They could do with a few more trucks, wouldn't you think? it's like sending a guy in with a squirt gun. You might as well wait until it's all burnt up, otherwise your just fanning the flames.

kv

http://www.koin.com/news/local/multnomah-county/heavy-smoke-seen-from-ne-portland-fire/1033756981
It was already a 5 alarm fire with 8 houses lost, there were trucks at the ready but no real place for them to be effective. They started laying down chemical that smothered most of the burning tires quickly. 23 engines, 7 trucks, a heavy squad, with just about every command unit in the city.
http://www.kgw.com/video/news/local/update-on-massive-portland-fire/283-8034265

 

One heck of a fire. I thought the information officer did a real good job. Junk yards are disasters waiting to happen between oil and tires they make for an ugly fire and God help anything downwind. I feel for those who are out of their homes and lost everything. Nice to see the Red Cross on site doing what they can for the people.

Ron

 

Heat index of 78. No wind. Just warm enough to get the big muscles up to operating temperature.
I installed a rear CV axle in 2:20 from opening the shed door to washing my hands.
That's what I call a good day!

 

The guy at the end of the boom directing the spray on top of the fire is a stud.

I think your wife typed that in while you were getting a beer out of the fridge.

 

I think your wife typed that in while you were getting a beer out of the fridge.

I had a very limited experience fighting a dangerous fire on our ship. I could see the devils face in those flames as it got so hot the bottom of our shoes started to melt from the heat on the metal deck. I was scared half out of my wits.

I hated firefighting school.

 

I had a very limited experience fighting a dangerous fire on our ship. I could see the devils face in those flames as it got so hot the bottom of our shoes started to melt from the heat on the metal deck. I was scared half out of my wits.

I hated firefighting school.

How about the USS Forrestall (AKA USS Forrest Fire) where 134 sailors died and 161 were injured. People think a steel ship won't burn.
1967 USS Forrestal fire. When I was riding the carriers I always took part in the drills as I felt it helped me better connect with the people I worked with daily. I also knew if something went very wrong at least I would have a handle on what was going on. Yeah, a shipboard fire can and will scare the heck out of you. Nowhere to run either so you best fight the fire like your life depends on it because... it does.

Ron

 

How about the USS Forrestall (AKA USS Forrest Fire) where 134 sailors died and 161 were injured. People think a steel ship won't burn.
1967 USS Forrestal fire. When I was riding the carriers I always took part in the drills as I felt it helped me better connect with the people I worked with daily. I also knew if something went very wrong at least I would have a handle on what was going on. Yeah, a shipboard fire can and will scare the heck out of you. Nowhere to run either so you best fight the fire like your life depends on it because... it does.

Ron

Even if you have a place to run it's still dangerous. We had a pier-side 1980 that burned for 25 straight hours. I was on radio duty that night, so once I secured the shack and shutdown the equipment I joined the sweep teams looking for people in a totally blackout ship filled with smoke from a storage room fire. I've never been so exhausted in my life after the adrenaline rush.

Here's an AP video of our ship from 1980 in Singapore. That was a great cruise.

Half the ship heads to McDonald's.

 

Ah Singapore. I liked that place. My worst cruise was a 9 month IO deployment during the Iran hostage situation and the Iran ? Iraq war. It was the second deployment of the then new USS Eisenhower. The first was a Med Cruise and was great, the IO not so great. We left pier 12 Norfolk VA and were at sea 100 consecutive days. We hit Singapore for a week and went back out for 156 consecutive days before arriving back at Pier 12. We left with 100 civilians on board and by the time we got back we had 7 of us. The remainder literally quit their jobs and flew off. Singapore I spent a week at the Singapore Hilton and drank, then drank more. I liked Singapore as you could walk through the park at 2 AM and feel perfectly safe. Law enforcement does not screw around and when their courts mete out punishment it comes fast and swift.

Thanks for sharing the video, brought back some fond memories. Here I am back in 1980 from the IO Cruise Book, Mr. Blain IM-3 Division. Hell I was 30 years old when that picture was taken in 1980. Seems funny with all the ranks and my Mr. Last month I renewed my drivers license and the girl issuing it suggested we change my hair color.

Ron

 

Ah Singapore. I liked that place. My worst cruise was a 9 month IO deployment during the Iran hostage situation and the Iran ? Iraq war. It was the second deployment of the then new USS Eisenhower. The first was a Med Cruise and was great, the IO not so great. We left pier 12 Norfolk VA and were at sea 100 consecutive days. We hit Singapore for a week and went back out for 156 consecutive days before arriving back at Pier 12. We left with 100 civilians on board and by the time we got back we had 7 of us. The remainder literally quit their jobs and flew off. Singapore I spent a week at the Singapore Hilton and drank, then drank more. I liked Singapore as you could walk through the park at 2 AM and feel perfectly safe. Law enforcement does not screw around and when their courts mete out punishment it comes fast and swift.
Ron

Singapore was fun and safe like you said. Well, most of it was. We tended to hangout in the infamous sleaze pit Bugis Street area near the old China town district with the Brits.

I also made that little I/O cruise in 1980 for the Iran hostage situation. We only did 90 consecutive days and left after the mission failed for Mombasa Kenya with another two months before heading back home. The I/O in that part of the world is a very strange place with seas so calm at times they seem to blend into the sky. Did the same I/O cruise in 81 because of Iran and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

 

I also made that little I/O cruise in 1980 for the Iran hostage situation. We only did 90 consecutive days and left after the mission failed for Mombasa Kenya with another two months before heading back home.

