved us. We had a hard time Paying for things, especially in the bars. We couldn't get out of a bar without accepting drinks from Everyone at the bar. I don't think anyone Walked back to the ship from Liberty. We left Brisbane on 2 December. We stopped at little islands on the way home, like American Samoa, and Fiji. On 6 December we were able to get off the ship in Fiji for a few hours while the ship refueled. We stopped again in Pago Pago, for fuel, then on to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 13 December. We got back to San Diego on 19 December. When we arrived home, I was Section-Leader; I got to assign the watches on duty-days, Leading ET; I was in charge of the ET Gang, and Duty-Master-at-Arms; I was the ships Policeman. All of my Supervisors had been transferred, or received orders home. I had the Life of Riley. 1969 was a Buzz of When are we going back to Westpac, or IF we would ever go back. We were alongside the USS Piedmont AD-17 until 3 February, except for 4-Days; 20 to 23 January, for ASW Operations. We went in and out of San Diego three times for ASW and Gunnery Training. 3 to 7, 10 to 14, and 24 to 27 February, before getting a full two-months of In-Port. Scuttlebutt had us being De-Commissioned, or becoming a Reserve Ship. Most of the crew wanted Off. They didn't want to be on a Reserve Ship. On 28 April we finally got underway for a mini-cruise; off to Acapulco for a few days. We arrived on 2 May; that was fun. We went to the Las Brisas Hotel; That?s the hotel with the Pink and White-striped jeeps. We went Scuba Diving in the hotels pool. The pool had a tunnel to the harbor. We saw where Elvis Presley filmed the movie; Fun in Acapulco, and where the Cliff-Divers dove into the ocean. We left Acapulco on 5 May, and got back to San Diego on 8 May. The rest of May, June, and July were spent in-and-out of San Diego for local operations. On 29 August we received Official word that the Braine would become a Naval Reserve Training Ship and be Home-Ported in Portland Oregon; Not good news, for some. We were underway to San Francisco on 5 September. One day the Captain called me to his State-Room, and asked if I'd like to go to Purdue University to become an Engineer, paid for by the Navy. It was a program called NESEP; Naval Enlisted Science Education Program. The deal was; I would go to college for 4-years, at the Navy's expense, and when finished, I wouldd be Commissioned, as an Officer, and have a 6-Year obligation after graduation, plus a $10,000.00 Re-Enlistment bonus. WOW! I went home, on leave, and explained it to my wife. She wanted no part of it. She wanted a Husband, and a Father for our two sons, at home. So; I didn't do it. When I returned off leave, I formally refused the NESEP offer, and asked for an early Discharge. It was close to the end of my enlistment, and the Navy was offering Early-Outs. The Braine was scheduled to be sent to duty as a reserve ship. We went up to Portland, Oregon, I was transferred to the USS Brush DD-745, to help De-Commission her, and wait for orders home to Massachusetts. Three weeks later I was home, as a civilian, in time for Christmas, with my family. I was transferred to the Inactive Reserves in December, 1969, and my Official Discharge date was 9 March 1970. The Daily Routine: The Navy proposes to have a Daily Routine. It's designed to keep everyone busy from 0800 to 1600, five days a week; Six days a week when aboard a ship, and seven days a week when the ship is underway. But, I wouldn't call the activities Routine. Nothing ever seemed routine, except, maybe, daily quarters. Quarters: Each morning, at 0800, we would assemble at a designated spot and the Leading-Petty-Officer would call our name and ask us to respond verbally. He would then read the POD; Plan of the day. The POD would have a schedule of unique events; if any, the name of the Command-Duty-Officer, the title of the evening movie, and the Menu for the mess decks. When the Division-Officer arrived, the leading Petty-Officer would report All Present, or give him a list of personnel who were not present, and why. Unless there was someone Missing; If someone was Missing when we were at sea, we would report to the bridge, and there would be a ship-wide search. If we were in port, the person would be reported UA; Unauthorized Absence. The only time a Man Overboard was executed was if someone was seen, falling overboard, or