View Full Version : Sailors and Coffee
Sailors were a bunch of coffee drinkers. Started in the morning and their mug wasn't far away all day. I was one of the few that didn't drink the stuff but got stuck with the coffee mess. So one day when filling the pot in the sink I noticed the soap dispenser. I thought I'll just put a little soap in this stuff and I'll get off this detail. Well everyone drank the brew up. So the next day I put in a little more and still no complaints. This went on for a week or so and everyday I would put in a little more soap and still no complaints. Finally I got to the point that I thought I might kill someone with all that powdered lye soap so I stopped. I thought maybe I might get a complement on the coffee without soap but no Sailors will drink any coffee the don't have to make.
On my 2nd day aboard ship the I was the the Squadron Duty Officer (SDO). The Skipper came in and told me to make a pot of coffee. I had never used a 30 cup coffee maker before but how hard can it be?
The C.O. was waiting and as soon as the ready light came on he poured himself a cup. He took a big swig and spit coffee all over the floor. Seems I had filled the maker from the deep sink... which any sailor should know is rigged with seawater.
:icon_salut:
Michaelp
10-20-2010, 10:21
Whatever happened to keel hauling?
Another coffee story. The Captain came to the Photo Lab to have his official portraits taken. So I'm setting up the shooting room. The Photo Officer and Captain go to his office for a cup of coffee. The coffee cup given to the Captain was one that I drilled a whole in so that it would dribble coffee on the user. Yep I got the Captain and his Marine guard had to go fetch him a clean white uniform. Can't believe I didn't get in trouble for that one.
We lived on practical jokes, playing cribbage, and letters from home.
Maybe you guys could post some of your better practical jokes. A good laugh is appreciate any time.
Being a Machinist's Mate, we ran the fresh water stills on both surface craft (targets) and submarines. The Navy used a powder called Hagevap to remove scale from the tubes and improve efficiency. I never did this, but I know some old salts who did: if you wanted to fix somebody who messed with you, you'd put two pinches of Hagevap in their coffee. They would be on the toilet for the next week or two.
"We lived on practical jokes, playing cribbage, and letters from home."
On the ballistic missile subs it was practical jokes, pinochle, and an occasional familygram from the radio room (I think we could two or three on a 60-day patrol).
Nick Riviezzo
10-20-2010, 01:43
I can't believe the soap in the coffee didn't have every man in the mess with diarrhea! One of the big points in field sanitation[back when we had mess kits and field chow]was to have enough boiling water "trash cans " with soap to dip your messkit in to clean it before and after use. Had to be sure we had enough "rinse water" to clean the soap off of your mess kit. If you didn't take care, you weren't running a fighting command but a field diarrhea ward for the medics!!!.Nick
While in Basic Training at Lackland AFB in 1961 most everyone in the barracks came down with something after the evening meal. We had a bunch of commodes but not near enough. Just before lights out a SSGT came to the door and asked the TI if anyone there was sick. The TI made it very clear that there was a serious problem as he had heard of similar problems at the other barracks in our area. The SSGT said a problem had been found with the rinsing machine at the chow hall. We never found out if it was mechanical or human error.
Now that you mention it, you've just made sense of something I noticed before. When I was in the Guard, three of the guys in our supply section were prior service Navy and I can't recall ever seeing them without coffee.
When I was in the Guard, three of the guys in our supply section were prior service Navy and I can't recall ever seeing them without coffee.
We loaded 25-lb cans of coffee before going out on patrol. We stored more coffee than we did food or spare parts. I think we drank so much coffee because the cups were too darn small and we had to keep refilling them. I remember running the trash/garbage compactor and 90% of what we loaded in there was coffee grounds!
If someone said a Navy ship was grounded on coffee grounds. It meant they rarely went to sea and were tied to the pier most of the time. Something I would have liked to serve on.
If someone said a Navy ship was grounded on coffee grounds. It meant they rarely went to sea and were tied to the pier most of the time. Something I would have liked to serve on.
Yep, the sub tender at Rota, Spain would get underway once a quarter to clear the coffee grounds, but, more importantly, to allow the crew and squadron personnel to continue collecting pay for sea duty.
John Sukey
10-22-2010, 12:46
Well one day the cooks screwed up and made coffee SO BAD the Gi's were throwing it out. I am sure everyone knows how bad that has to be!
