FW: [Ansteorra] SCA at sea with US Navy

[David Hughes]

This story, giving a first hand account, really should be preserved in 
Stephan's Florigeum.

Could you ask Geoffrey to post it there?

Vicki Marsh wrote:

>Forwarded with permission and the confirmation that yes, Baron Valust was
>also on board the Nimitz at the time.
>
>Mistress Xene
>
>
>Geoffrey sais:
>    You certainly can forward it and yes Vallust was aboard with us.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: GulesBaron at aol.com [mailto:GulesBaron at aol.com]
>Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 7:49 PM
>
>
>As is the case with many urban legends this story is only partly true.
>I never served under a Captain Clexton and I was on board the Nimitz from
>just after commisioning until about 1982 when I rotated to shore duty.
>After I left, the SCA group disintegrated until the early 90s.  I know of
>this revival only because I met a later seneschal/herald at Atlantia's 20
>year celebration a couple of years ago.  However during that revival the
>boat would no longer have been sailing to the Mediteranean because it was
>now stationed on the west coast and remains there until this time (Except
>for overhauls at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock).  If the story
>happened during a Med cruise it had to be while I was aboard.
>
>So let me tell you what really happened.
>This was during our 1979-80 Mediteranean cruise.  The Captain was Jack
>Batzler.  We had just spent about 4 of our 6 months on a "Show the Flag"
>cruise to the Mediteranean.  We call it a show the flag cruise because there
>was no pressing reason to be there. No wars no terrorists, nothing.  All
>that changed shortly after the Ayatollas take over of Iran.  I remember it
>like yesterday.  It was just before Xmas as we were entering Naples Harbor.
>I was waiting in sick bay for an appointment when Capn Jack came on the
>general announcing system and told us that after the Xmas stand down we
>would be leaving the Mediteranean to go to the Indian Ocean for an
>indefinate period because the Iranians had stormed the American embassy and
>taken hostage a large group of American citizens.
>Less than 3 weeks later we were on Gonzo station in the Indian Ocean.  Bear
>in mind that we did not use the Suez canal to get there and we spent over a
>week in Naples before we left, so do the math. We were flying. It was a
>nuclear powered ship after all and so were our escorts.
>Currach Mor (Our first seneschal researched a gaelic name and assured us
>that it does indeed mean big boat) spent the next 5 months on station in the
>Indian Ocean. We did not pull into port once.  Our only real break was a
>flight deck picnic where we were given the distinct priviledge to be served
>the first alcoholic beverages on a ship since it was banned in the 1800s
>(those two beers were ice cold and deeeeelicious)
>Needless to say the boredom was tremendous.  Fortunately there was the SCA.
>We regularly fought in the hanger bay at night and our numbers grew
>(everyone was bored and we were having fun).  When we weren't flying we
>fought on the flight deck and thats where the story comes from.  We were
>having a well attended practice under the watchful eyes of a Soviet Krivak
>Destroyer.  All carriers had a soviet tattletale following them back in
>those days.  They usually stay a good ways off but while we were fighting he
>took a great interest in us and closed to less than a half mile.  That night
>I was called aside by one of the intel guys who told me that we had
>generated a lot of interest on that ship and some communications were passed
>from the ship to (where ever?) speculating on the reasons for the unusual
>training we were conducting.
>
>And thats the real story.  No aircraft and we were not called to the flight
>deck for the express purpose of confusing Soviets.  And I can say NSTIW.
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