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USN Salvors - 1970's bits and pieces


Salvage Sailor
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Salvage Sailor

Aloha Everyone,

 

The following photos and examples I'll be posting are from my personal experience, and are therefore not definitive or comprehensive in regard to other commands or units serving in the USN during the 1970's. They are an accurate portrayal of what 3rd & 7th Fleet Salvors wore during that period when engaged in training and operations. I'll add to this topic now and then as I come across other slides and photos I have stored away.

 

This first example is a good representative photo of what we wore on a daily basis aboard ARS's in the Pacific Fleet. As mentioned by many others, we had very lax uniform standards when at sea or on ops. We only spiffed up when we returned to port or had to leave our base at Alpha Docks (Hickam AFB) to go onto Pearl Harbor Naval Station proper.

 

post-2322-0-56982800-1396157493.jpg

 

The gentleman on the left was my Communications/Operations/LT(jg)DV diving officer who served with me aboard two Rescue Salvage vessels. He is wearing from head to toe:

 

A Greek fisherman's cap

Knotted commercial black bandana

Blue and Gold diving shirt (blue side out)

USN dive shorts

USN boondockers with no socks

 

I am seated on the ready box wearing:

 

An USN airline mask over a wetsuit hood

Skivvy shirt

Pocketed Parts Vest attached to a harness

Civilian cutoff Levis

Rubber booties

 

Behind me in the background on the fantail are:

 

Our Zodiac boat (flipped over on the deck) which we used with a 40HP Mercury outboard motor

folded up atop the Zodiac are my Seafarer dungaree pants and shirt and the rest of my wetsuit

My flippers are also on the Zodiac and on the deck are my slip-on boondockers which I found much more comfortable than the lace ups the LT(JG)DV is wearing.

 

Bolster Kona Bay.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

This is what we wore for our working uniform when in the shipyard or in the drydocks. It was taken on the fantail of the berthing barge at Dillingham Shipyard, Sand Island, Oahu, Hawaii.  Yard Tug (YTB) & Drydock Crane in background.

 

IMG_0002_1.jpg

Faded Seafarer dungarees (short sleeve and long sleeve), officer summer khaki, USN Utility uniform ballcap, issue navy blue web belt with GI buckles, USN hardhats with sandblasting goggles

Left to Right: QM3, OSSN, QMSN, QMSN, LT(jg)DV

 

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Salvage Sailor

This is a QMC & QM2 at sea. (Quartermaster Chief & Quartermaster 2nd Class Petty Officer)

 

The Chief is wearing a commercial khaki coverall with insignia, and the Quartermaster is wearing the typical USN Utility Ballcap with Utility pants (not shown).  Our pin back petty officer 'crow' insignias were usually made by either Gemsco, Hilborn-Hamburger or Vanguard.  The workboat (landing craft) hanging on the boat davits has 'G P' on the ramp, USS GRASP (ARS-24), the Mighty Gripper

 

IMG_0001 (2)a.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

In the shot above, you can see our port workboat in the davits. I took this shot of my boat crew as I was transiting Moen Lagoon (Truk atoll - Chuuk). I was at the wheel with my BM at my side, and sitting on the workboat ramp are my EN and QM.

 

The Engineman is wearing Seafarer dungarees and the Quartermaster is wearing USN issue utility pants which most of us ditched after bootcamp. Both are wearing the USN Utility ballcaps and we would shape the bills to suit our look.

 

post-2322-0-48268300-1396164177.jpg

 

During the 1970's we could pretty much have any beard or mustache style we wanted to, as long as it wasn't scraggly. If your LPO (Leading Petty Officer) or Chief wanted to push the regs, he would make you fill out a "Beard Chit Request", which, if approved, would give you 30 days to produce the in the flesh version of a bearded tar, or else it all came off.

