US Navy Film: Improving Shipboard Living Conditions, 1953
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- Опубликовано: 14 апр 2015
- Film describing how the Navy was improving living conditions for the crews on ships originally designed for WWII conditions. Great documentary of parts of shipboard life/conditions.
![Kehlani - After Hours [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6qatTTscK4c/mqdefault.jpg)
I am an Army veteran. Served in the 80s during the Cold War, although it got mighty warm at times for a "Cold War". All of us from the different branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, may kid each other and razz each other about whatever branch we served with, but we all served in our Nation's Armed Forces. And I want to thank you Squids for the job you guys did, are doing, and will be doing. You are truly, tough, brave men, each and every one of you, and I stand and salute you.
Thanks for the kind words. You, me and many more men and women have sacrificed much over the years to defend their homeland, including those in countries who entered into ill-advised wars.
We were drafted, enlisted and then served to the best of our abilities.
I know how disoriented I was when I first went aboard a WWI-built destroyer and felt like a complete dummy; and I was. Over time, I became acclimated to the adverse living conditions, like you, and learned to do my job(s) well, and even liking all of it.
And again, THANKS for the salute, and here's one right back at you!!! tinyurl.com/ya5somy6
No coast guard love huh?
@@achtungbaby91u26 The US Coast Guard, in some ways, gets the least attention but does a LOT of great things in many, many ways. Inspecting shipping vessels for safety, drug interdiction, coastal defense, waterway safety, etc. I think they need better public relations company, as they do a LOT with very little accolades.
@@achtungbaby91u26 Nothing wrong with being a skimmer. They served in war time just like the rest of the services. A hint to what I served on. There only two kind of ships in the navy, Submarines and targets.
My uncle took me on a tour of his destroyer in the early 60's and I thought, How can these guys stand this? But they do, it's amazing what one can tolerate when you have to.
I saw recently on one of the newer ships there was a Starbucks Coffee Station!If you can believe that.☕
And believe me, we made darn sure our taxes and congressmen voted to give them better conditions. They don't have to be packed like sardines to maximize men on a boat just to die when they reach the battle field to the command of some guy sitting comfy in his chair in Washington.
I served as an OS on the Meredith DD-890 (76-77) and the Cone DD-866 (78-80). Living conditions were the same 76. No piano :)
13:23 "No I did not receive any preferential treatment to endorse this commercial"
13:50 "Can you stop whipping me now sir, I told them what you wanted me to say"
Man, living in an area dozens of guys are passing through would suck. Extremely interesting video. Thank you
The galley blueprint gave me anxiety lol. Those sharp corners would have been so awkward with so many people
For anyone who served in the USN, THANK YOU from a Navy brat.
Your very much welcome. I served from 1973-77.
Your welcome home port Newport RI 69 to 73.
@@Titan500J Same here, on Myles C Fox DD-829 from Feb 1969 - Aug 1972; good times.
HM3, 1964-1968.
@Patrick Reilly Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class
I served aboard the USS FISKE DD 842 in 71 & 72 and I can tell you we had very few of those improvements they showed in the film. We did have an AC unit in our compartment but it never worked. Most of our cruises were in the Caribbean. It was hotter than hell
Hahahaha
DD 845 Bausell.
Was there. USS SEATTLE AOE-3
70-73
Someone came up with the bright idea of an epoxy-sand mix for floors in the heads when I was on the carrier.
Manufacturer of the system said apply by spray system, brush application is not appropriate.
I was assigned to apply the stuff by brush... it was a total mess.
Then we found out the stuff was flammable after cure and it would release toxic gas. We got to chip the damn stuff back out and put tile back to look like before we started.
The joys of when some officer gets a bright idea and doesn't do their research.
We put something similar on our hanger floors to reduce slipping due to fluid leaks. It wore down the pads of the floor cleaning equipment much faster. The Colonels were unhappy that it looked duller and dirtier than when we had a smooth surface.
Sounds like a bad idea, but they often come down from some un-named bureaucrat in DC whose brother-in-law sells the stuff.
As for the WWII ships, we had the stainless steel diamond decking in the galley and the heads; was supposed to prevent slippage but didn't help.
Thanks for posting.
That scenario is the norm all across the military..Agent Orange
@@davidhoffman1278 You actually served at a place with a hangar and you still didn't learn to spell it correctly? Guess it's yet another thing for your colonels to be unhappy about.
@@Anvilshock ,
Sorry,; I believe that there might have been something obscuring my typing on my phone and I spelled the word incorrectly.
I can't tell you how many times I clunked my head on rising stem valves.
Thanks for posting! I, too, can't tell you how many times I clunked my head on light fixtures, hatches and scuttles.
More than once after condition Zebra, forgetting that the hatch and scuttle were closed in our berthing space, rushing up the ladder and slamming my head against the brass wheel on the scuttle. Good times!
i like the way the announcer names each paint color in the galley because it's a B&W film
I'm on an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer and it's similar to this, but much more comfortable. It's interesting to see how these advancements have evolved over the years. It's hard to imagine life without some of these basic improvements. It also doesn't hurt that mechanization has reduced the number of crew needed.
Thanks for you service in the US Navy!! Yes the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer is indeed built with more creature comforts; tin cans built in the 30's thru the 50's were built as quick as possible and without much regard for crew comforts.