was Last-Seen within 30-minutes of a Negative-Ship-Wide-Search. Routine in port was Different every day. Some days we would perform PMS-Checks. Other days would find crewmembers off the ship at a Cal-Lab getting equipment calibrated. Others may be effecting repairs, or testing the equipment for readiness. It was called Ships Work, but it was not the same thing every day. I found every day a new challenge. At sea; underway routine was also different. There were many In-Port activities that could not be accomplished because of equipment, such as the Radar, being In-Use. Most of the work was Preventive-Maintenance or repair. It doesn't sound like much work, but we were never Not Busy, except perhaps, on Sunday. We had Holiday Routine; That was somewhat relaxing, most of the time. You could Sleep-In until 0700. The mess-decks served Brunch, so there was no Chow-Line to speak of. Meal-Time was not routine either. I would say that eating on the messdecks was a Challenge when we were underway. When we were in port, the food was better than that at sea, especially after we were at sea for a few weeks. We occasionally ran out of Niceties such as Chocolate-Milk and Meat, when at sea. In-Port: While in port the ship was manned by a Minimum of 25% of the crew, at all times. During the Monday through Friday work-week, 100% of the crew was on board during working hours; 0800 to 1600. People who made up the 25% were considered On Duty. The other 75% were allowed to leave the ship, on Liberty, after working-hours. Typically, when we were in the US, we would have 4-Section Duty; 25% of the crew stayed on board. When we were in a foreign port, we, sometimes, would be on 3-Section Duty; 1/3 of the crew stayed on board. This Duty method was derived after the attack at Pearl Harbor, when the Navy allowed Everyone off the ship, except a few who stood watches. They were allowed to leave after their watch was relieved. In-Port-Watches: The crewmembers that had Duty would be responsible for the ship and all of its components. To ensure the ships Readiness there were Watches assigned. The Duty-Section and watches were designed such that the ship could get underway in an emergency. The watches that I had to qualify for, during my time on board, were the MOW; Messenger of the Watch, and POOW; Petty Officer of the Watch. Later on I qualified for and assumed the Master-at-Arms position; that's like a policeman on board. Messenger of the Watch was assigned to personnel rated E3 and below. As MOW I would be on the Quarterdeck for a maximum of 4-Hours; Depending on what watch I had. Responsibilities included; reporting any incident to the POOW and/or OOD; Officer of the Deck, being a Messenger for the POOW and/or the OOD, informing Watch-Reliefs of the time for their watch; Wake them up if after Taps, Hoisting or Retrieving the Jack; Union Jack attached to the Forecastle-Flagstaff, and, of course getting the Coffee for the POOW and/or the OOD. Petty Officer of the Watch was assigned to personnel rated E4 and above. As POOW I would also be on the Quarterdeck for a maximum of 4-Hours. Responsibilities included keeping, or making entries into the Deck Log, reporting any incident to the OOD, Hoisting or Retrieving the Ensign; The U.S. Flag attached to the Fan-Tail Flagstaff, checking and verifying identification of persons coming on board, assigning escort to visitors, and Quarterdeck Security; I was issued a 45-Caliber Hand-Gun while on watch. Officer of the Deck; OOD, was assigned to personnel, who qualified, rated E6 and above, or Officers on duty. Details: There were many Special Details that were manned by the crew, such as: Special Sea and Anchor Detail; each person had a Place to be, for the ship to get underway. My spot was in the Surface-Search-Transmitter-Room. I was there to assure the radar was operational. Underway Replenishment Detail; each person had a Place to be, for the ship to take on fuel or dry-goods; Food and spare parts. My spot was in the Line-Handlers line. We pulled the line over, between the ship and the Supply-Vessel. General Quarters; Battle Stations. Again, each person had a Place to be to Fight the Ship. As an ET my station was in the Transmitter-Room for the Surface-search Radar. There was a Master assignment poster, called the Watch-Quarter-and-Station-Bill. Everyone was individually responsible for knowing their Place for all details. The Memories: