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Page 132 text:
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Tale Of The Tngate From Hell 99 by V. E. Rice, RMl,USSDOWNES Come gather ye closely, all wayward thrillseekers What ever ye age may be To hear ye the tale of the Frigate from Hell And of her voyages upon the sea. The Downes, as she ' s christened, is difrent from most Turned nineteen afore the eyes of Fall, Of Knox class design, commanded by Pine She sets sail when she hears the call. Now, ye may call it Luck, or ye may call it duty Yet, the grey lass heard the call to set sail; So, the Capt ' n and Crew, just to see how she ' d do. Steered the vessel through torture and hell. Aye, but she faced the inspectors of ev ' ry sea trial And proved her value, unnerved; So the Frigate from Hell was scheduled to sail On a voyage she truly deserved. As we prepped for the journey to far away places, Like Japan, Korea and such, A trusting shipmate, dated a bitch we name Fate : She claimed the sailor we call Dutch. The word of his death was a shock to us all; Evermore as in sea lanes we ride This Capt ' n and crew, in his name we all knew Dedicate our voyage with pride. Then broke the dawn when we ' d cast off our lines To depart the homeport we hold dear. With family ashore, we set sail once more For the journey of which ye now hear. Her footage from starboard to port is four eight; O ' er four hun ' red from the stern to the bow. Her logo, colored bright, shows an eagle in flight. Bearing the banner which boasts Ready Now! He may be called skipper, or perhaps the old man Some may even call him Charlie O Whatever the term be, on this we agree: The Captain is unlike others we know. For he expects from his officers and enlisted alike To have their ducks lined up one by one. In the time that we serve, he ' ll casually observe, And proudly reward these jobs well done. About the main decks, Bos ' ns busily rove, To hose off the Pacific ' s salt spray. Soon, they ' ll lay out the line that ' s used in due time, For refueling the ship underway. The Gunn ' ry crews have fixed deadly aim On the target bearing three eighteen In time they will know if the target is foe, And fire, when the lights turn green. The CIWS barrel swivels starboard and up To lock in on an inbound surprise The crew, with nerves steady, yell out when ready: If it flies, then by God, it dies! While down in their dome, the Sonarmen listen For contacts beneath the waves Should they hear a ping, our torpedoes will sting. And subs will rest in watery graves. The OS ' s and EW ' s, in near-pitch environs Plot contacts on scopes, screens and charts; When the action grows tense, they plan our defense. And, mate, that ' s when the fun starts. The RM ' s have their mitter ' s and receivers tuned in. To remotes, voice circuits will go; While the broadcast spits out another message to route. To those with the need to know. But, when the word ' s passed: Set EMCON ALFA throughout ' Our Comms have not totally been lost. For the SM ' s, with their light, speak to ships in the night. And convey our words to the Boss And the ET ' s stand by with their tools and test gear Should electronic equipment e ' er fail. ' Tis a comfort to know, in a heartbeat they ' ll show To fix up our toys as we sail. In the main spaces the temperatures soar. And the engines pound a synchronous beat. But, the hole snipes refrain to bitch and complain. They seem at home in the noise and the heat. The Electrician Mates study a print And translate in terms of Ohm ' s law. While abiding these rules, they snatch up their tools, And repair any electrical flaw. In the Machine Shop, a torch is lit off The Hull Tech ' s cut on sheets made of steel. Though it looks queer, they ' ve manufactured a gear Patterned by an MR ' s precise skill. The IC ' man tests the various alarms. And sound powered lines ton the conn Should any of these fail on the Frigate from Hell Interior Communications are gone. But the Gang in DC Central standby To execute their alternate plans. Should a fire break out, it ' s certain beyond doubt A messenger will warn all hands. In the Chart House, QM ' s will scribe The events of our nautical trek: Our course and our speed, and the orders indeed As given by the Officer on Deck. The Ship ' s Office staff stays busy all day Making entries in records galore. It ' s an endless routine yet, the admin machine Handles these jobs and a whole lot more. The Postal Clerk sorts through large nylon bags,