Yeah, many things remain the same in ship construction/engineering, especially improvements in technology that reduce manpower needs. But, it would appear that those two DDG accidents in the Pacific fleet showed that too much dependence on technology can lead to terrible consequences.
Thanks for posting.
This content shows up on my feed every day, and has for about two years.
I served on the USS Meredith DD 890 1969 1973. I did not know I had it so good with the improved living conditions...
Yeah, am sure you thought you were on the "Love Boat". Ours, too, on the DD-829 were supposedly "improved" but it certainly wasn't living in the "lap of luxury". Yeah, they did put A/C in the berthing spaces, and the crew was smaller due to less deck guns, but the heads, mess, office, work spaces were sure not fun.
I was in approximately the same period, '68 - '72
Thanks for serving!! (And thanks for posting!)
One Navy vet to another, thank you for your service. USS Finback SSN 670.
@@northernrebel7480 Appreciate the kudos! I have always had a deep respect for Sub sailors; I believe they have a higher risk of casualties than any surface warship. And, you guys had great training and outstanding competence. Your service is also deeply appreciated. Thanks for posting.
Dd 845 Bausell homported Yoko Japan
74-79. Got the ac just before I reported. Rhe rest of the improvements?
Real hoot was heavy weather !
Ice cream cabinet ?
I was a B.T. in the Aft Fireroom on the Meredith in 1971-1972.
Most interesting video from the era when human/social progress was still dominant. When I did my Finnish military service in 1986 we did not have any privacy in toilets - no doors, no curtains. All this to prevent us from playing with ourselves.
Masturbation is a fundamental human right and necessity for prostate health. To deny anyone this is inhumane. However, if men opened up and allowed the sexuality of each other to be satiated by each other, then it would have defeated their purpose of keeping you chaste.
………whut O_o
@@gdcat777Puritan mentality destroyed Europe for over 2000 years. The worst part was the whole thing was really to keep most men celebate so the wealthy had first dibs on the women. Notice how when rich people slept around they were still worshipped and honored, but you even LOOK at another one as a regular guy and everyone beats you up for cheating. Fortunately in 2023 we all seem to know better.
My father and I both served on the same class of destroyer. My father was on the Johnston in the Korean war. I served on the Bronson DD-868 75 and 76. Both Gearing class destroyers.
My thanks to you and your dad who served on Gearing class tin cans. I, too served on one, the USS Myles C. Fox (DD-829). Harsh way to learn to be a man and sailor, but a wonderful learning experience.
@@mrhydenotdrjekyll I served on the Fox with the CO who replaced Smokey Wentzel who was a legend on the Fox. Wentzel was a veteran of WWII, Korea and VIetnam. I heard much about him.
I served on a Oiler and we refueled that class of destroyer many times.
My brother served ıon mother gearimg class destroyer. USS Fiske. But it was in the Turkish navy with a different name: Piyale Paşa.
Sorry for slow reply, but I also served on the Fox in 1st DIv after Smokey, and the CO was CDR McLuckie. What division were you in?
Very interesting - especially after watching the 'before' version.
Thanks for posting this.
Most people have no idea the things that military folks have to go through in all of the services. Destroyers of the vintage shown were indeed unique in having so few creature comforts; they were indeed a platform for weapons systems and the crew was just a necessary evil.
Navy is now working on remote controlled ships, so I think my point has been made. Drones with missiles are another way to help eliminate risk, human loss (and weight).
I was Air Wing and deployed off the Kitty Hawk from 2000 through 2006. That was a hotel compared to these spaces, and we still had the earlier racks and lockers from the 70s 80s
I was in the navy from 79-91 as an airdale, so I had it soft and easy compared to tin can sailors and bubbleheads. But I did notice one thing that was common ship-wide: if the navy had an extra $100,000 or so after a refurbishment, the surplus funds always went to weaponry, never to making the life of the average sailor more tolerable. As one Chief explained it to me, would you rather be alive on a cramped ship or dead on a roomy, habitable ship? I think I'll take the former...and my DD214 when the time comes.
That's why I did only one enlistment. There wasn't too much concern in making the life of the average sailor, or in my case, airman, more tolerable. That, and the chickenshit they always heaped on you.
@@deirdre108 Amazing that despite all the rhetoric and faux-concern.....the Navy stays the same. The life of the average sailor was always the lowest concern in my day, and it still is today.
Living conditions had improved on the Forrest Sherman class. I served aboard the Turner Joy and Decatur in the early 80's. It was still hot below deck in the tropics. I slept topside on WestPac.
Thank you for your service!
I remember the Mullinex in Charleston. Went onboard to scavanger the boatswain locker at her decommissioning.
The Turner Joy is a floating museum adjacent to my marina in Bremerton, Washington
My Dad finished his 20 year career on the "Sherwood Forrest" as he called it. DD 931.... I got to climb aboard a couple times when he made port in New Port
@Mike Gillihan Same ship involved in Tonkin Gulf incident ?
I served on DD-788 USS Hollister 68-70 West Pac. It did NOT have these upgrades! Racks hung from chains and bottom bunk cover the locker.
Yeah, those FRAM I upgrades didn't do much for comfort or space for enlisted, or officers, for that matter.