I have so many other fond memories of my time in the Navy. Walking on Broadway, in San Diego; The Sea of White-hats; The Seven-Seas Locker Club where we kept our civilian clothes; The Penny-Arcades; The YMCA Pool-Room; The Barbary Coast Topless-Bar; The Burlesque Theater. The movie theaters, where you didn't have to leave when the movie was over. All that walking. The bus to 32nd street. The EM-Club. The Acey-Deucey Club. The Poker Game in the Boatswains Locker; Where I got my One and Only, Royal Flush in a 5-Card-Stud game; And, I wasn't the dealer. What a time, I won a $28.00 pot. That was a lot of money for us then. The Crap Game in the Machine Shop; Mac, I think his name was McDonald, had a passion for Craps. One night I stood behind him. He wouldd borrow $10.00 from me with a promise of a $15.00 pay-back. He'd win; Pay me back; Then loose, and borrow again. Then win; Pay me back; Loose. This went on for hours. I made over $100.00 just loaning him money. The Blackjack Games on the mess decks: The deal was; Someone would deal, as the House. Anyone gets a Blackjack, they got the deal, Unless they wanted to Sell the deal back to you. Al Payne and I would put our money together. One of us would get a Blackjack. I would deal, he would Pay and Collect. If I lost too much as Dealer; He would deal, and I would Pay and Collect. We almost always won. All this Gambling had one steadfast Rule: If someone lost and was upset; the Game would refund his money. But, he was never allowed to play again. The same was true for Pay-Day Loans. I used to do it; We would loan money to fellow shipmates as follows; a $5.00 loan for a $7.00 payback, on payday. $10.00 for $15.00, and $20.00 for $30.00. If someone could not, or would not pay the Interest, it was Forgiven. But, no one would ever loan to that guy again. Of course it was all against orders. But we did it anyway; that's what that Little Green Book was for. The Pinochle games in CIC; Penny a Point, Quarter a Set, and Dollar a Game; what a blast. We would go into CIC, in port, after evening chow, and play on the DRT. Al Payne and I got to be pretty good as partners. Some games were Expensive, others were just Fun. The tiny Ships Store; And Al Payne getting Hats and Lighters for the cruise. I remember; Cigarettes, at sea, were $1.00 per carton, Sea-Stores. And the Bulova-Accutron- watch I bought, and later gave to my Dad; The 66-67 Zippo that I lost over the side, and Al couldn not get a replacement. I still have my 68 Zippo. The haircuts by Marciole in this tiny room, Port-Side, just forward of the door leading into the After-Head. Very few haircuts were done when we were underway. I remember; standing in the Chow-Line, looking at the water, off the coast of Vietnam; Seeing a Splash off the Port side; the sounding of General Quarters, the ships Turbines screaming; the two rear guns, Mounts? 53 and 54, firing; we were being shot at. Later laughing because it was discovered the Brass-Display-Projectile was fired from Mount 54. We went down this river and picked up some Marines; they were surrounded, and under fire. We shot Cover for them and they swam out to us. Al got some Strawberry Ice-Cream out of the Freezer-Deck, and gave it to them, while they sat on the quarterdeck, in exchange for some C-Rations. They were picked up by a River-Patrol-Boat. And the Questioning of the captured NVA-Officer on the quarterdeck. Some of that stuff was never recorded; Officially. I remember; the night we re-fueled and took on stores in the dark; The Captain authorized a drink of Whisky for the crew, on the mess-decks. Getting paid in MPCs; Military Payment Certificates. Exchanging dollars for Yen; 360-yen to a dollar. I remember changing $50.00. That was 18,000 Yen. The lady gave me a 10,000-Yen note; It was huge, I remember cashing it at a bar, I became very popular. Beer was only 200-Yen. The time we went to Japan; took the train to Nagasaki. We hired this Taxi to take us around Nagasaki as our tour-guide. He was great. When it was time to go back to the ship, he offered to drive us back, for the same price as the train; what a deal, so we got delivered to the base in a taxi. The trip to Everett, Washington; And its 30-Foot Tide. I remember it was around the 4th of July. We wore Chrome helmets, and marched in the local parade. I remember getting a Hotel-Room in downtown Everett, with Al and a couple of other guys, just to get