Why Navy Sailors STOPPED Jumping Off Aircraft Carrier Flight Decks

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Thumbs up if you empathize with the Greenland shark!

[@Marween]

I just watched Slomo-Guys about bullet skipping

[@othernicksweretaken]

Methuselah lived 900 years! Methuselah lived 900 years. But who calls that livin' When no gal will give in? To no man what's 900 years?

[@maruftim]

slomo guys just uploaded video about bullet skipping, what timing...

[@Nirotix]

By the time you get any, you only have a few years left to live. Not Fair!! 😢

[@indridcold8433]

@@othernicksweretaken He lived closer to 1000 according to the legend. I think it was right around 960 years.

[@jamesfowley4114]

We only had one swim call during my time in the Navy. Swimming over the Mariana trench is a unique experience.

[@fredsasse9973]

Yes, it is. I remember treading water and thinking that the bottom was MILES below me!

[@breadtoast1036]

fuck that i have thalassophobia

[@cagin5]

To toss a wishing coin into that. How long would it take to touch bottom I wonder?

[@RumblesBettr]

@@breadtoast1036 is that another word for being pussnboots

[@mrexists5400]

the only swim call i had in the navy got cancelled due to the swells getting too big

[@kuningaskolassas4720]

"Jumping from 60 feet above the water cannot kill you, but if you land wrong it can" That's an interesting sentence right there.

[@rodneybrocke]

Right! I had to go back and listen to it a second time to make sure I heard it right.

[@stephenjeronymo6093]

Now imagine a dive from the "crow's nest". 😂

[@seanhammer6296]

*contradictory

[@q1o2]

He actually said "wrongly"lol

[@TheFarmerfitz]

Or if you land in the open mouth of a shark , it can also....

[@jonathanpeterson1984]

We got a swim call in the Caribbean while on the USCGC Diligence. I grew up surfing my whole life in North Florida, I can honestly say I have zero desire to float in the middle of the ocean EVER again. It’s just very unsettling.

[@extractedentertainment8213]

I was on CGC Tahoma 02-05, they had swim call a day outside of Haiti after dropping off a bunch of migrants with sharks following their boat. i watched from the helo flight deck, grew up in Florida but f*ck that.

[@freehahahafree]

I sailed on the USCGC Seneca and was lucky enough to spend most of my time at sea in the Caribbean. Swim calls were rare..I probably saw 3 at the most. It was an interesting feeling swimming in the open ocean. It gave me some perspective on how terrifying it would be to fall overboard and get left behind. I still enjoyed it though and would do it again in a heartbeat.

[@monkofbob]

Never served, but sailed a lot, and there was this old salt I met, he had sailed all over the Caribbean and up the east coast, and, don’t know why, but I’ll always remember the way he said (paraphrasing), “people say you can be alone in a crowd, but a crowd is never as alone as in the middle of the water.” You’re alone out there

[@faisalmemon285]

@@extractedentertainment8213Were the migrants forced out/deported from America?

[@musiqsoul5354]

No effing way you guys are bad az

[@MDLC424]

My grandfather was a naval aviator aboard the USS Hancock during Vietnam. During this time alcohol was prohibited aboard ships. One night he snapped a wire and was unable to land, having to land at an Air Force base in South Vietnam. While there, he was able to stuff 2 6 packs into his cockpit and fly them back to the ship for him and his squadron.

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Grandpa had his priorities straight 😉

[@Snoop_Dugg]

@Theodore Olson how much %

[@andreinarangel6227]

I cut my hand with a RHIB prop during a LEDET support mission in the Caribbean. HM1 sewed me up but it still hurt as f-ing hell. CO came by sick bay, gave me a shot of "Makers Mark" and offered to relieved me from OOD duty that evening. I stood my watch anyway. p.s. Jumped from the Flight Deck of the USS KITTY HAWK without any issues.

[@gunningopher]

Did he tell you how much he made up for it when they made a port call?😜

[@KennethStone]

Great story, @Mike! I just started working on the USS Hornet, and heard a few similar stories like that during her Vietnam deployment.

[@jakekatella]

My dad served on the USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) from 1961 to 1965. He confirms that sailors would jump feet-first from the flight deck into the water, 60 feet below. My brother asked if anyone got landed on and he said no -- people in the water moved out of the way. The captain decided to outdo everyone else and executed a perfect swan dive from the island, 90 feet up. Just had to show that he was number one for a reason!

[@miningchip1]

my man legit said:im the captain of this ship and prove to yall by diving 90 feet

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

Nicely gutsy, I dig it!

[@likeasparrowinthewildernes8333]

;;;;;;;;;; 2 Esdras2: 31-100 '''''''''''''''''''''' ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

[@alecpitts6843]

That's 1ft over an Olympic high dive... skipper could've died that day lmao

[@Steban-it5fq]

Lmfao

[@michaelslifecycle]

My friend broke his back on a 60ft cliff and was almost paralyzed. He lost feeling in his legs and managed to tread back to the boat with his arms. He landed it perfectly on his feet too. Luckily, he got his feeling back after surgery. I hate to be the guy that ruins all the fun, but I’m just recommending to everyone out there, if you’re going to do this, make sure you have someone at the bottom that can swim down and save you, which is not easy to do. Also, make sure they have a floatation device on hand, even if it’s just a pool noodle. It’s always best to be prepared.

[@islamisthetruewaytogod6812]

Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time. Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them). Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI). Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy. Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI). Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad). Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures. Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement. It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them. (19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).. Salam (Peace) ----------

[@Bisley1]

I’m glad he’s alright and recovered from it. But how can you say he landed perfectly, when he broke his back? Something must hve gone terribly wrong

[@michaelslifecycle]

@@Bisley1 I watched a video of the jump and it looked as though it was a perfect pencil dive. Something definitely went wrong and maybe his jump wasn’t perfect but what I meant was that there is such a small margin for error that what you think might be a good jump could be off and dangerous

[@MyAmazingUsername]

I am happy for him that he isn't paralyzed. But I am so tired of people's stupidity.

[@RealLvMc]

@@michaelslifecycle one can jump in perfectly, but after hitting the water you still have inertia and one wrong move can twist your body and easily break your back, I haven't injured myself that hard but once jumping head first I tried to resurface faster not going deeper, my back hurt quite bad for a moment.

[@roydrink]

That first beer day in 1980 was on the USS Nimitz after being sent to the Indian Ocean because of the Iranian hostage crisis. I forgot how many days we were out at sea without a port call, but it was said to be the longest since WWII. And I was there! I haven’t had a beer taste as good in 40+ years!

[@berthageorge2627]

I help build that ship,in Newport News ,VA., Their when Mrs. Jackie Kennedy Onassis and John John Kennedy came and Christian the Ship.( Pulled to the Front with my daughter to stand beside them that day.)Loved that ship and all that we built their in that wonderful place.⚓

[@rdsii64]

When I was on the Jessie L. Brown, we went 185 days with out seeing dry land. That was the longest for me. An entire deployment haze grey and underway is no joke.

[@davidkingsley3244]

I believe that the Nimitz deployment was Eleven Months Underway. Because of the whiny baby target sailor's, the Navy decided that for underway periods in excess of 45 days. (I'd bet that Boomers would carefully schedule underways really carefully)

[@ChefKevinRiese]

I missed that but was on "numbnuts" in 1981-83" Good times.

