USS Enterprise

[Nemo2]

Just reading about the Enterprise being decomissioned.....reminded me of when I was living in Melbourne, Australia, circa 1964, and the vessel made a courtesy visit to Australia.

The Enterprise was too large to come into the Port of Melbourne, (which handled some pretty big ships), so a destroyer escort made the call while the Enterprise continued on to Sydney.......it was a hot day........young, white dressed, US sailors flooded the downtown streets and pubs.......and they all appeared to be unfamiliar with the potency of Australian beer.

But the Aussies weren't.......so, for a laugh, and some good natured ribbing, it was "Here, Mate, have another beer", all afternoon, right up to the Six o'clock swill, which left a lot of very inebriated young guys wondering what hit them.

Any of our Naval retirees amongst them?

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

I did 3 deployments on that boat: 1 as part of the air wing, and 2 as ship's company. If they'd let me, I would love to be the guy who presses the button to blow that thing up and turn it into a reef.

 

[Gumby]

I remember seeing her in Pearl Harbor in the Spring of 1969, with a huge hole blown in the after part of the flight deck.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

That hole was a result of a fire. My Sailors worked in the spaces that were involved in that fire (nearly 40 years later). A few men died in that event, and some of my Sailors would swear that their ghosts were still haunting the ship.