That's right, some of our guys got a helicopter ride over to some of the cruisers and got a break in Mombasa, Kenya. Yeah, during my younger days I crawled through some great sleeze bar districts globally. Okinawa before the reversion back to Japan was fun and the PI was the adult Disneyland. Thinking back it's a wonder I am still alive.

One thing strange about the IO I remember was how hot it was and I mean even the ships hull temperatures were just plain hot.

Ron

 

That's right, some of our guys got a helicopter ride over to some of the cruisers and got a break in Mombasa, Kenya. Yeah, during my younger days I crawled through some great sleeze bar districts globally. Okinawa before the reversion back to Japan was fun and the PI was the adult Disneyland. Thinking back it's a wonder I am still alive.

Ron

PI was fun (was a contractor at Subic MOTU-13 for a year) but Thailand much more exotic back then.
From my 1980 IO Cruise Book.

We were the first Amphibious group in the I/O for ages.

Saw a lot of weather.. to keep in OT.

1981

We did the Australian loop from West, East and up the Great Barrier Reef back to Asia.

 

Thailand was really great and was the big deal for R&R when I was in Vietnam. Matter of fact when I left Vietnam in 72 my unit was in DaNang, that same unit went on to build MCAS Rose Garden, Nam Phong, Thailand. Which was not quite Bangkok and lacked a nice Hilton.

During the mid to late 70s I got to Cubi Point across the bay from Sewer City errr rather Subic Bay. OMG, do you remember some of the bar names? Some funny stuff. Somewhere I have my cruise books from the IKE. I have to look for them.

Later
Ron .

 

Thailand was really great and was the big deal for R&R when I was in Vietnam. Matter of fact when I left Vietnam in 72 my unit was in DaNang, that same unit went on to build MCAS Rose Garden, Nam Phong, Thailand. Which was not quite Bangkok and lacked a nice Hilton.

During the mid to late 70s I got to Cubi Point across the bay from Sewer City errr rather Subic Bay. OMG, do you remember some of the bar names? Some funny stuff. Somewhere I have my cruise books from the IKE. I have to look for them.

Later
Ron .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_border_raids_in_Thailand
We hugged the coast from Vietnam to Thailand to gather intelligence about the Khmer Army on the Thai border and the locations of boat-people leaving SE-Asia after the war for a UN directed rescue mission. Just because we left didn't mean people stopped killing each other. Some of our ships intercepted and rescue families on boats for transportation to the UN base in Thailand. I think that's why the AP had video of us in the archive.

I remember some of the bars in PI but there are too many tender young ears here to repeat the names of popular hangouts.

 

I remember some of the bars in PI but there are too many tender young ears here to repeat the names of popular hangouts.

That's why there is a conversation function at these forums.

 

Somewhere I have my cruise books from the IKE. I have to look for them.


Ron .

I lost track of my brother at a bar in Mexico where shall we say young ladies "entertained" men. I had no idea what happened to him. My friend and I had to hoof it back to our hotel as all the cabs were gone for the night. There we were walking arm in arm with the young ladies from the bar. We finally flagged down a cab and we all piled in. There I was in the back seat of the car with about half a dozen of the young ladies. No idea how we all fit

We dropped them off. By the time we got back to our hotel it was dawn. We went to the police so they could help track down my brother. All I could think of was having to tell my parents ny brother was dead. He turned up at the hotel later. Turns out by the time the little moron made up his mind on what lady to entertain him, the place was closing. So he went to her place. I could have killed him.

 

That's why there is a conversation function at these forums.

That's no fun. I'll just say they were a lot like America in the 70's. Back then the base city bar section was divided into several cultural parts. The was the Country Western part of town , the Rock and Roll Go Go doper palaces, a neutral sailor hard drinking bar area and the 'Jungle' (not the real jungle that surrounded the base and city) for the R & B mainly black Americans fans. After 1980 (the end of PI martial law and the beginnings of Disco conversion of popular bars) things became less and less rigid.

 

No doubt they were cultural bars. But you know, when they declared a place off limits, that would be where I went, and suffered the inevitable consequences.....NJP. The curiosity would be so great, I'd want to see why it was off-limits.

 

No doubt they were cultural bars. But you know, when they declared a place off limits, that would be where I went, and suffered the inevitable consequences.....NJP. The curiosity would be so great, I'd want to see why it was off-limits.

Most of the time is was for nasty girls, sailors being rolled (beaten badly, lightly beaten was OK ) for their money, selling drugs or bad booze (spike your drink). Like most I did my share of SP patrols to all the off limits bars looking for violators.
The one place that was consistently on the off limits list was the JOLO bar (a special case that I will name). The incident list from that place was a mile long but people wanted to see why and usually found out why with a lump on the head.

 

Most of the time is was for nasty girls, sailors being rolled (beaten badly, lightly beaten was OK ) for their money, selling drugs or bad booze (spike your drink). Like most I did my share of SP patrols to all the off limits bars looking for violators.
The one place that was consistently on the off limits list was the JOLO bar (a special case that I will name). The incident list from that place was a mile long but people wanted to see why and usually found out why with a lump on the head.

Do all bars of ill repute have the same name? That was pretty much the name of the bar where I lost my brother. Actually I think it was three and a half.

 

Do all bars of ill repute have the same name? That was pretty much the name of the bar where I lost my brother. Actually I think it was three and a half.

This building had three floors. The first was a open to the street bar, the second floor was mainly a 'cat' house with the '3' floor being for reserved for the type of live entertainment you hear rumors about. The entire block of clubs burned to the ground in a mysterious fire after a particularity embarrassing bit of 'live' entertainment was publicized.

We saw the same type of 'live' entertainment down at the old Hotel street Chinatown strip in Honolulu.