 

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Salvage Sailor

This is the Quarterdeck of YRST-1, Home base of HCU-1 at Alpha Docks after she was towed back from the RVN/PI via Guam

 

The Seaman watchstander is the messenger of the watch. He is wearing a white web duty belt and short sleeve summer whites. He has a HCU-1 rocker (UIM or tab if you prefer) on his right shoulder. You could either wear the dixie cup hat or the white bancroft style hat with this uniform. Next to him on the quarterdeck is the ship to shore phone, log book, and the Ensign (flag) and Jack ready for hoisting on the bow and fantail during daylight hours. On the bulkhead (wall to you landlubbers) is a chelsea clock and the growler phone which you may dial to stations throughout the ship. (wardroom, captains cabin, bridge, goat locker, etc.)

 

post-2322-0-13203500-1396165365.jpg

 

The diver is in USN greens with embroidered tapes, subdued petty officer insignia on the collars and a Harbor Clearance Unit One patch. The gas tank at his feet is for the outboards on our Zodiacs. Aft of the YRST-1 diving barge are the other Alpha piers and you can see the bow of an ATS, either the USS BEAUFORT or USS BRUNSWICK

 

YRST-1 Alpha Docks.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

This is shot from the after conn helm of the USS BOLSTER (ARS-38) aft to the fantail during a rescue towing operation. We snagged the USS PREBLE (DDG-46) halfway between Hawaii and San Diego after she had been drifting for two days with no main propulsion. She was towed back to Pearl and pushed into the shipyard drydock.

 

post-2322-0-31217600-1396166470.jpg

 

Our deck crew is wearing a mix of dungarees, utilities and khakis with hardhats and kapok life jackets. The Seaman closest to the towline is wearing knee high white knit socks with his dungarees tucked in. This is to keep any loose clothing from being snagged on the roller bearings or lines. We wore white socks often at sea or when working aboard while tied up pierside, but they were a no-no on base or anywhere you might be braced at a Marine/SP manned gate or 'lifer' quarterdeck. The plain fact is, we were dripping with sweat and grime most of the time and white gym socks helped avoid rashes, fungus and bad things happening around moving parts and machinery.

 

Practicality was the rule at sea for Junk Boat Pirates (i.e. the Salvage Navy), The 'Real Navy' ruled ashore. We'd even wear skivvy shirts, cut off Levis and slippers (flip flops, zories, etc.) at the Helm, EOT, in CIC, and Lookout on ARS's. Right around 1981 with the introduction of the '600 ship Navy', this all ended. I later served aboard DD's out of Pearl and a sister ship to the DDG we're towing while in the Atlantic Fleet and I could never get away with that at sea or ashore. There's a Naval adage, 'The closer you get to Washington, the deeper the (poop) gets'.

 

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Salvage Sailor

This is the foredeck of USS GRASP (ARS-24) while cruising the Kauai Channel off of Barking Sands Missile Test Range.

The goateed Snipe (Engineman) has come up on deck with his folding beach chair and is copping some rays in gym shorts, The bearded lookout with no hat has tied his shirt around his neck to protect his nasty sunburn. He is also wearing sound powered phones connected to the bridge and engine spaces. The Boatswains Mate with the full red beard is wearing well worn dungarees and the Seaman Apprentice deck ape is wearing USN issue long sleeve utilities. They are leaning against the anchor windlass and the boom winch is closer to the viewer. There is a red firefighting monitor behind them next to the jackstaff. (sidenote: during the 1976 Bicentennial year we flew the 'Don't Tread On Me' Jack in place of the standard 50 star Jack) In the lower left foreground you can see one of our eight Ells Anchors used to lay beach gear on salvage ops.