[@ken-hm2eu]

I too was there enjoying those 2 beers. Limited to 2 they told us, but the stamp they put on your hand washed off easy. So back in line I went for more. I think I stopped at 6 already having a good buzz.

[@yusufbektas1961]

This is literally the most american way to counter shark attacks LMAO Edit: apparently a couple of people managed to get angry about this

[@uninterestedcat8429]

Yessiiir

[@Heartt321]

A-10 CAS with LGBUs

[@interruptor]

What you need is more good sharks with guns.

[@1m3agle]

@@Heartt321 gta orbital cannon vs shark

[@mcyounglordlauch7012]

@@Heartt321 finally some good use for the A10, but the Aircraft Carrier needs to be at least 10 km away from the engagement zone, cause otherwise itll be friendly fire

[@randallminchew6780]

My dad was in the navy for 20 years. He told be about them shooting sharks. He had to jump into the Ocean to get off the USS Hornet before it went down. He told me that he was thinking about sharks the entire time. There wasn’t a shooter for the sharks at that time.

[@worldview730]

That's probably why sharks follow ships & boats

[@gandalfstormcrow8439]

There are few things scarier than swimming in the ocean offshore. I've never felt more helpless and insignificant just from the size and power of the ocean.

[@annexton3795]

Yes, exactly! Nothing like swimming in a pool at all, no matter how big the pool.

[@jedclampett7705]

@Doctor Whowhotheowl Try the North Atlantic. Can get dark up there too…with killer whales.

[@FlightX101]

the ocean is a whole differen ballgame. You feel like an ant

[@Walker_Bulldog]

Most people who have been to the beach have no idea.

[@MrDanisve]

Middle of the ocean is like a desert on land. Most of the biomass is near shore or shallow waters. So swimming in deep waters is one of the safest places to be. Very unlikely to meet anything, unless you chum the waters. Ive been shark fishing in the middle of the ocean a few times, alot of people actually swim while chumming starts. Cause it takes like an hour before the scent to spread and sharks pickup on it.

[@scrapperdudeGA]

My dad was on the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain when it caught fire in the 50s. Him and some other Sailors had to jump from the flight deck to get away from the flames. When you start reaching those kinds of heights, training is extremely important. Water gets hard real quick the higher up you go.

[@danielrousseau4842]

Greg, was your dad a Marine or sailor?

[@scrapperdudeGA]

@@danielrousseau4842 He was a sailor. He told us a lot of stories that we've learned to take on faith. 😁 He always said he quit school after the 8th grade when he was 14 and joined the Navy. He was actually 16. The gravestone the Navy provided reflects his birth date 2 years earlier than it actually is . We left it that way because we thought it was fitting . I knew the stories of the fire on the USS Lake Champlain were true because he had the yearbook (which I now have) that details it.

[@randalljackson7220]

My Father was Lake Champain as well. My father was a hospital Corpman. I was in the Navy as well.

[@afridgetoofar1818]

Faced with burning to death or jumping into water from a height, I’m jumping.

[@AlwayzFresh]

In Afghanistan we came back to main camp once every 2-3 months, and got to have a beer call. At the time it felt like one of the greatest moments of relief, and relaxation of my life. Freshly showered feet up, cold beer in my left hand watching a warm sunset over the Kandahar mountains. It was a brief moment of peace in an otherwise stressful time in my life. It meant much more than the beer itself.

[@LIamaLlama554]

Wow, thank you for your service

[@chelsea_Xxo]

Yeah, everyone is a possible enemy there, even the ones who helped u the day before. Lots took drugs just to be able to deal with it all & all smoked weed

[@worldview730]

Did you guys ever dive off a mountain ridge into a river?

[@harryv6752]

I can only begin to imagine. Thank you for your service. 🤟

[@joehatten9171]

I was in Afghanistan 371 cav and 132 inf never had no beer call....u were lucky....I was in nagahar , kunar and nuristan rc east

[@Iknowonlywhatimtaught]

I'm a navy combat veteran and I believe swim calls are part of training. Due to the fact if a ship Where in rough sea and a sailor falls over bound, this sailor needs to be able to be ready to swim and tread water for a significant time. Not being able to physically to do this puts the crews at risk of imminent death..

[@G4x5da]

Yeah but there’s a time and place for that. A sailor on a float unicorn - getting eaten by a shark - is kinda hard to justify as a necessary swim.

[@kaijudude_]

I'm an engineer so swum call is almost never a thing for us. Only top siders get to have fun. We're constantly helping run the ship and fixing equipment.

[@fritzschnitzmueller3768]

This had nothing to do with any training. This was just having fun. Weird comment man

[@curtiswhiteheadjr1322]

That's how they explained it to us at GLakes back in the day.

[@ADrunkBassist]

If I remember correctly, we had two dives in boot camp. There was a 25 foot jump in early training followed by a 35 foot jump during Battle Stations. Looking over the current requirements, it looks like they switched to a lower platform for both jumps, which seems really stupid to me. You need to know how to hit the water if you fall from an aircraft carrier flight deck.

[@gordonhaire9206]

I served aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63) from April 1961 to August 1963. There was never a swim call. And no one was crazy enough to jump from the flight deck. It was a lot higher than 60 feet above the waterline. It was the largest ship in the history of the world at the time.

[@Sahadi420]

@@cellardoor199991 2:43 That's the flight deck. LOL And they're diving off it!!!!

[@cvn6555]

Yep. I was on Big E from 98-01. Zero swim calls. A few "Steel Beach" picnics. Nobody got in the water except designated rescue swimmers and probably the SeAL det on board. Never really saw those guys so not sure what they were doing. Nobody jumping from the flight deck except those that were looking to get kicked out.

[@vf-114jock2]

@@Sahadi420 Only the Marines jump head first - it doesn't bother them!

[@kipplebits8619]

Plank owner! I decommed the Kitty Hawk.

[@vf-114jock2]

@@kipplebits8619 Yes I served from 1973-76 with the great engine room fire. She should have been saved as the last oil burner CV! my shitty kitty

[@Rylee_DJ]

My dad was a supplyman aboard the USS Savannah (AOR-4) in the 80s! So many amazing stories, glad that he can share them with me and I’m glad that other people can enjoy those stories to! And videos like this haha, have a great day people.

[@BilTheGalacticHero]

Okay, here's a story for you... A friend of mine was in the United States Navy around the time of the Vietnam War. He was stationed on a radar picket ship in the Pacific. The ships gyroscope was suspended in grain alcohol and a supply was kept onboard to replenish as needed. My friend worked in the photo lab and had a friend that worked on the gyro. Every now and then they would get a supply of "Gyro Juice" and bring it to the photo lab. They'd turn on the "Film Developing in Process" light, lock the door and have a little party. Good thing they never got caught!

[@Frankjallan]

What were they going to do send him to Vietnam? Bend his dog tags and take away his birthday. 😂

[@trombone113]

No. Throw them in the damn brig for the duration and send them to a court's martial where they would receive a demotion and loss of pay. There are jails on ship.

[@angela1984a]

A sausage party...

[@cathybaldry7822]

Love it

[@likeasparrowinthewildernes8333]

;;;;;;;;;; 2 Esdras2: 31-100 ''''''''''''''''''''''''' ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

[@BlahCraft1]

2:38 "Back in the good old days, before the invention of safety" - Great line.

