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1973 USN Interior Communications Class


RustyCanteen
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RustyCanteen

Here is one from an antique mall, although it's not really an 'antique' being from 1973! It appears to be a US Navy Interior Communications class photo from 1973. It has various signatures on the back, but the names and the date on the photo were a little confusing. It seems that at least one of the vessels signed by a sailor's name wasn't even in commission until 1974, so perhaps he was part of a precommissioning crew?

 

I tried to look up the names on the crew sites for the vessels listed, and to also google them but wasn't successful in positively identifying any of those listed, and my reading of some of the names was hampered by the handwriting which wasn't very clear to me. A further wrench in things was the fact the class consists of three rows, but none of the names on the back are written in an order which allows you to know who was who on the front.

 

1973usn.jpg

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RustyCanteen

The reverse is signed with various names:

 

I think the surnames (because I had trouble reading the first names) are:

 

Klaustermeyer [No vessel listed]

Hull [DD-868 was USS Brownson]

Van Kline or Heine? [DE-1093 was USS Capodanno]

Gagliardi or Gaglianchi? [DLG-13 was USS William V. Pratt]

Tester? [CVA-41 was USS Midway]

Laterra [DLGN-36 was USS California

Malone (CVA-41 was USS Midway]

Johnson [i can't read the name of the ship type on this one!]

Smith?

Massey or Mossey? [DD-863 was USS Steinaker]

Crosby [AE-32 was USS Flint]

 

Maybe one of you with better eyes will have better luck reading it, or better luck searching the Hullnumber crew pages or Navysite.de pages for the crew than I did!

 

1973usnback.jpg

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RustyCanteen

Some of the men in the front row have Vietnam service ribbons. The one (2nd from left in the front row) has a set of enlisted submariner dolphins (and a UIM but I can't read it), but his nametag appears to say 'CLASS PO' - so he may be assigned as staff for this class?

 

ribbons.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

So this is an "A" School Class photo, in this instance, the initial technical training school for the IC rate (Interior Communications - Electrician)

 

The Chief and the First Class (IC1) in the front are the instructiors and the eleven names on the back are the sailors who attended the A School in San Diego at Service School Command

 

Most of the sailors have their ships listed because they are either strikers from the fleet or have orders to these ships and the remainder are probably boots sent to the school after their NTC training and a two week leave. One of them only has "14 days or so" left on his hitch so he will be discharged as an IC very soon.

 

There ya go.....

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RustyCanteen

So this is an "A" School Class photo, in this instance, the initial technical training school for the IC rate (Interior Communications - Electrician)

 

The Chief and the First Class (IC1) in the front are the instructiors and the eleven names on the back are the sailors who attended the A School in San Diego at Service School Command

 

Most of the sailors have their ships listed because they are either strikers from the fleet or have orders to these ships and the remainder are probably boots sent to the school after their NTC training and a two week leave. One of them only has "14 days or so" left on his hitch so he will be discharged as an IC very soon.

 

There ya go.....

 

Great informative post! I thought it seemed like a small class, but maybe this was average?

 

I wonder if any of these sailors are still living, or if one of the ship associations or museums would have any interest in it.

 

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Salvage Sailor

Your other question on the pre-commissioning crew, yes, he would be a plankowner heading to the command for her work up and commissioning. I also noticed that one of the ICFN's has dolphins so he came from a sub command (and also may be the guy getting discharged soon). The Strikers would be the guys with the ribbons (and facial hair). One other thought is that the First Class may be changing his rate. He could be a Filipino changing from a MS or Supply rate to IC as the Navy at this time was allowing Filipinos into rates other than those associated with Cooks and Supply rates.

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Salvage Sailor

 

Great informative post! I thought it seemed like a small class, but maybe this was average?

 

I wonder if any of these sailors are still living, or if one of the ship associations or museums would have any interest in it.

 

 

In regard to class size. When the Vietnam War wound down many career sailors and most draftees did not re-enlist. At this time (1973) the draft had ended and the USN was radically under manned. It was still the height of the Cold War and the Fleets were really stretched thin on long deployments with old WWII vessels for the most part. Average deployments during this period were 7 months or more with only 4 to 5 months on local ops at your homeport. This meant you that even if you weren't deployed, you were still going to sea, but just not overseas.

 

Being assigned to new construction or going into a regular overhaul kept you in port for longer periods but when you were operational it was "haze grey and underway" for very long periods.

 

The Volunteer navy was just starting up and recruiting was underway but enlistments were down until around 1980 or so. Many rates were severely understaffed and some were known as 'critical rates' (mine was, not enough RD/OS recruits for the A schools) and this was causing a longer sea/shore duty rotation (and also a dramatic spike in divorces). For example, my rate went from a four years at sea/two years ashore rotation to a six years at sea and only one year ashore, usually pushing boots, recruiting, or as an instructor at SSC or FTG (Fleet Training Group).

 

You can pick up a lot of trivial info from these small class size school photos in the 1970's

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