The ship I served on from '79 - 82 - Upgoat - "what's upgoat!"

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The ship I served on from '79 - 82
submitted by con77 to TellUpgoat 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 11:23:08 ago (+39/-0) (files.catbox.moe)
https://files.catbox.moe/dkp7oq.jpg

USCGC Morgenthau. 378' High Endurance Cutter. 2 Turbine engines and two diesel engines. 4500 tons. Crew of 150.

I was a Quartermaster. Which in a seagoing service is a Navigator. Defined as an art. not a science! Although theres A LOT of math involved when using a sextant.

Homeported in Alameda Ca. across the bay from San Francisco. Which wasnt a shithole in the early 80's.

Primary mission. Enforcing fisheries laws in the Bering Sea and Search and Rescue.

Crossed the Arctic Circle and the Dateline. Sailed through a January typhoon. 55' waves -75F windchill.
Ships sank in that storm. And if it had gone on much longer we might have too.

Ive seen more whales than 99% of the population. Orcas pacing the ship and walrus where they live.

Living in a 30 man berthing area my personal space was the size of a phone booth! A hard life but a great experience!

51 comments block

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[ - ] drstrangergov 5 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 12:55:53 ago (+5/-0)

i was about 100 miles inland and 1 year old when you were cruising past washington state. did you see me wave?

[ - ] con77 [op] 5 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:24:09 ago (+5/-0)

No but I felt your love

[ + ] VitaminSieg

[ - ] VitaminSieg 4 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 13:37:35 ago (+4/-0)

Just your middle finger

[ + ] drstrangergov

[ - ] drstrangergov 3 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 13:46:44 ago (+3/-0)

yep! that was me!

[ - ] Ragnar 2 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 23:47:44 ago (+2/-0)

You guys be old yikes

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 08:39:00 ago (+0/-0)

You will be one day too.
If you don't piss me off!

[ - ] Ragnar 1 point 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 09:25:47 ago (+1/-0)

Oh no, I’m shaking in me boots!

[ - ] Crackinjokes 0 points 2 monthsFeb 15, 2025 16:44:27 ago (+0/-0)

I wanted to join the Coast guard when I was a kid. Would have been a great adventure.

[ - ] MasklessTheGreat 3 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 13:23:35 ago (+3/-0)

I punched holes in the ocean on this one. https://www.navysite.de/ssn/images/ssn722_7.jpg

I operated the magic teapot, aka the nuclear reactor. My job was to keep the rock hot, make steam and push the boat. Also, she had the same hull number as your cutter. She was decommissioned last July on 7/22.

Primary missions were “operations vital to national security”.

Surface pukes always said we had better food but I suppose it’s all relative because we didn’t think it was all that great.

I became a shellback and entered the realm of the golden dragon on the same deployment.

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:22:52 ago (+0/-0)

Fast attack? My brother was a missile tech on the Ohio.

The food was terrible on my ship. The WO in charge of supply had been sending half of his budget back to HQ TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK GOOD!

He got busted back to E6 and transferred.

My friend a Marine Science Tech who briefed the Captain on weather every evening took his dinner to show the captain.

Talk about balls!

[ + ] Deleted

[ - ] deleted 0 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 19:46:21 ago (+0/-0)

deleted

[ + ] jfroybees

[ - ] jfroybees 0 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 16:51:39 ago (+0/-0)

I have the utmost admiration for those who sail the seas, but you must be one tight SOB to have done subs.

[ + ] MasklessTheGreat

[ - ] MasklessTheGreat 2 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 19:47:21 ago (+2/-0)

Sometime I think of how awesome I was to be on a sub and other times I think of how fucking stupid I was for going on that fucking thing.

[ - ] oldguy 2 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 20:58:43 ago (+2/-0)

I did 2 years a bit on a wmec out of oregon at the same time era. Did Qmow watches 4 on 8 off for 21 days at a time. Did a lot of fish patrols playing tag with the russian fishing fleet. Yep to the small personal space. I was top rack in the stack right under neath 2 big pipes. They were the shitter pipe and the shower/sink drain pipe. Got to hear when someone flushed. Hell of a crew. We managed to the get the 4th and the 5th E for ops at reftray. Navy was pissed that we outdid everyone in a cutter built in 42.

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 00:57:36 ago (+0/-0)

Warrior!

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 08:30:43 ago (+0/-0)

I know your pain

[ - ] NoRefunds 2 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 15:02:45 ago (+2/-0)

any pirate or drug smuggling storeies?

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 15:59:06 ago (+1/-0)

A few

[ - ] VitaminSieg 2 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 13:38:48 ago (+3/-1)

How did you have all that gaybuttsex in a phonebooth? Hard life indeed.

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:03:32 ago (+0/-0)

Bastard

[ - ] dassar 0 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 22:25:40 ago (+0/-0)

'Hot bunking warm pockets??'

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 08:40:15 ago (+0/-0)

Stop touching yourself

[ - ] oppressed 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 23:02:07 ago (+1/-0)

a black country would not commonly produce people who can do this like Whites can

[ - ] SteppingRazor 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 22:37:49 ago (+1/-0)

Thank you for your service

[ - ] AttilaHitler 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 21:28:34 ago (+1/-0)

Was the crapper cold?
I hate when the crapper is cold.

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 00:58:42 ago (+1/-0)

Salt water flush

[ - ] UncleDoug 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 15:54:12 ago (+1/-0)

USCGC Morgenthau, very nice.

[ - ] dassar 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:47:27 ago (+1/-0)

Cool stuff.

