We need your HELP!

Interesting [short] accounts of an experience you may recall while serving on-board the good old Haynsworth. Your recollection may sound silly or insignificant to you, but to others, you just may bring up an old funny memory, worth a chuckle or two.

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Do any of you guys recall playing a game on the ships communication headphones while at sea, during the wee hours of a (12 to 4) or (4 to 8) watch? It was kind of a variation of "YOUR HIT PARADE" or "NAME THAT TUNE". To defeat boredom and keep from going to sleep, while standing our four-hour watches wearing those confounded headphones, we would sing or hum a tune and we would keep score on who recognized the most songs.
Considering that some these guys were from other divisions --- who normally wouldn't see or speak with one another if they passed one another on deck or in the passageway --- but during this couple of hours on watch, guys on the bridge, engine rooms, fire rooms etc. had a bit of fun together. I know for some of you, this type of shenanigans, just never occurred on your watch, but it did on mine in the 1950s.

I'm sure that you can come up with some better stories if you would just take a few minutes to type it out and put a smile on someone's face.

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You've dragged me out of my shell.

My top memory is of the night when we (on night exercises), collided with Ault (DD698). One of their sailors was killed and both ships vegetated through the night before steaming to Yokosuka for extensive repairs.

I was on the ladder on the way to my battle station in Combat when the impact hit. When I regained my balance I rushed to Combat's entrance only to find that some of my most intelligent shipmates were on the way to abandon ship stations. Probably they understood better than I what the hell was going on, but I was able to push them back to duty.
A recent Annapolis graduate was leading them out before I intercepted them. He lost all credibility among the crew subsequently.

LTjg R. M. Lovell, Jr. 1952-1954

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