Thanks for your service in the Greyhound Fleet: the REAL Navy, the dungaree Navy.
I was on the same class ship in 71-73. These improvements had not reached my ship nearly 20 years later LOL!
Super intersting video.
Glad you enjoyed it
9:00 oh thanks for specifying that
Yeah, a real interior designer's delight!
I was on the Stickell DDR 888 only two hull numbers away from the DD here .I was in R Div in the aft and it still sucked : ) and that was in 1962
Yeah, conditions STILL sucked, but you lived through it. Thanks for your service!!
I have no idea how you old salts handled these conditions, especially on these Fletcher and Gearings. There's zero room.
Also the whole "white knuckle" sprint to close and drop five torpedoes without trading blows is nothing like the way it is today.
@@mattscott7869 yes we noticed that and when I see what they have today I say what a bunch of wimps but it what it was .
@@hopatease1 I was able to sleep in my workshop, but I did that because of response times and making sure my Chief could find my ass at all times. We had two fan coil units in there. It's not the same and I'm third gen... I never broke a sweat inside the skin of the ship. It's livable, but it makes for lazy sailors who want to sneak off in my opinion.
Even as a civilian it warms my heart to see stuff like this. A lot of old War videos made it sound like these military rounds were designed to be as unnecessarily uncomfortable as possible and put more emphasis on the usefulness of a man in war than how he was treated (the medical videos except the syphilis one and the one about women (both of which were actually well done) disgusted me with how the commanders and medics would see a soldier with his arm blown off and ask him sardonically? "Are you still useful to us?" as if daring the soldier to say "no" so they could execute him on the spot.) Those soldiers are still our family, and if they're struggling as they fight to protect us in the comfort of our homes, then of course we'll wonder who the real enemies of the US are.
But I know the military is doing it's best to improve conditions for everyone (my cousin of the same age just joined the navy 4 years ago and while it's rough, he looked so much stronger, and he was already athletic). It's not meant to be easy, but soldiers aren't meant to be treated as more expendable than ammo. Every little bit of consideration for the well being and comfort of the soldiers is not just a matter of improving efficiency and morale, but also reminding us what we're fighting for.
Thanks for your post. I served aboard a WWII US Navy Gearing class destroyer in 1969 - 1972 very similar to that in the video. While crew comforts were minimal, we got used to the spartan accommodations and didn't think twice about them. The close-living tended to cause crewmen to get along better than you might expect; living on that ship only 3.5 years, traveling all over the World, I got to know men better than I have ever known anyone, that is, aside from my spouse. We all learned to be tolerant with others, having to work, shower, eat, sleep and go on liberty together. Eighteen hour work/watch days at sea kept us pretty busy, and since we didn't have the current satellite movies, cell phones and e-mail the navy currently has, we learned to entertain ourselves, which helped make friends for life.
I would say that all the creature comforts they now provide don't necessarily provide for better crew cohesion, but only make for very small bits of comfort in long days and weeks at sea. I think we were strengthened by the minimal comforts and fairly harsh working conditions, while not meant to make us feel better, they certainly made us better sailors and better men.
Again, thanks for posting your thoughts.
This was awesome documentary especially seeing what the 70's and 80's ships look lik on board tho I'd argue the bunks in here are actually better than the tight ones on the 60 -80 years you actually had bunch beds
Thank GOD I served on Carriers....
We Tin Can sailors decided that Carriers have WAY too many brass aboard and too much spit and polish. We didn't have too much of that and it tended to be more like McHale's Navy. LOL
Navy 75-95, server on Oilers, had it pretty good compared to what was shown here in this video. The only time I slept on those canvas racks was on a barracks barge in the Brooklyn Shipyards in 77.
When they said they improved it I thought it was just the normal generic nothing changes but good lord did they do a good job. The first setup was terrible, I'm surprised anyone could bear it but the latter might have been lacking in some areas but others were reasonably pleasant.
'REASONABLY PLEASANT" was not the usual description of life aboard a US Navy ship"back in the day"; unless you were an Officer. Usually it was "pretty disgusting", or words that are inappropriate for RUclips.
These are ships of war, not cruise ships. The average life of a destroyer in w.w.2 was 4 to 16 months before sunk or damaged to the point it would have to go into dry dock for major repair.
Even with increased comfort levels for the crew, it was still pretty confining and not very comfortable. While we had a thing called a "fart sack" that pulled over the mattress, we were issued a small pillow and only a blanket and no sheet. I felt like a king when I bought a better pillow and a nice sheet.
Part of the problem of living on a destroyer was that most of the days, when deployed are 18 hours of work and watches and making sure to get the necessary sleep needed for the next day. It was pretty tedious. Thanks for posting.
I was on DD 782an DD982what a different.i remember the ac unit not working on 782,it was so hot you could not sleep in the berthing.that was some bad times.
Quite a bit of the footage in this movie was re-used from the movie they did on the USS SAUFLEY (EDDE 465), and for good reason. That movie was also created to show the antiquated and cramped conditions, to urge improvements.
While the living conditions were indeed sub-par, they were liveble, and we had three+ hot meals per day and (usually) hot showers. It was the Hyatt Regency compared to ground pounders in the USMC or the US Army. Crew "comforts" are meaningless in combat.
