Mike, that certainly sums it up!

One of the flag policies that really hurt morale was fresh-water rationing. When we were at sea, we were restricted to three-minute showers, and then only at certain hours -- midnight was one authorized shower period I remember. It was a real inconvenience to the "snipes" (the engine-room gang) because when they got off watch they'd be oily and sweaty and usually had to go to sleep in that condition because shower periods didn't match up with their watches.

>>>>>Bryan, so did you have hot bunks on the big boats, where machine oil would scent your pillow indescribably? (Note Army guys say 'boat,' opening floodgates to blue water rebuke).

The reason for the water rationing? So the ship could be washed down with fresh water to wash off the sea salt before we came into port, to make a good visual impression when we docked.

>>>>>But if you used fresh to hose down the ship, did that not delay having to rust-pick and scrape it before repainting?

The three-minute shower regulation was actually monitored by the master-at-arms. One minute of fresh water; turn it off and soap down; then two minutes of fresh water to rinse off the soap.

>>>>>The 3-min shower rule: Wasn't that a humanitarian gesture imposed by the UN to protect guys who had been at sea for 56 months, or whatever your tour of duty was?

I remember another, more humorous, policy....Of course, as soon as the VIPs left, all the goodies left too, never to be seen again until the next VIP visited.

>>>>>You may recall a similar scene in Stalag 17 with the visit of the "Geneva Man." As soon as he split, the new blankets disappeared and it was "business as usual." (Schulz: "There must be a ham hock in here somewhere!")

For all that, though, the Prov served very good food, the best I ever had on any other ship or station I was on. Only the submariners had better food than a flagship.

>>>>>I've heard that submarine cooks were especially adept at torpedo sandwiches, served by their captains, as in: "Hey, there goes Shinano, what say we give her a couple of torpedo sandwiches?"

OK, bad pun. Me go way now.