Harold ("Smitty") enlisted in the US Navy January 04, 1956 and took basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, IL. While in training, he was selected as Master at Arms with the recruit rank of Petty Office 1st. Class. After basic, he was selected for Radioman Class A School in Norfolk, VA., and then on to the Fleet. His first ship (1957-58) was the USS Amphion (AR-13) launched 15 May 1945 by the Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Inc. The Amphion was a heavy repair ship designed to carry out a primary mission of making emergency and routine repairs to ships of the fleet. The Amphion had its shakedown in the Chesapeake Bay area and joined the Atlantic Fleet's service force, home ported at Norfolk, VA. During the summer of 1957 the Amphion deployed to the Mediterranean, servicing ships of the 6th Fleet and visiting ports in France, Greece (where he caught the 'Hong Kong" flu), Crete, Sicily, and the Balearic Islands (where he met Errol Flynn & had a wild Night on the town with him and three other buddies). Harold served on the staff of ComServForSixthFlt stationed in Cannes, France for 7 months. The Amphion was decommissioned 2 October 1971 and turned over to the Imperial Iranian Navy at Bandar Abbas, Iran. She was recommissioned the Chah Bahar to honor an Iranian port on the gulf of Oman.