The last day of the port visit in Hong Kong found me stuck on the ship for a duty day. I had seen mostly everything I wanted so I was not put off much by this situation. I had my stores on board already and most of the crew was ashore so I settled in for a boring day. My watch was not until much later in the day, although it promised some excitement.
I was chosen to be a boat rider during the time period when curfews started ending for the majority of the crew. That meant picking everyone up from the pier on the last day of their liberty. This was not a pleasant thought, particularly with the carrier in port at the same time.
The sailors on the CURTIS WILBUR actually gave me very few problems, I was surprised by how genial they were acting. The same could not be said for several of the other ships in port. That ended up being the biggest problem for my sailors. They had trouble getting through the crowd to board the right liberty boat. I had security on the pier make several announcements while I was waiting to make sure no one missed out on a ride back. By the time I was relieved only a few Chiefs and Officers remained in Hong Kong. The views of Hong Kong at night are truly breath taking. The pictures I took on my camera do not do it justice.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Stores On-Load/Last Day in Hong Kong
Considering the last day my ship would be anchored would be a duty day for me, I had one more chance to explore Hong Kong. First though, I had a stores on-load to contend with. Up to this point all my stores on-loads had been at a pier. I had intentionally avoided any stores while at anchor because of the logistics involved. I had no choice this time as the kind of stores I would be receiving were still about half the price I would pay for them later on in the next port, Singapore. What I mostly needed were soda and Gatorade.
Pallets had to be unloaded from a boat to the floating pier lashed to the side of the ship. From the floating pier everything was inventoried and then moved up a ladder-well rolling with the waves on the floating pier. I considered this a very dangerous prospect particularly since someone had their foot rolled over the day before. I was literally praying the ship did not take some kind of freak wave while stores were still on the pier. It ended up fine, no one got hurt and all my stores were safely put away in the storerooms.
After the stores on-load was finished most of the Officers had left the ship but one of them had stayed behind to get a little work done. He was waiting for me to finish my stores and then we left. I had been through some of the busier sections of the city, the shops and the markets. This time we walked down one of the main streets and through some of the parks. It was nice just to take in some sights.
Towards the later part of the day, the markets started to open again and I started looking for some new items to compliment my recent acquisitions. I bought some belts, cuff links and then found a nice carved travel size chess set. We found a nice hole in the wall restaurant for dinner. After that we called it a day and went back to the ship early. I needed to catch up on a little sleep since I had duty the next day anyways.
Pallets had to be unloaded from a boat to the floating pier lashed to the side of the ship. From the floating pier everything was inventoried and then moved up a ladder-well rolling with the waves on the floating pier. I considered this a very dangerous prospect particularly since someone had their foot rolled over the day before. I was literally praying the ship did not take some kind of freak wave while stores were still on the pier. It ended up fine, no one got hurt and all my stores were safely put away in the storerooms.
After the stores on-load was finished most of the Officers had left the ship but one of them had stayed behind to get a little work done. He was waiting for me to finish my stores and then we left. I had been through some of the busier sections of the city, the shops and the markets. This time we walked down one of the main streets and through some of the parks. It was nice just to take in some sights.
Towards the later part of the day, the markets started to open again and I started looking for some new items to compliment my recent acquisitions. I bought some belts, cuff links and then found a nice carved travel size chess set. We found a nice hole in the wall restaurant for dinner. After that we called it a day and went back to the ship early. I needed to catch up on a little sleep since I had duty the next day anyways.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Hong Kong Night Out
The next day after my evening out I was stuck on board since it was my duty day. I had originally tried to schedule a stores on load for today but that fell through. That left me with a fairly boring day watching various groups leave the ship while I was on watch as Officer of the Deck. I did get the chance to watch the port services like CHT collection, water and fuel delivery and trash pickup.
The next day I ended up finding a couple of Officers to go out with. They wanted to go shopping in some of the popular chain stores. I thought this would be a great opportunity to buy a few more fashionable cloths. Most of what I wear is common and starting to get old. We found a trendy store and I thought the prices were reasonable so I bought a couple of dress shirts. I was looking for a more expensive sports jacket but my size was too big for anything they carried. Just for laughs I decided to try on a suit. It actually fit me really well so I ended up buying my first suit. I now have clothing and various items from the Philippines, Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong in my collection.
I put on one of the new shirts just bought for a night out in town. Hong Kong has a random assortment of all cultures. Night is completely different from being out during the day. Good luck finding a taxi though. I still do not fit in all that well in nightclubs and bars so I found them a little boring. I am always open to new experiences and visiting new places so I just sat back and took it in. After a few hours it was time to call it quits and go back to the ship again.