[@Johnny-tt9gs]

They deserve every single one of those days and beers. ❤

[@ruslbicycle6006]

My grandfather was in the British Army, at some points during WW2 he was on boats (He went to Singapore, then evacuated to India). He liked to swim. But he was a bit traumatized that a friend of his drowned while swimming from the vessel. So he made sure his kids could all swim well. Also my grandmother never swims, she never got over the trauma of seeing a drowned sailor wash up on shore in Ireland in the 1920s when she was little. They both made sure my mom could swim well. My mom took me swimming as a baby and a lot growing up and many swim lessons. Now I'm a Lifeguard and Swim Teacher. My career now maybe was most started because of a Swim Call my Grandfather took 80 years ago.

[@SodiumSyndicate]

Damn that's quite a story.

[@skyden24195]

I learned to swim (mostly) in my grandparent's backyard swimming-pool as a kid when I'd spend a few weeks there during summers in the 1980s. I am now an excellent swimmer; however, I have no desire to swim in the ocean any further than where I can touch the bottom with my feet while keeping my shoulders above water.

[@stevebean1234]

In reality, swimming against ocean currents can be completely futile. But more importantly, even in 70 degree F water you only have a few hours to live before you die of hypothermia. And your body survives that long by slowing blood flow to your extremities. In 40 degree water, your arms and legs will stop working within minutes. Then unless you have a really nice life jacket, you’ll either drown from not being able to balance your head above water or you’ll die of hypothermia in 45 minutes. Because of this dynamic, it’s very hard to determine whether someone recovered at sea died from hypothermia or drowning. Like cooking a frozen Turkey, you can’t really cool the human body down enough to kill you much more quickly than 45 minutes. On the plus side, hypothermia is one of the best ways to punch your ticket. Generally very peaceful as your body slows down. Right before death your body “gives up” restricting blood flow and all this warm blood rushes to your freezing arms and legs - you feel incredibly warm. People who die of hypothermia are sometimes found naked because they strip off their clothes due to their perceived warmth at the end (on land, at sea as I mentioned it’s not likely your arms and legs will move).

[@stevebean1234]

Suffice it to say, wear a life jacket (and better yet a dry suit in while sailing in very cold water) and be very cautious swimming offshore. Obviously, the US Navy is pretty careful having multiple people and machine guns watching over you on swim call. Plenty of accounts of people who didn’t wear life jackets because “they are strong swimmers” not really realizing these dynamics.

[@nav4688]

im from singapore 🙋🏻 cool that he was here

[@chairpersonofthecharlotteh5646]

Mad props to the writers of these videos, so many topics seamlessly packed in a 10 minute video,. When I need to write a paper for school I stare at my screen for a solid hour before I get anything going

[@curtisroberts9137]

I served a Marine onboard navy ships in the90s. We had many steel beach parties but only 1 beer day. We got 2 skunky beers that had been sitting in storage rooms near the engine room for god knows how long. They were cold when we got them but boy had they been skunked. We loved it though. I remember the taste to this day almost 25 years later.

[@joshuacook3069]

Experienced several beer days & swim calls, during my career, 1993 - 2013 (9.5 years actual float time). Crossed the line in 2002 for the first time. Traversed both Canals, visited 6/7 continents, and every deployment went to at least one tax free conflict zone. I had lots of fun, and saw the world. I will attest that the modern Navy does indeed count how many beers you drink on your beer day. There were more DAPAs around the open container zones than people actually drinking most of the time. Generally being in the Air Wing, we had jets to fix, so while everyone else partied, a no fly day (or half-day) was a maintenance mismanagement event, where you were allowed 2 hours to enjoy then back to work.

[@ChristopherNips81]

Sounds about right. Former USAF guy here.

[@cvn6555]

We had one occasion where we got beer onboard and that was at a reception in the hangar bay in Jebel Ali. We all got two tickets for drinks but, of course, managed to all go more than a six pack.

[@savevsdeath]

You crossed the line the year I joined. Thanks for making me feel less old 😂

[@guhalakshmiratan5566]

Captain Eugene Fluckey, MOH of the USS Barb (WWII Gato class submarine) would often throw some beers into the boat's coolers while pursuing a Japanese contact. The crew enjoyed the beers after the sinking. He also authorized "Depth Charge Medicine" (shots of liquor/spirits) from the Medical Officer/Pharmacist Mate after surviving a depth charge attack from an enemy surface force. "Thunder Below!" is a FANTASTIC book!

[@rwaitt14153]

Back in Fluckey's day there was "torpedo juice" as well which was the ethyl alcohol from the torpedoes crudely distilled to remove the denaturing additives.

[@gregjones7724]

My dad served on a destroyer in the mid 50's. He told me that sharks would often tail ships waiting for garbage to be dumped overboard (including food scraps). A few min in to such a dump, they took a ham hock, wedged in a grenade and pulled the pin. As soon as a shark hit the bait it exploded along with the shark. He told me at that moment a shark frenzy started with all the other sharks going to town on the remaining shark meat.

[@Rylee_DJ]

That’s awesome 🤣

[@kgrfirdjy]

Hilariously dangerous things that would get you Court Martialed: THAT!

[@Rylee_DJ]

@@kgrfirdjy 🤣

[@Keeshaawnn]

Your dad sounds like a fun guy lol

[@dougearnest7590]

1950's Captain: That was a stupid stunt. Do you realize what could have happened? Don't ever let me see you pull a hairbrained stunt like that again! Now get back to work. 2020's Captain: You realize misgendering is a court-martial offense, as well it should be. Kiss your careers goodbye.

[@gregorydahlen2103]

My father was the medical officer on a Pacific fleet tanker at the end of WWII. This video is correct in that he had medical discretion over who would receive alcohol after a trying event. One of these candidate events was falling overboard (in port). He said no one ever fell overboard when there was a shark in the area.

[@secretagent86]

hahaha that is great

[@williamyoung9401]

Amazing coincidence! What a way to work around the regs, lol.

[@jdubhub68]

There's nothing worse than being on an amphib at anchor in Asia somewhere during WestPac, dropping the stern gate and ballasting down, getting ready for swim call, only to realize that the water in the well deck was filled with sea snakes. Have to raise the stern and use the 2 1/2 inch firehoses to flush them all back over the side before closing the stern gate and noping the swim call.

[@Darthdoodoo]

Im sure they would rather not swim with the snakes 😂😂

[@hisinvisibleness-fn8qj]

Good God man😮

[@johnmiller7682]

I was in the Coast Guard, and swim call was a regular thing. We would only have swim call in deep water, as this would reduce the risk of sharks. Though there are open water sharks, most stay close to areas where there is abundant food supply, like coral reefs.