Thanks for your comment.
Even life as an officer sucked aboard destroyers. I was a division officer aboard a Charles F. Adams class destroyer in the late 1970's. My so called "stateroom" was smaller than the walk in closets of most homes. Life aboard destroyers is simply awful.
Thanks for your commissioned service. It is often thought that officers had it "made" in the Navy, but you are correct, quarters are VERY tight, and, really, officers had less space to "hang out", given that they didn't/couldn't fraternize with the crew in the mess and in berthing spaces. Thanks for your service in the USN!!
I joined in 1963, and Navy ships being built had greatly improved living conditions. I was on a couple of destroyers in 1967-68. The Navy needed ships with guns that could shell Vietnam and the new guided missile frigates/destroyers for the most part didn't have guns. The Navy had to call a bunch of ships out of mothballs to meet this need.
All of the destroyers on this list were active duty ships before they went to Vietnam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Vietnam_War_destroyers_of_the_United_States The majority of them were the Gearing Class, of which most were still on active duty through the early seventies. Am pretty sure that no Gearing Class DD"s were brought out of mothballs for Vietnam.
And you are correct that improved living conditions happened in the classes of destroyers after the Gearings.
Thanks for posting.
@@braintrusts Yes, your are correct in that most of the destroyers were Gearing class and were already on active duty. I was referring to the fact that the Navy did recall some ships from mothballs, and I should have been more specific, such as BB's, etc. What is interesting from your wikipedia link is that one of the destroyers I served on, the Collett (DD-730) is not on that list. Wonder if anymore are missing?
@@cpope625 Yes, I presumed you might have meant that, hence the fairly worded reply regarding mothballs. And yes, I think that all-gun cruisers and a battleship or two were recommissioned then.
I can't say which destroyers are missing, but since I can edit pages on Wikipedia, I can correct that omission of the Collette.
Thanks for the update and posting, as well as your service to the USN!!
It's amazing that the improvements aren't much better...
Improvements, however minor, are improvements, especially when they involve creature comforts. It is important to note that this class of destroyer only has so much space, power and weight limitations to work with for comfort issues. Future improvements were possible when crew sizes got smaller due to less guns, more torpedoes/missiles, etc.
But, I assure you, once you get used to the close living, small toilet facilities, it's all a breeze. Flick doesn't show men going up on deck on a balmy evening at sea, enjoying coffee and time with close friends.
All time on board is not jammed into tight spaces and stinky heads. Shipboard life in the Navy has so much to offer in travelling to other countries and getting a broader view of the World that can't be taught in school. Thanks for posting!!!
Hey Chief..the ballast you ordered for heavy weather operations just arrived. 12:13
I approve of the piano installation. Kind of surprised that one got the green light :)
Sure hope that piano was somehow welded to the deck.
If we had had a piano am not sure where we would have put it without taking away space from something else. Crew's mess already had insufficient table/seating space already, so to put in a piano would have been a sacrifice.
Thanks for posting. (perhaps they only put the piano in for the film...)
I'd like to know how they got the piano down there
1:30: That is an amazing tie.
You're right. One helluva tie. Probably could chop wood that thing.
Served on Charles F Adams class guided Missile destroyer USS Semmes DDG 18 and Spruance class destroyer USS Kinkaid DD 965
Thanks for your service in the Greyhound Navy! The Adams and Spruance class destroyers served our country well.
Spruance class destroyers were luxurious compared to the Adams class but both were great ships.
I served on the Cleveland. Living conditions were a lot better. She was commissioned in 1967.
I was a BT on the Meredith in the early 70s in Mayport.
Thanks for serving in the USN aboard the Meredith; I also served on a Gearing Tin Can, the Myles C. Fox (DD-829).
Thanks for posting!
The 3 Ships I was Stationed on During my 20 year Naval Career are: USS Nimitz CVN68 (Aircraft Carrier) Norfolk VA (1983-1987) USS Briscoe DD977 (Destroyer) Norfolk VA (1988-1993) USS Hue City CG66 (Guided Missile Cruiser) Mayport FL (1996-2000)
Thanks for your service in the USN!! Carriers, Cruisers and destroyers, oh my!! Sounds like you had a varied experience which had to be gratifying.
Me, just one, the Myles C. Fox DD829 for 3.5 years and saw much, learned much, and travelled around the World.
Man that was dangerous crazy carrying those big pans of food down almost complete vertical ladder. Even the commentator stated, food pan spill sometimes. I wonder how many broken noses or arms from falling down those ladders carrying those heavy pans?
None of us thought it was all that bad until the chiefs and the brass started talking about how much it needed to be improved.
Very much like when I was a child, I didn't know we were poor until someone else pointed it out.
Yes, improvements were necessary, but added space and crew comforts do NOT necessarily make for an efficient, competent and motivated crew. That comes from respect and good leadership and we have seen a lack of that in the modern navy. It's not horrible, but like l said leadership is the key to a good fighting ship, not rack space or weight rooms or Army-type uniforms.
Thanks for serving and posting!!