Brother-in -Law was stationed on the Nerius at treasure Island (sub tender) WOODEN DECKS! So many concrete patches in the hull that when they had to occasionaly take it out they wern't sure of getting it back. Had to be towed in once.
Not saying coffee was bad at Oceana in the late 60's but there was alwasys a pair of shears by the coffee urn to cut off a chunk. Nastiest coffee I ever drank. Even worse that what the scout snipers at Quantico use to make in the 80's
When I reported for duty at NASS Whiting Field parachute loft I was told the new guy makes coffee in the morning. I had never made coffee in my life so I dumped the grounds in, as much has it would hold, dumped water in it and plugged it in. I figured that when they drink this crap they will fire me on the spot. The Chief came in got a cup of that tar and took one sip out of it. He stood there made a couple of weird faces, smacked his lips and said "Damn, that's the best coffee I had sense I came to this $hit hole". I got stuck making coffee in the mornings till he left almost 6 months later.
John Sukey
10-23-2010, 07:09
Now I do drink tea not coffee. In the mess Hall at Ft George (Aberdeen Scotland) I drew a cup from the urn and the milk was already in it! The Scots have wierd tastes!
cwartyman
10-25-2010, 03:45
Was on duty in the squadron ready room as a young Lcpl had been told to make sure the coffee was ready for when the pilots started to roll in and to make it strong. So i used two packs of coffee then after that brewed, rebrewed the coffee again. The looks on the pilots faces were priceless, after that I was told the pilots would brew their own coffee.
Mack
USMC 1988-1995
Does the Navy still put salt in the coffee?
Mickey Christian
11-10-2010, 06:15
Coffee and the Navy....
While in boot camp (1971), I drank a LITTLE coffee at meals in the mess hall. When service week arrived ( when your company gets it's turn washing dishes &etc.) I quickly noticed that you could check out a sponge from the cleaning gear locker and clean the toilets one day and the next day you could clean the coffee pots with the same sponge! So I didn't drink much coffee in boot camp.
When we used to go to the field, coffee was a luxury that only came out with hot chow...maybe once every other day if we were lucky. We had to depend on C-rat or MRE coffee. Most of the grunts would make field 'mocha' with the coffee, sugar, creamer and cocoa packets. Most of the guys used heat tabs but I carried a small "GAZ" propane stove. With it's blue flame in the bottom of the fighting position it couldn't be seen ... and warmed up the hole. In the mid eighties, I was assigned to the 9th ID at Ft.Lewis as a platoon sergeant. We had been in the field for a week and were in a stand down period before our ARTEP. We had just been issued the new MRE's and were still getting used to the different items. Two of my squad leaders came over to my hole and asked if they could use my stove to brew up some mocha. As we sat on the edge of the hole waiting for the water to boil these two got out their condiment packets and began preparing the "brew". We were sitting there enjoying a canteen cup of hot drink when one of the squad leaders said that it tasted funny. The other guy denied it did and then asked the rest of us what we thought. It did taste funny ... and was gettig thick. A quick click of the flashlight revealed the problem ... in the dark, two packets of creamer had been missed and two packets of dehydrated ketchup had been added instead. Being wet and cold, the two packets of creamer were quickly added and we all enjoyed a cup of "tomato soup mocha".
If someone said a Navy ship was grounded on coffee grounds. It meant they rarely went to sea and were tied to the pier most of the time. Something I would have liked to serve on.
Some years ago one of the tenders that had been moored in San Diego was moved, and divers were sent down to inspect the condition of the harbor bottom. On the bottom was a large pile of coffee mugs that someone figured was below the railing just outside a galley. Apparently the sailors had stepped to the rail to take a break and either accidently knocked cups off the rail or found it easier to drop them in the water rather than return them to the galley.
mike24d20
09-09-2011, 10:33
You be talking about the USS Dykeson ( dixon ). She was morred to Sperry pier when I was there.