away from the ship; it was Booze and Card-Games on the bed. I remember making 2nd. Class Petty-Officer; and getting Head of the Line privilege because of it. I remember Crabbing off the fantail; I don't remember where we were. I, with the help of a Machinist-Mate, made this Cage; tied some line to it, and some Chicken-Pieces from the Galley. And we caught Crab; Lots of it. I remember almost filling the Steam-Pot in the Galley, and Feeding the Officers in the Ward-Room; The Captain liked Crab. The trip to Vallejo, California; we went down this river, past all these Moth-Balled ships. I remember going into Dry-Dock, and I remember the Crunched Car Display under the tree, near the Front-Gate, and the sign about Drunk Driving. I remember when we got a Ships Pickup Truck, and someone having to drive it to San Francisco to meet the ship. And going over to the Supply Warehouse, and Shopping with a Requisition, for stuff, like Flashlights and Tools. Crossing the Equator: The Uniform of the Day; Shirts and Pants on Backwards, all Buttons buttoned, one Pant-Leg rolled up, and that leg Shaved. Guys who had beards, had to shave them off, Half of their face. Crawling through that Tunnel of Garbage. The Royal Baby. And, the final dip in the Pool on the fantail. Someone saying: What are you? Up until this point the answer was; I'm a Pollywog, Sir. But, in the pool, the correct response was; I am a Shell-Back. Then throwing our uniforms over the side. I remember One Sailor; I can't remember who, refused to go through the ceremony. He was put on watch somewhere below decks, so he couldn't see the Secret ceremony. What a blast. The stop-over in Brisbane; It seemed like we were there for a very short time. The Pub we went into, to use the rest-room. The three Mates, at the bar, insisting we have a Beer; Refusing to let us buy. The Night-Club filled with girls; At first we thought we had wondered into a Lesbian bar. Later to find out; the local guys go to work at 4-in-the-morning, work until noon, drink until three, then go home and crash. The Night-Clubs opened at four. The stop at Fiji; I Volunteered for Shore-Patrol. We went to a Police-Station, drank Grog; it looked and tasted like muddy-water. I rode with a Policeman, in a Jeep. We visited all these Beach-Front Hotels. We Drank on Duty; That was a Police Policy, there. Every hotel we stopped at insisted we have a drink before leaving. Going into this one hotel, past the Front-Desk, into the Dining Room, to discover the Dining Room had no Wall. The Cop told me the reason for no wall is the Weather; It?s always like this, 75-Degrees, and Beautiful. I remember when Al Payne left. He went home, and I stayed aboard. I somehow met up with SM1 Demi. He lived in Long Beach. I went to his house a few times. We got this idea about a Train Whistle for the ship. We got together with this BT; Boiler Technician. There was this High-Pitched train-whistle, Like a French-Train Whistle, that Demi found, and we had it mounted on the forward-stack. It was a steam-powered-whistle. Demi's wife made this Flag of a Locomotive, with a Huge whistle on it. We installed a Line going from the whistle to the Pilot House; and did it all without the Captain knowing about it. We then had this Presentation to Captain Fleiner. He Loved it. Every time, after that, when we would UnRep; Underway Replenishment, the Captain would Blow that Whistle, hoist the Flag, and order up Flank Speed. It was so cool. The final trip to Portland, Oregon; I was transferred, with some other guys, off the Braine, to the Brush; USS Brush DD-745, but, we were put in barracks, instead of berthing on the ship. The Brush was being dismantled, and de-commissioned. That was such a blur; It seemed like I was All Alone; and sad. But, I was going home in a few weeks, so I got through it. I remember packing to go home; I had been issued this 45-Caliber pistol, because I was Master-at-Arms. When I tried to turn it in, the armory said it was already turned in; and they didn't want it. I left it on the desk, I didn not want it to be in my sea-bag, and get searched on the way out the gate. And; All the other Terms and Sayings, like; Brow, Gedunk, Boon-Dockers, Roach-Coach, Snipe, Sniveler, Deck-Ape, Squirrel, Small Stores, Boatswains Locker, Field-Day, Liberty Cards, Scuttlebutt, Butt-kit, Stack-Gas, Water-Hours, Feed-Water, Holiday-Shower, Holiday-Routine, Mid-Rats, The uniform of the