Fuel Barge at Subic

You bet you can use my note. So far I have had no luck finding any other guys I served with on the other 2 ships I was on. Maybe 1 or 2 might look into Military.com
If you don't mind, I just thought of a little tale....
One of the times we were in Subic, (on Vance) we were to recieve fuel from a barge. Well, the onloading fuel crew (I was part of it) decided to go to lunch on base. We kind of forgot to go back (after several pitchers of beer) & were ordered back to the ship because it was time to take on fuel.
We were all $%^#faced, & so, the next thing we knew, We had diesel fuel flowing out of the sounding tubes all over the decks.
I can not remember who it was, M-Div officer or chief, but they were MAD!
That crew introduced me to the fun & games in Olonopo. I went back to Subic as a PSNS worker in '78 & 79 to change out diesel boat batteries.
God I miss that place!!
When I was on Higgbee We went aground in Subic Bay leaving for Taiwan (this time I really wanting to leave), Six more weeks in Subic drydock, oh.well. Took all night to pull us off a sandbar. Sonar Dome & 1 screw was damaged. CO was relieved aftr that little mistake.
Talk later...Tom Hess
Another note from Tom
I noticed that Duane Buamgarter submitted a picture of M-Div in Keelung, Taiwan, dated April 14, 1969. I have the same picture on My wall. Position 16.(?). is ME!!
I served on the Vance at the start & end of that deployment almost out of bootcamp I was first on the Fletcher DD-445 for 2 weeks heading to Viet Nam where they wanted to make me a BT. Which wasn't on My mind!
But thanks to my recuriter who failed to tell me about guaranteed schooling, I went to the fleet. But thanks to God, they some how discovered that I was not supposed to be on DD-445, but on DER 387!!
They flew me from Midway back to Pearl, I reported to Vance as a FA. After returning from Westpac, Vance was slated for De-Act & I was transfered to the Nereus AS-17 in San Diego. Since as I was a undesignated striker (FN) I was assigned to E-DIV, Got My A school for EM & left AS-17 & the Navy when it was De-Commed as EM2.
But do to no work, after a year I went back in the Navy as a EM2 & made a westpac with Higbee DD-806. Two more years in , was enough for me & swore I would not have anything to do with the Navy again. But guess what?, I retired 2 years ago from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard after 33 years as a Production shop planner Electrician.
The Navy was the best thing that could of happened to me. I am going to look through some old pictures of Vance days & maybe post them on the site.
I hope I did'nt bore You with this life story, but I feel like the Vance was actually the start of my career for the Dept of the Navy.
V/R Tom Hess
Anyone remember the barge incident? Let us know contact for more information.

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DE	387	Destroyer Escort
WDE	487	Coast Guard Destroyer Escort
DER	387	Destroyer Escort Radar Picket