Next day – pack up what was unpacked, mount up for a bus ride back to the air terminal, and repeat the waiting process. Again, no flight to the ship. Back to billeting we go, for another night’s stay. This time, that $8.00 got me into a two-man room (at this rate, I thought I would have a suite to myself the next day).
In the morning – lo and behold! – a ship has pulled into port, and is sitting at the pier. It’s USS Porter! What luck, no more waiting (but darn it, I was looking forward to my first helicopter ride). So those of us reporting to USS Porter pack into a couple of vans, and proceed to the pier… but not all the way to the ship. It’s a refueling pier, and we have to walk all the way to the end to get aboard.
I started in this manner for a reason. Sometimes, all one has to do it drive to the home port, and walk down the pier to report to their new ship. Such was the case for me regarding my first ship (USS Downes FF-1070) and third ship (USS Anzio CG-68). To get to my second ship (USS Samuel Gompers AD-37), I had to fly out of LAX to Kadena, Japan (for refueling), down to Clark AFB, then an hour’s ride via bus to Subic Bay – and then waited in TPU for two weeks for the ship to pull into port.
Then there’s the case of the others sailors that flew into Puerto Rico that were bound for other ships. Some flew to the carrier, others came aboard USS Porter to later be flown by helicopter to their ship. It depends upon the ships, and the ship’s mission/schedule. Yes, it can be a bit of a pain… but be patient, and things will work out.
Don't miss the other parts of this fascinating series about life aboard a Navy Ship:
Part 2 - Welcome Aboard
Part 3 - Indoctrination
Part 4 - Ship's Routine
Part 5 - Conclusion (well, not really)
Part 6 - Ship's Chain of Command/Organization
Part 7 - Ship's Safety
Part 8 - Getting Your Eyes Fixed
Part 9 - Navy Shipyards
Part 10 -- When Tragedy Strikes
Part 11 -- I've Been Working on the Mess Deck
Part 12 -- The Final Chapter