[@islamisthetruewaytogod6812]

Hello ! May Allah protect and guide you to his light and happiness in this life and the hereafter, God bless, Ameen. Excuse me for giving a little presentation of Islam, because it is very misunderstood nowadays, especially on those « Antichrist's » times, where media and politics are mixed to distort history and truth. And terrorists (puppets of the Antichrist) who misinterpret verses, out of ignorance and political motivations, and take them out of historical context (just like radical atheists do by the way), don't help either. Thank you very much for your time. Islam is an arabic word that means the Surrender to the One and Only God, our Creator, Protector, Provider, who gives us life and all that we have, we are safe and sound by his will and grace, we are His and to Him we return, and we have to thank him in this trial life by submitting to him by our free will, or later in the Day of judgment when it's too late to save our own skin. Islam was the original Religion descended to earth from heaven with Adam and Eve (peace and blessing be upon them) in the beginning of humanity. and was passed to people with the succession of the 124 000 prophets and 315 messengers of God to all nations and civilizations since, passing by Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ismaël, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, David, Solomon and Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon them) during the history of mankind, the last replaces and completes the previous, until the succession of the last messenger of God fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) to complete the noble morals of all mankind, to bring humans and jinns out of darkness into light, and to purify people's religion and belief from corruption and polytheism, and return it to purity and true monotheism, like it was in the times of the prophets (Peace and blessing be upon them). Many Religions that we know nowadays, at their beginning were true and under Islam, initiated by one of the prophets of God, but their original teachings, history and scriptures have been corrupted over time with falsification and polytheism, or lost and replaced with false ones. That's why Islam is the only Religion accepted by God nowadays, which consists in bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah (God in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and the Gospel), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, just like Jesus and Moses and others are His servants and messengers. Never a messenger of God said he was God or literally son of God, it was the people after him who changed the words of God and corrupted the Religion. God is unique and absolute, He does not need to have a family and sons or to associate anyone else with His kingdom, He can simply create whatever He wants, everything belongs to Him, and to Him everything will return. Allah said in Surah Al-Mu’minun : “God has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what it has created, and some of them would have gained supremacy over others. Glory be to God, far beyond what they describe. The Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is exalted, far above what they associate. (91-92 / Translated by ITANI). Allah means the one and only God, the God of all prophets and creatures, the creator of the universe and mankind, and the Master of the Day of judgment, where our destiny, Hell or Paradise, is decided based on our faith and deeds in this trial life, and above all, Allah's mercy. Allah said in Surah Al-Ikhlas : In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (1-4 / Translated by ITANI). Allah said in Surah An-Nisa : O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God's Apostle - [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary - and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, "[God is] a trinity". Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. Never did the Christ feel too proud to be God's servant, nor do the angels who are near unto Him. And those who feel too proud to serve Him and glory in their arrogance [should know that on Judgment Day] He will gather them all unto Himself: (171-172 / Translated by Muhammad Asad). Allah the Most Merciful said in Surah Ali-Imran : Behold, the only [true] religion in the sight of God is [man's] self-surrender unto Him; and those who were vouchsafed revelation aforetime took, out of mutual jealousy, to divergent views [on this point] only after knowledge [thereof] had come unto them. But as for him who denies the truth of God's messages - behold, God is swift in reckoning! Thus, [O Prophet,] if they argue with thee, say, "I have surrendered my whole being unto God, and [so have] all who follow me!" - and ask those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime, as well as all unlettered people, "Have you [too] surrendered yourselves unto Him?" And if they surrender themselves unto Him, they are on the right path; but if they turn away - behold, thy duty is no more than to deliver the message: for God sees all that is in [the hearts of] His creatures. Verily, as for those who deny the truth of God's messages, and slay the prophets against all right, and slay people who enjoin equity - announce unto them a grievous chastisement. It is they whose works shall come to nought both in this world and in the life to come; and they shall have none to succour them. (19-22 / Translated by Muhammad Asad).. Salam (Peace) ----------

[@Velo1010]

And I believe the splashing around just attention, not that the sharks are actively hunting people.

[@rayburridge2359]

USS INDIANAPOLIS lost over 700 men when returning from delivering A-Bomb, torpedoed, and was under radio silence. It's claimed most of the men who died were either killed, or devoured by Oceanic White-tip Sharks which spend their lives out in the deepest oceans, and were deeply feared by Sailors, and Airmen alike. American servicemen were given the most ridiculous, useless, dangerous crap as 'shark deterrent I.e. blow bubbles in its eyes, hit it on the nose with butt of your service revolver..and SHOUTING at it underwater!!!!

[@stevenhall2408]

My dad was on a cruise in the Med in the 1950s and they did swim call a lot, it was his favorite thing. He told me one time swim call was sounded and he was the first sailor off of his seaplane tender and he really enjoyed the warm water but the ships momentum kept it moving so by the time they sounded the recall he could barely see the ship and he had to swim hard and got to the climbing net just as they were pulling it up! He said it was a very close call.

[@crashstudi0s]

"This gun costs 400 thousand dollars to fire per minute" "we still gonna fire it for independence day, sir?" "OH you can bet that, nothing lights the sky like a good tracer round"

[@PrograError]

it's training. captain logs as training right?

[@romeoneverdies]

eventually they have to spend the ammunition. and i think your costs are way off.

[@crashstudi0s]

@@romeoneverdies it was a joke, never intended to be taken as a fact, but yeah, you prob right

[@vincentanguoni8938]

​@Wendys where do you people come from??? Go back to your video game!!!!!

[@vincentanguoni8938]

Luis...these people don't understand jokes!!!!! Seriously!!!

[@zflyz7136]

Helps morale and gives search and rescue a practice opportunity. Exercise is so important when underway

[@Swiat34]

In 2003 as a Marine, I swam in the well deck and completed a Shellback ceremony.

[@trombone113]

Semper Fi, Devil Dog.

[@helloidharbl6753]

Fuckin' WestPACs!

[@Swiat34]

@@trombone113 Semper Fi!

[@Swiat34]

@@helloidharbl6753 No Sir, this was our return voyage from the Iraq Invasion. 😎

[@alkh3myst]

Great memory, cargo! Uh, I mean Marine. Seriously, some of my best buds were in the Corps.

[@nathangifford1424]

As a former Gunner qualled for Shark watch it was absolutely crazy learning for the first time that we had to shoot shipmates rather than the Shark. Favorite gun shoot was getting to shoot a M14 with a full mag of tracers just after sunset.

[@em1osmurf]

i spent 59 months on the JFK, CV-67. i felt just about every minute of this. Capt Jack had the small boats (PVB) loaded with ice and beer, and debarked us into each one. i got my 2 beers, and after Qadafi and egypt, they tasted like wine. you have no idea what not seeing the sun for up to 3 months at a time on a ship is like. excellent vid!

[@ibubezi7685]

You never came 'outside'? Not even an elevator? Were the deck and elevators always 'busy' (off-limit)? Even that aft 'gallery'? That is hard indeed!

[@MlLKMAN]

My first cruise was on the Kennedy in 97.

[@chesterwilberforce9832]

Rum and beer were used on early ships because fresh water was so difficult to maintain on a ship. Fermentation is a means by which water can be preserved for long periods of time aboard a ship. Modern ships and subs create their own drinking water from sea water.

[@adambane1719]

Some apples are of a green colour, whilst other apples are red.

[@afrog2666]

Helps having a bunch of sugar ;)

[@nicholasmoore2590]

The Royal Navy still allowed 8 pints of beer per man per day, along with the rum ration, throughout a good part of the 19th century. In the 20th, the rum was issued before lunch. Three cans of beer per man daily was also allowed, but this had to be bought. In my time, it was only the three cans per day, but on certain occasions some captains would allow a mess to buy extra beer. I only ever saw this overseas where we were working closely with US Navy units. They would often host us at barbeques etc, and we would reciprocate but had the extra beer to offer a few tins to our friends and fellow sailors. I still think USS La Salle did the best bbq we went to in the Gulf, mid 80s.

