I couldn't say anything about ship handling since I was down in the engine room. I never met any merchant sailors except one from a USNS ship who told me I could make four times the money on his ship. Once I got out, I pursued it but I kind of got used to dry land and never did follow up.
Step son was chief in navy. Every thing too hot or too cold. Had to wear coat in computer room no matter where sailing.
Flintlock76 54light15 He said how he was in the Coast Guard and that there was a real rivalry between them and the Navy guys. A friend of mine in the Corps was a graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point NY. He said there was a HELL of a rivalry between the Navy and the MM as to who were the better seamen. Of course that was then, I don't know about now. On the other hand several years ago I was watching an episode of "Whale Wars" and there was a knock-down drag-out argument between two of the bridge crew over the finer points of ship handling, one was ex-Navy and the other ex-Merchant Marine. Personally I wouldn't sail with that bunch at all, they were crazy!
54light15 He said how he was in the Coast Guard and that there was a real rivalry between them and the Navy guys.
A friend of mine in the Corps was a graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point NY. He said there was a HELL of a rivalry between the Navy and the MM as to who were the better seamen. Of course that was then, I don't know about now.
On the other hand several years ago I was watching an episode of "Whale Wars" and there was a knock-down drag-out argument between two of the bridge crew over the finer points of ship handling, one was ex-Navy and the other ex-Merchant Marine.
Personally I wouldn't sail with that bunch at all, they were crazy!
Considering the number of incidents that have happened to Navy vessels in recent years, as a civilian, I cannot find much solace in the Navy's seamanship.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Backshop Yet the British do just fine with Sandhurst, which doesn't grant a degree at all.
Yet the British do just fine with Sandhurst, which doesn't grant a degree at all.
Right, Sandhurst is strictly military. They expect all applicants to be well-educated to begin with, "education" isn't their mission.
The course of Sandhurst is less than a year in fact, 44 weeks.
54light15He said how he was in the Coast Guard and that there was a real rivalry between them and the Navy guys.
Ah, the Coast Guard. One day in 1976 I was getting out of my car at the base in Norfolk. I drove a 1960 Nash Metropolitan. A guy came over to talk about it as he had one too. He said how he was in the Coast Guard and that there was a real rivalry between them and the Navy guys. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we never thought or talked about the Coast Guard at all. Not once.
Overmod I'm not sure why Annapolis (or West Point, or Colorado Springs, come to think of it) are any less prestigious than their academic peers elsewhere.
I'm not sure why Annapolis (or West Point, or Colorado Springs, come to think of it) are any less prestigious than their academic peers elsewhere.
They shouldn't be. My brother, USAF Academy Class of 1978, said getting in was the "easy" part. As far as the curriculum was concerned STAYING in was the hard part!
Back in my brother's time when you graduated one of the service academies you graduated with a degree in engineering. Whether that's still the case I don't know. At any rate there's a LOT more to the academies than learning how to blow things up and kill people. There's a lot of VERY well educated young people that come out of West Point, Annapolis, and Colorado Springs.
No disrespect to the Coast Guard Academy. I don't know where that one is.
Is it a true story or just a story? Seems improbable to me.
Rick
rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.
BEAUSABRE a young man (son of a USMC Colonel) graduated from an exclusive private school
All those years in that tony prep school and the good Colonel had no idea what he was paying for? At any rate whatever they were selling obviously the kid wasn't buying. I'm guessing the son just kept his mouth shut and went along with the program figuring he couldn't win anyway. Sometimes that's the best course.
BEAUSABRETrue story. About a decade ago, a young man (son of a USMC Colonel) graduated from an exclusive private school (forgotten which one) in New England. The "problem" was that he had earned an appointment to the Naval Academy. You think the school would be proud of one of theirs qualifying for such an appointment. Wrongo! The Board of Trustees convened an "emergency" meeting with all the students' parents to discuss how they had "failed" in this student's education so that he would seek to become a career military officer
If this is in fact a true story - and from only a decade ago - there should be a legitmate media story and link to that story available to back up the assertion.
Hope the parents read the riot act to the school administration.
True story. About a decade ago, a young man (son of a USMC Colonel) graduated from an exclusive private school (forgotten which one) in New England. The "problem" was that he had earned an appointment to the Naval Academy. You think the school would be proud of one of theirs qualifying for such an appointment. Wrongo! The Board of Trustees convened an "emergency" meeting with all the students' parents to discuss how they had "failed" in this student's education so that he would seek to become a career military officer
I agree that in some quarters, the military is looked down upon. Really though, it's history that most people don't care about. Unless it's to rewrite or spin it to fit someone's agenda.
The Sullivan brother's father, Thomas Sullivan was a conductor on the Illinois Central out of Waterloo, IA.
Jeff
I had two uncles in a C-47 outfit that were separated prior to deploying overseas during WW2. They both yelled like hell over being split up but as they were told, "Them's orders boys, no brothers in the same outfit!"
Post-Sullivans obviously. Some people think there's a law on the books concerning this but it was actually a War Department directive. I believe it was carried over into the Department of Defense when that was established.
On my ship we had two brothers, both went on a Med cruise but the rules eventually caught up with them and one was transferred due to the Sullivan rule.
