What is your favourite city in the world?

[lesofprimus]

We used to get Lobster on special occasions while deployed.... And if we were at sea for longer than 90 days consecutivly, we were allowed 2 beers... (We ended up with a "Few" more than 2 each... Hehe)

I was part of one of these "Beer Days" off the coast of Somolia.... I have a few pics from that day somewhere..... Ill look and see if i can find em....... I have it all on video tape though... Hilarious....

A bunch of drunk SEALs singing Alive by Pearl Jam, inside a portable Sat Comm Unit latched to the flight deck...... Those were the days...

[Nonskimmer]

Sounds like a hoot.
Mmmmm, lobster! We once saved some Norwegian fishermen off the Grand Banks, and in gratitude they gave us crates of fresh shrimp and a bunch of lobsters. We ate like kings for days!

You might already know this, but the USN actually had the daily rum ration up until 1914.

[lesofprimus]

I cant find the pics.... Dammmit....

Thats a great sea story Skim..... I remember being on the USS Newport News and we rescued a bunch of Haitians in shark infested waters... We didnt get any sort of goodies, but we did get the chance to sink a 45 foot vessel with small arms fire....... (I'd rather have the lobster)

Kinda similar to what u did Skim..... I remember seein a pic u posted.......

[Nonskimmer]

Yeah, but we were just practicing on an abandoned dhow. That was in the Gulf one time.
And as I said before, I don't get to fire the .50 cal a whole lot. Hence the piss poor marksmanship.

[lesofprimus]

Still, I'd rather have the lobster..........

[Nonskimmer]

I hear that!

[Medvedya]

Are the USN ships still 'dry' then?

[Nonskimmer]

Dry as a bone. Poor devils.
Except for two (officially ) cans of beer every two or three months at sea, like les said.

[FLYBOYJ]

Yea - but wait till shore leave

Thank god I didn't do sea duty. Les- I know you're going to call me a polliwog, but at least I could have a beer after work!

STORY: I was on deployment in Hawaii in 98.' The carriers Kittyhawk and Independence came into Pearl at the same time, the last time 2 large carriers were in Pearl was prior to WW2 (I wonder why). Anyway when all those Marines and Sailors were let loose, downtown Waikiki looked like a scene from the movie "1941."

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I would have to say either Freiburg or Stuttgart, Germany. (Stuttgart only because I was raised there).

[trackend]

Originally Posted by BombTaxi

Needless to say being a nipper, he didnt get any!

Another old navy saying (a nipper) in the days of sail a powder monkey would be in charge of coiling the anchor rope. every few feet a thin line or nip would be tied around the rope to fix the coils together so as the powder monkeys where rarely above the age of ten nippers became associated as the name for a young boy and for moving quickly about to tie the rope (nipping about) . You probably knew that already
what a mine of totally usless information I am.

[Medvedya]

Most of it is interesting though! Okay, I know it's nautical, but where does 'Three sheets to the wind' come from?

[trackend]

Sheet is a name for the line that controls the foot or bottom of a sail (its the throttle) a square rig has two sheets most others have one the term used to be free sheets to the wind not three sheets to the wind if you let go of the sheet the sail is no longer under control ie falling all over the place the word free ended up being barstardised too three

[Nonskimmer]

Originally Posted by Medvedya

Okay, I know it's nautical, but where does 'Three sheets to the wind' come from?

A "sheet" in the days of sail referred to the ropes used to secure the corners of sails to the booms. I'm guessing the expression has square sails in mind, and "three sheets to the wind" would mean one was loose or missing. The sail would flap about wildly and uselessly, like a drunk staggering.

It's something along those lines.

[Nonskimmer]

Ah, trackie you beat me this time!