|
Water rationing during Market time We were on "Operation Marketime" off the coast of Viet Nam in 1965. Sheer boredom and frustration most of the time. I was 1st Class Engineman in charge of the forward engine room. These duties included generators, engines and assorted equipment including that piece that was very necessary to everyone on board; THE EVAPORATORS. The evaporator operated on three pumps: one to pump in the sea water, one to pump out the brine and one to pump fresh water to the storage tanks. We were on patrol for 45 or more days at a time. On this particular patrol, 2 of the pumps went inoperative; the salt water feed pump and the brine pump. So water was rationed. This meant that we had salt water showers. Remember them??? All fresh water was shut off, with the exception of the engine rooms. We were standing war conditions which was 4 hours on and 4 hours off. So I was working all my off-time trying to keep the evaporators making water. Fresh water was carried in the big bug juice containers from the forward engine room to the mess deck for the rest of the crew's comfort. One day I was about at my wit's end when the mess cook came down and hollered at me, "Where's the water?" I was feeding the evaps by jury-rigging from the fire main. I don't remember exactly how I was disposing of the brine. The one remaining pump was pumping fresh water to the tank. I also had a black rubber hose hooked up to the fire main, for what purpose I can't remember. This hose was laying on the deck, hooked to a red valve handle, meaning that it's salt water. The red handle was very obvious, if he had just given it some thought. But he was too busy being obnoxious. When he hollered at me, it was the straw that broke whatever. When he said, "Where's the water?" I pointed to the black hose and said, "Right there." He grabbed it, put it in the bug juice can, opened the red valve, filled it, shut off the valve and went back up the ladder. He never said thank you, kiss my butt or anything. I heard later that the 1st class Corpsman got the first cup of water and spit it clear across the mess deck. No one said a word to me for 3 or 4 days. At that time I happened to see the XO, better known as "the bear", and he said, with a grin on his face, "Hill, you hadn't oughta do things like that." Looking back on it, it was funny. Just another sea story, but I'll tell you this; my set-up of the evaps worked and we had water when we arrived back at Subic Bay. Howard Hill, ENC |