Why Navy Sailors STOPPED Jumping Off Aircraft Carrier Flight Decks

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  • Опубліковано 24 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 3,7 тис.

  • @NotWhatYouThink
    @NotWhatYouThink  Рік тому +2140

    Thumbs up if you empathize with the Greenland shark!

    • @Marween
      @Marween Рік тому +13

      I just watched Slomo-Guys about bullet skipping

    • @othernicksweretaken
      @othernicksweretaken Рік тому +18

      Methuselah lived 900 years!
      Methuselah lived 900 years.
      But who calls that livin'
      When no gal will give in?
      To no man what's 900 years?

    • @maruftim
      @maruftim Рік тому +6

      slomo guys just uploaded video about bullet skipping, what timing...

    • @Nirotix
      @Nirotix Рік тому +13

      By the time you get any, you only have a few years left to live.
      Not Fair!! 😢

    • @indridcold8433
      @indridcold8433 Рік тому +5

      @@othernicksweretaken He lived closer to 1000 according to the legend. I think it was right around 960 years.

  • @jamesfowley4114
    @jamesfowley4114 Рік тому +6335

    We only had one swim call during my time in the Navy. Swimming over the Mariana trench is a unique experience.

    • @fredsasse9973
      @fredsasse9973 Рік тому +838

      Yes, it is. I remember treading water and thinking that the bottom was MILES below me!

    • @breadtoast1036
      @breadtoast1036 Рік тому +739

      fuck that i have thalassophobia

    • @cagin5
      @cagin5 Рік тому +439

      To toss a wishing coin into that. How long would it take to touch bottom I wonder?

    • @RumblesBettr
      @RumblesBettr Рік тому +1

      @@breadtoast1036 is that another word for being pussnboots

    • @mrexists5400
      @mrexists5400 Рік тому +121

      the only swim call i had in the navy got cancelled due to the swells getting too big

  • @kuningaskolassas4720
    @kuningaskolassas4720 Рік тому +2857

    "Jumping from 60 feet above the water cannot kill you, but if you land wrong it can"
    That's an interesting sentence right there.

    • @rodneybrocke
      @rodneybrocke Рік тому +59

      Right! I had to go back and listen to it a second time to make sure I heard it right.

    • @stephenjeronymo6093
      @stephenjeronymo6093 Рік тому +14

      Now imagine a dive from the "crow's nest". 😂

    • @seanhammer6296
      @seanhammer6296 Рік тому +14

      *contradictory

    • @q1o2
      @q1o2 Рік тому +17

      He actually said "wrongly"lol

    • @TheFarmerfitz
      @TheFarmerfitz Рік тому +20

      Or if you land in the open mouth of a shark , it can also....

  • @jonathanpeterson1984
    @jonathanpeterson1984 Рік тому +409

    We got a swim call in the Caribbean while on the USCGC Diligence. I grew up surfing my whole life in North Florida, I can honestly say I have zero desire to float in the middle of the ocean EVER again. It’s just very unsettling.

    • @extractedentertainment8213
      @extractedentertainment8213 Рік тому +29

      I was on CGC Tahoma 02-05, they had swim call a day outside of Haiti after dropping off a bunch of migrants with sharks following their boat.
      i watched from the helo flight deck, grew up in Florida but f*ck that.

    • @freehahahafree
      @freehahahafree 7 місяців тому +7

      I sailed on the USCGC Seneca and was lucky enough to spend most of my time at sea in the Caribbean. Swim calls were rare..I probably saw 3 at the most. It was an interesting feeling swimming in the open ocean. It gave me some perspective on how terrifying it would be to fall overboard and get left behind. I still enjoyed it though and would do it again in a heartbeat.

    • @monkofbob
      @monkofbob 6 місяців тому +9

      Never served, but sailed a lot, and there was this old salt I met, he had sailed all over the Caribbean and up the east coast, and, don’t know why, but I’ll always remember the way he said (paraphrasing), “people say you can be alone in a crowd, but a crowd is never as alone as in the middle of the water.” You’re alone out there

    • @faisalmemon285
      @faisalmemon285 5 місяців тому

      @@extractedentertainment8213Were the migrants forced out/deported from America?

    • @musiqsoul5354
      @musiqsoul5354 5 місяців тому +1

      No effing way you guys are bad az

  • @jakekatella
    @jakekatella Рік тому +1410

    My dad served on the USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) from 1961 to 1965. He confirms that sailors would jump feet-first from the flight deck into the water, 60 feet below. My brother asked if anyone got landed on and he said no -- people in the water moved out of the way. The captain decided to outdo everyone else and executed a perfect swan dive from the island, 90 feet up. Just had to show that he was number one for a reason!

  • @MDLC424
    @MDLC424 Рік тому +1856

    My grandfather was a naval aviator aboard the USS Hancock during Vietnam.
    During this time alcohol was prohibited aboard ships.
    One night he snapped a wire and was unable to land, having to land at an Air Force base in South Vietnam. While there, he was able to stuff 2 6 packs into his cockpit and fly them back to the ship for him and his squadron.

    • @NotWhatYouThink
      @NotWhatYouThink  Рік тому +490

      Grandpa had his priorities straight 😉

    • @Snoop_Dugg
      @Snoop_Dugg Рік тому +17

      @Theodore Olson how much %

    • @andreinarangel6227
      @andreinarangel6227 Рік тому +67

      I cut my hand with a RHIB prop during a LEDET support mission in the Caribbean. HM1 sewed me up but it still hurt as f-ing hell. CO came by sick bay, gave me a shot of "Makers Mark" and offered to relieved me from OOD duty that evening. I stood my watch anyway.
      p.s. Jumped from the Flight Deck of the USS KITTY HAWK without any issues.

    • @gunningopher
      @gunningopher Рік тому +6

      Did he tell you how much he made up for it when they made a port call?😜

    • @KennethStone
      @KennethStone Рік тому +4

      Great story, @Mike! I just started working on the USS Hornet, and heard a few similar stories like that during her Vietnam deployment.

  • @michaelslifecycle
    @michaelslifecycle Рік тому +237

    My friend broke his back on a 60ft cliff and was almost paralyzed. He lost feeling in his legs and managed to tread back to the boat with his arms. He landed it perfectly on his feet too. Luckily, he got his feeling back after surgery.
    I hate to be the guy that ruins all the fun, but I’m just recommending to everyone out there, if you’re going to do this, make sure you have someone at the bottom that can swim down and save you, which is not easy to do. Also, make sure they have a floatation device on hand, even if it’s just a pool noodle. It’s always best to be prepared.

    • @islamisthetruewaytogod6812
      @islamisthetruewaytogod6812 Рік тому +4

      Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time.
      Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them).
      Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI).
      Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy.
      Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.
      Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI).
      Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).
      Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning!
      Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures.
      Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement.
      It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them.
      (19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad)..
      Salam (Peace) ----------

    • @Bisley1
      @Bisley1 Рік тому +5

      I’m glad he’s alright and recovered from it. But how can you say he landed perfectly, when he broke his back? Something must hve gone terribly wrong

    • @michaelslifecycle
      @michaelslifecycle Рік тому +6

      @@Bisley1 I watched a video of the jump and it looked as though it was a perfect pencil dive. Something definitely went wrong and maybe his jump wasn’t perfect but what I meant was that there is such a small margin for error that what you think might be a good jump could be off and dangerous

    • @MyAmazingUsername
      @MyAmazingUsername Рік тому +3

      I am happy for him that he isn't paralyzed. But I am so tired of people's stupidity.

    • @RealLvMc
      @RealLvMc Рік тому +3

      @@michaelslifecycle one can jump in perfectly, but after hitting the water you still have inertia and one wrong move can twist your body and easily break your back, I haven't injured myself that hard but once jumping head first I tried to resurface faster not going deeper, my back hurt quite bad for a moment.

  • @roydrink
    @roydrink Рік тому +437

    That first beer day in 1980 was on the USS Nimitz after being sent to the Indian Ocean because of the Iranian hostage crisis. I forgot how many days we were out at sea without a port call, but it was said to be the longest since WWII.
    And I was there! I haven’t had a beer taste as good in 40+ years!

