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Any Real Navy types out there?

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  • #16
    Does Royal Navy count?, am currently on standing naval force atlantic, am in Gibraltar for the weekend enjoying the San Miguel!

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    • #17
      Ahhhh...San Miguel, nectar of the Gods!! Right up there with Murphy's.

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      • #18
        reply

        Hi, Yes - ex NS (9 Years, mostly @ sea!) tried to transfer to AC but no joy as sea-going material, anyway made a respectable life for myself,
        now in IT, so if you need any help - drop me a line - check out note on my services..

        Many Thanks & all the best

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        • #19
          Back to the top for this one.(given the recent influx of newbies)


          Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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          • #20
            Hi...Spent some time in the NS...then the outside world made me an offer (financially) I couldnt turn down!

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            • #21
              Have'nt really been that active on the naval service board, I guess there have'nt been any interesting topics to comment on, tempts me to go and dig something up.............

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              • #22
                My cousin was in the Royal Navy, does that count.

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                • #23
                  My Uncle was an MTB/MGB crewman for the entire second world temper tantrum, does that count??
                  "We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey"
                  Radio transmission, siege of Jadotville DR Congo. September 1961.
                  Illegitimi non carborundum

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                  • #24
                    I was known to swan around Norfolk Naval station in the early 90s - and my Auntie is a Commander US Navy (medical Corps) , does that count ?
                    When I breeze into that city, people gonna stoop and bow.
                    All them women gonna make me, teach 'em what they don't know how

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by ex pat 007
                      I was known to swan around Norfolk Naval station in the early 90s - and my Auntie is a Commander US Navy (medical Corps) , does that count ?
                      What a terrible duty station!!! You should have volunteered for Camp Swampy or 29 Stumps!!!

                      I was chauffeured all over the Med, Adriatic & Black Seas in various LPD's & LHD's for over a year, does that count???
                      "Hello, Good Evening and Bollocks..."

                      Roger Mellie

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                      • #26
                        Hey Guys, just a reply to the question posted above. It is true that there are no internet connections on board a ship when we are 200 miles off the coast!! And it is very rare we get access unless out in the new college in Ringaskiddy.Although i have to admit there are some great people on this site with a great knowledge of the ins and outs of the service but it is also a lot of pressure on them to keep this side of the site running!So lets all join in and try our best...

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                        • #27
                          I once owned three 90 foot steel shrimp trawlers which operated in Mexico and roamed the Sea of Cortez. Never went to sea myself due to Mexican fishery protectionist policies governing presence of non-Mexican nationals onboard fishing vessels. Only had one short trip across the harbor in the port of Guaymas in the early hours upon meeting one of the vessels, Huerfano translates to Orphan, to ensure that the shrimp were unloaded in a secure dock protected by armed guards.

                          Shrimp was just like cash. Pink Gold we called it. The catch was a mixture of Blue Shrimp (8-10 inches usually without the head) which sold for around $20,000 dollars a ton and Brown shrimp which sold for half that. Each boat had refrigerated holds and could handle about 30 tons per trip, A typical catch in the peak season, 20 tons, usually fetched an average of around $100,000. My partner was a paraplegic who was a commercial airline pilot before a car crash ended his professional flying career. My other partner, who is still an an active commercial airline pilot, and I referred to him as Captain Dan aka Forrest Gump.