[@merumwidt3120]

In the age of sail, they would lower a sail into the water to create a pool for the sailors. This accomplished two things: 1. It protected them from sharks and other hazardous denizens of the deep. and 2. Provided an accommodation for sailors who couldn't swim, for the vast majority of regular sailors (in addition to many officers) couldn't swim back then, nor did they care to learn. This was because of the fear that they would be left behind after going overboard (which was much more common back then), or in the case of the ship sinking. They didn't want to prolong their death by being able to swim.

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

how would the sail on the water protect them from sharks? surely they could just bite through and rip it to shreds if they wanted to? or am i missing something here

[@merumwidt3120]

@@Knaeckebrotsaege Sail canvas is very strong stuff, and it also has the effect of isolating the smell and splashing sounds of the sailors being in the water. Additionally when it's bowed out like a bowl and full of water it presents a surface that's difficult for a shark to get its mouth around to bite it. They also had lookouts posted in the fighting tops who could see a shark and pass word to a marine sharpshooter either up in the fighting top or below by the gunwales like today. I wouldn't say it was a perfect method and I doubt a captain with any common sense would lower a sail into waters where sharks were visible already, but like many solutions back in that time, it was "good enough". :)

[@CHOPSHOPX]

Those guys deserve more beer and steel beach days! Thanks to all the men and women that serve! God bless you all

[@DevinShillingtonSkateboarding]

My tax dollars can go towards giving a sailor a beer any day

[@Greg_call]

❤. But taxes are going to pay off college loans. My attorney neighbor had a good part of his loan paid by biden. Neighbor makes over $250,000 a year!!

[@dboconnor57]

I second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth that motion, with immeasurable thanks!

[@bfg1836]

I was on subs for 10 years and had 1 swim call. We made a trip to Maui from Pearl Harbor and anchored off the beach. 1/3 of the crew had to stay on board at a time. If it was our turn on board, and we weren’t on watch, we could swim. We took turns in the sail with an M16 for shark watch.

[@kellyclark7517]

Maui no Ka oi🤙🏽

[@monkofbob]

Did anyone ever see a shark?

[@bfg1836]

@@monkofbob no

[@SeattlePioneer]

I'll bet if that person on watch let go with a few M16 rounds, people got out of the water REAL quick! "Seaman! When the time limit for swimming is up, fire five shots from that M16 into the air as a signal." "Yes sir!" Blam, blam, blam, blam, blam!

[@onemercilessming1342]

My father was in the US Navy in WWII. He did not like swimming, so he volunteered to be shark watch. It may have depended upon the ship's captain, but he said trained sailors were not encouraged to just jump off the ship any place they felt like. Manpower was too precious to waste in injuries like that.

[@blindbrad4719]

LOL, I feel like that's part of the reason why it's called "shark watch".

[@onemercilessming1342]

@blindbrad4719 It's far easier to attempt to denigrate a military person's service than it is to man up and serve yourself, especially during times of war.

[@blindbrad4719]

@@onemercilessming1342 ha ha! Sod off trying to shame me. I was due to follow my dad into the army as a helicopter pilot proudly and I would've served in the second gulf war, but apparently they've got a problem with type one diabetes. so take your friendly fire comment and shove it. I notice you're not sharp enough to realise that my comment is agreeing with OP that being dissuaded into jumping off a ship Willy nilly is a good idea and giving sailors pause to do stuff that could cause blood to be spilled and attract sharks is also a competent thought, especially since I'm sure they knew far before us that small arms fire is redundant against sharks. not that you would have known if I'd been in the Armed Forces or not by my comment, however, you certainly come across as just another uneducated keyboard warrior. look at you thinking you're better than everyone else, that's not the poise and dignity of a hero.

[@worldview730]

That's like a pilot being afraid of heights

[@davidponseigo8811]

My son just joined the Navy and will be leaving for basic training at Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago and then job training in Pensacola, Florida to be in cyber security and classified communications. His grandfather was career Navy and also trained at Great Lakes and was highly decorated for firing the first naval surface to surface and surface to air missile and shot down the first and second Mig fighter jet with a surface to air missile in Vietnam.

[@bc-guy852]

Canadian landlubber here; I learned a lot here today including some Canadian trivia. Well done! (Your episodes get better and better!!)

[@Devon7839]

Check out the story some more lol, they were dumb enough to post a photo of themselves loading the ship with beer on like the day the story went live about their issues. This caused a fleet wide tightening of rules regarding alcohol while deployed. Pretty sure several of the senior command staff were charged under the code of service discipline as well.

[@swamprat69er]

Gone is the booze on Canadian Naval vessels, but also gone are the seamen. Because of women being in the navy and serving on ships there are no longer seaMEN on Canadian navy ships. Political Correctness at its' finest.

[@pickawallbootz-]

The absolute most HORRIBLE SUNBURN I've ever had in my life was my second time having one and never even knew I could get one so bad as a black man, was onboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during a steel beach picnic on deployment back in 2010-11ish.

[@JohnsJohnson-ns5xm]

On the enterprise for six years and four tours, we had many swim calls, but never jumped off the flight deck always a sponson. I consider myself a really good swimmer but I would never voluntarily jump off the flight deck. I don’t know how high the Enterprises was, but it had to be 70-80 feet. It’s a hell of a dive.

[@chrisbacon3071]

My dad (British Navy) became the favourite officer for the US Naval helicopter pilots because he would give them beers when they landed on his ship!

[@keithperdue4993]

My dad was on USS Saratoga in WWII. They had to jump off flight deck to know how to do it in case of abandoning the ship. He said it was a 60 ft. fall & nerve-wracking the 1st time.

[@dmorgan0628]

And you know one guy probably fucked up and did a belly flop lol.

[@sh8kit]

Totally necessary! Boost morale and give them confidence to swim in the open sea 🌊

[@BeachLookingGuy]

yea the best part is when they light up a bunch of sharks

[@timkramar9729]

If I'm swimming, there's already a problem.

[@franciscodanconia4324]

Having done a dive off a cliff about as high as a Nimitz class carriers flight deck into a river as a dumb teenager I can attest that landing wrong can be very very painful. I wrenched my back, and for a second, while still 10 feet under the water, thought I had paralyzed myself and was going to drown. Needless to say, I've never jumped off anything higher than the 1M board at the local pool in the 30+ years since.

[@michaelslifecycle]

Same thing happened to my friend. He broke his back and lost feeling in his legs for over a day until after surgery. He was lucky to be alive. It’s amazing how much impact there is from this kind of height. I’m surprised they even allow it.

[@theregalproletariat]

Scary - but no need to stop! Just learn how to do it right.

[@sammylacks4937]

I'd want to be the one manning the gun. Yall swim and I'll shoot.

[@desertodavid]

@@michaelslifecycle why would there ever be a need to dive from the flight deck?? Notice I said dive not jump. By the way the John C stennis is a nimitz-class carrier is it not? White Deckers 90 ft above the water. Why in the world would you attempt to dive off the that unless you are an expert cliff diver??

[@inCawHoots]

In my last two deployments, I experienced all that, minus ports. Thanks Covid. Crossed the equator, had several beers, swim calls, steel beaches because no ports, and guns go off during 4th of July.