    • @berthageorge2627
      @berthageorge2627 Рік тому +24

      I help build that ship,in Newport News ,VA.,
      Their when Mrs. Jackie Kennedy Onassis and John John Kennedy came and Christian the Ship.( Pulled to the Front with my daughter to stand beside them that day.)Loved that ship and all that we built their in that wonderful place.⚓

    • @rdsii64
      @rdsii64 Рік тому +7

      When I was on the Jessie L. Brown, we went 185 days with out seeing dry land.
      That was the longest for me. An entire deployment haze grey and underway is no joke.

    • @davidkingsley3244
      @davidkingsley3244 Рік тому

      I believe that the Nimitz deployment was Eleven Months Underway. Because of the whiny baby target sailor's, the Navy decided that for underway periods in excess of 45 days. (I'd bet that Boomers would carefully schedule underways really carefully)

    • @ChefKevinRiese
      @ChefKevinRiese Рік тому

      I missed that but was on "numbnuts" in 1981-83" Good times.

    • @ken-hm2eu
      @ken-hm2eu Рік тому +4

      I too was there enjoying those 2 beers. Limited to 2 they told us, but the stamp they put on your hand washed off easy. So back in line I went for more. I think I stopped at 6 already having a good buzz.

  • @yusufbektas1961
    @yusufbektas1961 Рік тому +3921

    This is literally the most american way to counter shark attacks LMAO
    Edit: apparently a couple of people managed to get angry about this

    • @uninterestedcat8429
      @uninterestedcat8429 Рік тому +46

      Yessiiir

    • @Heartt321
      @Heartt321 Рік тому +66

      A-10 CAS with LGBUs

    • @interruptor
      @interruptor Рік тому +187

      What you need is more good sharks with guns.

    • @1m3agle
      @1m3agle Рік тому +42

      @@Heartt321 gta orbital cannon vs shark

    • @mcyounglordlauch7012
      @mcyounglordlauch7012 Рік тому +21

      @@Heartt321 finally some good use for the A10, but the Aircraft Carrier needs to be at least 10 km away from the engagement zone, cause otherwise itll be friendly fire

  • @Johnny-tt9gs
    @Johnny-tt9gs Рік тому +15

    They deserve every single one of those days and beers. ❤

  • @gandalfstormcrow8439
    @gandalfstormcrow8439 Рік тому +498

    There are few things scarier than swimming in the ocean offshore.
    I've never felt more helpless and insignificant just from the size and power of the ocean.

    • @annexton3795
      @annexton3795 Рік тому +17

      Yes, exactly! Nothing like swimming in a pool at all, no matter how big the pool.

    • @jedclampett7705
      @jedclampett7705 Рік тому

      @Doctor Whowhotheowl Try the North Atlantic. Can get dark up there too…with killer whales.

    • @FlightX101
      @FlightX101 Рік тому +20

      the ocean is a whole differen ballgame. You feel like an ant

    • @Walker_Bulldog
      @Walker_Bulldog Рік тому +2

      Most people who have been to the beach have no idea.

    • @MrDanisve
      @MrDanisve Рік тому +14

      Middle of the ocean is like a desert on land. Most of the biomass is near shore or shallow waters.
      So swimming in deep waters is one of the safest places to be. Very unlikely to meet anything, unless you chum the waters.
      Ive been shark fishing in the middle of the ocean a few times, alot of people actually swim while chumming starts. Cause it takes like an hour before the scent to spread and sharks pickup on it.

  • @scrapperdudeGA
    @scrapperdudeGA Рік тому +146

    My dad was on the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain when it caught fire in the 50s. Him and some other Sailors had to jump from the flight deck to get away from the flames. When you start reaching those kinds of heights, training is extremely important. Water gets hard real quick the higher up you go.

    • @danielrousseau4842
      @danielrousseau4842 Рік тому +1

      Greg, was your dad a Marine or sailor?

    • @scrapperdudeGA
      @scrapperdudeGA Рік тому +6

      @@danielrousseau4842 He was a sailor.
      He told us a lot of stories that we've learned to take on faith. 😁
      He always said he quit school after the 8th grade when he was 14 and joined the Navy. He was actually 16. The gravestone the Navy provided reflects his birth date 2 years earlier than it actually is . We left it that way because we thought it was fitting .
      I knew the stories of the fire on the USS Lake Champlain were true because he had the yearbook (which I now have) that details it.

    • @randalljackson7220
      @randalljackson7220 Рік тому +3

      My Father was Lake Champain as well. My father was a hospital Corpman. I was in the Navy as well.

    • @afridgetoofar1818
      @afridgetoofar1818 8 місяців тому +1

      Faced with burning to death or jumping into water from a height, I’m jumping.

  • @AlwayzFresh
    @AlwayzFresh Рік тому +67

    In Afghanistan we came back to main camp once every 2-3 months, and got to have a beer call. At the time it felt like one of the greatest moments of relief, and relaxation of my life. Freshly showered feet up, cold beer in my left hand watching a warm sunset over the Kandahar mountains. It was a brief moment of peace in an otherwise stressful time in my life. It meant much more than the beer itself.

    • @LIamaLlama554
      @LIamaLlama554 Рік тому +3

      Wow, thank you for your service

    • @chelsea_Xxo
      @chelsea_Xxo Рік тому +2

      Yeah, everyone is a possible enemy there, even the ones who helped u the day before. Lots took drugs just to be able to deal with it all & all smoked weed

    • @worldview730
      @worldview730 10 місяців тому

      Did you guys ever dive off a mountain ridge into a river?

    • @harryv6752
      @harryv6752 9 місяців тому +1

      I can only begin to imagine. Thank you for your service. 🤟

    • @joehatten9171
      @joehatten9171 7 місяців тому

      I was in Afghanistan 371 cav and 132 inf never had no beer call....u were lucky....I was in nagahar , kunar and nuristan rc east

  • @BlahCraft1
    @BlahCraft1 Рік тому +38

    2:38 "Back in the good old days, before the invention of safety" - Great line.

  • @Iknowonlywhatimtaught
    @Iknowonlywhatimtaught Рік тому +652

    I'm a navy combat veteran and I believe swim calls are part of training. Due to the fact if a ship Where in rough sea and a sailor falls over bound, this sailor needs to be able to be ready to swim and tread water for a significant time. Not being able to physically to do this puts the crews at risk of imminent death..

    • @G4x5da
      @G4x5da Рік тому +46

      Yeah but there’s a time and place for that. A sailor on a float unicorn - getting eaten by a shark - is kinda hard to justify as a necessary swim.

    • @kaijudude_
      @kaijudude_ Рік тому +23

      I'm an engineer so swum call is almost never a thing for us. Only top siders get to have fun. We're constantly helping run the ship and fixing equipment.

    • @fritzschnitzmueller3768
      @fritzschnitzmueller3768 Рік тому +11

      This had nothing to do with any training. This was just having fun. Weird comment man

    • @curtiswhiteheadjr1322
      @curtiswhiteheadjr1322 Рік тому +1

      That's how they explained it to us at GLakes back in the day.

    • @ADrunkBassist
      @ADrunkBassist Рік тому +11

      If I remember correctly, we had two dives in boot camp. There was a 25 foot jump in early training followed by a 35 foot jump during Battle Stations. Looking over the current requirements, it looks like they switched to a lower platform for both jumps, which seems really stupid to me. You need to know how to hit the water if you fall from an aircraft carrier flight deck.

  • @randallminchew6780
    @randallminchew6780 Рік тому +57

    My dad was in the navy for 20 years. He told be about them shooting sharks. He had to jump into the Ocean to get off the USS Hornet before it went down. He told me that he was thinking about sharks the entire time. There wasn’t a shooter for the sharks at that time.