Hal O'Peridol
09-10-2011, 11:20
When we used to go to the field, coffee was a luxury that only came out with hot chow...maybe once every other day if we were lucky. We had to depend on C-rat or MRE coffee. Most of the grunts would make field 'mocha' with the coffee, sugar, creamer and cocoa packets. Most of the guys used heat tabs but I carried a small "GAZ" propane stove. With it's blue flame in the bottom of the fighting position it couldn't be seen ... and warmed up the hole. In the mid eighties, I was assigned to the 9th ID at Ft.Lewis as a platoon sergeant. We had been in the field for a week and were in a stand down period before our ARTEP. We had just been issued the new MRE's and were still getting used to the different items. Two of my squad leaders came over to my hole and asked if they could use my stove to brew up some mocha. As we sat on the edge of the hole waiting for the water to boil these two got out their condiment packets and began preparing the "brew". We were sitting there enjoying a canteen cup of hot drink when one of the squad leaders said that it tasted funny. The other guy denied it did and then asked the rest of us what we thought. It did taste funny ... and was gettig thick. A quick click of the flashlight revealed the problem ... in the dark, two packets of creamer had been missed and two packets of dehydrated ketchup had been added instead. Being wet and cold, the two packets of creamer were quickly added and we all enjoyed a cup of "tomato soup mocha".
Bear, I was at Ft. Lewis from 1985 to 1987, HHC 109th Mi Bn. Got stuck as unit armorer since they had no slots for my MOS. When/where were you there?
ut1seabee
10-02-2011, 08:03
Was never much of a coffee drinker,but the green machine ran on coffee and cigarettes. When stationed at Barbers Pt. Hi. ,
was in a command with mostly fleet sailors. One chief had a cup that was black inside, a non rate wave decided she could
earn some points by scrubbing it out like new. Wrong move, the chief had a s---fit because it took him years to get the cup
"just right". Most of us were filled with secret delight, because the chief was a nimrod. I had also seen everything from soap
to piss added to the coffee by those who felt it the only recourse they had to get even with the chiefs and senior p.o.'s
which were the predominant coffee drinkers. Another reason I never drank much coffee in service.
Griff Murphey
10-03-2011, 05:10
A friend, now, sadly, passed from lung cancer, was a snipe on the DDG USS RICKETTS. He told me the engine room gang drank mostly tea, made very strong, and mixed with Myers dark rum!
One day I was mixing photographic chemicals for the photo lab. The Chief put his coffee cup down on the counter outside of the chemical mixing room and walked away. So I put a pinch of acid in his fresh brew. The same chemical we used to make lemonade. Then on the shelf above the cup I put a canister of something with the big skull and crossbones. So back comes the Chief and takes a big sip of coffee and his eyes got big. The next thing is he sees the canister with the skull land crossbones. So he runs to the sink, spits out the coffee, and started the fresh water flush for ingesting poison.
I kept a straight face as I was probably looking at brig time for this prank and acted completely innocent. One of those deals where you had to keep it to yourself and couldn't even tell your best friend. The Chief never said a word to me about this prank but I had to watch my back for a long time. Chiefs didn't serve 20 or 30 years without learning a thing about practical jokes.
I was never a big coffee drinker and still am not. I much prefer a cup of hot chociolate!
I largely quit drinking what little coffee I did drink because the Navy stuff was so damned strong.
I used to comment that I could not understand why the bottoms of those big stainless steel coffee urns hadn't been eaten out.
As Ordnanceman on P2Vs it was my job to do the cooking and make coffee on long patrol flights. The cooking I liked, but since I did not drink coffee that job irrated me. It only took me one flight to get the radioman assigned the job. I screwed up the coffee making good and, bingo!
Sarge
P. Greaney
10-11-2011, 06:32
Right before I reported onboard the McKee, 60 minutes did a story on the forty lesbops they busted on the Dixon. Hence the name dykeson.
mike24d20
10-11-2011, 10:13
Greaney: I was too report onboard the McKee in 1980. Got a busted lip an messed up jaw while on leave, an thus got sent too the NWS 48 shop at goosecreek. was there from 80-84. Small world.
jon_norstog
02-05-2012, 07:18
When I was in the Coast Guard I remember a sea story: I guess it was the CGC Taney, on Vientnam duty, had pulled in to Subic for repairs and R&R. They sent a diver down to inspect the screws. The diver said everything was ok, but there was a coffe cup sitting on the skeg for the shaft!
jn
If someone said a Navy ship was grounded on coffee grounds. It meant they rarely went to sea and were tied to the pier most of the time. Something I would have liked to serve on.
my dad served his last 3 months on bldg 8* in virginia beach oct 54- jan 55
*also known as AGC-8 USS Mt Olympus...
ive heard of guys making coffee using brown paper towels for filters while out to sea when they run out of the normal kind. that and the coffee having an oil slick on it...
ive heard of guys making coffee using brown paper towels for filters while out to sea when they run out of the normal kind. that and the coffee having an oil slick on it...
That's not a sea story that's fact. The stronger it was the better those old salts like it.
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