[@ltmcolen]

Deploying during COVID was a living hell. In 2019 we did a tour of 6 months and they let us leave the ship once.

[@eleatus2163]

Shellback hooah

[@mflb94]

@@ltmcolen 2019 was before covid tho

[@USNWaveRet]

My daughter was on the COVID CRUISE as well and then they got extended!!! They returned to port with 206 days UNDERWAY, NO LIBERTY PORTS (2020)! Their COVID CRUISE BOOK was hilarious!!! As a retired Navy Veteran and the mother to a SAILOR... I had to buy her cruise book. I am the historian of my boot camp base (no longer around). They even had a COVID CRUISE T-shirt made! I bought one of those too! LOL! She became a Shellback as well as steel deck picnics and beer! And swim call! I miss those steel deck picnics... they were so much fun in my day at sea!!! I never did the swim call though, just sunbathed on the fo'c'sle. We almost did shellback on our maiden cruise (I am a plankowner)... but the Navy said NO because we had females on board! They spoil all the fun!!! So, I came close. :( We were only about 50 miles away and the Navy would not authorize it.

[@xCosmicMuffinManx]

The Coast Guard still has swim calls quite often. I had numerous swim calls while on patrol, I never wanted to take part but it was always cool hanging out on the flight deck while everyone's playing football and swimming Edit: Thanks for calling it a Steel Beach 😂 the correct name

[@todydn]

Wel id hope so swimming is sorta thier job. A coastie not swimming is like marine not eating crayola Or a navy seal not writing a book its not natural

[@3ducs]

My father was a Hellcat pilot in the fleet steaming for Japan when the A-bombs ended the war. He said that the ship, a small carrier, was supposedly dry but when news of Japan's surrender reached the ship a lot of booze appeared.

[@DanG-xl5op]

Haha, my lazy fact check of this channel was watching a bunch of videos on the Navy. Hit GM2 in my short time in. He's surprisingly accurate about some of the lesser known going-ons in the modern Navy. Got all nostalgic a couple of times watching some of the stuff. Hated being in but had some good times and loved my job In 4 years, had several beer days, Swim calls (never shot sharks, though!), steel Beach parties, etc. Not a brag. Very long and secluded deployments/work-ups. A good MWR officer is worth 1000x the money tax payers are forking over. Can really bring a little life back to the ship at times

[@kamikazemelon787]

Highest cliff jump I've ever done was about 45ft, and even landing correctly it felt like my entire body got pummeled. That and higher is definitely enough time to think "oh crap I'm actually going pretty fast now"

[@rockysquirrel4776]

My Dad served on the Carrier, USS Essex at the close of the Korean War. He was good at diving off the deck because he did cliff diving before he joined.

[@morrowear]

A friend of mine is in the German Marine, that's our version of the Navy and in February-March 2022 they were doing recon missions on russian vessels in the mediterranean and black sea... And they had more beer onboard than ammunition. Can't imagine a more german way of doing that

[@adoe2305]

Well yeah, they rely on the U.S to provide the ammunition

[@relaxing_white_noises_by_j1980]

I remember my steel beach picnic aboard the USS Truman CVN-75 back in 2010. That was a time I'll remember forever.

[@ChefMatt420]

Consider 5,000+ Sailors on board and the logistics associated with keeping the watch stations manned and all day food production. About 3,500 choose to do the swim call on these evolutions and it takes about 3-4 hours to cycle everyone through their 10 minutes in the water, with each Sailor being un-available for about 2 hours total. It's a fun time, but definitely not an easy one for the triad or critical workcenters.

[@gradypatterson1948]

In 8 years (late 1984 - early 1993), I *never* saw a "swim call". We had steel beach parties on occasion (I don't drink, so I don't remember there being beer, but ...). The closest I saw to a "swim party" was Crossing the Line!

[@williamblankenship6501]

We've got to shelter our sailors, so a well deck is the true measure of swim call. We have to make sure nobody gets any boo boo's. This really primes our brains to know pain and to stay focoused incase of a casualtie. It teaches us courage.

[@epapa737]

This channel does a better job at promoting the service than the government

[@petergerdes1094]

Good channel but it doesn't beat top gun and similar films and tv. The most effective promotion the government does of the service is offering media that shows them in a positive light access and assistance.

[@LeBellmont]

You think they would forget random submariners during shower calls? I just imagine someone looking very panicked and confused cause someone wanted to pull a bad joke

[@DBVG11]

It's not what you think!

[@antikoerper256]

LOVE the floating air inflatables around the swimmers LMAO... Much love and respect from your humble NATO ally - Bulgaria

[@IanJackieBlake]

I was in the Royal New Zealand Navy and we were the last Navy in the world to issue the Rum Ration. Sadly this was discontinued in 1990 when all eligible personnel were issued a last Tot and the remainder was bottled for purchase by sailors to take home. The RNZN still carries rum to enable Splice the main brace and other very special occasions

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

I had forgotten about that until you mentioned it. I'm a fellow Kiwi who lived through the old triad exercises & spent many years out near Hobby Airforce Base, the yanks were always amazed about the rum rations & loved joining in when they could.

[@Shaun9918]

I was on the Enterprise in 01 and we had a swim call in the Persian Gulf. It was common to sea snakes slithering along in the water. There was no way I was going to risk getting bit by a snake. I also signed my waiver for my shellback as we nearly crossed the equator. It was the same day as 9/11 so we turned the boat around and I never received my shellback.

[@JM-lk6wo]

Waiver? What kind of nonsense is that. When I crossed in 1977 on the USS Midway, there were no such things. If you didn't want to participate, you didn't, if you did, you did, no CYA waivers during an "unwoke" non mamby pamby era.

[@Shaun9918]

@@JM-lk6wo uhh, I don't believe it had anything to do with that. This was 2001 so that type of vocabulary and bias didn't exist. It was about liability.

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Whats a shellback?

[@JM-lk6wo]

@@Shaun9918 that's part of what I meant, we weren't nearly so thin skinned then, nowhere as likely to 'sue because someone looked at me wrong'. The navy has, for many years, been very paternalistic toward junior enlisted, likely adopted the waiver nonsense because of whiny brats complaining about eveything.. BTW, I was a Marine, not a sailor, but had plenty of experience with the navy thought patterns.

[@Shaun9918]

@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 It's an initiation ceremony for crossing the equator. Anyone who already had their shellback could participate in the rituals which was meant to be funny yet embarrassing for the new members.

[@Kal93]

The ocean is terrifying. I would rather die on land than by sea. I'm fine with having a phobia of the ocean because as long as I'm on land, I don't experience terror 😂 Seeing those people dive off of the ship sent shivers up my spine even though it looks like fun.

[@pierevojzola9737]

Hi, the last navy to issue the rum ration regularly, the Royal New Zealand Navy, abolished the practice on 28 February 1990. It just took so long for the last lot of Jamaican rum to reach that far into the South Pacific! Cheers mate. Harera

[@SamuraiKage-iv3ow]

And I thought turtles lived too long at 100+ years, but then comes along the Greenland shark at 500 years 😱

[@absie6287]

Fun(?) fact: most of them are blind due to eye parasites! You can see the parasite in the clip of a greenland shark in this video, its the thing trailing out of its eye

[@sigbauer9782]

Turtle: I live 100 years. Shark: Hold my beer.