    • @worldview730
      @worldview730 10 місяців тому +1

      That's probably why sharks follow ships & boats

  • @gordonhaire9206
    @gordonhaire9206 Рік тому +349

    I served aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63) from April 1961 to August 1963. There was never a swim call. And no one was crazy enough to jump from the flight deck. It was a lot higher than 60 feet above the waterline. It was the largest ship in the history of the world at the time.

    • @Sahadi420
      @Sahadi420 Рік тому +2

      @@cellardoor199991 2:43 That's the flight deck. LOL
      And they're diving off it!!!!

    • @cvn6555
      @cvn6555 Рік тому +8

      Yep. I was on Big E from 98-01. Zero swim calls. A few "Steel Beach" picnics. Nobody got in the water except designated rescue swimmers and probably the SeAL det on board. Never really saw those guys so not sure what they were doing. Nobody jumping from the flight deck except those that were looking to get kicked out.

    • @vf-114jock2
      @vf-114jock2 Рік тому +11

      @@Sahadi420 Only the Marines jump head first - it doesn't bother them!

    • @kipplebits8619
      @kipplebits8619 Рік тому +2

      Plank owner! I decommed the Kitty Hawk.

    • @vf-114jock2
      @vf-114jock2 Рік тому +7

      @@kipplebits8619 Yes I served from 1973-76 with the great engine room fire. She should have been saved as the last oil burner CV! my shitty kitty

  • @BilTheGalacticHero
    @BilTheGalacticHero Рік тому +335

    Okay, here's a story for you... A friend of mine was in the United States Navy around the time of the Vietnam War. He was stationed on a radar picket ship in the Pacific. The ships gyroscope was suspended in grain alcohol and a supply was kept onboard to replenish as needed. My friend worked in the photo lab and had a friend that worked on the gyro. Every now and then they would get a supply of "Gyro Juice" and bring it to the photo lab. They'd turn on the "Film Developing in Process" light, lock the door and have a little party. Good thing they never got caught!

    • @Frankjallan
      @Frankjallan Рік тому +8

      What were they going to do send him to Vietnam? Bend his dog tags and take away his birthday. 😂

    • @trombone113
      @trombone113 Рік тому +31

      No. Throw them in the damn brig for the duration and send them to a court's martial where they would receive a demotion and loss of pay. There are jails on ship.

    • @angela1984a
      @angela1984a Рік тому +11

      A sausage party...

    • @cathybaldry7822
      @cathybaldry7822 Рік тому +2

      Love it

    • @likeasparrowinthewildernes8333
      @likeasparrowinthewildernes8333 Рік тому +1

      ;;;;;;;;;; 2 Esdras2: 31-100 ''''''''''''''''''''''''' ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

  • @zflyz7136
    @zflyz7136 Рік тому +21

    Helps morale and gives search and rescue a practice opportunity. Exercise is so important when underway

  • @crashstudi0s
    @crashstudi0s Рік тому +146

    "This gun costs 400 thousand dollars to fire per minute" "we still gonna fire it for independence day, sir?" "OH you can bet that, nothing lights the sky like a good tracer round"

    • @PrograError
      @PrograError Рік тому +17

      it's training. captain logs as training right?

    • @romeoneverdies
      @romeoneverdies Рік тому +9

      eventually they have to spend the ammunition. and i think your costs are way off.

    • @crashstudi0s
      @crashstudi0s Рік тому +1

      @@romeoneverdies it was a joke, never intended to be taken as a fact, but yeah, you prob right

    • @vincentanguoni8938
      @vincentanguoni8938 Рік тому

      ​@Wendys where do you people come from???
      Go back to your video game!!!!!

    • @vincentanguoni8938
      @vincentanguoni8938 Рік тому

      Luis...these people don't understand jokes!!!!!
      Seriously!!!

  • @curtisroberts9137
    @curtisroberts9137 Рік тому +25

    I served a Marine onboard navy ships in the90s. We had many steel beach parties but only 1 beer day. We got 2 skunky beers that had been sitting in storage rooms near the engine room for god knows how long. They were cold when we got them but boy had they been skunked. We loved it though. I remember the taste to this day almost 25 years later.

  • @ruslbicycle6006
    @ruslbicycle6006 Рік тому +226

    My grandfather was in the British Army, at some points during WW2 he was on boats (He went to Singapore, then evacuated to India). He liked to swim. But he was a bit traumatized that a friend of his drowned while swimming from the vessel. So he made sure his kids could all swim well. Also my grandmother never swims, she never got over the trauma of seeing a drowned sailor wash up on shore in Ireland in the 1920s when she was little. They both made sure my mom could swim well. My mom took me swimming as a baby and a lot growing up and many swim lessons. Now I'm a Lifeguard and Swim Teacher. My career now maybe was most started because of a Swim Call my Grandfather took 80 years ago.

    • @SodiumSyndicate
      @SodiumSyndicate Рік тому +12

      Damn that's quite a story.

    • @skyden24195
      @skyden24195 Рік тому +2

      I learned to swim (mostly) in my grandparent's backyard swimming-pool as a kid when I'd spend a few weeks there during summers in the 1980s. I am now an excellent swimmer; however, I have no desire to swim in the ocean any further than where I can touch the bottom with my feet while keeping my shoulders above water.

    • @stevebean1234
      @stevebean1234 Рік тому +2

      In reality, swimming against ocean currents can be completely futile. But more importantly, even in 70 degree F water you only have a few hours to live before you die of hypothermia. And your body survives that long by slowing blood flow to your extremities. In 40 degree water, your arms and legs will stop working within minutes. Then unless you have a really nice life jacket, you’ll either drown from not being able to balance your head above water or you’ll die of hypothermia in 45 minutes. Because of this dynamic, it’s very hard to determine whether someone recovered at sea died from hypothermia or drowning.
      Like cooking a frozen Turkey, you can’t really cool the human body down enough to kill you much more quickly than 45 minutes. On the plus side, hypothermia is one of the best ways to punch your ticket. Generally very peaceful as your body slows down. Right before death your body “gives up” restricting blood flow and all this warm blood rushes to your freezing arms and legs - you feel incredibly warm. People who die of hypothermia are sometimes found naked because they strip off their clothes due to their perceived warmth at the end (on land, at sea as I mentioned it’s not likely your arms and legs will move).

    • @stevebean1234
      @stevebean1234 Рік тому +1

      Suffice it to say, wear a life jacket (and better yet a dry suit in while sailing in very cold water) and be very cautious swimming offshore. Obviously, the US Navy is pretty careful having multiple people and machine guns watching over you on swim call. Plenty of accounts of people who didn’t wear life jackets because “they are strong swimmers” not really realizing these dynamics.

    • @nav4688
      @nav4688 Рік тому +1

      im from singapore 🙋🏻 cool that he was here

  • @jdubhub68
    @jdubhub68 Рік тому +66

    There's nothing worse than being on an amphib at anchor in Asia somewhere during WestPac, dropping the stern gate and ballasting down, getting ready for swim call, only to realize that the water in the well deck was filled with sea snakes. Have to raise the stern and use the 2 1/2 inch firehoses to flush them all back over the side before closing the stern gate and noping the swim call.

  • @Rylee_DJ
    @Rylee_DJ Рік тому +13

    My dad was a supplyman aboard the USS Savannah (AOR-4) in the 80s! So many amazing stories, glad that he can share them with me and I’m glad that other people can enjoy those stories to! And videos like this haha, have a great day people.

  • @chairpersonofthecharlotteh5646
    @chairpersonofthecharlotteh5646 Рік тому +83

    Mad props to the writers of these videos, so many topics seamlessly packed in a 10 minute video,. When I need to write a paper for school I stare at my screen for a solid hour before I get anything going

  • @gregorydahlen2103
    @gregorydahlen2103 Рік тому +63

    My father was the medical officer on a Pacific fleet tanker at the end of WWII. This video is correct in that he had medical discretion over who would receive alcohol after a trying event. One of these candidate events was falling overboard (in port). He said no one ever fell overboard when there was a shark in the area.

