USS Fort Snelling (LSD-30)

After I left the service I went to college, graduated with a BA in English in 1974 and an MA in English in 1980. Attended computer programming school in 1981. First employment after the Navy I worked in A/C and refrigeration. Later jobs after graduation were teaching English in high school and college. As a computer programmer I worked for the state of NY and NY City, ending my working career after 25 years at that as a senior director of software development. Personally I was married twice and had a child by the second wife. Currently happily divorced and involved for almost 15 years with a lovely woman who has no interest in marriage. Retirement has allowed both of us to travel a bit around the U.S. and Europe. I'm a registered democrat and more liberal than not.

Military Service:

I was an EN-3 and had passed the test for EN-2 but was too short at the time to take the pay grade.

USS Fort Snelling LSD-30 Story:

I came on board F.S. from Great Lakes Engineman's school Sept 1963. I was in A Division and worked on the four boats, the emergency diesels, the anchor, the steering gear and the two hydraulic cranes as well as the stern gate. In addition I moved on to work in the A/C and refrigeration gang. We took care of the galley refrigerators, the ward room refrigerator, the Captain's A/C and so on. As a fireman I sometimes stood watches in the engine room when underway. One of my more enduring memories happened the day President Kennedy was assassinated. I was messenger of the watch and had to lower the flag to half mast and walk through the ship's quarters announcing what had happened. In lowering the flag it almost ripped out of my hands it was so windy that day. The OOD that watch was a crusty lieutenant that had served in WWII and had come up through the ranks. We used to call him "tight jaws" because he didn't say much, never showed emotion and was all spit and shine. He stood inside the watch cabin, smoking cigarette after cigarette, staring out at the jetty and crying. (I wrote a short story about it later on.) In 1964 we barely outran a hurricane in the Caribbean, but the weather was so bad no one was permitted on deck. My partner in crime tied a rope to me and I got out an after hatch and took some photos which I can't find. In 1965, our ship was the first to arrive at the Dominican Republic during that crisis. This required round the clock engine repair work. And I think it was the best time of my entire service working the midnight shift for weeks. On the Med cruise from 65-66 we anchored outside Genoa and for New Years Eve those of us on liberty got stuck on shore due to a bad storm. I spent the night on the floor of a whore house since I didn't have anymore money. In 1966 we were (I think) the command ship for a couple of months in the hunt for the lost atomic bombs off the coast of Spain. I spent a lot of time in the water as boat engineer shuttling back and forth between the beach and other ships. The worst time we had was when we had an NBC camera crew with us and got hit with a freak storm. The boat almost capsized but only the ability of our hotshot coxswain got us to safety. He was only a kid but he could pilot a boat. BTW one of the camera crew was loudly saying prayers and you could hear him above the wind and the crashing waves. The best time I had was my final cruise when I became a shellback and on the way back from the equator stayed in Trinidad. We got overnight liberty there and need I say more about that. Wooohooo. . .

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