USS
JOHN PAUL JONES DDG-32 Supply Officer
(Thank
GOD this 1976-78 tour was my LAST SHIP!)
It
doesn't get much more 'nautical' than being on a Guided Missile
Destroyer that is underway (either in WestPac or on local
ops) more than 70% of the time during the 2 year period Nov
1976-Oct 1978 that I was assigned to her! Being SINGLE during
that time, this tour REALLY SUCKED for the most part!
The
ship’s main mission was to protect aircraft carriers
by providing anti-aircraft missile defense as well as to carry
out anti-submarine defense. In this capacity we did launch
quite a few practice missiles against target drones.
However,
from a Supply Officer's viewpoint (at least in MY opinion),
once you have seen one missile launch, you have pretty well
seen them all. After that 1st launch, the joy of plowing through
the ocean for days on end behind some aircraft carrier was
less than thrilling for the most part.
Of
course, every now and then, we got to practice launching an
ASROC against a simulated submarine contact. This is a torpedo
that is fired on a missile for several thousand yards out
away from the ship before it enters the water to start its
search for the submarine.
While
we received fuel and some supplies via underway replenishment
from another ships, a lot of our deliveries were made by helicopter
directly on the stern of the ship. This is one such delivery
being made just as the sun was setting in WestPac.
I
have personally always felt that God intended for a man to
have something MORE than a SUNSET to enjoy at night. But,
since I was divorced and not in any serious relationship while
on the John Paul Jones, sunsets were often the high-light
of my day. Sigh..........
While
working with the carrier Enterprise in WestPac, they staged
a special aircraft fly-by ‘entertainment’ event
for the accompanying ships and their crews to watch. This
is a F-14 Tomcat being launched from the Enterprise.
These
are various types of aircraft that were part of the Enterprise’s
embarked air wing which they flew as part of their fly-by
for the accompanying ships’ personnel.
In
order to demonstrate the air-to-ground capabilities of these
different aircraft, several planes dropped bombs and flares
into the ocean as part of the ‘free entertainment’
for the ships accompanying the carrier.
I
preferred a somewhat different kind of entertainment that
was found ashore in the various WestPac ports we hit. I guess
that you might say Steve believed in persuing his own personal
overseas ‘people-to-people’ PR program. Pusan, Korea,
was a NICE place to visit!
But,
Taipie, Tiawan was my all time favorite port to hit—which
I ranked even ahead of Subic Bay in the Philippines! In these
photos, I was having dinner with several Chinese vendors who
just insisted on introducing me to some of their lovely acquaintances
and having a few drinks and dinner with them.
And,
on another port visit, I simply had to properly say “Good-by”
to one of the friendly hostesses as I climbed into a cab that
would take me back to the piers and the JPJ. (Damn, those
Chinese are REALLY incredibly hospitable people!)
There
was only one time I ever grew a beard and that was during
my 2nd WestPac trip on the JPJ. And, this particular photo
of me in a hotel room somewhere in Taiwan (after a hard night’s
partying!) is the ONLY picture I still have of me sporting
that beard.
USS
Hull was the ONLY Destroyer-class ship to ever have an experimental
8-inch gun mounted (previously these had been mounted only
on Cruisers). This photo shows the Hull pulling alongside
the JPJ with its 8-inch and two 5-inch guns traversed and
pointed directly at us!
If
there was anything nice about being in WestPac and having
only a sunset for entertainment at night, at least many of
the sunsets there are simply GORGEOUS! This is a silhouette
of the USS Hull just after a deep reddish sun had dropped
below the horizon.
Any
sailor who ever visited Subic Bay in the P.I. will recognize
this bridge which went from the gate of the US base directly
across into Olongapo City. The children are waiting to dive
into the river for coins which sailors often tossed down to
them.
Transportation
in the P.I. was mostly in exotically and erotically colored
JEEPNEYS which provided a cheap means of moving from bar to
bar or hotel to hotel (or whatever your destination).
About
the only really good thing that happened during this 2-year
period of my life was my deciding to purchase a condo. It
was the start of a continuing long term real estate investment
strategy that better enabled me to NOT seek a 2nd career after
retiring from the Navy in 1990.
This
condo was a nice 1,050 sq ft 2-BdRm/2-BA detached unit (ie.,
it had no adjoining walls with any other condos) and it had
an attached carport . I still have this particular condo as
one of my rental units (as well as another in the same complex).
This is the master bedroom.
I
used the 2nd bedroom (which could be opened to serve as an
‘extended living room’) for my huge marble-topped
bar and custom-designed stereo cabinet. [This is my last photo
of that stereo cabinet before it was destroyed in a burglary
which happened during my 2nd WestPac.]
I
was able to get leave and go back to Ohio to see my parents
for Christmas in 1976. In this photo, my mother is enjoying
opening one of her gifts and I am having a good laugh about
something.