  • @gregjones7724
    @gregjones7724 Рік тому +224

    My dad served on a destroyer in the mid 50's. He told me that sharks would often tail ships waiting for garbage to be dumped overboard (including food scraps). A few min in to such a dump, they took a ham hock, wedged in a grenade and pulled the pin. As soon as a shark hit the bait it exploded along with the shark. He told me at that moment a shark frenzy started with all the other sharks going to town on the remaining shark meat.

    • @Rylee_DJ
      @Rylee_DJ Рік тому +10

      That’s awesome 🤣

    • @kgrfirdjy
      @kgrfirdjy Рік тому +30

      Hilariously dangerous things that would get you Court Martialed: THAT!

    • @Rylee_DJ
      @Rylee_DJ Рік тому +2

      @@kgrfirdjy 🤣

    • @Keeshaawnn
      @Keeshaawnn Рік тому +8

      Your dad sounds like a fun guy lol

    • @dougearnest7590
      @dougearnest7590 Рік тому +46

      1950's Captain: That was a stupid stunt. Do you realize what could have happened? Don't ever let me see you pull a hairbrained stunt like that again! Now get back to work.
      2020's Captain: You realize misgendering is a court-martial offense, as well it should be. Kiss your careers goodbye.

  • @stevenhall2408
    @stevenhall2408 Рік тому +63

    My dad was on a cruise in the Med in the 1950s and they did swim call a lot, it was his favorite thing. He told me one time swim call was sounded and he was the first sailor off of his seaplane tender and he really enjoyed the warm water but the ships momentum kept it moving so by the time they sounded the recall he could barely see the ship and he had to swim hard and got to the climbing net just as they were pulling it up! He said it was a very close call.

  • @guhalakshmiratan5566
    @guhalakshmiratan5566 Рік тому +78

    Captain Eugene Fluckey, MOH of the USS Barb (WWII Gato class submarine) would often throw some beers into the boat's coolers while pursuing a Japanese contact. The crew enjoyed the beers after the sinking. He also authorized "Depth Charge Medicine" (shots of liquor/spirits) from the Medical Officer/Pharmacist Mate after surviving a depth charge attack from an enemy surface force.
    "Thunder Below!" is a FANTASTIC book!

    • @rwaitt14153
      @rwaitt14153 Рік тому +7

      Back in Fluckey's day there was "torpedo juice" as well which was the ethyl alcohol from the torpedoes crudely distilled to remove the denaturing additives.

  • @nathangifford1424
    @nathangifford1424 Рік тому +6

    As a former Gunner qualled for Shark watch it was absolutely crazy learning for the first time that we had to shoot shipmates rather than the Shark.
    Favorite gun shoot was getting to shoot a M14 with a full mag of tracers just after sunset.

  • @Swiat34
    @Swiat34 Рік тому +82

    In 2003 as a Marine, I swam in the well deck and completed a Shellback ceremony.

    • @trombone113
      @trombone113 Рік тому +13

      Semper Fi, Devil Dog.

    • @helloidharbl6753
      @helloidharbl6753 Рік тому +1

      Fuckin' WestPACs!

    • @Swiat34
      @Swiat34 Рік тому +9

      @@trombone113 Semper Fi!

    • @Swiat34
      @Swiat34 Рік тому +5

      @@helloidharbl6753 No Sir, this was our return voyage from the Iraq Invasion. 😎

    • @alkh3myst
      @alkh3myst Рік тому +5

      Great memory, cargo! Uh, I mean Marine. Seriously, some of my best buds were in the Corps.

  • @joshuacook3069
    @joshuacook3069 Рік тому +82

    Experienced several beer days & swim calls, during my career, 1993 - 2013 (9.5 years actual float time). Crossed the line in 2002 for the first time. Traversed both Canals, visited 6/7 continents, and every deployment went to at least one tax free conflict zone. I had lots of fun, and saw the world.
    I will attest that the modern Navy does indeed count how many beers you drink on your beer day. There were more DAPAs around the open container zones than people actually drinking most of the time. Generally being in the Air Wing, we had jets to fix, so while everyone else partied, a no fly day (or half-day) was a maintenance mismanagement event, where you were allowed 2 hours to enjoy then back to work.

    • @ChristopherNips81
      @ChristopherNips81 Рік тому

      Sounds about right. Former USAF guy here.

    • @cvn6555
      @cvn6555 Рік тому

      We had one occasion where we got beer onboard and that was at a reception in the hangar bay in Jebel Ali. We all got two tickets for drinks but, of course, managed to all go more than a six pack.

    • @savevsdeath
      @savevsdeath Рік тому +1

      You crossed the line the year I joined. Thanks for making me feel less old 😂

  • @nicholasmoore2590
    @nicholasmoore2590 6 місяців тому +4

    The Royal Navy still allowed 8 pints of beer per man per day, along with the rum ration, throughout a good part of the 19th century. In the 20th, the rum was issued before lunch. Three cans of beer per man daily was also allowed, but this had to be bought. In my time, it was only the three cans per day, but on certain occasions some captains would allow a mess to buy extra beer. I only ever saw this overseas where we were working closely with US Navy units. They would often host us at barbeques etc, and we would reciprocate but had the extra beer to offer a few tins to our friends and fellow sailors. I still think USS La Salle did the best bbq we went to in the Gulf, mid 80s.

  • @CHOPSHOPX
    @CHOPSHOPX Рік тому +49

    Those guys deserve more beer and steel beach days! Thanks to all the men and women that serve! God bless you all

  • @merumwidt3120
    @merumwidt3120 Рік тому +28

    In the age of sail, they would lower a sail into the water to create a pool for the sailors. This accomplished two things: 1. It protected them from sharks and other hazardous denizens of the deep. and 2. Provided an accommodation for sailors who couldn't swim, for the vast majority of regular sailors (in addition to many officers) couldn't swim back then, nor did they care to learn.
    This was because of the fear that they would be left behind after going overboard (which was much more common back then), or in the case of the ship sinking. They didn't want to prolong their death by being able to swim.

    • @Knaeckebrotsaege
      @Knaeckebrotsaege Рік тому

      how would the sail on the water protect them from sharks? surely they could just bite through and rip it to shreds if they wanted to? or am i missing something here

    • @merumwidt3120
      @merumwidt3120 Рік тому +10

      @@Knaeckebrotsaege Sail canvas is very strong stuff, and it also has the effect of isolating the smell and splashing sounds of the sailors being in the water. Additionally when it's bowed out like a bowl and full of water it presents a surface that's difficult for a shark to get its mouth around to bite it.
      They also had lookouts posted in the fighting tops who could see a shark and pass word to a marine sharpshooter either up in the fighting top or below by the gunwales like today.
      I wouldn't say it was a perfect method and I doubt a captain with any common sense would lower a sail into waters where sharks were visible already, but like many solutions back in that time, it was "good enough". :)

  • @davidponseigo8811
    @davidponseigo8811 8 місяців тому +3

    My son just joined the Navy and will be leaving for basic training at Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago and then job training in Pensacola, Florida to be in cyber security and classified communications. His grandfather was career Navy and also trained at Great Lakes and was highly decorated for firing the first naval surface to surface and surface to air missile and shot down the first and second Mig fighter jet with a surface to air missile in Vietnam.

  • @pickawallbootz-
    @pickawallbootz- Рік тому +32

    The absolute most HORRIBLE SUNBURN I've ever had in my life was my second time having one and never even knew I could get one so bad as a black man, was onboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during a steel beach picnic on deployment back in 2010-11ish.

  • @chrisbacon3071
    @chrisbacon3071 Рік тому +33

    My dad (British Navy) became the favourite officer for the US Naval helicopter pilots because he would give them beers when they landed on his ship!

  • @sh8kit
    @sh8kit Рік тому +6

    Totally necessary! Boost morale and give them confidence to swim in the open sea 🌊

    • @BeachLookingGuy
      @BeachLookingGuy Рік тому +1

      yea the best part is when they light up a bunch of sharks

    • @timkramar9729
      @timkramar9729 Рік тому

      If I'm swimming, there's already a problem.