                          We operated out of Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) less than 4 hours drive from Phoenix. Quite a story behind it. The day we closed the deal on the trawlers there was a huge bonfire overseen in the desert on the outskirts of town by Mexican Navy personnel consisting of 2 tons of cannabis. Turned out later the brothers we bought the boats from were funded by one of the major drug cartels out of the state of Sinaloa. Apparently the cannabis belonged to them but had been intercepted by the Mexican Navy when some of the "brothers" pangas were heading into shore at great speed with the stuff. When we said they were lucky not to have been caught they laughed and told us if the Navy had known it was them they would never have confiscated the stuff in the first place. Rocky Point is a tiny fishing village they all know each other. The brothers claimed to have armed their pangas with grenade launchers for all future business transactions and we had no reason to doubt them. We had to fire all three crews after the first two months of the first season due to major theft problems, unloading and selling some of the the catch at sea and falsifying accounts with suppliers. We had one captain put in jail for six months of course we had to bribe the judge. Half the supplies we bought for each trip usually made their way home to to the families. Electronic gear would go missing nets would be mysteriously "lost" overboard. We had some help from the Mexican army. They loaned us a few soldiers to meet the boats and guard them overnight them until we could get new captains and crews aboard and out to sea. Firing whole crews unfortunately became the norm. We always let them keep all the fish they caught and any small or broken shrimp which is know as "charro" and kept it separated from the main catch in burlap sacks which they used to sew shut. We always made sure they got paid on time but they still couldn't stop themselve from screwing up. It might sound strange but basically the Mexicans are great people but they have been screwed by their goverment and officals and their employers for so long thye just take what they can when they can. Corruption at every level made it impossible to continue after 3 years. Lost an arm and a leg but it was a hell of an experience. Death threats, murder, corruption I was exposed to it all. I haven't visited Mexico in four years.

                          I did pull one over the Mexican border guards. One time I was smuggling $30,000 of Caterpiller diesel engine replacement parts in large bags wrapped in towels. Got caught and one of the Mexican border guards offered me a deal as he nervously played with the trigger on his handgun. I thought he was going to shoot his own leg off he was so damned nervous. He wanted to deal with me without letting his buddies know. He demanded $100 I agreed so he passed me his cap to place the money inside it. While he was looking away I slipped him four ones wrapped in a twenty dollar bill and drove the hell out of there laughing my head off. You meet all kinds of stuff on the road though. During several of my many trips across the border I was stopped by different groups of armed personnel on a few occasions I met the regular army checkpoints and a couple of times I was stopped once by the feared Federal highway police (Federalis) and just once by plain clothed secret police (they made me nervous). The Federalis were OK I gave them some cans of sprite and some local sweet bread I picked up before leaving Rocky Point. I was driving a Ford F150 XLT with a six foot model trawler tied up in the back which I had earlier commissioned a local boat builder to build for me and had him name it San Patricio. The Fedaralis only pulled me over because it was covered up in tarp and they just had to know what it was. They were just hoping for an excuse to extort a bribe. Alone in the middle of the desert they know they are not going to get refused too often. They always wore mirrored sunglasses and so did the army officers. I made it a habit to never drive alone at night. The mexican army guys always were an assorted looking motley crew, young kids mainly, mismatched uniforms and an assortment of vintage weapons except the officers who always seemed well turned out. They had a very tiny naval base. One frigate, I never did get the name of it, reminded me a lot of the Eithne though it always operated a helicoptor. It couldn't dock in the harbour as that was way too small so it always anchored at sea. There was one small fast patrol boat similar in size to a "P" boat I never once saw it actually leave the harbour. The port of Guaymas a few hundred miles down the coast operated 2 or 3 frigates and several "p" boat types.

                          The Sea of Cortes is probably still one of the most fertile fishing grounds in the world.
                          Last edited by Guest; 27 May 2005, 10:52.

                          "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."


                          Marcus Aurelius Roman Emperor (161 to 180 A.D.)

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                          • #28
                            Do you know Forrest Gump? He has a Shrimp boat too...called "Jenny".

                            Less of the shite talk please folks.
                            If you are naval I want to know. If not,or you are not sure what you are,click the fourth option.


                            Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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                            • #29
                              There's nothing wrong with shitetalk, that's by far the most entertaining post I've read on these pages in some time, well done lordinajamjar! It's far better than reading some vitriolic bile about the charms of our capital city from PROC fiens with an inferiority complex...
                              There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today Chatfield
                              Admiral of the Fleet David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty GCB OM GCVO

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                              • #30
                                I must point out that my "shite talk" comment was not directed at the Shrimp Boat operator.


                                Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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