Fred,
my step-father, and David, my step-brother, are also wondering
what is in their packages.
Jon
Dunn, one of my shipmates from my first ship in 1968 and his
wife, Susan, visited me for dinner on one of those rare occasions
when (1) the JPJ was NOT at sea and (2) I did NOT have the
duty! Jon and Susan live in MA, but remain good friends to
this day.
On
one of our many ‘local ops’ between WestPac cruises,
we visited Acapulco, Mexico, for a few days. After sitting
in the hot sun for several hours and tossing down a number
of refreshing beverages, Steve decided to try PARA-SAILING
around Acapulco’s harbor.
Thank
God I still had the presence of mind to leave my Nikon camera
with someone on the beach (who shot these photos) rather than
trying to take it with me to shoot pictures while the speed
boat pulled my ‘relaxed’ body higher and higher
across the bay! I BELIEVE this ride was REALLY FUN!
This
was—without a doubt—one of the HAPPIEST days in
Steve's life! My PCS orders arrived toward the end of my 2nd
WestPac tour on the John Paul Jones. As we neared Hawaii,
this photo shows a chopper hoisting my young ass off the stern
of the JPJ for the LAST TIME!
This
is one “PHILOSOPHY” which CHANGED as I GOT OLDER!
(Please
be PATIENT and WAIT for the image to ROTATE after clicking on "6 Beers!")
Some
of those EXOTIC and EROTIC drinks overseas had STRANGE EFFECTS
on me!
|
|
|
USS
JOHN PAUL JONES DDG-32 Supply Officer
|
|
(Thank
GOD this 1976-78 tour was my LAST SHIP!)
|
It
doesn't get much more 'nautical' than being on a Guided Missile
Destroyer that is underway (either in WestPac or on local
ops) more than 70% of the time during the 2 year period Nov
1976-Oct 1978 that I was assigned to her! Being SINGLE during
that time, this tour REALLY SUCKED for the most part!
The
ship’s main mission was to protect aircraft carriers
by providing anti-aircraft missile defense as well as to carry
out anti-submarine defense. In this capacity we did launch
quite a few practice missiles against target drones.
However,
from a Supply Officer's viewpoint (at least in MY opinion),
once you have seen one missile launch, you have pretty well
seen them all. After that 1st launch, the joy of plowing through
the ocean for days on end behind some aircraft carrier was
less than thrilling for the most part.
Of
course, every now and then, we got to practice launching an
ASROC against a simulated submarine contact. This is a torpedo
that is fired on a missile for several thousand yards out
away from the ship before it enters the water to start its
search for the submarine.
While
we received fuel and some supplies via underway replenishment
from another ships, a lot of our deliveries were made by helicopter
directly on the stern of the ship. This is one such delivery
being made just as the sun was setting in WestPac.
I
have personally always felt that God intended for a man to
have something MORE than a SUNSET to enjoy at night. But,
since I was divorced and not in any serious relationship while
on the John Paul Jones, sunsets were often the high-light
of my day. Sigh..........
While
working with the carrier Enterprise in WestPac, they staged
a special aircraft fly-by ‘entertainment’ event
for the accompanying ships and their crews to watch. This
is a F-14 Tomcat being launched from the Enterprise.
These
are various types of aircraft that were part of the Enterprise’s
embarked air wing which they flew as part of their fly-by
for the accompanying ships’ personnel.
In
order to demonstrate the air-to-ground capabilities of these
different aircraft, several planes dropped bombs and flares
into the ocean as part of the ‘free entertainment’
for the ships accompanying the carrier.
I
preferred a somewhat different kind of entertainment that
was found ashore in the various WestPac ports we hit. I guess
that you might say Steve believed in persuing his own personal
overseas ‘people-to-people’ PR program. Pusan, Korea,
was a NICE place to visit!
But,
Taipie, Tiawan was my all time favorite port to hit—which
I ranked even ahead of Subic Bay in the Philippines! In these
photos, I was having dinner with several Chinese vendors who
just insisted on introducing me to some of their lovely acquaintances
and having a few drinks and dinner with them.
And,
on another port visit, I simply had to properly say “Good-by”
to one of the friendly hostesses as I climbed into a cab that
would take me back to the piers and the JPJ. (Damn, those
Chinese are REALLY incredibly hospitable people!)
There
was only one time I ever grew a beard and that was during
my 2nd WestPac trip on the JPJ. And, this particular photo
of me in a hotel room somewhere in Taiwan (after a hard night’s
partying!) is the ONLY picture I still have of me sporting
that beard.
USS
Hull was the ONLY Destroyer-class ship to ever have an experimental
8-inch gun mounted (previously these had been mounted only
on Cruisers). This photo shows the Hull pulling alongside
the JPJ with its 8-inch and two 5-inch guns traversed and
pointed directly at us!
