[AT] Planks and Liberty Ships

charlie hill chill8 at cox.net
Wed Dec 7 12:37:10 PST 2005


Ted I noticed the same thing when I was on the Big E that day.
I can't remember the names of the others but she was sitting along side 2 
other carriers of the same generation.  One of them might have been the JFK. 
An outfielder with a really good arm could have thrown a baseball from one 
deck across the boat in the middle and onto the 3rd boat.

We didn't get a full tour but we did go from the hanger deck where the party 
was held down a few decks, past the galley and to the ships store where I 
was allowed to buy 3 official USS Enterprise caps complete with the 
scrambled eggs on the bill.  I gave one away.  I have the other two 
somewhere around here put up.

At one point on the journey through the boat (we were already a couple of 
decks down from the flight deck) the fellow who was guiding us told me to 
look down through an opening.  He said "that opening goes all the way to the 
bottom of the boat.  There were people behind me so I couldn't stop.  I just 
took about a 3 sec look as I walked by.   My eyes focused on several decks 
below but I never did see the bottom of the boat.

I was amazed that they let us buy anything we wanted in the ships store 
without any military ID.  Also the guy that escourted us just showed us the 
way.  Then he took off.  I found my way back (barely) on my own.  Of course 
I'm sure my cousins guest list had been cleared in advance but it seemed 
strange to me.  That was pre-911.  I wonder if it is different now.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <TCHARPE at aol.com>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 1:46 PM
Subject: [AT] Planks and Liberty Ships


>
>
>
>         One of the most troubling sites I've seen was back in  1976,  we
> held our
>         ship reunion in Norfolk.   They took us on a tour of the yards and
> when we
>         went down close to the docks.....here were FOUR of our newest
> carriers,
>         ALL moored at the SAME dock.   What a target for one big bomb !!
>         There were two down each side of the dock
>
>         Couldn't believe they were so stupid !!
>
>         When we held our reunion in Pensacola, we were supposed to get a
> cruise
>         out in the gulf but they held a "Family Day" and wouldn't take us
> along.
>         This was the LEX.   We did get to go aboard tho.  A buddy and I 
> were
> on the
>         FWD end of the flight deck where there was a mark and "500" mrkd 
> on
> the deck.
>         We asked a sailor what that was all about.....he told us it was 
> 500
> ft to the fwd
>         end of the flight deck.  We couldn't believe it.....that was 
> longer
> than the deck
>         on our CVE.... Nothing but BIG !!
>
>         Ted
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> Remembering Our Friend Cecil Monson 11-4-2005
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>
>
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