[@MrChopsticktech]

@@sigbauer9782 Maple Tree: hold my sap

[@christianroach5107]

3:22 "There is no risk of drowning in concrete." Italian-Americans heavily dispute that claim.

[@williamromine5715]

Thank you for putting things in perspective with the Nimitz crew. We forget what our military members(and their families) sacrifice to keep us safe. It's heartwarming to have a u-tuber point that out. I like your channel very much, and my respect for you just shot thru the roof.

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

My friends dad was aboard the USS Norris DDE-859 during the Korean War and they used to do this, but with the deck crew on guard with the anti aircraft guns pointed at the water. He told me that the captain gave the crew permission to fire at anything that swam near his sailors that was larger than school desk. Today, the navy doesn’t do that!

[@brianb7388]

The coast guard had an incident a couple years ago, there was a guy with an M-4 firing into the water no more than 5 yards from people swimming trying to drive a shark off. I'm sure like a lot of naval traditions the Navy has cut way back on swim calls because a mishap could derail the CO's career so he's taking a risk when he puts people in the water.

[@alphazero6571]

this video talks about greenland sharks like they are some vicous predators like cmon.. they are like the vinnie the pooh of the sea

[@blindbrad4719]

I swear sir! There was definitely a shark the ninth time…

[@NBZW]

Was in the navy 52-60, never had a swim call.

[@kennethwers]

My dad served aboard the aircraft carrier Chaniago (WWII converter oil tanker). The bombing sites asked for grain alcohol for cleaning. To get it he had to go to medical. He drank it on the way back and cleaned the sites with carbon tet.

[@andystewart581]

Served onboard a carrier, a frigate, patrol boat and a destroyer. No swim calls except the patrol boat. It had a swim platform on the stern. 132 days off the coast of Beirut, no beer. 90 days on Barge Hercules (PB base) usually a couple of beer nights per week. Beer was free but only allowed 2, if you signed for them. A lot of people signed for them, like Fred Flintstone, John Wayne and numerous friends I knew, all signed for them.

[@Rylee_DJ]

Fred flintsone being a false name? And why they did that is so they could have as many beers as they want? 😂

[@ForeverTheWar]

1 swim call for me entire time in '10-'16, in the Atlantic ocean on the USCGC Elm '10-'12. Born in Hawaii and raised in San Diego, very comfortable with water. I did not like swimming in the middle of the ocean, I could not relax, even with a shark watch, a diver, and a small boat in the water. It is a very eerie feeling, like you know you're being watched by something in the water but have no idea where or what it is.

[@IntubateU]

We had two swim calls during my five patrols on USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN634). Both were in the Tongue of the Ocean off of Andros Island in the Bahamas. I didn't get in the water on either of them. Instead, I just sat on the turtleback and dangled my toes in the water. Some guys though, swam down the side of the hull until they got far enough down the curvature that they could go upside down and then walk across the bottom of the hull - popping up on the other side.

[@mehitabel1290]

WOW!!!

[@Moon___man]

screw that, even swimming under ships in video games gives me the creeps lol

[@randmayfield5695]

For those interested: James Cameron's decent into the 7 mile deep trench in his Deepsea Challenger submersible took place in 2013. I live in a rural area and the closest grocery store is spot at 7 miles from where I live. Putting that distance into perspective by imagining it vertically in a water column leaves me perpetually gobsmacked. Cameron did it by himself so if any of you are scared to swim on top, give Camron a call and get his recipe for growing a "pair". Lol KZbin has lots on his decent and it's worth looking into. Stay safe everybody and take care.

[@ibubezi7685]

Yup.... that is also how I try to imagine ocean-depths... Only a few meters under you start to feel the pressure already....

[@giantdad1661]

Why didn't he go deeper? Thought he had a pair.

[@webby2275]

​@Giant Dad Because there is literally nothing that is deeper than the bottom of Challenger Deep, Marianas Trench.

[@randmayfield5695]

@@webby2275 Amazingly true. Plate tectonics at its best.

[@giantdad1661]

@Webby Yeah I realized that after I double checked the depth of the trench. He also did it in a submarine designed to withstand the pressure. Saturation Divers have more balls than James Cameron. Imagine being in absolute darkness for 30 days at a time and having to weld shit that deep.

[@chrispoe8404]

If you can’t stay afloat, you will NOT be joining the Navy. -Retired Navy Chief.

[@IamTHEONLYgus532]

4 years of active duty and I spent it all aboard the USS Nassau. During that time, we had only one swim call and that was inside the ships well deck. Steel beach picnics, on the other hand were more often.and something we looked forward to during that period when we spent 63 days straight underway at sea.

[@masterofwit339]

Thank you to every single one of y’all who ever served. 🇺🇸♥️🇺🇸

[@GreenOcean-k8p]

Shared this video with my father. He told me stories growing up jumping off the USS Forrestal in the Early 80's. Told me he was the only one to jump off the deck and got roasted by the Captain for it haha. We are both part fish so I understand why he did it!

[@oldnewdude9095]

As a former submariner I can confirm that this is true. When we had our swim qual after we crossed the equator, the men armed with M14's were there to shoot us not the shark. Yes I went swimming anyways, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to cross off a item on my bucket list that I didn't know would be on it🏊👍🏻🦈😱

[@chrismc410]

Why M14s on a Submarine? You'd think handguns and submachine guns like MP5s would be better for Force Protection and a submarine's close quarters

[@oldnewdude9095]

@@chrismc410 this was over 30 years ago, all we had on board were M14s, 45s, and shotguns.

[@davidkingsley3244]

I was on watch in the Engine room when my boat had it's only swim call & they didn't relieve everyone

[@vincentanguoni8938]

​@@chrismc410 seriously? You didn't understand his comment!!! The guy is full of crap...he was never near a boat! (Sub)

[@chrismc410]

@@vincentanguoni8938 I understood it verbatim/ literally. Reason why I responded as I did was having a long rifle like an M14 on the confines of a SSN/SSGN/SSBN didn't make sense. With the exception of a carrier, they're a dubious proposition on most of the surface fleet

[@MoA-Reload...]

Years ago I worked on passenger ferries and was one of the TO's for seasonal crew. For basics of sea survival, life jacket and practical liferaft training we used to train off the side on the actual ship they'd be working on. This would usually be early March so water would be a little chilly but it was controlled conditions. Part of the training is learning how to jump from the ship with life jacket on and ideally NOT snap your neck in the process. Fail to demonstrate you can do it, you no longer work there. 2002(ish) health & safety nuts stepped in and said we couldn't do that anymore. The problem they had wasn't the jump from height in life jacket. It was that we were doing it off the side of the ship into really cold water... Except that was part of the point! Best description I have for what it feels like to jump into truly frigid water is it's like the worst ice cream brain freeze while being repeatedly kicked in the chest while rolling around on a million pin tacs. So congratulations health & safety idiots, since 2002 the very first time any new member of cabin crew on UK based passenger ferries will get to experience that is right when we need them to keep their crap together and do their ficken job!

[@blindbrad4719]

I like the fact you've missed out the part where you can still do the Coldwater training without the high jump at the same time.

