Downes (FF 1070) - Naval Cruise Book

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WESTPAC ' 82 take in all lines shifted colors underway V s the cry of the boatswains whistle that blew they were dressed in whites sharply manning the rail they stood smartly went the fighting frigate DOWNES and her crew it was 10 o ' clock to say when the tugs pulled us away that i heard a faint cry from the pier and the sailor next to me shaking his head and whispered i love and I ' ll miss you to my dear the morning air was filled with excitement and tales of port visits due from the ol6 salty dogs chiefs to new members of the crew soon the captains voice came across the IMC with the vital information on what our mission would so fasten down your buckle and tighten up you cap and put your new head on for a six month Pac m and if there ' s any news of a major turn about I ' ll get it to you quick when radio carkget it ol as turn two went % the first day you see quickly slipped away then taps was passed when i stepped to my rack i heard a shipmate pray for all the- hard work that we put in please see us through this WESTPAC safe and bring us back to our families dear Lord will surely be a grace -HT2 ALFRUS SKIP COOKE -

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Front row (L-R) AWAN T. Trostel, AE3 T. Hill, AX3 Vanburgel, ADAN D. Ferguson, AMH2 0. Trevino, and AD2 G. Torres. Second row LT Mann, LT Labian, LT R. Lee, AMHC Weaver, AA J. Ackley, AX3 E. Jones, AW2 G. Brose, AWSAN D. Olsen, AE1 Loveless, and LCD R M. Mcneil. Care for a ride Buttkit . . . OPS NORMAL Welcome to dreamland via DET 10!!! 49

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Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Qualifications (ESWS QUALS) There is no denying that more and more enlisted personnel are racing to the path towards professionalism. Going professional is a byword that is presently hovering over and in the midst of the general enlisted. Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Qualifica- tions first went out on the DOWNES when FTGC BISHOP qualified for the prestigious commitment. Eversince, more enlisted per- sonnel followed suit and today we have 14 professionals that are proud to say that they are members of the DOWNES Hall of Fame. The USS DOWNES FF1070 Hall Of Fame FTGC BISHOP SEP 1979 GMG3 CYR MAR 1980 GMGC ARMSTRONG APR 1980 MM1 METZGER JAN 1981 QM1 SOUTHER JAN 1981 FTM1 LOUGHRIDGE FEB 1981 STG1 MILLS FEB 1981 OSC WADDINGHAM FEB 1981 STGCS CASTLE MAR 1981 ETCS RAYMOND MAR 1981 MR2 KOSKI APR 1981 IC2 RAMSEY JUL 1982 MM1 LAWSON AUG 1982 EM2 RAMIREZ NOV 1982 Marking the DOWNES ' epoch for a more persevered pursuit towards professionalism, three more enlisted personnel were to join the list. On the DOWNES WESTPAC 1982 cruise, IC2 ROGER R. RAMSEY, MM1 DAVID ALAN LAWSON, and EM2 BENJAMIN R. RAMIREZ earned for themselves the coveted ESWS Qualifications pin. IC2 ROGER R. RAMSEY, 22, a native of Central Point, Oregon started on his qualifications as early as March 1982. He first came on board the DOWNES March 4, 1982 and upon learning of the ESWS Qualifications started to work on it. He finally made it last July 1982 after 8 weeks of hard work. MM1 DAVID ALAN LAWSON, who ' s from Sheldon, Iowa first came on board last December 21, 1981. Assigned to M division he sees to it that all machinery In the space are in their A-1 condition. Going through a series of requirements for ESWS, he finally said to himself he ' s going for it. Anticipating pressing problems and troubleshooting that would take most of his time in his workcenter, he managed to squeeze in through his limited free time, work on his ESWS Qualifications. And after a long wait, he finally qualified last August 1982 while the ship was in Japan. As the pragmatic EM2 BENJAMIN R. RAMIREZ, 21 a native of Bakersfield, California said, the long and tedious process of qualifying is a very rewarding one . And sure it is, being on the roster of the DOWNES Hall of Fame is one thing to be proud of. Obstinacy has no place if you really want to go professional ... said the bespectacled EM2. He first came on board as an EMS last November 10, 1981 from USS HOLLAND AS-32 homeported at Holy Loch, Scotland, UK. After making second class, he started to work on his qualifications and last November 1982 he made it.