Back in the day

[ksaves2]

I remember a funny story my maternal uncle Cecil told me. He was in the Air Force and worked on the Minute Man I and maybe II missiles in the mid 60's in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I asked him if there were any stories he could tell me about his time in the Air Force. As I was a young teen, I thought he would say "no" but he perked up and told a story.

They were doing maintenance on a warhead on a missile and a new "Capitan" said, "Can you speed this up?" Uncle Cecil said to the guy, who must've had a hot date lined up. He replied, "Well sir, this here is a 4 MEGATON thermonuclear bomb and it could leave a very big hole in the ground." It got a "Carry on order."
It was the funniest thing and sad thing I ever heard.

I remember when I visited out there my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins said they'd be the first blown away in World War III. Kurt

 

[Hobie1dog]

We have more nukes than ever. Now China wants to go from 500 to 1500 of them. Insanity defined.

 

[ONAWHIM]

In the 70's I was on a fleet ballistic missile submarine, an FBM carrying Poseidon UGM-73 missiles. As part of a work team I was tasked with changing out an o-ring associated with a ballast flood valve INSIDE a missile tube eject chamber directly underneath a bird.

Exclusion area was set up with security and we used reader-worker routine to open the watertight door and I would crawl in directly under the motor and do the work. A little un-nerving.

The petty officer reading the instructions to me stopped and shook my leg calling my name. When I turned around he had is head in the hatch area with a cigarette hanging from his mouth asking me if I had a light.

I was not pleased.

 

[Hobie1dog]

In the 70's I was on a fleet ballistic missile submarine, an FBM carrying Poseidon UGM-73 missiles. As part of a work team I was tasked with changing out an o-ring associated with a ballast flood valve INSIDE a missile tube eject chamber directly underneath a bird.

Exclusion area was set up with security and we used reader-worker routine to open the watertight door and I would crawl in directly under the motor and do the work. A little un-nerving.

The petty officer reading the instructions to me stopped and shook my leg calling my name. When I turned around he had is head in the hatch area with a cigarette hanging from his mouth asking me if I had a light.

ABSOLUTELY NOT, i would have got thrown in the slammer for refusing that order, and I would have found a way to get back at that guy.

 

[Antares JS]

My navy/coast guard dad told me once about how they would prank people who sat at metal desks by wiring an ordnance detonator to them and hitting the trigger as soon as they sat down. The guy would spring right back out of his seat, unleashing a string of curses.

 

[jimzcatz]

In the 70's I was on a fleet ballistic missile submarine, an FBM carrying Poseidon UGM-73 missiles. As part of a work team I was tasked with changing out an o-ring associated with a ballast flood valve INSIDE a missile tube eject chamber directly underneath a bird.

Exclusion area was set up with security and we used reader-worker routine to open the watertight door and I would crawl in directly under the motor and do the work. A little un-nerving.

The petty officer reading the instructions to me stopped and shook my leg calling my name. When I turned around he had is head in the hatch area with a cigarette hanging from his mouth asking me if I had a light.

I was not pleased.

Smoking on a submarine? I say pish posh!!

 

[ONAWHIM]

Smoking on a submarine? I say pish posh!!

There were "butt kits" strategically placed to extinguish your cigarettes.
The smoking lamp was either lit, or out.

 

[Hobie1dog]

smoking in a submarine? Pretty much says all you need to know about human intelligence.

 

[tsmmiller]

The USS Blue Back is part of the OMSI exhibits in Portland, OR. Smoking on submarines is quite evident when you visit the interior of the sub. The smell of cigarettes is still very much the primary odor.