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Page 133 text:
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On mail from our hometowns, we wait When mail call is heard, no one says a word. In silence we read and elate. The Corpsmen, the NC, the Master at Arms, 3-M Coord and Master Chief of the Command. These administrative few have plenty to do. And they ' re ready to lend us a hand. To serve the crew three meals per day. To wash clothes, then tumble them dry. To disburse all the cash, and issue parts in a flash — Just some jobs for the men in Supply. Though these jobs seem trivial to some, These tasks are not simple deeds. On this, you can bet, that long after sunset. They ' ll furnish the crew with their needs. Commence FOD walkdown, then report to the bridge. Sea Snake is ready to fly To spot from the air any sub skipper who ' ll dare Come close with his periscope eye. And if those conniving bubbleheads think They ' ll slip past us with ' nary a trace, Thirteen, without remorse, may alter the sub ' s course When a torpedo stares them in the face. From the truck high o ' erhead, 01 ' Glory does fly; Proclaiming from which country we sail. And there, the colors stay with each passing day; Til we moor up the Frigate from Hell. Sound the alarm, set Zebra throughout Man your stations, prepare to defend. Though it may be a drill, play it out as if real; For some day, we may need not pretend. Many a fire or flooding there ' s been. On ships at sea, or near land. For such a tragic event, Flying Squad is hell-bent To control damage a ' fore it gets out of hand. As we sail nautical mile upon mile. Our engines burn fuel from the tanks. With an oiler, today, we ' ll replenish and breakaway. And with cookies, we ' ll pay them our thanks. Kock off ship ' s work! ; the day ' s labor has ceased. Time now for relaxation at sea. The corn is fresh popped, and tired feet are well propped. We ' ll sip sodas and check out SITE TV Or perhaps, one escapes the noise and the laughter. To seek out a hushed atmosphere; In his letter, he ' ll write: How I miss you tonight; God, how I wish you were here! Now, be still for a moment; ' tis ' tween tattoo and taps We pause. Lord, to give thanks to thee. And should the night watch e ' er nod, give him thy heavenly prod. To alert him ' til reveille. The sun appears to rise from the waters. The crimson glow slices darkn ess away And the chill from the night, will not much longer bite; The lookout smiles, as he greets the day. Upon the bridge wing, his keen eye does squint Sees a difrence in the Pacific ' s hue There ' s no turnin ' back as we enter WESTPAC There we ' ll stay ' til our mission is through. The Journey at sea approached a full month; Through seas, both treacherous and fair. And our excitement grew so, with the shout of Land ho! At foreign soil, the anxious did stare. Yokosuka and Otaru, ports of the Far East Two Japanese pearls to behold Beneath honor and pride ancient customs subside As modern technology takes hold. In Pusan, Korea, bargain hunters delight Over wares seen in the stores on the street In search for a deal at costs that are unreal And at prices that no one can beat. A water taxi approaches the ship Anchored between Kowloon and Hong Kong To take a party ashore where they ' ll party some more. And join Janet Jackson in her song. Then to Subic, the Frigate did steam. As quickly as we could possibly go. Though imminent danger was there, great libs we did share In the streets of Olongapo. Yet, when the next Underway was announced The crew let out a great cheer. And the Frigate made way for Hawaii that day For the time to leave Westpac was near. The stop in Hawaii was ever so brief; Long enough to bring on the stores. And with Tigers embarked, the boilers were sparked To propel the Frigate towards home shores. And on the eve prior to our return Channel Fever struck the whole crew. We stayed up all night playing games til daylight Until One S D came into view. The Captain and crew stood proudly on deck From the pier, our loved ones waved. When the brow had been placed, again we embraced And delivered the kisses we ' d saved. The voyage has finally come to an end And a lei is draped from her bow. In these phrases, I ' ve told of this Frigate so bold But, heed ye the words I speak now: Despite the treacherous antics of terr ' ists Who scheme against the brave and the free The mighty ten seven oh will encounter each foe. And kick ass as she travels the sea.
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