Being an old Tin Can Sailor, I feel the same way when I visit one of the ship museums. Especially the USS Laffey in Charleston. She was our sister ships and I know her bow to fantail. Now she is like an old grandpa sitting there accommodating visitors, the life blood that made her alive (the sailors working, chipping paint, painting, swabbing, painting, sweeping, painting, working lines, painting and, oh yeah, painting) is gone. But the memories flow back every time I walk down the pier. Their first time I crossed the prow to her quarterdeck, I caught myself starting to salute the flag on the fantail. Old habits, ya know.
I was stationed at Davis-Monthan for a couple of years and actually got to work in the boneyard a little. My and another guy were pulling turbine cases off of A-10s. While we were out there other guys were chopping up planes with a large guillotine on a crane.
It annoys me that more A-37s have not made it into private ownership. There are likely other former military planes parked out there that have civilian market value.
I know we were chopping up B-52's as part of the START treaties. Parking them in the desert like that was so that Soviet satellites could count them as we cut them up.
Being an old Tin Can Sailor, I feel the same way when I visit one of the ship museums. Especially the USS Laffey in Charleston. She was our sister ships and I know her bow to fantail. Now she is like an old grandpa sitting there accommodating visitors, the life blood that made her alive (the sailors working, chipping paint, painting, swabbing, painting, sweeping, painting, working lines, painting and, oh yeah, painting) is gone. But the memories flow back every time I walk down the pier. Their first time I crossed the prow to her quarterdeck, I caught myself starting to salute the flag on the fantail. Old habits, ya know.
ReplyDeleteI was stationed at Davis-Monthan for a couple of years and actually got to work in the boneyard a little. My and another guy were pulling turbine cases off of A-10s. While we were out there other guys were chopping up planes with a large guillotine on a crane.
ReplyDeleteIt annoys me that more A-37s have not made it into private ownership. There are likely other former military planes parked out there that have civilian market value.
ReplyDeleteI know we were chopping up B-52's as part of the START treaties. Parking them in the desert like that was so that Soviet satellites could count them as we cut them up.
Yep, it's also an eerie place... Especially at dusk and dawn... Was out there in 71 salvaging parts, saw some historic old acft...
ReplyDelete