Watch.... PBS.... "Half the Sky": "FET"... ( In Part II). And, "Meet John Doe" (Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwick...)... A system that mixes those possibilities, as our secondary manual backup system
Just all men around. 👍
This is heaven on earth... 💕
woobinda Very funny knob gobbler🤓
@@jackmehoff2312 Do we know each other? 🤔
I thought living conditions was bad on the Skate Class Submarine I served on-board....I had no idea how good I had it compared to skimmer life. At least I did not have to wipe my behind in front of the crew!
Well I guess cause in a sub there were about 100 people and in a Gearing were like 300 - 350
Skate class wasn't built for comfort, either but the smaller crew size made it more accommodating. Thanks for your service in the USN nuke sub fleet.
Should have tried the Balao class diesel boats.
I thought the living conditions on the Eisenhower were bad in 2015, what a spoiled brat I was
@@stevefarris9433 Diesel boats weren't called "pig boats" for nothing, and those crewmen were sometimes called "sewer pipe sailors". Thanks for your service in the Silent Service.
Interesting when compared to the video about the USS Saufley. That video showed some of the compromises that had to be made when the crew got larger after the addition of new ASW gear. Not every man got a locker. Some had to be content with hanging their sea bags from a hook. There was no longer the luxury of one mess tray per man. Instead dirty trays had to be cleaned immediately and set back on the serving line. The new dining tables in this video look more like modern fast food restaurant tables. Did anyone notice the nude photos posted in the chiefs dining area. I swear one of them was the famous nude photo of Marilyn Monroe
Lots of the crew on my Gearing class DD had nude/crude photos/drawings in their racks or working spaces, but it was mostly frowned upon, but tolerated. Am sure now, with a mixed crew, it is punished.
Even on that Tin Can I served on, metal trays had to be cleaned a couple of times during mess times, but no big deal. I had worked in the scullery early on and am familiar with the problems. Good times, though....
Thanks for posting.
The USS SAUFLEY movie was actually shot *before* this one.
Served as a RM on DD 878 Vesole
I was on the Suffolk County 1173 for about a couple of months worst time I spent in the USMC
The older USN ships like the 1173 had poor living conditions for the crew, and being aboard as a Marine would only make it worse. Thanks for your service in the USMC and also for posting.
5'10 cant walk straight in some areas...
I am so glad i was excluded from service due to being too tall (205cm/80.7" in my country)
We had a lot of men over 6' tall, me being one of them. NO ONE was excluded from USN service due to height; we just learned to duck our heads and duck under things everywhere we went. We still had a good time together.
@@braintrusts i'm half a centimeter above 215 (exactly 7' iirc)
From some quick googling, i would still be excluded if i was in the US as it seems the US navy excludes anyone above 80"
@@braintrusts and i dont doubt you having a good time, i spent some time as a salesman (i think the title was "industrial liaison") for a swedish weapons company and all the US guys had smiles on their faces aside from the people at ft. polk.
I never believed that any Officer aboard the ship I served on ever cared about the living conditions of any enlisted man. I wonder what its like today?
I was in early 59-62 kiddie cruise, complained all the time think of it fondly today.
1st of all, thanks for your service in the USN.
Officers were in no position to care about anything regarding living conditions 'cause they couldn't do squat about them, and at least on our Gearing class, their conditions weren't much better; was an issue with BUSHIPS, and technically, they didn't care much until the all-volunteer Navy came along, and people did not HAVE to serve.
There were over 600 warships in the USN at height of Cold war in 1970; now there are less than 300. Even with less ships to populate, and, smaller crew sizes, USN struggles to attract enlistees that are qualified.
Now, they HAVE to care about living conditions.
Thanks for posting!
Better working conditions improve moral and higher work productivity.
Nothing worse than having a case of the trots when you only have one head for 26 people. Forget reading or pushing out an extra turtle head
Quarters are hot - try the engine room at the equator. The old ones had very little ventilation and at G.Q.none.
EVERYTHING was hot at the equator and in the Middle East!! And GQ was made worse by full battle dress and wearing life jackets or DC gear for some. Thanks for serving!!
The worst conditions were the WW2 troop transports in the troop quarters in the hold and the U-Boats.
So true!! A family friend who came back from Old Hickory Division in Europe in WWII was aboard a commandeered cruise ship with thousands of other men. Said he slept on the deck for several days transit. He didn't care, though, as he'd been through the carnage of the Battle of the Bulge, among other things. Life in "real" Navy and combat conditions is never going to be comfortable.\
The living conditions on "pig boats" was horrible: cramped, dirty, stinky and, am sure, scary as anything. Both the Germans and the U.S. lost plenty of men in some of the most dangerous jobs there was.
No matter the navy, all submarine duty is extremely hazardous duty. The troops on board the WWII transport ships would live in miserable conditions for days, weeks maybe even a month or more. But imagine being stuck on some floating death trap for years during WWII. Added to that, at the time they thought the asbestos in all the ships was a GOOD THING -NOT....
HA! Did you know that Japanese subs didn't have bathrooms...
Served on the USS Catfish SS339. Built in 43 Launched in 44, and sent on her first war patrol in July 45. A day late for the action. In 1955 she had air conditioning, a nice but small galley, and evaporater that made about 1000 gallons of fresh water a day. We made some fun trips north to Russia waters. Loved every diesel stinky smell and the action we had. Good food, steaks and lobster every Saturday as long as they lasted. Then it was dehydrated potatoes, powdered milk and eggs that had a strong odor. Still miss it 65 years later.