  • @chesterwilberforce9832
    @chesterwilberforce9832 Рік тому +84

    Rum and beer were used on early ships because fresh water was so difficult to maintain on a ship. Fermentation is a means by which water can be preserved for long periods of time aboard a ship. Modern ships and subs create their own drinking water from sea water.

    • @adambane1719
      @adambane1719 Рік тому +2

      Some apples are of a green colour, whilst other apples are red.

    • @afrog2666
      @afrog2666 10 місяців тому +1

      Helps having a bunch of sugar ;)

  • @em1osmurf
    @em1osmurf Рік тому +37

    i spent 59 months on the JFK, CV-67. i felt just about every minute of this. Capt Jack had the small boats (PVB) loaded with ice and beer, and debarked us into each one. i got my 2 beers, and after Qadafi and egypt, they tasted like wine. you have no idea what not seeing the sun for up to 3 months at a time on a ship is like. excellent vid!

    • @ibubezi7685
      @ibubezi7685 Рік тому +4

      You never came 'outside'? Not even an elevator? Were the deck and elevators always 'busy' (off-limit)? Even that aft 'gallery'? That is hard indeed!

    • @MlLKMAN
      @MlLKMAN Рік тому

      My first cruise was on the Kennedy in 97.

  • @johnmiller7682
    @johnmiller7682 Рік тому +45

    I was in the Coast Guard, and swim call was a regular thing. We would only have swim call in deep water, as this would reduce the risk of sharks. Though there are open water sharks, most stay close to areas where there is abundant food supply, like coral reefs.

    • @islamisthetruewaytogod6812
      @islamisthetruewaytogod6812 Рік тому

      Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time.
      Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them).
      Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI).
      Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy.
      Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful.
      Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI).
      Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).
      Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning!
      Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures.
      Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement.
      It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them.
      (19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad)..
      Salam (Peace) ----------

    • @Velo1010
      @Velo1010 Рік тому

      And I believe the splashing around just attention, not that the sharks are actively hunting people.

    • @rayburridge2359
      @rayburridge2359 9 місяців тому

      USS INDIANAPOLIS lost over 700 men when returning from delivering A-Bomb, torpedoed, and was under radio silence. It's claimed most of the men who died were either killed, or devoured by Oceanic White-tip Sharks which spend their lives out in the deepest oceans, and were deeply feared by Sailors, and Airmen alike. American servicemen were given the most ridiculous, useless, dangerous crap as 'shark deterrent I.e. blow bubbles in its eyes, hit it on the nose with butt of your service revolver..and SHOUTING at it underwater!!!!

  • @onemercilessming1342
    @onemercilessming1342 Рік тому +90

    My father was in the US Navy in WWII. He did not like swimming, so he volunteered to be shark watch. It may have depended upon the ship's captain, but he said trained sailors were not encouraged to just jump off the ship any place they felt like. Manpower was too precious to waste in injuries like that.

    • @blindbrad4719
      @blindbrad4719 Рік тому +1

      LOL, I feel like that's part of the reason why it's called "shark watch".

    • @onemercilessming1342
      @onemercilessming1342 Рік тому

      @blindbrad4719 It's far easier to attempt to denigrate a military person's service than it is to man up and serve yourself, especially during times of war.

    • @blindbrad4719
      @blindbrad4719 Рік тому

      @@onemercilessming1342 ha ha! Sod off trying to shame me. I was due to follow my dad into the army as a helicopter pilot proudly and I would've served in the second gulf war, but apparently they've got a problem with type one diabetes. so take your friendly fire comment and shove it. I notice you're not sharp enough to realise that my comment is agreeing with OP that being dissuaded into jumping off a ship Willy nilly is a good idea and giving sailors pause to do stuff that could cause blood to be spilled and attract sharks is also a competent thought, especially since I'm sure they knew far before us that small arms fire is redundant against sharks. not that you would have known if I'd been in the Armed Forces or not by my comment, however, you certainly come across as just another uneducated keyboard warrior. look at you thinking you're better than everyone else, that's not the poise and dignity of a hero.

    • @worldview730
      @worldview730 10 місяців тому

      That's like a pilot being afraid of heights

  • @epapa737
    @epapa737 Рік тому +19

    This channel does a better job at promoting the service than the government

    • @petergerdes1094
      @petergerdes1094 Рік тому +1

      Good channel but it doesn't beat top gun and similar films and tv. The most effective promotion the government does of the service is offering media that shows them in a positive light access and assistance.

  • @DevinShillingtonSkateboarding
    @DevinShillingtonSkateboarding Рік тому +30

    My tax dollars can go towards giving a sailor a beer any day

    • @Greg_call
      @Greg_call 6 місяців тому

      ❤. But taxes are going to pay off college loans. My attorney neighbor had a good part of his loan paid by biden. Neighbor makes over $250,000 a year!!

    • @dboconnor57
      @dboconnor57 5 місяців тому

      I second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth that motion, with immeasurable thanks!

  • @bc-guy852
    @bc-guy852 Рік тому +62

    Canadian landlubber here; I learned a lot here today including some Canadian trivia. Well done!
    (Your episodes get better and better!!)

    • @Devon7839
      @Devon7839 Рік тому +4

      Check out the story some more lol, they were dumb enough to post a photo of themselves loading the ship with beer on like the day the story went live about their issues. This caused a fleet wide tightening of rules regarding alcohol while deployed. Pretty sure several of the senior command staff were charged under the code of service discipline as well.

    • @swamprat69er
      @swamprat69er Рік тому

      Gone is the booze on Canadian Naval vessels, but also gone are the seamen. Because of women being in the navy and serving on ships there are no longer seaMEN on Canadian navy ships. Political Correctness at its' finest.

  • @keithperdue4993
    @keithperdue4993 Рік тому +29

    My dad was on USS Saratoga in WWII. They had to jump off flight deck to know how to do it in case of abandoning the ship. He said it was a 60 ft. fall & nerve-wracking the 1st time.

    • @dmorgan0628
      @dmorgan0628 Рік тому +1

      And you know one guy probably fucked up and did a belly flop lol.

  • @chrispoe8404
    @chrispoe8404 8 місяців тому +2

    If you can’t stay afloat, you will NOT be joining the Navy. -Retired Navy Chief.

  • @bfg1836
    @bfg1836 Рік тому +82

    I was on subs for 10 years and had 1 swim call. We made a trip to Maui from Pearl Harbor and anchored off the beach. 1/3 of the crew had to stay on board at a time. If it was our turn on board, and we weren’t on watch, we could swim. We took turns in the sail with an M16 for shark watch.

    • @kellyclark7517
      @kellyclark7517 Рік тому +1

      Maui no Ka oi🤙🏽

    • @monkofbob
      @monkofbob 6 місяців тому

      Did anyone ever see a shark?

    • @bfg1836
      @bfg1836 6 місяців тому

      @@monkofbob no

    • @SeattlePioneer
      @SeattlePioneer 5 місяців тому +1

      I'll bet if that person on watch let go with a few M16 rounds, people got out of the water REAL quick!
      "Seaman! When the time limit for swimming is up, fire five shots from that M16 into the air as a signal."
      "Yes sir!"
      Blam, blam, blam, blam, blam!

  • @3ducs
    @3ducs Рік тому +23

    My father was a Hellcat pilot in the fleet steaming for Japan when the A-bombs ended the war. He said that the ship, a small carrier, was supposedly dry but when news of Japan's surrender reached the ship a lot of booze appeared.

  • @relaxing_white_noises_by_j1980

    I remember my steel beach picnic aboard the USS Truman CVN-75 back in 2010. That was a time I'll remember forever.

  • @masterofwit339
    @masterofwit339 Рік тому +13

    Thank you to every single one of y’all who ever served. 🇺🇸♥️🇺🇸

  • @franciscodanconia4324
    @franciscodanconia4324 Рік тому +129

    Having done a dive off a cliff about as high as a Nimitz class carriers flight deck into a river as a dumb teenager I can attest that landing wrong can be very very painful. I wrenched my back, and for a second, while still 10 feet under the water, thought I had paralyzed myself and was going to drown. Needless to say, I've never jumped off anything higher than the 1M board at the local pool in the 30+ years since.

