Military BS Stories or the last liar wins.

[actaeon277]

Unfortunately, I have a memory floating around in my head.
But too much would be "redacted".

Subs generally lose no one, or everyone.
But I remember pulling back into port short a man.
Hours of search unable to even recover a body.

They have no grave
but the cruel sea.
No flowers lay at their head.
A rusting hulk is their tombstone.
Afast on the ocean bed.
They shall not grow old
as we who are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning,
we will remember them.

 

[Alamo]

Oh...

One afternoon at the E-3A Component I was tagged to immediately write an end-of-tour award nomination package for an American NCO who worked in the command post. And it had to be be done that afternoon. I was sort of aware of him, but really did not know him at all, our jobs rarely crossed paths except maybe during exercises.

A few days before he had finished an overnight shift at the CP, ran some errand on base, then started the drive home. Before he got there he crossed the centerline and hit a German truck head on, killing him immediately. The truck driver was OK enough that he gave a statement to the police, which had been translated into English and put in the package of material I was given to work with. The truck driver said it he could see the NCO as his vehicle crossed the line and his eyes appeared to be open, but just staring straight ahead. Nothing else seemed to indicate suicide, I think he just zoned out for a few seconds after being up all night, and it was the wrong few seconds. I noticed he was killed exactly one year to the day after arriving on base. It doesn't really mean anything, but I found it a bit eerie/odd.

Anyway, I did the best I could with what I was given and I assume his family posthumously received an Air Force Achievement Medal? Commendation Medal? for meritorious service, don't remember which it was exactly. Wasn't a glamorous or heroic death, but he would not have died in Germany if he had not been serving his country. RIP.

 

[Nazgul]

The Carrier was in condition DZ, darken ship. During an exercise where a sub was trying to locate and "shoot" us. No external lights, running slow, no radio/electronic emissions. Dark moonless night in the North Atlantic.

It was this time a sailor chose to end his life by jumping overboard. An alert sailor on duty on the Port Quarter saw him jump and initiated a man overboard call. Launched a helo and recovered him. Of course all this required breaking DZ discipline. I was on duty in MARDET and was detailed to the flight deck to receive the jumper when the helo returned. Met a couple of Corpsman on the way. Just as we got him off the helo and they were checking him over, a nice bright flare shot up several hundred yards away indicating the sub and found and killed us.

Put him a stretcher and turned around to find the Captain of the ship standing there with the XO.....they inquired about his condition then proceed to hold Captain's Mast on him right there. He was sent to the brig for 90 days, the max. At the end of the 90 days he was discharged from the brig, walked around the deck and sentenced to 90 more days. The Captain was PO'D to the max.

Don

 

[actaeon277]

You guys had a bit of an advantage on man overboard.


My instance wasn't a man overboard. But was a man lost at sea. Can't explain it without going into too much.
So, we had to get to where the man was lost first. Plot the currents. Estimate body drift. Expanding square as time went on.

It was impossible, though we tried.

 

[IndyIN]

This might have been posted before, but an article came up on my newsfeed with it today. I figured I would find this thread at the top with a post from actaeon277 describing the time he rode a torpedo out of a tube and that he cannot share any more details because it is classified

[video=youtube;PjoholiW1ho]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjoholiW1ho&feature=emb_logo[/video]

 

[nonobaddog]

You guys had a bit of an advantage on man overboard.


My instance wasn't a man overboard. But was a man lost at sea. Can't explain it without going into too much.
So, we had to get to where the man was lost first. Plot the currents. Estimate body drift. Expanding square as time went on.

It was impossible, though we tried.

OK, I'm curious - How did he get outside?

 

[Nazgul]

You guys had a bit of an advantage on man overboard.


My instance wasn't a man overboard. But was a man lost at sea. Can't explain it without going into too much.
So, we had to get to where the man was lost first. Plot the currents. Estimate body drift. Expanding square as time went on.

It was impossible, though we tried.

I can imagine the difficulty trying to locate him.

Don

 

[actaeon277]

This might have been posted before, but an article came up on my newsfeed with it today. I figured I would find this thread at the top with a post from actaeon277 describing the time he rode a torpedo out of a tube and that he cannot share any more details because it is classified

[video=youtube;PjoholiW1ho]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjoholiW1ho&feature=emb_logo[/video]

That was something fired out a tube.
I don't think it was a torpedo.

 

[actaeon277]

OK, I'm curious - How did he get outside?

Okay, I warned you


USS John Marshall SSN-611was conducting (Redacted) Operations serving as the host for (Redacted).
Date/Time (Redacted)
Long/Lat (Redacted)
(Redacted) was operating (Redacted) with the following members (Redacted).
At approx. (Redacted) being the (Redacted) conducted a routine status check of (Redacted) who was the aft most (Redacted), and noticed he was missing.
Passing the info to (Redacted), a determination was made to suspend operations until a short search was made back to the approx. location where the missing was previously seen.
After conducting the search for (??) minutes, the mission was scrubbed, and (Redacted) made best speed back to the host.
GPS locations were taken at both sites.
Due to the nature of (Redacted) and submarine operations, there was no ability to pass any information beyond a standby to recover (redacted).
Upon recovery, the Marshall's Captain (redacted) ordered the sub to proceed to the last known location.
During transit, an appraisal was made of the tactical and geographic situation.
Deeming there to be no risks, the sub was surfaced and commenced a search.
Extra lookouts were used. Sensors were used to determine drift.
After (??) hours the search was called off. The (redacted) mission was completely scrubbed, and the Marshall RTB'd (redacted).
(Redacted) Fleet Command was notified, as was NIS.