If
there was anything nice about being in WestPac and having
only a sunset for entertainment at night, at least many of
the sunsets there are simply GORGEOUS! This is a silhouette
of the USS Hull just after a deep reddish sun had dropped
below the horizon.
Any
sailor who ever visited Subic Bay in the P.I. will recognize
this bridge which went from the gate of the US base directly
across into Olongapo City. The children are waiting to dive
into the river for coins which sailors often tossed down to
them.
Transportation
in the P.I. was mostly in exotically and erotically colored
JEEPNEYS which provided a cheap means of moving from bar to
bar or hotel to hotel (or whatever your destination).
About
the only really good thing that happened during this 2-year
period of my life was my deciding to purchase a condo. It
was the start of a continuing long term real estate investment
strategy that better enabled me to NOT seek a 2nd career after
retiring from the Navy in 1990.
This
condo was a nice 1,050 sq ft 2-BdRm/2-BA detached unit (ie.,
it had no adjoining walls with any other condos) and it had
an attached carport . I still have this particular condo as
one of my rental units (as well as another in the same complex).
This is the master bedroom.
I
used the 2nd bedroom (which could be opened to serve as an
‘extended living room’) for my huge marble-topped
bar and custom-designed stereo cabinet. [This is my last photo
of that stereo cabinet before it was destroyed in a burglary
which happened during my 2nd WestPac.]
I
was able to get leave and go back to Ohio to see my parents
for Christmas in 1976. In this photo, my mother is enjoying
opening one of her gifts and I am having a good laugh about
something.
Fred,
my step-father, and David, my step-brother, are also wondering
what is in their packages.
Jon
Dunn, one of my shipmates from my first ship in 1968 and his
wife, Susan, visited me for dinner on one of those rare occasions
when (1) the JPJ was NOT at sea and (2) I did NOT have the
duty! Jon and Susan live in MA, but remain good friends to
this day.
On
one of our many ‘local ops’ between WestPac cruises,
we visited Acapulco, Mexico, for a few days. After sitting
in the hot sun for several hours and tossing down a number
of refreshing beverages, Steve decided to try PARA-SAILING
around Acapulco’s harbor.
Thank
God I still had the presence of mind to leave my Nikon camera
with someone on the beach (who shot these photos) rather than
trying to take it with me to shoot pictures while the speed
boat pulled my ‘relaxed’ body higher and higher
across the bay! I BELIEVE this ride was REALLY FUN!
This
was—without a doubt—one of the HAPPIEST days in
Steve's life! My PCS orders arrived toward the end of my 2nd
WestPac tour on the John Paul Jones. As we neared Hawaii,
this photo shows a chopper hoisting my young ass off the stern
of the JPJ for the LAST TIME!
This
is one “PHILOSOPHY” which CHANGED as I GOT OLDER!
(Please
be PATIENT and WAIT for the image to ROTATE after clicking on "6 Beers!")
Some
of those EXOTIC and EROTIC drinks overseas had STRANGE EFFECTS
on me!
 |
It
doesn't get much more 'nautical' than being on a Guided Missile
Destroyer that is underway (either in WestPac or on local
ops) more than 70% of the time during the 2 year period Nov
1976-Oct 1978 that I was assigned to her! Being SINGLE during
that time, this tour REALLY SUCKED for the most part!
|
 |
The
ship’s main mission was to protect aircraft carriers
by providing anti-aircraft missile defense as well as to carry
out anti-submarine defense. In this capacity we did launch
quite a few practice missiles against target drones.
|
 |
However,
from a Supply Officer's viewpoint (at least in MY opinion),
once you have seen one missile launch, you have pretty well
seen them all. After that 1st launch, the joy of plowing through
the ocean for days on end behind some aircraft carrier was
less than thrilling for the most part.
|
 |
Of
course, every now and then, we got to practice launching an
ASROC against a simulated submarine contact. This is a torpedo
that is fired on a missile for several thousand yards out
away from the ship before it enters the water to start its
search for the submarine.
|
 |
While
we received fuel and some supplies via underway replenishment
from another ships, a lot of our deliveries were made by helicopter
directly on the stern of the ship. This is one such delivery
being made just as the sun was setting in WestPac.
|
 |
I
have personally always felt that God intended for a man to
have something MORE than a SUNSET to enjoy at night. But,
since I was divorced and not in any serious relationship while
on the John Paul Jones, sunsets were often the high-light
of my day. Sigh..........
|
 |
While
working with the carrier Enterprise in WestPac, they staged
a special aircraft fly-by ‘entertainment’ event
for the accompanying ships and their crews to watch. This
is a F-14 Tomcat being launched from the Enterprise.