 

post-2322-0-97892200-1396167310.jpg


You'll note in most of these photos that we're pretty shaggy. We rarely had a barber aboard (SH rate, Ships Serviceman) so we'd often go 30 to 60 days at sea when deployed before hitting an actual USN port or base. I once was sent aboard the USS MIDWAY (CV-41) at Yokosuka, Japan to get some charts, parts, etc. Requesting permission to come aboard was a breeze, but I was stopped from departing by the OOD and POOW at the Quarterdeck when trying to recross the brow. I 'popped tall' looked at the LT(jg), threw him another snappy salute and "request(ed) permission to go ashore, Sir!" He asked me which ship I came from and after I answered said, "I see, you're on that tuna boat across the pier". (Salvors got little respect from the warships unless they were on our towline) I was wearing clean dungarees and had sorta dusted off my worn boondockers before boarding the carrier, but two Marines 'escorted' me to the barbershop for a high and tight buzz cut and a regulation mustache trim. Bye bye sideburns and goatee, hello whitewalls. No big deal, I did get a free haircut before returning to the ship and had a nice sea story too.

 

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Salvage Sailor

Here's a photo of some divers and tenders on the fantail during a recovery operation.

 

There are two hardhat divers over the side and the tenders are standing by the accommodation ladder wearing dive shorts and cut off Levis.

 

Note the 'figured eight' air hoses on the deck. They're hooked up to the compressors in the diving locker off camera.

 

The standby scuba diver is sitting on a hatch to keep the weight of the tank and gear off of his back.  He's ready to go over the side if the Airline divers need assistance.

 

Our towline is hooked up to whatever the heck we were hauling up out of the muck.

 

That's our Captain (J.J. Ostertag), a Mustang LCDR, sitting on the bits wearing Huaraches (Mexican tire sandals, very popular in the 1970's) and Khaki coveralls with short sleeves.

 

Also on the fantail are some garbage bags and empty milk boxes from the mess decks. The Pacific Ocean (the Big Pond) was known as the world biggest (poop)can and we'd regularly throw all of our refuse over the side.

Something that the USN would never do now under the new environmental regulations.

 

ARS24JK705a.jpg

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Salvage Sailor - Thanks for taking the time to post. I've got my fair share of deployments with LF6F as a Marine. I always said no one works harder than sailors at sea.

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Those were the days my friend. It was about doing your job and not so much shinny shoes. That could have been any ship in the Pacific at that time. I have pics of me riding Tin Cans, a Carrier and an LKA, looking exactly like that. I sometimes chuckle at people who never were there that think Sailors just sit around in air conditioned spaces watching monitors. Yeah, there is a lot of that, but real "Sailorin' " still needs to be done. I remember at the time, being referred to as a "Boot Camp" was a horrible insult. We would wash and bleach brand new Sea Farers to get them faded a bit before wearing them so they didn't look so new. Chiefs were different back then too. All had been to Vietnam Nam, some had been to Korea, and when I first went in, there were still a few WW2 Victory ribbons and Pacific Campaigns with stars in them. They had a very different view of things. Yep, good days. There were things not so great, but overall good times.

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Salvage Sailor

Here are some shipboard shirts I came across today.

 

IMG_0276.JPG

 

IMG_0277.JPG

 

Another dive shirt, this is the reverse, the front has the same crest over the heart but smaller

b4_3.jpg

USS BOLSTER SHIRT.jpg

 

....and another which I had made at Subic Bay, P.I.

 

Nav Team T Shirt A.jpg

Nav Team T Shirt C.jpg

Nav Team T Shirt D.jpg

 

Yours Truly wearing the P.I. made skivvy shirt underway in the Philippine Sea. I'm on the port bridge wing and the pilot house (bridge) is through the open hatch behind me. It's also where the chart table is for the QM watchstanders. My RD/OS station in CIC (about the size of a walk in closet on a Diver class ARS) is to my left through the open green hatch and the photo is taken from the 20MM gunmount in front of me. The Signal Bridge is above me to the viewers right. It's also where the 40MM Bofors and .50 Ma Deuce mounts are along with the 'Big Eyes' binoculars and our carbon arc searchlight. I'm shooting bearings with the alidade atop the gyro repeater, preparing to set a four point moor for diving ops. This is also a good example of how you wear sound powered phones, one earphone on, one earphone off, so you can hear the circuit chatter and also what's going on around you.