[ - ] PotatoWhisperer2 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:23:12 ago (+1/-0)

Only served one deployment on an aircraft carrier. All the other ones were to the sandy shitholes to get shot at. I can't imagine serving on one ship for an entire enlistment period.

[ + ] Deleted

[ - ] deleted 3 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:31:04 ago (+3/-0)

deleted

[ - ] Peleg 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 15:38:55 ago (+1/-0)

Downsized a bit there, didn't you. That must have been a little hard to get used to.

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 15:57:29 ago (+0/-0)

They rented me an apt in Santa Barbara.

Culture shock!

I was the big man on campus on the patrol boat.

[ - ] puremadness 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 12:40:14 ago (+1/-0)*

You know what the coast guard do when one of their ships sinks?

they get out and wade back to shore

j/k shipmate, you know I had to

Wanna see what I drive?

With asvab of 95, I was also QM rate, but the line was so long for departure, I traded those orders to go Deck Ape and go right away
I made smarter decisions AFTER that one, which was not my best move.

1 world cruise (over a year long), 7 months in 5th fleet (Dubai every other weekend), 2 westpacs and lots of JTFX and other acronyms

pretty sure the biggest swells I tumbled that fucker over were about 30-40 feet, not artic, oregon coast in a storm, our con almost got shitcanned for sending us through it. We found the forward line reels on the winch deck and lost the antenna whips.

The bio luminescence on aft lookout is my favorite. Our berthing was about 300 deck apes. No air conditioning (the sock+fan system)

https://www.hullnumber.com/AOE-2

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 12:52:39 ago (+1/-0)

who steered unrep and for how long before relief

[ + ] puremadness

[ - ] puremadness 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 12:54:50 ago (+1/-0)*

master helmsman to steer unrep and porting

reliefs... hahahhaha .. We were in unrep for 3 days once.
I did not steer during unreps, they offered me to take master but I said no for that very reason.

Besides, as deck ape, I was on a rig team and we were fucking superstars
I did not bother to get nor study for the ESWS

The process of an unrep is pretty wicked cool and a thing to behold in first person, I liked that.
That's the only part I liked, the ocean I love, the pay was shit, but the job was fucking cool. Most of the people were SHITBAGS.

I read 1984 on the deck of that ship wearing a lifevest waiting for the fuel to fill the carriers on each side of us:

The most perfect war is one that never ends, where the enemy cannot even be defined and never defeated

MFW

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:10:02 ago (+1/-0)*

One year deployment?
Navy don't give a fuck about married crew.

I was the only one that could cut the mustard on the helm unrep.

Id get stuck on it for the entire evolution. 3-4 hours.

Helm commands shouted every 20-30 seconds the whole time.

I busted smugglers and steering unrep was the hardest thing I did by far.

[ + ] puremadness

[ - ] puremadness 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 16:10:48 ago (+1/-0)

I believe that, didn't look like no fun.
On my second ship, a DDG, I got to do SCAT TEAM, way more fun!

[ - ] xmasskull 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 05:24:31 ago (+0/-0)

A "Coastie"?

Lucky you, if your ship sinks,you can just walk to the shore!

HAHAHAHAHAHA! USNavy sailor! X

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 08:28:35 ago (+1/-0)

You couldn't get in hunh?

[ + ] xmasskull

[ - ] xmasskull 1 point 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 18:14:53 ago (+1/-0)

Naw,just kidding! You fella's knew how to handle your liquor!

we all had some good times,b.s.ing about our jobs/mission's we'd been on.

The "Coastie's" in Charleston,S.C. were some of the "saltiest" on the East coast!

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 15, 2025 13:30:56 ago (+1/-0)

I was in a typhoon in the Bering sea
In January.
55 ft waves -75 windshield.
Piece of cake

[ - ] Ragnar -1 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 23:50:56 ago (+0/-1)

That 30 men hot seating your berth is a dealbreaker for me. Never thought you swung that way before reading this

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 00:55:30 ago (+1/-0)

Moron

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 08:29:15 ago (+0/-0)

Shame on you

[ - ] Ragnar 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 09:24:35 ago (+0/-0)

Why so sensitive, gramps

[ - ] big_fat_dangus -3 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:15:46 ago (+1/-4)

Ok boomer. Facebook is that way ->

[ - ] con77 [op] 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 14:34:21 ago (+2/-1)

Why you got to be like that?

Where you been? What have you done?

[ + ] watts2db

[ - ] watts2db 2 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 17:48:21 ago (+2/-0)

old signal grunt here (sometime as an airman too). I for one love reading these posts about all of you alls’ time onboard ships and subs.

[ + ] Anus_Expander

[ - ] Anus_Expander 2 points 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 18:35:40 ago (+2/-0)

He been to the kitchen a dozen times today

[ - ] dassar 1 point 2 monthsFeb 13, 2025 22:27:54 ago (+1/-0)

And then back to the shitter to eat and shit post.

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 08:42:15 ago (+0/-0)

Yuuup

[ - ] oldguy 1 point 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 00:20:09 ago (+1/-0)

The ship was that old not me. In 1977 the coast guard was still using a ship built in 1936. Steam powered. Kinda famous in that she rammed and sunk a uboat. That was not what i was on. conn77 was on one of the newest ships built a real high speed hauler at times.

[ - ] con77 [op] 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 08:43:30 ago (+0/-0)

Jet engines on a ship!

[ + ] Deleted

[ - ] deleted 0 points 2 monthsFeb 14, 2025 00:19:13 ago (+0/-0)

deleted