    • @michaelslifecycle
      @michaelslifecycle Рік тому +9

      Same thing happened to my friend. He broke his back and lost feeling in his legs for over a day until after surgery. He was lucky to be alive. It’s amazing how much impact there is from this kind of height. I’m surprised they even allow it.

    • @theregalproletariat
      @theregalproletariat Рік тому +3

      Scary - but no need to stop!
      Just learn how to do it right.

    • @sammylacks4937
      @sammylacks4937 Рік тому

      I'd want to be the one manning the gun. Yall swim and I'll shoot.

    • @desertodavid
      @desertodavid Рік тому +1

      @@michaelslifecycle why would there ever be a need to dive from the flight deck?? Notice I said dive not jump. By the way the John C stennis is a nimitz-class carrier is it not? White Deckers 90 ft above the water. Why in the world would you attempt to dive off the that unless you are an expert cliff diver??

  • @JohnsJohnson-ns5xm
    @JohnsJohnson-ns5xm Рік тому +5

    On the enterprise for six years and four tours, we had many swim calls, but never jumped off the flight deck always a sponson. I consider myself a really good swimmer but I would never voluntarily jump off the flight deck. I don’t know how high the Enterprises was, but it had to be 70-80 feet. It’s a hell of a dive.

  • @IanJackieBlake
    @IanJackieBlake Рік тому +8

    I was in the Royal New Zealand Navy and we were the last Navy in the world to issue the Rum Ration. Sadly this was discontinued in 1990 when all eligible personnel were issued a last Tot and the remainder was bottled for purchase by sailors to take home. The RNZN still carries rum to enable Splice the main brace and other very special occasions

    • @my12spoonswithrose43
      @my12spoonswithrose43 Рік тому

      I had forgotten about that until you mentioned it. I'm a fellow Kiwi who lived through the old triad exercises & spent many years out near Hobby Airforce Base, the yanks were always amazed about the rum rations & loved joining in when they could.

  • @rockysquirrel4776
    @rockysquirrel4776 Рік тому +13

    My Dad served on the Carrier, USS Essex at the close of the Korean War. He was good at diving off the deck because he did cliff diving before he joined.

  • @NBZW
    @NBZW Рік тому +1

    Was in the navy 52-60, never had a swim call.

  • @inCawHoots
    @inCawHoots Рік тому +58

    In my last two deployments, I experienced all that, minus ports. Thanks Covid.
    Crossed the equator, had several beers, swim calls, steel beaches because no ports, and guns go off during 4th of July.

    • @ltmcolen
      @ltmcolen Рік тому +2

      Deploying during COVID was a living hell. In 2019 we did a tour of 6 months and they let us leave the ship once.

    • @eleatus2163
      @eleatus2163 Рік тому

      Shellback hooah

    • @mflb94
      @mflb94 Рік тому

      @@ltmcolen 2019 was before covid tho

    • @USNWaveRet
      @USNWaveRet Рік тому

      My daughter was on the COVID CRUISE as well and then they got extended!!! They returned to port with 206 days UNDERWAY, NO LIBERTY PORTS (2020)! Their COVID CRUISE BOOK was hilarious!!! As a retired Navy Veteran and the mother to a SAILOR... I had to buy her cruise book. I am the historian of my boot camp base (no longer around). They even had a COVID CRUISE T-shirt made! I bought one of those too! LOL! She became a Shellback as well as steel deck picnics and beer! And swim call! I miss those steel deck picnics... they were so much fun in my day at sea!!! I never did the swim call though, just sunbathed on the fo'c'sle. We almost did shellback on our maiden cruise (I am a plankowner)... but the Navy said NO because we had females on board! They spoil all the fun!!! So, I came close. :( We were only about 50 miles away and the Navy would not authorize it.

  • @DanG-xl5op
    @DanG-xl5op Рік тому +8

    Haha, my lazy fact check of this channel was watching a bunch of videos on the Navy. Hit GM2 in my short time in. He's surprisingly accurate about some of the lesser known going-ons in the modern Navy. Got all nostalgic a couple of times watching some of the stuff. Hated being in but had some good times and loved my job
    In 4 years, had several beer days, Swim calls (never shot sharks, though!), steel Beach parties, etc. Not a brag. Very long and secluded deployments/work-ups. A good MWR officer is worth 1000x the money tax payers are forking over. Can really bring a little life back to the ship at times

  • @readthetype
    @readthetype Рік тому +1

    _“Don’t worry, this can’t kill you. But be careful, this can kill you.”_
    I’m not certain _“can,” “can’t,”_ and _“kill”_ mean what you think they do.

  • @SamuraiKage-iv3ow
    @SamuraiKage-iv3ow Рік тому +48

    And I thought turtles lived too long at 100+ years, but then comes along the Greenland shark at 500 years 😱

    • @absie6287
      @absie6287 Рік тому

      Fun(?) fact: most of them are blind due to eye parasites! You can see the parasite in the clip of a greenland shark in this video, its the thing trailing out of its eye

    • @sigbauer9782
      @sigbauer9782 Рік тому +6

      Turtle: I live 100 years.
      Shark: Hold my beer.

    • @MrChopsticktech
      @MrChopsticktech Рік тому +2

      @@sigbauer9782 Maple Tree: hold my sap

  • @LeBellmont
    @LeBellmont Рік тому +36

    You think they would forget random submariners during shower calls? I just imagine someone looking very panicked and confused cause someone wanted to pull a bad joke

    • @DBVG11
      @DBVG11 Рік тому +3

      It's not what you think!

  • @williamblankenship6501
    @williamblankenship6501 5 місяців тому +1

    We've got to shelter our sailors, so a well deck is the true measure of swim call. We have to make sure nobody gets any boo boo's. This really primes our brains to know pain and to stay focoused incase of a casualtie. It teaches us courage.

  • @ChefMatt420
    @ChefMatt420 Рік тому +19

    Consider 5,000+ Sailors on board and the logistics associated with keeping the watch stations manned and all day food production. About 3,500 choose to do the swim call on these evolutions and it takes about 3-4 hours to cycle everyone through their 10 minutes in the water, with each Sailor being un-available for about 2 hours total. It's a fun time, but definitely not an easy one for the triad or critical workcenters.

  • @gradypatterson1948
    @gradypatterson1948 Рік тому +8

    In 8 years (late 1984 - early 1993), I *never* saw a "swim call". We had steel beach parties on occasion (I don't drink, so I don't remember there being beer, but ...). The closest I saw to a "swim party" was Crossing the Line!

  • @Kal93
    @Kal93 Рік тому +4

    The ocean is terrifying. I would rather die on land than by sea. I'm fine with having a phobia of the ocean because as long as I'm on land, I don't experience terror 😂 Seeing those people dive off of the ship sent shivers up my spine even though it looks like fun.

  • @Shaun9918
    @Shaun9918 Рік тому +39

    I was on the Enterprise in 01 and we had a swim call in the Persian Gulf. It was common to sea snakes slithering along in the water. There was no way I was going to risk getting bit by a snake. I also signed my waiver for my shellback as we nearly crossed the equator. It was the same day as 9/11 so we turned the boat around and I never received my shellback.

    • @JM-lk6wo
      @JM-lk6wo Рік тому

      Waiver? What kind of nonsense is that. When I crossed in 1977 on the USS Midway, there were no such things. If you didn't want to participate, you didn't, if you did, you did, no CYA waivers during an "unwoke" non mamby pamby era.

    • @Shaun9918
      @Shaun9918 Рік тому +2

      @@JM-lk6wo uhh, I don't believe it had anything to do with that. This was 2001 so that type of vocabulary and bias didn't exist. It was about liability.

    • @baronvonlimbourgh1716
      @baronvonlimbourgh1716 Рік тому +8

      Whats a shellback?

