heads i win

Heads I Win

         Upon arrival in Long Beach, the USCGC Glacier was in need of an overhaul. All summer long keeping McMurdo Sound free of ice, took its toll on the aging vessel. This was after taking over the main break-in from the Polar Star. The Polar Star, Flag ship of the polar class Icebreakers, and pride of the fleet. Brand spanking new, Icebreaker. The trouble seemed to be located in the engine room spaces, or more specifically the reversible pitch screws that allowed less strain on the transmission than going in and out of gear, as the Glacier had to do.

      The Glacier now relieved of scientific ops, could now get back to the main work of Ice breaking old school style...that is Back and Ram....Back and Ram 24/7...Intense vibration throughout the ship during Ice Breaking Ops was nerve racking at its best. If you were not already stressed from the 24 hours of daylight. Freezing ass cold temperatures, The ongoing vibration, especially during chow would certainly challenge your reservoir of patience, trying to get those peas from your fork to your mouth, then imagine the frustration with, only a few female scientists aboard to fantasize sexual relations with. When they came aboard in Long Beach they appeared plain, overweight and not too excited about dressing that up with some make-up and a little cleavage. After all 19 years old.. I think I had a consistent hard -on all day. Now they were looking like the Kardasians. Having to navigate around 300 shipmates, some of whom you would rather not see out on deck at night around the equator, had an irritating quality, since you were positive it only took about 50 sailors to operate the vessel.

Even so we were happy and proud to be able to come to the rescue and engage in the operations that the Glacier was designed at built for. State of the art at her christening, in 1957 she was a Glacier class Icebreaker of one. Admiral Richard Byrd ..famous polar explorer and aviator was aboard her maiden voyage and this is the 21^st trip to Antarctica the Glacier has completed.

       As we approached the, dead in the water, in this case fast ice Polar Star, someone authorized the deck force to construct a sign 10x20 feet. When we approached close enough for there deck force to be able to read our sign we raised it on the flight deck and the message was clear. FOLLOW US......IF YOU CAN...........We could see the crew scrambling around on the flight deck like there was a mutiny.

     

As we were passing them, there deck-force managed a sign of there own “ONE MORE BEFORE THE GRAVEYARD”

The overhaul the Glacier would undergo would take place at Todd Shipyard. San Pedro. Since been shut down. Living on the ship as I was, we were required to stand fire watches on board . That consists of 4 boring hours watching a union welder in a tiny little claustrophobic space. It sucked. Life aboard ship in the yard is miserable. Hot, noisy, filthy. Union shipyard workers taking a siesta in our rec room. It was a relief when Master Chief Petty Officer Biel announced they needed a seaman to send up to the Small Boat Station Channel Island Harbor 50 miles north. Only 2 of us stepped forward . So the chief decided the decision will be made, with a coin flip.

I called Heads I win, and I sure did. Looking back sometimes I think of how different my life would have been if I had of lost that coin toss.

       During my tour of duty at Channel Islands Harbor. I was a deckhand on the 41ft Search and Rescue boats. We had towed in a couple of urchin boats, so I was familiar with some of the divers.

Back in those days, it was not too difficult to get the Coast Guard to give you a tow in. As far as me and the other guys were concerned, we did not mind at all. I t was the fun part , doing the rescues. Anything to get off the base for a couple hours. It was not uncommon for an amateur boater to run out of fuel, then call the Coast Guard.

      It was kind of a joke really.....Mick McHenry Fuji 3 denied he ever said this, but considering that his boat was towed in by the Coast Guard more times than any other vessel, in that period. ( Before the conversion to diesel v drive and the 3 ft length added on, he had a crysllar gas) I was on the 41 footer motoring in the harbor...I noticed there was an urchin boat slightly ahead of us...one of the passengers yelled something about meeting him at San Miguel Island, for a tow. I wont get into the details, but it was obviously a joke, but it did reflect the attitudes of the time. Last I heard Mick is a 2^nd mate now,     Sailors Union of the Pacific/US Merchant Marines

       President Ronald Reagan put a stop to the practice of Coast Guard vessels engaging in “rescue” operations that were less than an emergency. No way was he going to let the government compete with private enterprise. So he instituted policy that prohibited the Coast Guard from providing services to boaters unless property or lives were in immediate danger. This new policy allowed for private tow companies like Vessel Assist and Sea Tow room to operate.

      As I got acclimated to the local culture, I soon found out about a weekly softball game between Drifters Reef, which was a local dive/biker bar a couple of blocks down from the base, and the Rudder Room another dive bar located on the other side of the Harbor entrance. Turns out there was a scattering of urchin divers that participated in those softball games.

       I was due to be discharged in a few months, and I would rather remain in Southern California after my discharge. So I needed some employment"ASAP”
      The softball game is played at the elementary school and I overhear a conversation that interested me because it was about quitting a sea urchin boat.  I asked about the boat because I assumed they would be needing another diver so I actually got the phone number and called. Wallah  I am in !!!

    

Gary Wolloman pulled up at the fuel dock in the Sundown, a beautiful 27ft Farrallon The first one built for commercial I was told. She was brand new shiny white hull and gleaming chrome fittings and railings. We agreed to meet there that Saturday and I was excited. Gary was a very soft spoken gentlemen. He was also a professional. He was actually an officer in the Army. He was so mellow he never yelled and I rarely seen him very angry. A good guy to learn from. So off we went down the coast to Leo Carillo . .

I must of lost my wetsuit hood, but I did not think I would need it. These waters seemed almost tropical to me, since I broke in under the chilly waters of Puget Sound. Gary just laughed and said I could use his. I fumbled around down there with the gaff hook Gary used with the handle cut short and the sharp end filed down I filled the inner tube to float the net bag and then I grabbed the line hanging underneath for an assist up. Well I pulled too hard and the barrel knot was loose so all the urchins I just picked came falling down on top of me on there way back to the bottom.

        I was AWOL from the base that day because I was on restriction for some minor infraction. I returned that evening, just in time to hear over the PA "Seaman Thomas Please report to the OOD's office immediately!" The C0 ordered me to explain my whereabouts the last hour they had been looking for me. 'I was in my bunk and I could not hear the PA that well from there. I was taking a chance they had not actually checked my bunk, and I was right they had not. So I got away with it....YES I made 86 bucks that first day and I was happy with that.

  Everything just lined up, and I was in the right place at the right time and took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself, along with a little luck, and I was off and running Commercial sea Urchin Diver Southern California.  Eat your hearts out all you doubters.  Ha Ha