The next day I ended up finding a couple of Officers to go out with. They wanted to go shopping in some of the popular chain stores. I thought this would be a great opportunity to buy a few more fashionable cloths. Most of what I wear is common and starting to get old. We found a trendy store and I thought the prices were reasonable so I bought a couple of dress shirts. I was looking for a more expensive sports jacket but my size was too big for anything they carried. Just for laughs I decided to try on a suit. It actually fit me really well so I ended up buying my first suit. I now have clothing and various items from the Philippines, Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong in my collection.
I put on one of the new shirts just bought for a night out in town. Hong Kong has a random assortment of all cultures. Night is completely different from being out during the day. Good luck finding a taxi though. I still do not fit in all that well in nightclubs and bars so I found them a little boring. I am always open to new experiences and visiting new places so I just sat back and took it in. After a few hours it was time to call it quits and go back to the ship again.
Liberty in Hong Kong
For once I was actually able to get off the ship on the first day we arrived in port. I went out with a group of Officers and spent the evening in the city. I did not have any goal or specific place in mind when I left so I just walked around and explored the city with my friends. We did want to get away from the pier and bar scene so we figured out how to use the trains first. They are actually easier to use than the train system in Japan.
After dinner, we ended up at a night market. These markets are established in a couple of streets where people congregate to bargain for popular items like clothing, leather, jewelry and electronics. The electronics in Hong Kong are somewhat suspect and jewelry is usually fake if bought at these markets so I stayed away from those items. The black market is huge and many of the items are knock offs of pricier American commodities.
I was looking for a couple of interesting presents since it was coming up on Christmas and I knew I would be going back to the states to spend it with family. I did end up with a nice leather wallet for myself and an interesting picture of the Great Wall. I also had a chance to test my bargaining skills again. After an hour spent listening to live music in one of the bars, it was curfew time. It was nice to be able to relax for an evening.
After dinner, we ended up at a night market. These markets are established in a couple of streets where people congregate to bargain for popular items like clothing, leather, jewelry and electronics. The electronics in Hong Kong are somewhat suspect and jewelry is usually fake if bought at these markets so I stayed away from those items. The black market is huge and many of the items are knock offs of pricier American commodities.
I was looking for a couple of interesting presents since it was coming up on Christmas and I knew I would be going back to the states to spend it with family. I did end up with a nice leather wallet for myself and an interesting picture of the Great Wall. I also had a chance to test my bargaining skills again. After an hour spent listening to live music in one of the bars, it was curfew time. It was nice to be able to relax for an evening.
Hong Kong Anchorage
As the Japanese ships left to return to port, the USS CURTIS WILBUR joined the carrier strike group as an escort destroyer. Our next assignment was to guard the carrier as it steamed through the South China Sea to Hong Kong. This would serve as another show of force in the region prior to conducting a major 7th Fleet port visit. My ship was not originally scheduled to participate in the port visit but plans changed at the last minute.
I was eager to see how Hong Kong compared to the other two major cities I had seen so far, Manila and Singapore. Each major city has it's own unique flavor and history. As we pulled into the harbor, I got the sense of just how big the city was. A mountain behind the city had been leveled to provide the concrete to build much of the city. Each building was progressively bigger and more ornate. The weather was quite miserable while we were pulling in, dense fog combined with sheeting rain. We were pulling in just ahead of a tropical storm. We anchored out in the harbor since there are no piers capable of supporting warships in Hong Kong. I doubt there will be any such piers anytime in the near future.
With the carrier and several other ships in port for liberty, I knew this was going to get wild. The number of liberty boats going back and forth made for some interesting maneuvering sometimes. I was interested in possibly spending a night in Hong Kong but since our plans had changed at the last minute, hotel rooms had doubled in price ahead of the fleet arrival. I decided not to spend that much money when I could still spend the night on the ship. That did not dissuade many of the crew in finding hotel rooms though.
I was eager to see how Hong Kong compared to the other two major cities I had seen so far, Manila and Singapore. Each major city has it's own unique flavor and history. As we pulled into the harbor, I got the sense of just how big the city was. A mountain behind the city had been leveled to provide the concrete to build much of the city. Each building was progressively bigger and more ornate. The weather was quite miserable while we were pulling in, dense fog combined with sheeting rain. We were pulling in just ahead of a tropical storm. We anchored out in the harbor since there are no piers capable of supporting warships in Hong Kong. I doubt there will be any such piers anytime in the near future.