As you can see, not much of a story.
I was disappointed when I saw the TV show NCIS, that none of the NIS investigators ever reminded me of Gibbs.

 

[nonobaddog]

But how did he get out of the sub? Were you on the surface at the time?

 

[actaeon277]

conducting (Redacted) Operations*

 

[nonobaddog]

In wikipedia under torpedoes there is a table of french torpedoes. What is the 'Immersion' column? Is that how deep they can go? That one says 3300 feet!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo#Use_by_various_navies

 

[actaeon277]

[video=youtube_share;2L9i2_-8o50]https://youtu.be/2L9i2_-8o50[/video]

 

[maxwelhse]

But how did he get out of the sub? Were you on the surface at the time?

Not saying this is what happened (because like I would know), but SEALS conduct all manner of ops outside of a sub. That's kind of their thing.

Some of the more high profile former SF guys have podcasts and such, including Marcus Lutrell (the Lone Survivor guy) who was on the SDV-1 team. His stories are a lot like Act's... 2 or 3 sentences in a 3 hour long podcast that clue you in a little on just how insane that world is. One of the 3 sentence stories he shared was the many times he's spent 14 hours sitting on a SDV in pitch black seas right next to a sub... and one time they "lost" the sub and had to spend hours finding it again. So... Things do happen. When the whole job is to not be detected, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. Or, maybe it does?

 

[actaeon277]

In wikipedia under torpedoes there is a table of french torpedoes. What is the 'Immersion' column? Is that how deep they can go? That one says 3300 feet!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo#Use_by_various_navies

Yes, that should be the operating depth limit (estimate).
Navies don't generally release info lime that, so various agencies make guestimates. (Such as Jane's Fighting Ships).
Also, you design a weapon, there are tolerances built in to ensure it can always reach designed specs.


A note: the Russians built their Alpha Class submarines as the fastest and deepest diving (wahships) in the world. (Doesn't include research subs).
Americans decided that the version torpedo being used would be "iffy".
So they modified the mk48 into the ADCAP version, which went deeper and faster, among other things.
Guess what's easier and cheaper to do..
1) design a large titanium vessel that must support people, their food, living quarters, waste disposal, etc
Or
2) design a smaller vessel that has no people.

The Russians spent a LOT of money on a vessel that was easily outrun/outdove by the new weapon.
Also, running fast can be an advantage.
It can also be a problem. Subs listen to the ocean. Running fast, and you don't hear well. Open the windows on your car, turn on the radio, then drive down the highway. You can barely hear it. Same principle.
Meanwhile, the Alpha was NOISY. So we could hear them a LONG way off, plot an intercept, then launch a weapon, while remaining undetected.

 

[actaeon277]

Not saying this is what happened (because like I would know), but SEALS conduct all manner of ops outside of a sub. That's kind of their thing.

Some of the more high profile former SF guys have podcasts and such, including Marcus Lutrell (the Lone Survivor guy) who was on the SDV-1 team. His stories are a lot like Act's... 2 or 3 sentences in a 3 hour long podcast that clue you in a little on just how insane that world is. One of the 3 sentence stories he shared was the many times he's spent 14 hours sitting on a SDV in pitch black seas right next to a sub... and one time they "lost" the sub and had to spend hours finding it again. So... Things do happen. When the whole job is to not be detected, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. Or, maybe it does?

While you're looking at SDV, look at DDS
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_deck_shelter

Look at the "former DDS capable" list.

 

[actaeon277]

And if you're really bored
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_Marshall

I would be in the post 1981 category

 

[maxwelhse]

And if you're really bored
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_Marshall

I would be in the post 1981 category

I actually did enjoy reading that.

 

[actaeon277]

I actually did enjoy reading that.

It's a bit interesting to me, because of the memories.
I figure it'd be boring without context.

When you get to the part about the 1,000th dive, I'd have been on a bit less than a year.
Lived through earning the Meritorious Unit Commendation, though I've seen it described in 3 places, 3 different ways on how it was earned.

 

[actaeon277]

So, I keep in touch with some shipmates on FB, and one of them got tired of NY state and the anti-gun crap, among other things.
He moves to a free State.
At his new place of employment one of the women notices his Marshall hat, and tells him her husband was a SEAL, and he was on the Marshall for a deployment.
Of course, I rolled my eyes, just like I'm sure he did when he heard it.
If you say something about SEALs all of a sudden a hundred people will tell you about them being one, or being related to one.
Statistically, it happens more times than is possible.
Though, she recognized the name, so.. that was new.

Anyway, the next day he came to work, she showed him this pic. I think it proves she may have been truthful. And he thought I may want to see it.

I'm the one in the coveralls (called a poopy suit).
The guy with his arm on my back, wasn't too trusting of ships personnel with guns, so I think he was ready to push me overboard if I F'd up.


Disclaimer:
I am NOT claiming to be a SEAL or any other type of Spec Op.
I was merely a Reactor Operator.