[@azerty1933]

There was most likely a death from this training on another ship. Health and safety rules are written in blood and if there is a risk of dying in a controlled environment, that means you need to entirely rethink that controlled environment So sorry mister "we used to be tough but now it's only sissies" but that's a good thing that serious risk of death is removed from training for passager ferries. You're not the navy and in reality you never even came close to a near death experience

[@francescomazzella5568]

Swimming off Tulagi, on the Solomon Islands, off the back of one of the service boats in 2010. No jumping but a 20 meter Jesus line trailing behind. Looked like fun swimming out to another Island 50 m away. Got halfway across then realised we could be a shark smorgasbord very quickly. Made a calm retreat back to the boat while my sphincter was twitching madly.

[@MikeDarr61]

I served on an LHA way back in the day. They would flood the well deck for swim calls. But there were still shark guards posted.

[@redjive7031]

You definitely need to be able to swim to be in the Navy. I just graduated bootcamp and seen many people get separated for failing the swim test.

[@surmatise]

There was a guy that got asmo’d into my division because he failed the swim test with his first division, then he failed in ours and was asmo’d again into another division He did end up passing in his 3rd division because I bumped into him across the street in great lakes at the NEX during aschool. This was in 2004.

[@redjive7031]

@@surmatise Had a guy who got separated from bootcamp right before battlestations the first time he went to bootcamp. He came back a year later and was part of my division.

[@trombone113]

When at Parris Island, I had a lot of "trouble" with the swim qual and was kept back a week to do it again. The fact is, by the second week I was all of a sudden a good swimmer with no issues. The simple fact was, I liked swimming in the pool instead of doing the crap the rest of the platoon was doing. A very wise decision on my part. That thought of pure genius got me the rest of the way through bootcamp. 😁

[@adamhopkins6058]

So when ever the shark see's a aircraft carrier around it hears a dinner bell ringing "COME AND GET IT"Like the the old Chuck Food Dog Wagon commercials!!As you can tell I'm just a civilian.

[@jonathangorman1873]

Fun fact for you: In the (British) Royal Navy just about anyone with the surname of Ward ends up being called "Sharky", this is derived from lookouts being posted to watch for sharks during bathing sessions being known as "shark wardens".

[@PocketBrain]

We had zero swim calls on my carrier while I was there; two WestPac deployments, several shakedowns. We had one beer day, which did not coincide with a Steel Beach picnic, which we had several times. (U.S. carrier CVN-72, 1990s)

[@trailblazer1047]

I cant believe they did that,i have pictures of me jumping in,was fun,never any sharks,once Dolphins came close.

[@JackofAllTrades1]

As a Gunners Mate in the Navy I used to have to stand “Shark Watch” on the 03 level of the ship with an M-14 rifle while the ships crew was on a swim call. Good times

[@jamesburns8247]

My ATF had one swim call approx. over the Mariana Trench in 73 as I remember. It was really nice to get out of the engine room. We regularly jumped off of the Alpha Dock in Hawaii when in port since we were moored there.

[@RealJeep]

I served on the USS Salinan (ATF-161) and we swam all the time. However, the freeboard on the fantail of an ATF was only several feet so no big deal to jump off.

[@DroneUpp]

I was one who did Swim Call in the Mediterranean many years ago. It was fun but I don't think I would do it today. Older and wiser. Great memories of seeing this video.

[@d.e.b.b5788]

Wow, I didn't know that you didn't have to know how to swim to go into the navy. My dad served in WW2, and swimming was one of the things that they made sure every sailor knew how to do. And yes, he always had a smile on his face when he talked about jumping off of ships to go swimming out in the middle of the pacific. It was probably one of the few enjoyable times he had back then, being in the middle of a war. He and his brother enlisted right after Pearl Harbor, and stayed in until 1946. They were lucky, as both served and survived. Many of their friends were killed. I only learned this from my aunt,after my dad died, because he never really spoke about his time in the war.

[@Grandude77]

You aren't required to be able to fly to join the airforce

[@nanoflower1]

@@Grandude77 Yes, but you aren't going to end up in the air just because you joined the Air Force. If you are deployed on any naval vessel then you are going to be on the ocean with a chance of being in the ocean. So knowing the basics of swimming is for the best. Knowing how to fly is very different from knowing how to swim. Hell, knowing how to fly a cessna isn't going to be of great use if you are in a fighter jet or in a helicopter.

[@jimwjohnq.public]

You gotta know at least how to float.

[@nanoflower1]

@@jimwjohnq.public It is surprising as when I was going to college everyone had to take a basic drown proofing course that gave the basics of surviving if they fell in the water and couldn't swim. One would have expected the US Navy to go beyond that.

[@berryreading4809]

It's done in pools during pre cruise training as I understand, although you basically just need to not panic and be able to float with clothes on and properly use a PFD (life jacket) to pass... Too many other things to hurt or kill you on a ship that are must knows before you have to worry about somehow going overboard in easy floating salt water I guess 😄 🤷‍♂️ Unless your job in the Navy likely means literally being in or under the water they probably aren't going to waste the expensive and limited training time on very many swim lessons... Although Marines get to have all that fun in the pool with the helo dunker, so you better learn to swim if you want to ride in a helicopter to be deployable in certain circumstances... (nobody WANTS to fly in an Osprey 🤣) I'm not wikipedia, but I think I'm roughly right about the current requirements... 🤷‍♂️

[@jonesukanaivalu9221]

I served in the Fiji Navy but can't recall how many times we had swim calls. It was normal for us to dive into the sea for a swim whilst sentries stood guard with loaded weapons.

[@jarekferenc1149]

Guards with loaded weapons in the middle of the Pacific Lake. Hmmm... To prevent desertion, I suppose.

[@Rylee_DJ]

@@jarekferenc1149🤣🤣

[@TheSunIsMyDestroyer]

shark: looks like unicorn is back on the menu boys

[@CoreyKearney]

I'm surprised you didn't point out why the rum ration started in the first place. Because even with the low alcohol content. It was easier to keep it potable, than just plain water.

[@michaelbateman6430]

I was Jack of the Dust while I did my FSA time. I was told I had a special mission one day a few days before we entered dry dock. I had to dump all the beer in the liquor locker. It was an amphib so there was a decent amount of cases. It was the most interesting day of my life. I didn’t drink very much back then but when I did indulge I really enjoyed it. It took about 6 hours for me and the MS3 to solemnly empty at least 500 cans of beer. The saltiest MS1 on the ship came up and told us we could leave at 1400 that day but he said stop by the reefer deck with a big backpack at 1359. We did and he was there to hand off a 24 pack of Bud he stashed behind the baby tomatoes and told us to go enjoy it at MacArthur Park across from the base. It was the best beers I’ve tasted after that rough day.😂 I don’t even like Budweiser.

[@alemgas]

Bud is piss water like all murican beers, only Europeans produce good strong beer

[@fmfdocbotl4358]

I know you're old school when you said MS3 lol. The kids these days wouldn't know what an MS is

[@Cmon-Man]

One of best Navy memories, swim call. Had 3 off USS Independence CV62. Amazing to float in such deep, open water. Had only one beer day, heading home after Persian Gulf

[@Dennis-uc2gm]

As a US tax payer I'd buy a drink for these service men and woman anytime they had the luxury of enjoying it. It's the least we can do for them serving far away from home and having to do who knows what in the protection of this country.

[@TheGearhead222]

Same here. Plus, vets really appreciate any gesture, even if it's a thank you for serving. I still give away a P-38 to all vets I meet-John in Texas (USN-Desert Storm/Shield)