The USCG 40-foot Utility Boat

[pachesma]

"smokin a doob while out on patrol"

Nah, we'd wait and go up into the "bosuns locker" up over the main deck in the boathouse. When I was a duty boat crew engineer morning boat checks with a certain BM3 also brought forth an "enlightenment" for the day.

For some reason the local girls we knew from the ginmills(most of 'em worked at one of 'em) like the 40 boats as well.

We'd be on "sunset" patrol in the summer and pick up 2-3 of them offa the St Joe piers. Run out 7-8 miles, shut her down, then say "put out or get out". It was a joke, we never meant it seriousily, but the look on them girls faces for the 1st 5-10 seconds WAS priceless. Although we did have some pretty interesting times on the Rec Deck in the dead of winter witha couple of 'em!!!-JRC

[JerryM]

STUNNED!

I am absolutely stunned!

All the 40 boat people I worked with were abstemious, businesslike, celibate divinity students who, even if they had ever indulged any vices would never have partaken of forbidden pleasures while on DUTY.

 

[vftb]

I loved the pot smokers on board  .  Underway the off-duty section usually got a ration of two beers during movie call.  If you knew the pot smokers, you could usually weasel them out of their ration 

[EX-CG-GM]

I loved the pot smokers on board  .  Underway the off-duty section usually got a ration of two beers during movie call.  If you knew the pot smokers, you could usually weasel them out of their ration 

As MAA I was the one that doled out the beer.  Some folks didn't want theirs so I would set them aside.  The QM 1, an ET and I used to get pretty buzzed off the spare beers.   

[BuoyJumper]

I loved the pot smokers on board  .  Underway the off-duty section usually got a ration of two beers during movie call.  If you knew the pot smokers, you could usually weasel them out of their ration 

As MAA I was the one that doled out the beer.   Some folks didn't want theirs so I would set them aside.  The QM 1, an ET and I used to get pretty buzzed off the spare beers.   

Eeeeegads ....     TALK ABOUT LEAVING A FOX TO GUARD THE HEN HOUSE .....      

[EX-CG-GM]

Eeeeegads ....    TALK ABOUT LEAVING A FOX TO GUARD THE HEN HOUSE .....       

I was just doing my part to keep them young'uns from falling into a dissolute lifestyle and sinful ways......

 

[vftb]

Man, now we're talking Old Guard.  Although I don't know, I think **** like that would last about two seconds in today's Guard.  Could be it's better  , but we sure did have fun and never missed a beat doing our jobs.

[EX-CG-GM]

Man, now we're talking Old Guard.  Although I don't know, I think **** like that would last about two seconds in today's Guard.  Could be it's better  , but we sure did have fun and never missed a beat doing our jobs.

A lot of what we did in those days could never be done in a co-ed Coast Guard; much less a CG that is so tied into sensitivity and political correctness.

 

[pachesma]

Yep, I'm pretty sure what we did in the "old guard" would be tolerated for about a third of a nano-second these days.

First of all alot of us had beards, I still have the one I wore on active duty. Can you imagine that, people workin on the water havin a beard!!!

We all drank like it was the day before prohibition started as well, I have numerous "page 7" alcohol related entries in my service jacket as well. As did MANY of my fellow crewmembers. It wasn't unheard of to have a jug of peppermint schnapps aboard for cold wx ops either.

Drinking age was 18 and I was prior service havin spent 3 years in the Navy, 18 months of which was on patrol boats in SE Asia during vietnam. And it was pretty much the same stuff we did then as well.

Our OinC was cool. Although a hard line, old school. "old salt" E-8, he threw as many beer blasts and steak fries as he could, and he always looked the other way when the duty crew grabbed a couple, three, five, or ten cold ones as well. Just so long as ya could do yer job when ya were called to.

We were havin a beer blast/steak fry at the unit one day going full tilt when the bell went off for an overturned SV with POB's in the water. We hit the 40, hauled a$$ out the pierheads, got the folks outa the water, righted the sailboat witha parbuckle, dewatered it, brought the POB's and the vessel back to the STA, and the victims hada beer anda steak with us. And not a one of us one the boat crew coulda passed a sobriety test.

This was back before "thou shall not stand in the way of commercial salvors" and we'd go out for everything, usually close to 300 calls a year. Same boat crew together for 2 or so seasons, we could do this stuff in our sleep, or half lit.

Throw in an easy boat to run, the 40, it was all a piece of cake-JRC

[vftb]

18 months of which was on patrol boats in SE Asia during vietnam.

Where and when John??  We coulda crossed paths somewhere along the way 

[Zoomer]

Throw in an easy boat to run, the 40, it was all a piece of cake-JRC
[/quote]

We didn't have quite that much fun in SF.  I guess it was different being at the "group" office.  Too many Zeros around to bust your chops, but they left the 40 crews alone pretty much and we could get away with some fun stuff.

[pachesma]

I was there afta 1972. Ha Tien, Giang Thanh River, Vihn Te canal. We run PBRMkII's and STABS-JRC

[Bill]

I started out on single screw boats. First the 36 MLB, then a wood 30 both at Michigan City LBSTA. When I got to Belle Isle in 62 they had 40's. After running 40's for a couple years we got a glass 30. The 30514 I think, that boat was fast, but a real pain to operate in wind and the currents that we had to deal with at Belle Isle. Give me a twin screw 40 anyday.

[vftb]

I was there afta 1972. Ha Tien, Giang Thanh River, Vihn Te canal. We run PBRMkII's and STABS-JRC

Bout 2 years after my time.  Not familiar with the STABS ( could be I'm just not familiar with the name), worked around a lot of PBR's though.

[vftb]

John (Pachesma), look here