by: William (Bill) Bruen
Main characters: Ensign William Bruen, The Bigelow’s Weapons Officer and his flirtatious wife.
Approx Dates: Deployments: The Bigelow 1975-1977 and The PERRY 1977-1979.
Scene: East Coast & The Sixth Fleet Ships
I selected flight school, as I wanted to be a helo pilot. Flight class was in January, so I received orders to teach Seamanship and sailing to the incoming plebes for the Class of ’79. (They must have seen that Eric, Bryan, and I had taken out an (supposedly unauthorized) knockabout and sunk and destroyed it. It was great being in town with the Bramers that summer!
So, after that, it was schools down the east coast. Customs Inspection at Quantico, learning how to avoid a scorpion 🦂 under the back seat of a car and a shotgun in the trunk lock with a pull-wire to the driver. Very helpful.
Then it got good at Dam Neck, all about weapons.
Next stop, USS BIGELOW (DD-942). I arrived on Halloween (1975), which was a Saturday. I was to be the Gun Boss and was told I should get to the home of Newt Morgan for a Halloween party, in a costume. When I arrived, the fire control officer, Mike Reese, was in the kitchen with a somewhat intoxicated woman dressed as a flapper. She had her arms all over us, when in walked a clown. I introduced myself and, after telling me he was my boss, said “I see you’ve met my wife.”
My flight class came and went as we deployed for Lebanon, Cypress, and Angola. I totally loved those years.
Then to Bath Iron Works to finish the PERRY (FFG-7) and take her out for 2 years of trials as WEPS. It was a combination of stress and fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
As an aside, does anyone still fail to put their thermostat on 71? I can’t.
Next year, I’ll BE 71. Oh shit!