I'd never even seen an engine room but now I ARE one! Didn't know diddle. Took a while but I ended up standing Engineer Officer Of The Watch as an MM2. I really wanted to be an ET. I used to fix guy's broken boom-boxes for fun. I was the only MM who could read the signalmen's flashing lights. Everyone knew I wasn't an MM. I was the supply PO for M-Div and helped B-Div sometimes. BT3 Glendenning and I were liberty buddies, he was FN in B Div. Long story short I got out in 1974 and rejoined in 1975 and went straight to AT-A and Advanced Electronics in Millington, TN where I knew more electronics than some of the instructors, but still learned a lot. Fixed aviation electronics from '76-89. Served on USS America and USS Theodore Roosevelt as an AT. Retired ATC in 1989 off of Theodore Roosevelt. It was real and it was fun but not always real fun. I learned a lot on the "Special K". Long time ago. Tempus Fugit. But that's ALL the Latin that I know!
P.S. Last time I ran into Glendenning he was a BTC at NAB Little Creek, VA. I think he is in East Lansing MI now and I think he retired after 30 years. And I was a plank owner on Roosevelt, too. I ain't been out long enough... I still know Port and Starboard and can tell time by the bells!

EMail - August 2, 2007
STORY
Sometime between 1970 and 1974 I was MM2/MM3 on Kawishiwi. For whatever reason, known only to the Captain and his superiors we entered Da-Nang, Vietnam harbor. I was throttle operator on the #2 (port) engine. Engine orders were whatever and routine entering the harbor followed by orders to maintain engine readiness so we would every few minutes rotate the propeller shafts very slowly foreword and equally slowly aft a couple of turns so as not to actually move the ship but just to keep the steam turbines warm and ready. Leaving port the engines received a few slow speed bell orders and then an All Ahead Standard order. I dutifully answered the EOT (Engine Order Telegraph) and while applying steam to the ahead engine also recorded the order in the EOT log sheet. Guessing that an Ahead Standard order was about all the bells we would receive I sat down on a very large main condenser sea suction valve wheel to sip a concoction of grease and oil known as engineroom coffee.
In Machinist Mate school at Great Lakes, Illinois there was a fully functioning boiler and engine room and I had been exposed to the emergency stop order, Back Full rang up twice so I knew what to do: rapidly close the ahead throttle wheel and open the astern valve. Watch the propeller shaft in the mirror and watch the steam pressure and temperatures from the boiler so as not to cause a high or low water boiler condition. There was no delay in the engines answering the order nonetheless Kawishiwi had hit a sandbar and we were stuck. Gunners Mates were issued rifles and ammunition with authority to shoot to kill anything moving toward the ship. There were none. In an hour or so high tide happened and Kawishiwi freed herself. There was a hull inspection during which a diver was knocked unconscious by the ships' keel as it bobbed in the water and rescued by his buddy diver with minor injury. We departed Da Nang and went on to Hong Kong for R&R.

STORY
When I first reported to Kawishiwi I was MM3. Through no fault of my own I had never even seen an engineroom other than the Great Lakes Training Command's fully operational mock-up.Training was pretty much non existant back then, a PO3 was expected to know BECAUSE he was a PO3. My superior Petty Officers were not very sympathetic and the ridicule flowed downhill and I was not looked up to by my peers or subordinates. Nonetheless I was smart and taught myself. I wasn't much of a fixit mechanic but I knew how to operate things and I was good at book learning. Time went on and I became MM2. Standing Petty Officer Of The Watch there were many engineering/propulsion casualties where the Officer Of The Watch NEEDS to know what orders to issue. I saw that the Engineering Officer Of The Watch (EOW) from divisions other than M-Division knew only how to call the Chief Machinist Mate on the sound powered growler telephone and tell him to come down here. There is no time for that and more than once I took command as EOW while performing my own POW tasks. One evening at sea during an engineering casuality the Junior Officer Of The Deck repeatedly called me asking for status. As is his duty. A ship of war is disabled! But the calls became excessive to the point they interferred with things that I had to do and I told the JOOD that I would let him know. The phone rang yet again and I answered it thinking it was that JOOD yet again. In my best sailorly language with references to God and the JOOD's mother I told the fellow off. When I had finished my tirade one of the most calming and impressive voices of all that I have ever heard asked me 'who is this' and I defiantly replied, 'This is MM2 Tanner'.
"Well, MM2 Tanner.... this is the Captain." Oh, S**t. So i just replied, 'Hi'. "Tanner, when you have a status call me in my cabin"   Aye-Aye, Sir.  Minutes later the BT and MM guys had it fixed and building up steam again and I reported to the bridge that yadi-yadi expect to answer all bells in 2 minutes. Then I rang the Captain. "Captain, this is MM2 Tanner yadi-yadi etc etc "Tanner, pass on BRAVO-ZULU to your gang and carry on" And that was the last I ever heard of about that.

STORY
One day at sea I was doing my primary job of paperwork man in Kawishiwi's Engineering Office. Since I couldn't seem to fix anything mechanical and paperwork was a hated task they assigned that job to me. Now, as even an untalented engineer-type I can tell by the sound of the ship that something isn't right. I picked up and just listened to the sound powered phone and heard the generator watch explain to the Engineer Of The Watch that this and that was going all wrong (I spare the technical details). The Engineering Office was close to a hatch that led to the generators area so I volunteered to run down there and fix it. The situation had become too far deteriorated for a simple fix and I told the electricians and boiler operator people that I was going to have to stop the generators which would leave the ship dead in the water, in the dark and without ventillation. While all this was going on the temperature in the place was probably 150 degrees. When things had become stable it was time to restart a generator. Now, despite the temperature, I was feeling actually cold. Many men had already left for sick bay. If you have had medical training you realize the seriousness. Here comes the MPA (Division Officer). 'Oh, Tanner... I want you to light off #2 generator first' Sir, I am ready to spin up #3 generator. Why. 'Because the yadi-yadi temperature is cooler on #2. Sir, IF you know how to light it off then YOU do it otherwise (words to that effect) leave me alone. So MPA goes and bothers this BT named (I'll not mention names, the heroes KNOW who they are and may claim noteriety on their own) who had been on a few WESTPAC cruises and as a typical BT (Boiler Technician) is only half human chased the MPA out of the fireroom, down a passageway and onto the main deck trying to hit him with a boiler atomizer.

STORY
I was Petty Officer Of The Watch one night in the engineroom. 007 is on the STDB engine directing some imaginary orchestra of classical music. Crazy Kr**** is on PORT. Both these buggers are behind on their engine speed computations. When the Chief relieved me at midnight these two were at PARADE REST or ATTENTION in front of their throttle control panels catching up. MMC says WTFO and I explained. Chief declares they BOTH have the next TWO watches.