day, The POD, Gun-Decking, PMS-Cards, Swab, Short-Timers-Chain, Head, Rack, Fart-Sack, Ditty-Bag, The 1-MC, Air-bedding, Boatswains Chair, Boatswains Pipe, Jacobs Ladder, Rat-Guard, Hawser, Monkey-Fist, Monkey-Shit, Shot-Line, Claxton, November-India-Zulu-Foxtrot; Our international call-sign, Snowdrift; Our radio call-sign. The Announcements; Sweepers. Sweepers. Man your brooms. Give the ship a clean sweep-down fore and aft. Or, at night; Sweep down all lower decks, ladders and passageways. Empty all trash in receptacles provided on the pier. Or at sea; Empty all trash in receptacles over the fantail.; Reveille. Reveille. All hands heave-out and trice-up. The smoking lamp is lighted in all authorize spaces.; All hands to quarters for muster, instruction, and inspection.; All hands muster on station.; The Navy Exchange Mobile Canteen is now on the pier; This is a drill. This is a drill; Mess-gear. Early dinner for First-Class Petty Officers, Cooks, and Mess-Cooks.; Dinner for the crew. Second-Class Petty-Officers and Watch Reliefs to the head of the mess-line.; Turn Two. Commence ships work; Knock off ships work.; On deck. Attention to colors.; Now, station the re-fueling detail. The smoking lamp is out throughout the ship while taking on fuel.; Relieve the watch. The 1200 to 1600 watch, relieve the watch.; Sir. The officer of the deck wishes to report the approach of the hour of 12 O'clock. All ships reports have been received by the Officer of the Deck. All chronometers have been wound and compared. Request permission to strike Eight-Bells on time; Now, station the special sea and anchor detail.; Set condition three.; Man the rail. All personnel not actually on watch, man the rail.; Man the quarterdeck watch. The Officer of the deck has transferred his watch to the Quarterdeck.; Secure the quarterdeck watch. The Officer of the Deck has transferred his watch to the Bridge; Set condition Yoke.; Underway, shift colors.; Surface contact. Bearing 090.; Air contact. Bearing 180 at 45-degrees.; General Quarters. General Quarters. All hands man your battle stations. Set condition One-Alpha-Alpha. Or, One-A-S.; Moored, shift colors.; Liberty Call. Muster the liberty party with the Officer of the Deck on the quarterdeck, for inspection.; Payday for the crew. The crew is now being paid on the messdeck by the disbursing officer.; Taps. Taps. Lights out. All hands turn in to your own rack, and maintain silence about the decks. The smoking lamp is out in all berthing compartments. I look back, now, and see so many good times. I wish I could Shoot the Bull with some of my former shipmates, and recall some other, perhaps forgotten, good times. There is a, kinda, detailed account of the cruises in my two Cruise-Books, but they were Edited and Censored, because of some of the things we were ordered to do. Of course those items have since, been de-classified. The History: The Official History goes something like this: 1966 to 1969 The BRAINE spent the first half of 1966 undergoing repairs and conducting training exercises off the west coast. On 28 May CDR Fred J. Fleiner, USN assumed command. On 14 September the BRAINE left San Diego for the Western Pacific encountering heavy weather with gale force winds and heavy seas requiring a stopover in Midway for repairs. On 19 October she joined TG 77.7 on Yankee Station and participated in Operation Starlight. The mission was to prevent coastal water craft from carrying war materials to the Communist troops in South Vietnam and provide fire support for the First Marine Division. On 4 November the BRAINE, engaged in a running gun battle with North Vietnamese shore batteries. The BRAINE returned the fire with over four hundred rounds of five-inch ammunition. At one point while providing fire support from dawn to dusk for fourteen straight days, she was refueled and re-supplied in the dark. During one engagement, the BRAINE received slight shrapnel damage, but no casualties were sustained. This marked the third time the BRAINE had been hit by enemy fire. Several cargo crafts were destroyed or damaged. The Commander Seventh Fleet awarded a commendation to the USS BRAINE for outstanding performance in the action off the coast of North Vietnam. The BRAINE was nicknamed The Galloping Ghost of the Vietnam Coast. The BRAINE was forced to Da Nang harbor for repairs when it was discovered a thirty-five foot section of the port side bilge