A Sailor's Tall Tale

An old friend of mine, George, was a navy man in the mid 60s.

He was part of the U.S. 7^th Fleet in the Pacific. Having made port

in exotic places such as the Manila, Yokosuka and Hong Kong,

George had some good sailor stories to tell.

Now, I am an Army man so I could never do justice in the recount-

ing of his tall tales. (I believe that men who spend months on end

out to sea become a bit delusional and tend to exaggerate their

stories of mischief and adventure.) I am sure seaman throughout

history have their incomparable rowdy streaks they release when

on liberty or shore leave. Anyone who hasn’t had a drink or been

with women in months would naturally let loose when setting foot

on land again, hence the song, What will we do with a drunken

sailor?

Anyway, old George and I went out for beer after work occasionally,

and he shared some of his tales of the sea with me. My Army stories

paled in comparison. The one which strikes me as particularly inter-

esting happened on his last tour of duty out to sea. George was

stationed on a vessel with which, being an avowed land lubber, I

have no idea of its classification or size, but suffice it to say it was

a lot lager than your personal everyday pleasure craft or fishing

boat. I believe George told me it was a sea-going helicopter ship

of some sort.

Anyway, part of George’s duties on board was to order necessary

parts and supplies for his ship. And on his last cruise in the Navy,

and as a parting gesture, George placed an order for a ship’s anchor,

some 15-tons of steel, a replacement his ship didn’t need. He never

did say how he got such a requisition past the ensign in charge of

ship maintenance, unless he was one of those junior grade officers

who didn’t know his Forward from his Aft. Beats the hell out of me.

Besides, what’s a Veteran Army Ground Pounder like me suppose

to know about sailors and the Navy? I can barely tread water myself.

Imagine, the Captain’s surprise...a friggin’ ship’s anchor!

Anyway, Old George, I loved that guy.

                                          -30-

Chris Hanch 6-6-2020