Slight improvement then from the sailing ship era where the toilets was located and front of the ship (Bow) and hanging of it while you did the business then sticking your arse in the water to clean it them were days proper sailors they were they ate from a squire wooded plate three squire meals a day that's where the expression comes from washed down with beer but it tended to spoil so Rum was the drink sailors nicknamed it ""grog "" diluted Rum A tote a day was served on British Man o wars Royal Navy ships are often referred to as wet ships because the ship's crew were allowed alcohol by traditional to be served while not on duty of course getting hammered was not allowed though 😄
Many of these ships were built during World War II. Crew comfort wasn't even a consideration. WWII sailors called PRE war ships ,"gold platers" because they were more comfortable to live on. Just the difference between wartime and leadtime construction. Not to mention, post war ships had smaller crews. All those AAA guns on wartime ships took a lot of manpower to keep in action.
Even though modern submarines and carriers are incalculably more technologically advanced, spacious and hygienic. There is something special about getting a glimpse of life about a post WW2 or WW" navy ship or submarine. I am not in anyway a military man, it's just interesting. During WW2, subs and ships where not nuclear powered so the fuel used was very dangerous to work with. Today navy ships and subs are semi-automated and now in 2021/22 more so with prototypes being fully automated. These were brave men
I was in the Navy (female) in 1981-83. I was never on a ship thank goodness. But I did get sent to Gtmo LOL! Conditions in the living space was dismal. But better than a ship by far.
USN ships have a lot more creature comforts than they did for the ships built up to ~1980's when the Arleigh Burke destroyers were built.
I served ('69 - '72) on a similar destroyer from on the one shown in this film, and learned rather quickly that one can get used to the close conditions. Didn't have any privacy, and being in such close quarters so much could be oppressive.
After seeing the film, my youngest son, who was a teen at the time, thought that there must have been a lot of fights because of those conditions; not many, I told him, as it's too easy to make enemies if you're short-tempered, and sailors learn that it's just easier to get along in spite of differences.
Thanks for you service, and also for posting.
PS: I also spent time (two two-month visits) in GITMO, but we were there for Refresher Training for destroyers and it made for long, hard days at sea doing drills. GITMO base back in early 70's was pretty spartan, and no fun.
Not much has changed. Being at sea will never be pleasant.
USS Robert H. McCard DD822 Charleston SC June '65-Oct. '67
I came out of the Bronx,in New York and from a foster family and into roaches, mice, and bedbugs, 4 flights up and 4 flights down and happy to get into the US Navy.!
I new you in the Navy 1969 USS sheadoah
Eisen J Eisen sorry but that kind of reflects on your parents, not disrespecting you or your service but if there was all that in your house/apartment today, you would not have custody of your kids. The state would take them away, but that's now and then is then!!!
The mess deck was missing the most important thing....Texas Pete and or Franks Red Hot.
I don't think that we ever had hot sauce on the tables in the mess 1968 - 1972; just salt/pepper.
I think the trend to put hot sauce on so many things came years later.
Good VId
My dad rode a 4 piper from Newport RI to Jacksonville FLA after boot camp in 1939. He was an APH2/c and he was told to hang his hammock on the crews' mess deck with the other transients riding the ship. They didn't have hot water, if you wanted hot water to shave with, you filled a bucket with water and opened a steam valve to heat the water. then you hung up the bucket and used a mirror to shave. In the enlisted head, there was a trough with salt water running through it, no commodes.
Thank God for men like your dad!! He was one of the Salty Dogs who REALLY put up with hardships like that salt water trough and no toilets (or hot water). I'll bet he still talked about how many great friends he had in his shipmates and in spite of the hardships he mostly had a great experience. Let me know.
Thanks for posting this great little story.
Good reason to join the infantry.
I joined the USN to avoid slogging through mud and rice paddies in Vietnam. Infantry can seem better than destroyer life, but we had three hot meals/day as well as a clean, dry bunk with daily showers. Hard to do that when on patrol in the infantry.
I ended up going to Vietnam on a destroyer in the last months of my four year enlistment. C'est la vie.
Thanks for posting.
@@braintrusts Yes, I was just sorta kidding. Good to have a choice on what branch to join.
its a shame they didn't do this in the 30's during the restart of destroyer construction. who knows how much improvement could have happened before the frm era.
Am guessing that they were concentrating on keeping weight off of the ships to keep the speed up; as you've seen, humans come in second place to weapons, speed and maneuverability.
The ships now are bigger and faster and have smaller crews, all with a much more lethal and far-reaching weapons cache. It didn't hurt that the propulsion systems are gas turbines and the weapons are mostly missiles, all requiring less crew to manage things.
Thanks for posting.
You can tell who ever designed the ships courtiers and work areas did not have to deal with living on a ship
Ship's "courtiers"??? Don't you mean "courtesans"??? Hell, what DO you mean?
It was efficiency vs parcticality back then
I wonder what the daily calorie intake was for sailors back then. obviously back in those day the food would have been a lot leaner and healthier than today.
I have an original 1940's USN Official Cookbook/Menu selection for the USN and it was pretty much the same as I saw 25 years later.
In order to not gain weight, one had to limit their intake based upon the amount of physical work their job entailed. In my case, I gained about 35 pound on my first 7 month deployment and vowed to never let that happen again.