    • @JM-lk6wo
      @JM-lk6wo Рік тому

      @@Shaun9918 that's part of what I meant, we weren't nearly so thin skinned then, nowhere as likely to 'sue because someone looked at me wrong'. The navy has, for many years, been very paternalistic toward junior enlisted, likely adopted the waiver nonsense because of whiny brats complaining about eveything.. BTW, I was a Marine, not a sailor, but had plenty of experience with the navy thought patterns.

    • @Shaun9918
      @Shaun9918 Рік тому +12

      @@baronvonlimbourgh1716 It's an initiation ceremony for crossing the equator. Anyone who already had their shellback could participate in the rituals which was meant to be funny yet embarrassing for the new members.

  • @kennethwers
    @kennethwers Рік тому +13

    My dad served aboard the aircraft carrier Chaniago (WWII converter oil tanker). The bombing sites asked for grain alcohol for cleaning. To get it he had to go to medical. He drank it on the way back and cleaned the sites with carbon tet.

  • @trailblazer1047
    @trailblazer1047 8 місяців тому +1

    I cant believe they did that,i have pictures of me jumping in,was fun,never any sharks,once Dolphins came close.

  • @pierevojzola9737
    @pierevojzola9737 Рік тому +7

    Hi, the last navy to issue the rum ration regularly, the Royal New Zealand Navy, abolished the practice on 28 February 1990. It just took so long for the last lot of Jamaican rum to reach that far into the South Pacific! Cheers mate. Harera

  • @williamromine5715
    @williamromine5715 Рік тому +17

    Thank you for putting things in perspective with the Nimitz crew. We forget what our military members(and their families) sacrifice to keep us safe. It's heartwarming to have a u-tuber point that out. I like your channel very much, and my respect for you just shot thru the roof.

  • @ForeverTheWar
    @ForeverTheWar 6 місяців тому +1

    1 swim call for me entire time in '10-'16, in the Atlantic ocean on the USCGC Elm '10-'12. Born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego, very comfortable with water. I did not like swimming in the middle of the ocean, I could not relax, even with a shark watch, a diver, and a small boat in the water. It is a very eerie feeling, like you know you're being watched by something in the water but have no idea where or what it is.

  • @redjive7031
    @redjive7031 Рік тому +10

    You definitely need to be able to swim to be in the Navy. I just graduated bootcamp and seen many people get separated for failing the swim test.

    • @surmatise
      @surmatise Рік тому +1

      There was a guy that got asmo’d into my division because he failed the swim test with his first division, then he failed in ours and was asmo’d again into another division He did end up passing in his 3rd division because I bumped into him across the street in great lakes at the NEX during aschool. This was in 2004.

    • @redjive7031
      @redjive7031 Рік тому +1

      @@surmatise Had a guy who got separated from bootcamp right before battlestations the first time he went to bootcamp. He came back a year later and was part of my division.

    • @trombone113
      @trombone113 Рік тому

      When at Parris Island, I had a lot of "trouble" with the swim qual and was kept back a week to do it again. The fact is, by the second week I was all of a sudden a good swimmer with no issues. The simple fact was, I liked swimming in the pool instead of doing the crap the rest of the platoon was doing. A very wise decision on my part. That thought of pure genius got me the rest of the way through bootcamp. 😁

  • @MikeDarr61
    @MikeDarr61 Рік тому +8

    I served on an LHA way back in the day. They would flood the well deck for swim calls. But there were still shark guards posted.

  • @antikoerper256
    @antikoerper256 5 місяців тому +2

    LOVE the floating air inflatables around the swimmers LMAO... Much love and respect from your humble NATO ally - Bulgaria

  • @morrowear
    @morrowear Рік тому +27

    A friend of mine is in the German Marine, that's our version of the Navy and in February-March 2022 they were doing recon missions on russian vessels in the mediterranean and black sea... And they had more beer onboard than ammunition. Can't imagine a more german way of doing that

    • @adoe2305
      @adoe2305 Рік тому

      Well yeah, they rely on the U.S to provide the ammunition

  • @randmayfield5695
    @randmayfield5695 Рік тому +60

    For those interested: James Cameron's decent into the 7 mile deep trench in his Deepsea Challenger submersible took place in 2013. I live in a rural area and the closest grocery store is spot at 7 miles from where I live. Putting that distance into perspective by imagining it vertically in a water column leaves me perpetually gobsmacked. Cameron did it by himself so if any of you are scared to swim on top, give Camron a call and get his recipe for growing a "pair". Lol UA-cam has lots on his decent and it's worth looking into. Stay safe everybody and take care.

    • @ibubezi7685
      @ibubezi7685 Рік тому +1

      Yup.... that is also how I try to imagine ocean-depths... Only a few meters under you start to feel the pressure already....

    • @giantdad1661
      @giantdad1661 Рік тому +1

      Why didn't he go deeper? Thought he had a pair.

    • @webby2275
      @webby2275 Рік тому +9

      ​@Giant Dad Because there is literally nothing that is deeper than the bottom of Challenger Deep, Marianas Trench.

    • @randmayfield5695
      @randmayfield5695 Рік тому +1

      @@webby2275 Amazingly true. Plate tectonics at its best.

    • @giantdad1661
      @giantdad1661 Рік тому +7

      @Webby Yeah I realized that after I double checked the depth of the trench. He also did it in a submarine designed to withstand the pressure.
      Saturation Divers have more balls than James Cameron.
      Imagine being in absolute darkness for 30 days at a time and having to weld shit that deep.

  • @teamdivinum6049
    @teamdivinum6049 Рік тому +2

    When I compare the old recordings with the more recent ones, I immediately notice how more athletic and masculine they all used to be. Damn

  • @IamTHEONLYgus532
    @IamTHEONLYgus532 Рік тому +12

    4 years of active duty and I spent it all aboard the USS Nassau. During that time, we had only one swim call and that was inside the ships well deck. Steel beach picnics, on the other hand were more often.and something we looked forward to during that period when we spent 63 days straight underway at sea.

  • @JackofAllTrades1
    @JackofAllTrades1 Рік тому +4

    As a Gunners Mate in the Navy I used to have to stand “Shark Watch” on the 03 level of the ship with an M-14 rifle while the ships crew was on a swim call. Good times

  • @christianroach5107
    @christianroach5107 Рік тому +5

    3:22 "There is no risk of drowning in concrete." Italian-Americans heavily dispute that claim.

  • @IntubateU
    @IntubateU Рік тому +28

    We had two swim calls during my five patrols on USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN634). Both were in the Tongue of the Ocean off of Andros Island in the Bahamas. I didn't get in the water on either of them. Instead, I just sat on the turtleback and dangled my toes in the water. Some guys though, swam down the side of the hull until they got far enough down the curvature that they could go upside down and then walk across the bottom of the hull - popping up on the other side.

    • @mehitabel1290
      @mehitabel1290 Рік тому +1

      WOW!!!

    • @Moon___man
      @Moon___man Рік тому +1

      screw that, even swimming under ships in video games gives me the creeps lol

  • @oldnewdude9095
    @oldnewdude9095 Рік тому +48

    As a former submariner I can confirm that this is true. When we had our swim qual after we crossed the equator, the men armed with M14's were there to shoot us not the shark. Yes I went swimming anyways, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to cross off a item on my bucket list that I didn't know would be on it🏊👍🏻🦈😱

    • @chrismc410
      @chrismc410 Рік тому

      Why M14s on a Submarine? You'd think handguns and submachine guns like MP5s would be better for Force Protection and a submarine's close quarters

    • @oldnewdude9095
      @oldnewdude9095 Рік тому +3

      @@chrismc410 this was over 30 years ago, all we had on board were M14s, 45s, and shotguns.

