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In reply to the discussion: 1968 (Your Help, Please!) [View all]yortsed snacilbuper
(7,939 posts)71. I spent 1968 on the Coast Guard Cutter Point Hudson in Viet Nam!
Point Hudson was built to accommodate an 8 man crew.[6] She was powered by two 600 hp (447 kW) VT600 Cummins diesel main drive engines and had two five-bladed 42 in (1.1 m) propellers. The main drive engines were later replaced by 800 hp (597 kW) VT800 Cummins engines. Water tank capacity was 1,550 US gallons (5,900 L) and fuel tank capacity was 1,840 US gallons (7,000 L) at 95% full.[4][6] Engine exhaust was ported through the transom rather than through a conventional stack and this permitted a 360 degree view from the bridge; a feature that was very useful in search and rescue work as well as a combat environment.[7]
The design specifications for Point Hudson included a steel hull for durability and an aluminum superstructure and longitudinally framed construction was used to save weight. Ease of operation with a small crew size was possible because of the non-manned main drive engine spaces. Controls and alarms located on the bridge allowed one man operation of the cutter thus eliminating a live engineer watch in the engine room. Because of design, four men could operate the cutter; however, the need for resting watchstanders brought the crew size to eight men for normal domestic service. The screws were designed for ease of replacement and could be changed without removing the cutter from the water. A clutch-in idle speed of three knots helped to conserve fuel on lengthy patrols and an eighteen knot maximum speed could get the cutter on scene quickly.
Air-conditioned interior spaces were a part of the original design for the Point class cutter. Interior access to the deckhouse was through a watertight door on the starboard side aft of the deckhouse. The deckhouse contained the cabin for the officer-in-charge and the executive petty officer. The deckhouse also included a small arms locker, scuttlebutt, a small desk and head. Access to the lower deck and engine room was down a ladder. At the bottom of the ladder was the galley, mess and recreation deck. A watertight door at the front of the mess bulkhead led to the main crew quarters which was ten feet long and included six bunks that could be stowed, three bunks on each side. Forward of the bunks was the crew's head complete with a compact sink, shower and commode. Accommodations for a 13 man crew were installed for Vietnam service.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Point_Hudson_(WPB-82322)
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Those are fascinating posts, kentuck. The last paragraph made me feel very sad. To be alone,
sabrina 1
Jul 2014
#106
I had a similar experience of spending the night on a Georgia road to Warner Robins AFB to pick up
ancianita
Aug 2014
#125
my bil's dad found a Woodstock poster in the garbage and made $15k nt
Laura PourMeADrink
Jul 2014
#68
What sticks out? The betrayal by the Democratic Party of the anti-war movement.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Jul 2014
#2
The Democrats at the convention went for Humpty rather than McCarthy.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Aug 2014
#197
Yeah,....because us long haired hippie types were responsible for this...
Spitfire of ATJ
Jul 2014
#52
For some adults, my parents for example, Kent State and Watergate were the unravelling of their
LuckyLib
Aug 2014
#221
I was in command of an Army riot control squad that was on alert to go there
pinboy3niner
Jul 2014
#18
I was there too, and indeed the fact that none of us were killed remains suprising.
Warren Stupidity
Jul 2014
#23
The good guys kept dying at the hands of "lone gunmen". I smelled a putrid, stinking rat.
Scuba
Jul 2014
#21
i can feel the gut punches of losing bobby kennedy & martin luther king like it was yesterday.
spanone
Jul 2014
#26
I had just gotten out of the hospital & convalescent center at Cam Ranh Bay with
Jackpine Radical
Jul 2014
#48
Well, I was involved on a more tame/peaceful level but I can totally get what
Laura PourMeADrink
Jul 2014
#70
How many hours do you have, haha! 1968: Nixon elected during my birthday party. 1968: Chicago police
WinkyDink
Jul 2014
#80
Woodstock, Vietnam, Janice Joplin, Jimmy Hendrick & my friend's new Mustang.(maybe that car was '69)
misterhighwasted
Jul 2014
#81
Yes..67, 68, 69 kind of blurred together. so much DID happen in a short time
misterhighwasted
Jul 2014
#96
The middle of my undergraduate years at UC. Every guy we knew had a 2-S (student)
LuckyLib
Jul 2014
#91
I don't remember hearing about any formal tour, but I did see him occasionally on
LuckyLib
Aug 2014
#220
I watched the series. It's completely accurate and exactly the way I experienced it from high school
ancianita
Aug 2014
#121
It was blow after blow after blow, and by the end my heart was shattered in pieces
Hekate
Aug 2014
#136
The HBO series "from the Earth to the Moon" has an episode called "1968"
Warren DeMontague
Aug 2014
#141
I was 8 years old that year, but not entirely unaware of the goings on in the adult world.
trackfan
Aug 2014
#210
The '68 Democratic Convention. I was watching with my husband's family at his parents'
CTyankee
Aug 2014
#219