The food was always at least "okay" and sometimes excellent with plenty of steak, lobster (a couple of times), fresh bread at every meal, veggies, salad (when available), ice cream hamburger, meat loaf, chili, full breakfasts with eggs, waffles, pancakes, home fries, etc. All that can make for an environment for gaining girth.
Thanks for posting and reading this explanation.
@@braintrusts thanks for the reply the menu you mentioned sounded actually pretty decent...I could imagine weight gain due to having limited space to exercise I'm guessing. But wow it's amazing to talk to somebody who been there and done it. thank you
@@javathechava26 You're welcome and thanks for the complement.
Most working sailors lose weight at sea, we went on a 6-month cruise and I lost 41 pounds. It's not like you work an 8 hour day and that's that. I was a BM and if we got the morning watch we would be up at 3:15, go on watch at 3:45, get off watch at 0700 and go to work all day. Then we would go back on watch at 4pm until 8pm and that was your first free time of the day. If you had underway replenishment at 2 am then you were up from 1am until you got off watch the next morning. Portions are strictly controlled, it's not all you can eat.
@@jesterd14 I also worked on the Deck Force for a year before striking for Sonarman, Boats. 1st div guys actually worked pretty hard every day, like you explained, but there were others, as you know, that didn't do squat all day and did, indeed gain weight.
Thanks for serving in the USN, Boats, most folks have no idea how much work the Deck Division does on a daily basis to keep the ship in order.
Also, Thanks for serving!!
Don't tell me there were no squabbles due to the cramped sleeping space.
I understand what the film was about. I just wanted to know what year it was made.Again I served on the uss fiske dd842
Thanks for your service in the USN!! I served on the USS Myles C. Fox DD829, '69 - '72.
@@braintrusts by the way I was a scivy waver(signalman)
@@davidhess6899 It WAS a great rate, but apparently they rolled that job into the QM's rate. All too bad. But, hope you had good times on the Fiske.
@@braintrusts Yes when I was in it just a signalman rate.no quarter master.I always thought it kinda cool that jack Nicholson played a sm- 2 in The Last Detail.If you haven't seen it ,check it out.,Came out in 73.
@@davidhess6899 SM was a cool rate, requiring semaphore, signal flags, and morse code using the lights. All neat stuff. And nobody's gonna make a movie where the main character was a Sonarman which is what I was. LOL.
"A beaten sailor is a happy sailor". The Army Agrees!
Fuck the army, we kick there ass all the time
The floggings will continue until the morale improves
Towel drying.....great idea never had it in the Australian Navy mid-sixties to mid seventies....
Towel dryers never made it out to the whole fleet. We had to either dry the towels hanging in the berthing space or throw them in the laundry bag. Which ship were you on the Aussie Navy?
@@braintrustsHMAS MELBOURNE HMAS PARRAMATTA HMAS VAMPIRE AND HMAS STUART
@@alanlane3670 Sounds like a lot of great experiences!! Thanks for replying!
I lived over 4 years on a destroyer 1985-89. It was still bad.
Yeah, but am sure you made some friends and had some good experiences. Thanks for serving in the US Navy!!
Served on Newman K Perry DD 883 1957 Had the Top Rack in Gunnery Div next to the ships speaker, ( I was the only rated TM at the time and they didn't know where to put me so I ended up in Gunnery Div, up in the focsle nasty in bad weather ) The Chief would sneak down and stuff a rag in the speaker so he could get some extra duty men at reveille, Whats up Chief Quite go back to sleep, yer right.. to be 17 again, would I do it again? YES.. in at 17 out at 21 we were called Kiddy Cruises. Took my wife almost 50 years to get me on a cruise ship. The stories I could tell. PS Buy Doge
Thanks for your service in the Greyhound Fleet!! Let me know where the torpedo tubes were mounted in 1957 on the DD-883. When I was on the DD829 in 1969 - 1970 the tubes were forward of the bridge; TM's were berthed with the Sonar Div just forward of the mess deck on the 3rd deck.
I have continued to avoid going on a cruise after 49 years out of the USN.
I guess they went thinking of "human dignity" of sailors at 10:15.
Until fairly recently, if the US NAVY thought you deserved "human dignity" as an enlisted man they would have issued it to you at boot camp. (Hint-they did not)
No women watched this because no women served on ships. This was back in the day when no one really cared....we didn't think about stuff like that.
Thank god for automation
ALL Armed Forces all over the world would love to convert to all drones and robots a la Tesla. Humans are such a nuisance(lol)
I didn't see any of these changes in 1969 on USS Maddox DD731. I do remember the salt water showers.
Yes, salt water showers were not good: sticky, unclean feeling when done. Bird bath more effective.
What year was this made
As it shows in the opening credits, 1953. These destroyers were instrumental in winning WWII and used extensively in the Korean Conflict in the early 1950's.
@3:58 hell of a lot more bunk space than modern ships 😬😬
They didn't show how they improved the quarters for the cooks and stewards 🤔
Well, the cooks and stewards had the same berthing accommodations as everyone else: crappy. Their workspaces in the officer's galley and crew galley were hot and muggy, mostly, except in Winter when it was comfortably warm.
Thanks for posting and you service!