IMG_0002B.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

Here's a comparable photo of an ATF bridge wing. The QM's are shooting sunlines with a USN sextant and recording them in the declination log for plotting on the chart.

 

014 Inst.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

One of my original dungaree shirts with an iron on PO2 crow and sound powered phones

 

SP Phones 005.jpg

SP Phones 002.jpg

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RustyCanteen

Very nice thread. Thank you for posting the photos and detailed captions. Those t-shirts are great and you can't ask for better provenance.

 

RC

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Salvage Sailor

Salty Seafarer dungarees from my seabag, buried in there since the '70s.

Sunbleached from years in the Pacific, complete with paint and grease stains.

 

Dungaree Pants front 001.jpg

 

Dungaree Pants Rear 001.jpg

 

The wear holes on both left front pockets are from my swiss army knife.

 

Dungaree Pants front 002.jpg

 

Dungaree Pants Rear 002.jpg

 

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Salvage Sailor

The detested (and dangerous) long sleeve USN Utility Jumper, circa 1972

 

post-2322-0-34572700-1396225652.jpg

 

These were banned from issue at RTC's (Recruit Training Centers) around 1977 when it was proven to be injuring sailors in the fleet.

They were made of a blend of rayon and nylon, and had a very nasty habit of melting onto your skin when exposed to flame and high heat.  Just what you don't want to be wearing when fighting fires or working in the Engineering spaces.

They also would get snagged in moving machinery as they were not worn tucked into the utility pants, but were worn like a blouse.

 

post-2322-0-01031400-1396225956.jpg

 

I suppose they're a rare item now as they had a short service life. You would wear the same crow on these as the older light blue with red chevron patch used on the 1960's work jackets.  The 1970's work jackets which I'll show later were a darker navy blue, almost black, and had a darker background crow. Both styles of work jacket crows did not have rates depicted on them.

 

When I come across the complete utility uniform stash I have, I'll add them to this topic.

 

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Salvage Sailor

This is the crow you would wear on the light blue Utility uniform (both shirt and jumper style).

This one is on a 1960's light blue work jacket. It's also a nice example of how we would 'promote' ourselves without buying new crows.

All crows were manufactured as PO1 (E-6) items and we would fold them under the stitching to make a PO3 or PO2 crow.

You can clearly see how this jacket rank progressed from E-4 to E-5 to E-6.

 

Many novice USN collectors ask about these no rate crows on the Ranks and Rates boards.

 

 

IMG_0142.JPG

Light Blue work jacket crow.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

Thanks, as I recall, you also briefly served on an ARS at Alpha Docks.

 

USS RECLAIMER (ARS-42) ?

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Salvage Sailor

More salvage ops in Hawaii

 

An F-4 Phantom after the pilot punched out

 

apparently he though he was in a seaplane.....

F4-Engine-1975.jpg

 

F4-Wing-1975-PI.jpg

 

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Salvage Sailor

More dive shorts and white gym socks in abundance

 

SBU 12 Subic Bay 01.jpg

SBU-12 Subic Bay

 

SBU 12 Subic Bay.jpg

 

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Salvage Sailor

Deck Apes USS BOLSTER (ARS-38)  - Splicing lines and operating the booms.

He has a marlin spike in his hand and a Buck 110 folding knife in his teeth.

 

IMG_0001_2.jpg

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Sorry Salvage, that is not a '60s style jacket. That is the later '80s style. The '60s style had a button front along with the zipper and did not have the knit cuffs or breast pockets. The '60s style was replaced with this style but in a color that matched the utility uniform trousers and cap. We also had the dark back ground crow shown on this jacket. When they changed back to dungarees, this jacket color was adopted, and it took a few months for the exchange system to catch up with a crow that matched, They still had stocks of the older darker crows and jackets to move, both were acceptable for wear. Wore all three jackets at one time or another. Got issued the '60s style in Boot Camp, changed to the dark "Utility Style when that wore out and then again, a few years later changed to the light blue jacket when the dark one fell apart.

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