Yes, the good "old Navy" days. Those old "cans" were amazing, considering their age the abuse they would take at sea under harsh conditions. I was on DD-829 from '69 - '72 and don't regret a moment (in hindsight). When we were on liberty overseas, coming back to the pier and seeing our "home" brightly lit up with the American flag on the stern was always a relief. Thanks for posting.

groups.io/g/MJSS The net schedule is on this page, and you can also join our group on Groups.io if you like.

Bill: A destroyer, like a tank or a Humvee is really just a weapons platform that needs men to maintain and operate. More crew accommodations means more weight & fuel, and less speed/maneuverability. All that being said, while I served on a similar destroyer with the same cramped spaces, we all got used to it. The only thing that ever REALLY bothered us was the cramped heads and the low overheads that we banged our heads on. It is the rare destroyerman who doesn't carry a strong sense of pride and accomplishment about his time and life at sea. Strong lifelong friends are established and unforgettable times both at sea and on shore leave had. I highly recommend it, but not in today's Navy. Thanks for posting.

@@braintrusts Roger That. I just cant see myself "going to the bathroom" in front of a bunch of other dudes....lolzz

@@bill2066 Even that, one can get used to, but still don't like it. Best time on the $hitter was 0200!!

@@braintrusts lol

We were all kids, with some 17 year-olds who enlisted, lying about their age, or with parental approval. Don't know about that kid, but lots of us looked REALLY young at 18. Destroyer life didn't appreciatively improve until 25 years later, and now the Alreigh Burke class destroyers are more like cruisers. It was all good, though, as it taught us to be very meticulous about our clothing and gear, living a pretty spartan life. Be willing to bet that there is damned few 18 year-olds today would enlist knowing about the living conditions found in this film. As my dad used to say, things like that build character. Thanks for posting. No "oorah" sales pitch, as film was made to convince Congress to spend more money on crew comforts. What they didn't mention was that none of the berthing spaces had air conditioning; those retrofits didn't happen until ten years later, in the early '60's, at least on the Tin Cans.

@@braintrusts - I know that I've heard quite a bit about young men lying about their age or getting parental permission. On the one hand, I can't help but be proud for them; on the other hand, I can't help but think they should have been able to have more of their youth _before_ joining. I've also known that shipboard life was very physically constrained. I have to admit, it still never ceases to amaze me _just how little_ personal space those guys got! And I've also known that the ships didn't have A/C until very recently. I honestly can't imagine being stuck inside a floating metal can in a hot environment without A/C. Ironically, I did have a very brief period where I experienced, almost the opposite problem. When we went to the rifle range, we stayed in different barracks. We were in boot camp during the hottest part of the year, with black flags most days (and no doubt that was massive progress over those who came before us), and when we were out shooting, under the glaring sun, we had to wear these stupid, thick cotton shooting jackets. Needless to say, by the time we were heading back to the barracks, we were absolutely drenched! Well, the platoon that had previously been in the barracks had somehow broken the thermostat at about 60 degrees. So, we would run from 95-105 degree temps, absolutely drenched to the bone, into this fridge of a squadbay. The first 15-60 seconds felt absolutely glorious, and then it just felt like you were a walking ice cycle. By the time we left the range, over 80% of the platoon had either pneumonia or bronchitis (I was in the later group). We definitely had it much better than those who came before us, but it was definitely no cake walk. My brother refers to it as "catastrophe bonding".

BZ's to you and your career in the USN!! The US Navy is a great way to spend a short or career enlistment. Well, at least it was a few decades ago....

Thanks for your post. I served aboard a WWII US Navy Gearing class destroyer in 1969 - 1972 very similar to that in the video. While crew comforts were minimal, we got used to the spartan accommodations and didn't think twice about them. The close-living tended to cause crewmen to get along better than you might expect; living on that ship only 3.5 years, traveling all over the World, I got to know men better than I have ever known anyone, that is, aside from my spouse. We all learned to be tolerant with others, having to work, shower, eat, sleep and go on liberty together. Eighteen hour work/watch days at sea kept us pretty busy, and since we didn't have the current satellite movies, cell phones and e-mail the navy currently has, we learned to entertain ourselves, which helped make friends for life. I would say that all the creature comforts they now provide don't necessarily provide for better crew cohesion, but only make for very small bits of comfort in long days and weeks at sea. I think we were strengthened by the minimal comforts and fairly harsh working conditions, while not meant to make us feel better, they certainly made us better sailors and better men. Again, thanks for posting your thoughts.

Obrigado por escrever. Operamos com a Marinha do Brasil em 1970 na UNITAS XI, eu estava a bordo do USS Myles C. Fox DD-829

Having lived under those conditions, I can confirm that you are correct. Liberty ashore was always a thrill, finding stable ground, good food and actually feeling human hanging around normal people. Thanks for posting!!

Thanks for posting! Your relative had no small task with the Porter, as all destroyer officers and crew have to be, in spite of specialties, have multiple jobs and watches, and do all of them well to be successful Tin Can Sailors. Have you seen the posting about the Porter at www.navsource.org/archives/05/800.htm It would seem there's a photo of the C.O. addressing the crew as well as a portion of his message. Again, thanks for that little bit of history!

@@braintrusts Yes, that was me who submitted the photo and info to Nav Source.

Thanks for posting! I, too, can't tell you how many times I clunked my head on light fixtures, hatches and scuttles. More than once after condition Zebra, forgetting that the hatch and scuttle were closed in our berthing space, rushing up the ladder and slamming my head against the brass wheel on the scuttle. Good times!

Simplex Nets on 146.415 FM every Wednesday and Saturday night at 8:00 PM. We will complete our 9th year of twice-weekly nets in September. Hope to hear you on the air!!

We didn't give it a second thought. They needed to have the ability to be a cohesive officers' wardroom and we were glad they never (almost never) came into our mess. There needed to be separation between management and staff, for sure. Thanks for posting.

Not sure if the current young folks would put up with the lack of creature comforts found in the old ships. But in times of war, all bets are off.

The older USN ships like the 1173 had poor living conditions for the crew, and being aboard as a Marine would only make it worse. Thanks for your service in the USMC and also for posting.

Thanks for your post. For sure, it always makes me proud to see the sacrifice that men (and now women) make under adverse conditions in the military. I served on a similar destroyer '68 - '72 in Vietnam and several other deployments, and the living conditions were spartan & rough, yet we got used to them. Those experiences stay with us to the end of our days.

@@braintrusts Thank you for your service sir! God Bless You!

The head wasn't always that crowded but often as shown right after reveille. One gets used to the lack of privacy, but it's not fun.