|
 |
These
are various types of aircraft that were part of the Enterprise’s
embarked air wing which they flew as part of their fly-by
for the accompanying ships’ personnel.
|
 |
In
order to demonstrate the air-to-ground capabilities of these
different aircraft, several planes dropped bombs and flares
into the ocean as part of the ‘free entertainment’
for the ships accompanying the carrier.
|
 |
I
preferred a somewhat different kind of entertainment that
was found ashore in the various WestPac ports we hit. I guess
that you might say Steve believed in persuing his own personal
overseas ‘people-to-people’ PR program. Pusan, Korea,
was a NICE place to visit!
|
 |
But,
Taipie, Tiawan was my all time favorite port to hit—which
I ranked even ahead of Subic Bay in the Philippines! In these
photos, I was having dinner with several Chinese vendors who
just insisted on introducing me to some of their lovely acquaintances
and having a few drinks and dinner with them.
|
 |
And,
on another port visit, I simply had to properly say “Good-by”
to one of the friendly hostesses as I climbed into a cab that
would take me back to the piers and the JPJ. (Damn, those
Chinese are REALLY incredibly hospitable people!)
|
 |
There
was only one time I ever grew a beard and that was during
my 2nd WestPac trip on the JPJ. And, this particular photo
of me in a hotel room somewhere in Taiwan (after a hard night’s
partying!) is the ONLY picture I still have of me sporting
that beard.
|
 |
USS
Hull was the ONLY Destroyer-class ship to ever have an experimental
8-inch gun mounted (previously these had been mounted only
on Cruisers). This photo shows the Hull pulling alongside
the JPJ with its 8-inch and two 5-inch guns traversed and
pointed directly at us!
|
 |
If
there was anything nice about being in WestPac and having
only a sunset for entertainment at night, at least many of
the sunsets there are simply GORGEOUS! This is a silhouette
of the USS Hull just after a deep reddish sun had dropped
below the horizon.
|
 |
Any
sailor who ever visited Subic Bay in the P.I. will recognize
this bridge which went from the gate of the US base directly
across into Olongapo City. The children are waiting to dive
into the river for coins which sailors often tossed down to
them.
|
 |
Transportation
in the P.I. was mostly in exotically and erotically colored
JEEPNEYS which provided a cheap means of moving from bar to
bar or hotel to hotel (or whatever your destination).
|
 |
About
the only really good thing that happened during this 2-year
period of my life was my deciding to purchase a condo. It
was the start of a continuing long term real estate investment
strategy that better enabled me to NOT seek a 2nd career after
retiring from the Navy in 1990.
|
 |
This
condo was a nice 1,050 sq ft 2-BdRm/2-BA detached unit (ie.,
it had no adjoining walls with any other condos) and it had
an attached carport . I still have this particular condo as
one of my rental units (as well as another in the same complex).
This is the master bedroom.
|
 |
I
used the 2nd bedroom (which could be opened to serve as an
‘extended living room’) for my huge marble-topped
bar and custom-designed stereo cabinet. [This is my last photo
of that stereo cabinet before it was destroyed in a burglary
which happened during my 2nd WestPac.]
|
 |
I
was able to get leave and go back to Ohio to see my parents
for Christmas in 1976. In this photo, my mother is enjoying
opening one of her gifts and I am having a good laugh about
something.
|
 |
Fred,
my step-father, and David, my step-brother, are also wondering
what is in their packages.
|
 |
Jon
Dunn, one of my shipmates from my first ship in 1968 and his
wife, Susan, visited me for dinner on one of those rare occasions
when (1) the JPJ was NOT at sea and (2) I did NOT have the
duty! Jon and Susan live in MA, but remain good friends to
this day.
|
 |
On
one of our many ‘local ops’ between WestPac cruises,
we visited Acapulco, Mexico, for a few days. After sitting
in the hot sun for several hours and tossing down a number
of refreshing beverages, Steve decided to try PARA-SAILING
around Acapulco’s harbor.
|
 |
Thank
God I still had the presence of mind to leave my Nikon camera
with someone on the beach (who shot these photos) rather than
trying to take it with me to shoot pictures while the speed
boat pulled my ‘relaxed’ body higher and higher
across the bay! I BELIEVE this ride was REALLY FUN!
|
 |
This
was—without a doubt—one of the HAPPIEST days in
Steve's life! My PCS orders arrived toward the end of my 2nd
WestPac tour on the John Paul Jones. As we neared Hawaii,
this photo shows a chopper hoisting my young ass off the stern
of the JPJ for the LAST TIME!
|
|
This is one “PHILOSOPHY” which CHANGED as I GOT OLDER! (Please be PATIENT and WAIT for the image to ROTATE after clicking on "6 Beers!") |
 |
|
|
Some of those EXOTIC and EROTIC drinks overseas had STRANGE EFFECTS on me! |
| |
|