    • @davidkingsley3244
      @davidkingsley3244 Рік тому +1

      I was on watch in the Engine room when my boat had it's only swim call & they didn't relieve everyone

    • @vincentanguoni8938
      @vincentanguoni8938 Рік тому

      ​@@chrismc410 seriously? You didn't understand his comment!!! The guy is full of crap...he was never near a boat! (Sub)

    • @chrismc410
      @chrismc410 Рік тому

      @@vincentanguoni8938 I understood it verbatim/ literally. Reason why I responded as I did was having a long rifle like an M14 on the confines of a SSN/SSGN/SSBN didn't make sense. With the exception of a carrier, they're a dubious proposition on most of the surface fleet

  • @francescomazzella5568
    @francescomazzella5568 5 місяців тому +1

    Swimming off Tulagi, on the Solomon Islands, off the back of one of the service boats in 2010. No jumping but a 20 meter Jesus line trailing behind. Looked like fun swimming out to another Island 50 m away. Got halfway across then realised we could be a shark smorgasbord very quickly. Made a calm retreat back to the boat while my sphincter was twitching madly.

  • @douglasspende929
    @douglasspende929 Рік тому +4

    When I was in the Marines and stationed on the USS TARAWA they would open the back landing hatch and we would just jump of that 5 feet only or we would swim in the landing craft bay pool inside the TARAWA. It was fun. I had to learn how to hold my breath for 2 to 3 min since I was in Forced Recon. My MOS WAS 0317. Snipers were taught how to repelling out of Choppers and jumping the Halo jump. We were taught by the Aswome Navy Seal teams! They are the best trainers in the Navy! SEMPER FI Seals!

  • @andystewart581
    @andystewart581 Рік тому +10

    Served onboard a carrier, a frigate, patrol boat and a destroyer. No swim calls except the patrol boat. It had a swim platform on the stern. 132 days off the coast of Beirut, no beer. 90 days on Barge Hercules (PB base) usually a couple of beer nights per week. Beer was free but only allowed 2, if you signed for them. A lot of people signed for them, like Fred Flintstone, John Wayne and numerous friends I knew, all signed for them.

    • @Rylee_DJ
      @Rylee_DJ Рік тому +1

      Fred flintsone being a false name? And why they did that is so they could have as many beers as they want? 😂

  • @xCosmicMuffinManx
    @xCosmicMuffinManx Рік тому +10

    The Coast Guard still has swim calls quite often. I had numerous swim calls while on patrol, I never wanted to take part but it was always cool hanging out on the flight deck while everyone's playing football and swimming
    Edit: Thanks for calling it a Steel Beach 😂 the correct name

    • @todydn
      @todydn Рік тому +1

      Wel id hope so swimming is sorta thier job. A coastie not swimming is like marine not eating crayola
      Or a navy seal not writing a book its not natural

  • @nikerailfanningttm9046
    @nikerailfanningttm9046 Рік тому +65

    My friends dad was aboard the USS Norris DDE-859 during the Korean War and they used to do this, but with the deck crew on guard with the anti aircraft guns pointed at the water. He told me that the captain gave the crew permission to fire at anything that swam near his sailors that was larger than school desk. Today, the navy doesn’t do that!

    • @brianb7388
      @brianb7388 Рік тому +6

      The coast guard had an incident a couple years ago, there was a guy with an M-4 firing into the water no more than 5 yards from people swimming trying to drive a shark off. I'm sure like a lot of naval traditions the Navy has cut way back on swim calls because a mishap could derail the CO's career so he's taking a risk when he puts people in the water.

    • @alphazero6571
      @alphazero6571 Рік тому +9

      this video talks about greenland sharks like they are some vicous predators like cmon.. they are like the vinnie the pooh of the sea

    • @blindbrad4719
      @blindbrad4719 Рік тому +1

      I swear sir! There was definitely a shark the ninth time…

  • @jonathangorman1873
    @jonathangorman1873 Рік тому +5

    Fun fact for you: In the (British) Royal Navy just about anyone with the surname of Ward ends up being called "Sharky", this is derived from lookouts being posted to watch for sharks during bathing sessions being known as "shark wardens".

  • @kamikazemelon787
    @kamikazemelon787 Рік тому +3

    Highest cliff jump I've ever done was about 45ft, and even landing correctly it felt like my entire body got pummeled. That and higher is definitely enough time to think "oh crap I'm actually going pretty fast now"

  • @Dronte75
    @Dronte75 Рік тому +6

    From the point of view of the Italian mafia, I would find the statement that it is not possible to drown in cement highly debatable.

  • @WTH1812
    @WTH1812 Рік тому +4

    Ball shot works best. It's not fractured or deflected by the water.
    Target practice off the fantail is always fun, if you're not in port.
    Point your toes, hold your nose, step to the edge and off youse goes.

  • @johnnyamerica4336
    @johnnyamerica4336 Рік тому +1

    There are some inaccuracies in this video. There ARE minimum swim qualifications a sailor must pass to graduate from basic training.

  • @rmp5s
    @rmp5s Рік тому +6

    Seriously, if you're physically able, do an enlistment. You get to do things that you'll NEVER get to do anywhere else (like jump off an aircraft carrier into the ocean!) AND you'll learn more about the world, job skills, yourself, etc in one enlistment than you will in an entire LIFETIME of college. It really is awesome.

    • @jonathanpfeffer3716
      @jonathanpfeffer3716 Рік тому +1

      was this comment written by the US military

    • @rmp5s
      @rmp5s Рік тому

      @@jonathanpfeffer3716 Nope. Just a Marine vet that knows joining was the best decision he ever made.

  • @MoA-Reload...
    @MoA-Reload... Рік тому +12

    Years ago I worked on passenger ferries and was one of the TO's for seasonal crew. For basics of sea survival, life jacket and practical liferaft training we used to train off the side on the actual ship they'd be working on. This would usually be early March so water would be a little chilly but it was controlled conditions. Part of the training is learning how to jump from the ship with life jacket on and ideally NOT snap your neck in the process. Fail to demonstrate you can do it, you no longer work there.
    2002(ish) health & safety nuts stepped in and said we couldn't do that anymore. The problem they had wasn't the jump from height in life jacket. It was that we were doing it off the side of the ship into really cold water... Except that was part of the point! Best description I have for what it feels like to jump into truly frigid water is it's like the worst ice cream brain freeze while being repeatedly kicked in the chest while rolling around on a million pin tacs. So congratulations health & safety idiots, since 2002 the very first time any new member of cabin crew on UK based passenger ferries will get to experience that is right when we need them to keep their crap together and do their ficken job!

    • @blindbrad4719
      @blindbrad4719 Рік тому +1

      I like the fact you've missed out the part where you can still do the Coldwater training without the high jump at the same time.

    • @azerty1933
      @azerty1933 Рік тому

      There was most likely a death from this training on another ship.
      Health and safety rules are written in blood and if there is a risk of dying in a controlled environment, that means you need to entirely rethink that controlled environment
      So sorry mister "we used to be tough but now it's only sissies" but that's a good thing that serious risk of death is removed from training for passager ferries. You're not the navy and in reality you never even came close to a near death experience

  • @DroneUpp
    @DroneUpp Рік тому

    I was one who did Swim Call in the Mediterranean many years ago. It was fun but I don't think I would do it today. Older and wiser. Great memories of seeing this video.

  • @Dennis-uc2gm
    @Dennis-uc2gm Рік тому +17

    As a US tax payer I'd buy a drink for these service men and woman anytime they had the luxury of enjoying it. It's the least we can do for them serving far away from home and having to do who knows what in the protection of this country.

    • @TheGearhead222
      @TheGearhead222 Рік тому

      Same here. Plus, vets really appreciate any gesture, even if it's a thank you for serving. I still give away a P-38 to all vets I meet-John in Texas (USN-Desert Storm/Shield)

  • @CoreyKearney
    @CoreyKearney Рік тому +5

    I'm surprised you didn't point out why the rum ration started in the first place. Because even with the low alcohol content. It was easier to keep it potable, than just plain water.

  • @Cmon-Man
    @Cmon-Man Рік тому +1

    One of best Navy memories, swim call. Had 3 off USS Independence CV62. Amazing to float in such deep, open water. Had only one beer day, heading home after Persian Gulf

  • @dangerzonegaming5358
    @dangerzonegaming5358 Рік тому +7

    We did a swim call a couple months ago on our deployment, was a great experience