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I was on a USCG 378' ship about 120 miles WSW of San Diego. I watched distinct sets of waves on the radar at a range of 20 miles. At that range they must have been 50' high. I checked the chart and it was over Cortes Bank. When I got back to SD I told some surfers about it and pointed it out on a chart. I may have been the person that discovered the big break. 20 years later I heard a story about a small aircraft spotting it.

I was on a USCG 378' ship about 120 miles WSW of San Diego. I watched distinct sets of waves on the radar at a range of 20 miles. At that range they must have been 50' high. I checked the chart and it was over Cortes Bank. When I got back to SD I told some surfers about it and pointed it out on a chart. I may have been the person that discovered the big break. 20 years later I heard a story about a small aircraft spotting it.

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[–] • 0 pt

What was the name of the cutter?

[–] • 1 pt

USCGC Morgenthau. I crossed the Arctic circle and the International date time line on it. Was in a typhoon in the Bering Sea. 55' waves.

[–] • 1 pt

Awesome. I was stationed on the Morgenthau when it was based at Governor’s Island! 1971-1974.

[–] • 0 pt

I was a QM. after the Morg I was an OOD on an 82' PB in SoCal. my last 2 years was at VTSNY on GI. a bigger bunch of kiss up kick down homesteaders you'll never see.

I show up wearing 12 ribbons and a Cuttermans Insignia. all these assholes that had never left GI had the 2 they got in bootcamp! they actually said 'are you supposed to be wearing all that?'. fukn guys had never been west of the Hudson river and thought the US ended there.

I told them 'I didnt spend the last 5 years shining officers shoes'. they hated me after that. GI sucked and NYC was a crack ridden shithole in the '80s.

[–] • 0 pt

heres a sea story for ya

I was on the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau homeported in Alameda ca. SF harbor. The Command had all the operations personnel muster on the OPS rec deck. A compartment smaller than a 1 car garage.

So theres about 40 guys crowded into a room that seats maybe 12. Turns out theyre doing a surprise inspection with a Federal drug sniffing dog.

The metal ladder leading down into this space is on about a 65 degree angle and is about 8 ft tall. Anyways this dog falls down the ladder AND SOMEHOW CUTS ITS DICK ON THE WAY DOWN!

LOTS OF BLOOD

DRUG DOG LANDS IN A HEAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LADDER IN A ROOM OVERCROWDED WITH PISSED OFF SAILORS AND IS WRITHING AND SCREAMING IN PAIN!

Of course the captive audience starts laughing because we realized that we had been set up and it backfired magnificently.

The dog handler flies into a blind rage and screams "YOU THINK THATS FUNNY?".

40 GUYS ANGRILY SHOUT BACK "YEAH!". The dog handler grabbed his dog in both arms and RAN straight up the ladder! Not easily done not using the rails.

They didnt pull that shit on us again. Training a dog to use a steep ships ladder was probably cost prohibitive. They did start piss testing people a year or two later. But thats another story.

[–] • 1 pt

Bering sea doesn't play around

[–] • 1 pt

Would not be conditions you would want to fall overboard on...

[–] • 1 pt

Oh hell no. The waters so cold life expectancy is about 5 minutes. In seas like that it would put the ship at risk to turn.