I was a cook on DDG14 which was built about 1962 . The galley and mess decks were on the same level which which was a huge step up from the WW2 tin cans. I was also on DD 885 and the galley was tiny and the mess deck a deck below. Miserable handing food insets down narrow ladders in rough seas.
Amazing. Thomas Jefferson's dumb waiter solved the problem about 200 years before there was a problem. Back then, food was cooked in the first floor kitchen and taken to a 2nd floor dining room.
They could've put in a dumb-waiter but the galley wasn't directly above the serving area, and having that shaft would have created a smoke/fire/water-tight integrity challenge. Plus, in heavy seas, the food would have spilled and sloshed around in the shaft. They thought it was better that food got spilled on the deck and crew....
@@braintrusts worse, in heavy seas the dumb-waiter could have jammed as it went up and down.
A successful Navy recruiter could sell anything to anyone.
And I'm glad he did!! While living conditions shown in this flick are what we all lived through, we carry that experience like a badge of courage and perseverance. I wish every young man could experience the camaraderie that develops with your shipmates that last a lifetime.
Thanks of posting!! PS: My recruiter didn't lie, but he certainly didn't tell me the truth.
I’m going to call BS on the mess crew. I don’t see a single Filipino Steward. They had been serving since the early part of the 20th century.
Doris Miller a Mess Steward in Pearl Harbor was an African American sailor who they are now naming the newest Nuclear Aircraft carrier.
For history of Filipinos in the USN, see: tinyurl.com/y79obzk2
Thanks for posting!!
Stewards served officers, not enlisted.
I'd hate to be anywhere near those berthing areas the morning after chili night.
Actually, it was a problem on any given day.
@@braintrusts I was fortunate enough to serve on Cutters designed in the 60's and even with decent ventilation, the situation was, unfortunate.
@@mudhutproductions Gives the name "cutters" a whole different meaning.
"Pleasantly illuminated by fluorescent lights." Yeah, so... whoever thought fluorescent lights were "pleasant?" I served aboard a CHARLES ADDAMS class DDG, and we had the bunks with built-in lockers beneath. Much better arrangement. But yeah... those lights... ugh.
Crappy light quality, and on the Gearing class, many were mounted too low and kind of get in the way of the taller guys' heads in the crew. I have a permanent hunch in my stature.
I couldn't believe how hot 🔥🥵 it was inside the old Enterprise, you wouldn't believe how hot 🔥🥵 it was
Yeah, you're right. The old ships were not built for comfort, even though some spaces had a/c. My destroyer was home ported in Newport, Rhode Island and Winters were no fun aboard the ship. Was either too hot or too cold.
10:15 is a site to behold 😜
The head wasn't always that crowded but often as shown right after reveille. One gets used to the lack of privacy, but it's not fun.
😂 “studies shown only 53 seats could ever be used before”. It was redesigned to fit 56 and that maf still doesn’t add up.
They made the seats more accessible
Key word....experimental
Ship wasn't experimental, but the different things they tried were. Things didn't change on ship design in the USN until the 80's.
Life aboard a destroyers
Any of you fellas serve on a submarine? I always heard food was actually edible and tasty. I was regular Army, and the food could be pretty bad. Finally started hauling freight for the Air Force, lived at Rhein Main airbase.....Man Oh Man those USAF guys had NICE barracks, and good food. BUT their standard enlistment was 4 years minimum, I only had to do two years active duty, a somewhat better deal.....
That is how a large corporation works. It is not called the chairforce for nuthin'.
I was in the Navy, but served on Navy, Air Force, and Marine air bases...each seemed to have different priorities when they designed their bases. Marines gave the impression that the first permanent buildings they built were work areas and the last were the off-site clubs. Navy? Impression is that work and living areas were a shared priority and the Exchange and clubs were last. Air Force? Impression is that they were given TRUCKLOADS of money, and built living areas first, and after the Exchange and clubs were built, they realized that the big pile of money they had left was for work areas.
BTW, I was told that the last overseas base I would have been T.A.D. to, had a new barracks building that was incorrectly built: the contractor did not get the height dimension right, so the standard personnel lockers would not fit.
Food was good on diesels at the start of patrols, a little iffy towards the end of the patrol. Better on the nuke fast attacks and they seemed to be in port more that the diesels. The food on the boomers was absolutely fantastic. Every Saturday it was steak and lobster and the food during the week was excellent.
Maybe they can re-imagine the captain's wine cellar.
Am guessing the officers did have occasional wine, but with restrictions. It was also my understanding that one of our C.O.'s was an alcoholic.
I was on an MCM, in 2005 and, living conditions weren't much improved. Racks were better and everything was air conditioned, but space was still very limited.
13:45 seconds hilarious
The “sailors “ giving their 2 cents
So scripted , and to think TIC TOC videos thought they started the
Scripted video
Yeah, well, it is a USN-produced video, so it is surprising it turned out as well as it did.
Thanks for posting.
5:32 Bettie Page pinup?
RonJohn63 Good eye!
"The key note is cheefulness". Yeah, just look at all those cheerful faces.
hands up if you are old enough to remember lacing your rack??? Curtains?!?!?
PIANO??? Oh, I want to see THAT in rough seas! Egad.
ooooohhh terracotta!