With the carrier and several other ships in port for liberty, I knew this was going to get wild. The number of liberty boats going back and forth made for some interesting maneuvering sometimes. I was interested in possibly spending a night in Hong Kong but since our plans had changed at the last minute, hotel rooms had doubled in price ahead of the fleet arrival. I decided not to spend that much money when I could still spend the night on the ship. That did not dissuade many of the crew in finding hotel rooms though.
Friday, February 10, 2012
PHOTOEX
At the end of our mock fleet battles, with the carrier strike group claiming victory. All the American and Japanese ships came together for group photos. This was to be largest fleet formation in anyone's recent memory. There was the carrier, two cruisers, two submarines, a supply ship, and about twenty five destroyers and frigates. In the air were helicopters and fighter planes doing fly overs. Considering that one destroyer carries enough fire power to decimate a small country, you can imagine how impressive it was.
The USS CURTIS WILBUR was chosen to be in the third line of five, three ships back. That put us in the exact middle of the formation. The maneuvering prior to setting up the formation was dangerous. There were warships packed tightly into operating boxes while others where still steaming in groups. I was conning during this time during last watch and pitch black seas. My attention was wavering between the navigational radar and taking bearings on a Japanese destroyer in front of us. All I could see of the destroyer was it's stern light. I was making minor course and speed adjustments all night to stay exactly behind it at the distance required.
When all the ships were positioned correctly a helicopter flew by and took pictures of the formation. All hands were required to stay below decks until the exercise was finished. I was relieved just prior to lining up the formation so I quickly went back to the flight deck to take a look at all the ships around us before going below. It really was an awesome sight, one I may never see again.
The USS CURTIS WILBUR was chosen to be in the third line of five, three ships back. That put us in the exact middle of the formation. The maneuvering prior to setting up the formation was dangerous. There were warships packed tightly into operating boxes while others where still steaming in groups. I was conning during this time during last watch and pitch black seas. My attention was wavering between the navigational radar and taking bearings on a Japanese destroyer in front of us. All I could see of the destroyer was it's stern light. I was making minor course and speed adjustments all night to stay exactly behind it at the distance required.
When all the ships were positioned correctly a helicopter flew by and took pictures of the formation. All hands were required to stay below decks until the exercise was finished. I was relieved just prior to lining up the formation so I quickly went back to the flight deck to take a look at all the ships around us before going below. It really was an awesome sight, one I may never see again.
U.S. NAVY 7TH FLEET and JSDF
While I was performing my duties as a new Conning Officer, a much more interesting exercise was taking place. The Japanese force we had joined was conducting mock operations against the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON carrier strike group. This would hone both forces battle skills and knowledge. The other major factor being tested was the ability to cooperate during wartime conditions. With a U.S. warship operating within the Japanese fleet, we were able to exchange information and capabilities.
The Japanese fleet was somewhat outmatched to begin with. We had no way of combating the air power that the carrier was using. They had a easy time finding and tracking us. That meant the destroyer escorts could pick us off with harpoon missiles long before we had found them. We were able to score some hits on the destroyers though.
Every time we were hit, we would raise our battle standard flag to indicate that we had been killed. At that point we would leave the engagement and imitate going back to base. Having left the engagement, when we returned we were good as new with all weapons and abilities restored for the next round. This would repeat over and over again for different elements of the exercise.
Since most of the operation was simulated, up on the bridge we were left to wonder what was going on until we were told to change our course or put up the battle standard. We could hear jets screaming over head and a few messages from the Japanese ships but that was about it. I would learn what had transpired at the evening intelligence brief.
The Japanese fleet was somewhat outmatched to begin with. We had no way of combating the air power that the carrier was using. They had a easy time finding and tracking us. That meant the destroyer escorts could pick us off with harpoon missiles long before we had found them. We were able to score some hits on the destroyers though.
Every time we were hit, we would raise our battle standard flag to indicate that we had been killed. At that point we would leave the engagement and imitate going back to base. Having left the engagement, when we returned we were good as new with all weapons and abilities restored for the next round. This would repeat over and over again for different elements of the exercise.
Since most of the operation was simulated, up on the bridge we were left to wonder what was going on until we were told to change our course or put up the battle standard. We could hear jets screaming over head and a few messages from the Japanese ships but that was about it. I would learn what had transpired at the evening intelligence brief.
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