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Sailordave - I really enjoyed that attachment. I was so very true. There is nothing in this world like working 6 on and 6 off with a full working day in between. I woke up from sleeping with my eyes open only to realize everyone else on watch in the fire room was sound asleep. The ship had slowed just a little and the boiler pressure was headed up. Quite a party ensued.
Ah the wonderful world of a snipe. At least you won't get sucked into a jet engine. Parboiled maybe but not shredded.
You're right about the parboiled. My first ship was the USS Iwo Jima LPH-2. A few weeks before arriving on board, ten engineers were killed in the fire room when a steam stop valve bonnet blew off and filled the boiler room with 800 degree and 600 psi main superheated steam. Six died instantly. Four got out alive but died later, their insides cooked. I arrived after it happened but recently enough to still hear the screams from the nightmares who were there. The engineers were sent in in FFEs and OBAs to retrieve the bodies of their friends. Their friends' skin came off onto their hands. One guy's nightmare was that he was still on watch in the fireroom instead of being relieved. The others weren't willing to talk about their nightmares. Two went so crazy they had to be forcibly restrained into a straight jacket and removed fromt he ship.
SD - yeah, that happens. We don't talk about it much but it does happen.
For you less experienced. Have you ever tried to eat tomato soup when the mess (good name) deck is rolling 30 deg to either side? Did you learn to always carry a cup of coffee in your left hand so you can salute with your right? Have you ever tried to climb a vertical ladder with a 140 lb case of meat on your shoulder? Did you ever hear the sound of a 5" shell hitting the deck while the crew was hand carrying ammunition? The response to that was frozen motion and complete silence.
My thing was carrying a CO2 extinguisher from lower level engine room to the hangerbay, 4 decks up and then carrying a new one back down. All thanks to someone wanting a cold soda. I was a great DCPO but a lousy MM2. At least all my firefighting and emergency escape devices worked when needed. Hey, I had to work in that fire trap too.
Marines in our troop berthing came up with a great way to heat their beans. They found a steam pipe that had part of the insulation exposed. Worked great except when they forgot to remove the lid. They were doing laundry all day.
On the DD the fire room gang had tied a small copper pipe to one of the main steam line warm up drains. About 2 AM we would open a gallon can of soup and heat it by putting the pipe into the can. About 3 sec was all that was needed.
Sailordave - you do realize we are speaking snipe to most of these people. "Steam stop valve bonnet" for instance.
I could have never hanged in the Navy because I have claustrophobia, and for that reason alone. You Navy guys have my respect; being on ship for months at a time is nor ever was easy.
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