As were "sole surving son" regulations. Which from the stories I've heard, these regulations didn't prevent at least one Army sergeant from running into his son in Vietnam.
54light15I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this:
"The Fighting Sullivans." I've seen it, and it's pretty grim considering the outcome. As I understand it it wasn't a big hit when it was released, it just hit too close to home for a lot of people.
Sadly, the Navy DID have a regulation against multiple family members serving on the same ship but it wasn't enforced. After the loss of the Sullivans it was.
I don't know if this show quaifies as an anthology series, but I am currently watching the original "Untouchables" series. Each one functions as it's own story and isn't connected to the next episode. Each one is a one-hour film noir and features actors that we all know such as Lloyd Nolan, Jack Warden, Cloris Leachman, Jack Lord, James Coburn and many others and Neville Brand makes a credible Al Capone.
There are railroad scenes that are mostly stock footage except the one where Capone is transported to Alcatraz with the railroad cars moved there on a barge which is historicall correct. Seems like a lot of trouble to move prisoners, though but that's what they did.
There is stock footage of aircraft, mostly Boeing 247s and once a Curtiss Condor.
There were actually a wide variety of successful anthology series during that era.
Some of the big hitters that immediately spring to mind are The Loretta Young Show, Desilu Playhouse (Of which the hour long 'I Love Lucy' episodes were separated and rebranded as the 'Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour' for syndication, as well as being notable for giving birth to the Twilight Zone and the Untoucheables), General Electric Theater (With ex movie star and future president Ronald Reagan as host), Playhouse 90, two successful Twilight Zone clones titled 'The Outer Limits' and 'One Step Beyond', and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
For some reason outside of the sci-fi stuff, the Lucy episodes of Desilu Playhouse, and Alfred Hitchcock's show, even the big hits saw little to no syndication, disappearing soon after their first run concluded.
A lot of hit black & white dramas in general for whatever reason weren't viewed as holding much syndication value from this era, with some obvious exceptions like The Twilight Zone and Perry Mason that have never left the air. The Defenders is a huge one that leaps to mind for a non-anthology tv drama from the b&w era that was extremely successful and then virtually disappeared from the airwaves upon cancellation.
Part of it was the switch to color that damaged the desirability of b&w programming, but it didn't do nearly the same amount of damage to the big sitcom hits for whatever reason.
Edit: I almost forgot one of my favorites, Disney's anthology tv series that during Walt Disney's life was first branded as Disneyland, then Walt Disney Presents, and then the Wonderful World of Color when it moved to NBC in the early 60's and started to be broadcast in color. Thankfully the Walt era run of the show (I never watched the later incarnations after the Wonderful World of Color) escaped the vault during the earlier years of the Disney Channel and saw a lot of airtime.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037323/
or this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvvNoXw2-0
Erik_MagAnother story that seems to be fading away is the story of Rodger Young, which I remember from the episode of "The Great Adventure".
I remember that series! I loved it as a kid! Unfortunately like most anthology-type TV series it never found an audience and didn't last long. TV viewers prefer shows with a regular cast they can get attached to and follow. The only anthology series I can think of that was sucessful is "The Twilight Zone."
There's episodes of "The Great Adventure" posted on YouTube if anyone's interested. Some great storytelling!
Leo_Ames I'd like to think that the story of the Sullivan brothers is still a draw for them.
I'd like to think that the story of the Sullivan brothers is still a draw for them.
I first learned about "The Sullivans" from the directions that came with the Revell model of DD-537 (this would have late 1966 or early 67). Learned a bit more from the Time-Life WW2 book series.
Another story that seems to be fading away is the story of Rodger Young, which I remember from the episode of "The Great Adventure". It was vivid enough in the late 50's and early 60's that the star ship in HeinLein's "Starship Troopers" was named after him. On a related SciFI note, the crashed starship in the circa 2010 Star Trek movie was the "Franklin" - watched that with my son and he had no grasp of the symbolism of the name.
With the Battle of Midway concluding 80 years ago, WW2 for my kids is slightly farther in the past than the Spanish American war was for me at their age.
I'm sure that's best. I'll just say that I disagree with the idea that the military is looked down upon.
Same me, different spelling!
BEAUSABREPatriotism is looked down upon. The military is viewed as a career for rednecks of limited IQ and murderous disposition
In some quarters, but far from all. I won't go further since it would turn the thread political and we don't want to go there.
BEAUSABRELeo_AmesI'd like to think that the story of the Sullivan brothers is still a draw for them. Who? As a retired career Army officer, it pains me, but ninety-nine point nine percent of US citizens have never heard the story and most of those who have don't care.
Leo_AmesI'd like to think that the story of the Sullivan brothers is still a draw for them.
I sadly don't disagree.
I worded what I said very carefully knowing that I'm stating what I wish the situation was, aware that the reality is the exact opposite.
Rail preservation groups neglect one of the basic tennants. Get a shed over the equipment is a start. I have seen too many good pieces of equipment go bad in the rail, wind, snow, freezing cold making ice that breaks equipment. Then enclose the shed during bad weather to provide additional protection.
These basics are what our posters are getting at. You provide facilities to prevent any more deteoriation. Also have a location that will not flood. If you can't then you do not deserve the equipment.
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