keel had torn loose. During the tour on Yankee Station, the BRAINE was visited by two actors from Hollywood--Mr. John Gavin, star of the TV series CONVOY and Miss Martha Raye, accompanied by a musical group. The BRAINE departed to Japan for additional repairs. The BRAINE greeted the 1967 New Year with 12 foot seas as she tossed her way back to Yankee Station, in company with the USS MULLANY - DD 528 and the USS TICONDEROGA - CVA 14. This transit was marked with an emergency breakaway from the TICONDEROGA and a 51 degree roll. On 21 January the ship arrived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for an upkeep period prior to her departure for Hong Kong. She departed for Yokosuka, Japan via Subic Bay, the last stop of a successful tour in the Western Pacific. The BRAINE returned to San Diego. After a period of tender availability, the ship was assigned ASW School Ship. On 8 June the BRAINE embarked on a Pacific Midshipman Cruise, where she conducted training exercises off the West Coast and Hawaii and returned to San Diego. In September the BRAINE commenced a three month overhaul at the Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, where two new 5-inch/38 gun mounts and three 3-inch-50 gun mounts were installed. She returned to San Diego in late December. 1968 was a cruise year for the USS BRAINE. Her winter and spring months were used for additional training for the ultimate circumstances the crew may encounter, operating with sister ships of Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-ONE. On 25 May the BRAINE departed for her Western Pacific deployment in company with the USS HORNE - DLG 30 and USS CONSTELLATION - CVA 64. After a stopover in Hawaii, she proceeded to Yokosuka, Japan, with inter-ship drills and intensive studies of Seventh Fleet operations. On 7 July the BRAINE entered the Yankee Station operating area, acting as plane guard for four aircraft carriers. On 25 August, the BRAINE was called to task and responded with success. An F-4 Phantom II off the USS CONSTELLATION crashed on take-off. The BRAINE recovered the only survivor, LT McPherson, within four minutes of the accident. She departed for Subic Bay for tender upkeep. On 6 September, four of BRAINE?s crew members manifestly demonstrated their valor when they dove into the water to rescue a sailor who had fallen from the pier while returning from liberty The four sailors were BM3 Robert J. Exley, DC3 Raymond J. McDonald, SN Richard W. Klusman and FN Jimmy D. Keener. The ship returned to Yankee Station to resume her duties as a plane guard destroyer. On 2 October CDR Richard D. Van Antwerp, USN assumed command of BRAINE while at sea. On 14 October, the BRAINE departed for Yokosuka, Japan. In transit, MM1 Paul T. Schimpf was killed as he courageously attempted weather deck repairs in the face of extremely rough seas. She returned to the Vietnamese theater on 29 October to provide gunfire support on the coast of Vietnam. Shore bombardment is a rigorous test of a destroyers stamina and efficiency. For four days, the BRAINE fired her gun at night in Da Nang Harbor, during the day along the nearby coast. With her mission completed, the BRAINE departed for Hong Kong, on to Subic Bay and Brisbane, Australia. On 20 November, she crossed the equator at 126 degrees 21' E and Neptunus Rex delivered forth his awesome wrath and majesty on the BRAINE?s man lowly Pollywogs. On 6 December, she departed for San Diego, via the Fiji Islands, America Samoa and Pearl Harbor, arriving on 19 December. The BRAINE spent the first few months of 1969 for tender availability and local operations and training. On 28 April she made a good-will visit to Acapulco and Manzanillo, Mexico. Local training operations continued. On 29 August word was received that the BRAINE would become a Naval Reserve Training Ship home ported in Portland, Oregon On 30 October CDR C.R. Norton - USN assumed command of the BRAINE. She made several training cruises in the area. On 16 December, CDR Philip C. Simon assumed command of the BRAINE and Naval Reserve Destroyer Division 273 based in Long Beach, California. I was really saddened to learn; On 19 November 1986, the USS Braine DD-630 was used as a target ship and sunk by an Exercet missile fired by a frigate, which struck the ship amidships, just above the waterline. Her final resting place is 39 degrees 57' South Latitude 57 degrees 57' West Latitude