US Marines on the USS Yorktown

Marines on board served in many areas that most did not understand. We go back into history when the United States was first formed. Our Government created a Corps of Marines on November 10, 1775. These Marines were assigned to Navy ships to provide security and used as "sharp shooters" from the riggings. They were also assigned to protect the Captain of the ship. That created the Marine Orderly charged with protecting the Captain. As time evolved the Marines were also charged with leading a ship's landing party consisting of Marines and Sailors for shore actions. When wooden ships gave way to the modern Navy ships made of steel and iron the Marines on board were given more duties.

They were charged with running the ship's brig (jail) and ship's security including the forward brow. As warfare weapons progressed they were also assigned to protect the "Special Weapons" area of the ship. At times this consisted of a Marine standing guard of the Special Weapons area just outside the Marine Guard Office across from the Ship's Store and the Ward Room Galley. (circa 1964-1966) There were some times that the Marines also provided a security guard in the actual Special Weapons area. Anyone entering that area was checked by the Marine above and the Marine below. Both were armed with a loaded 45 cal M1911A1. When Special Weapons were being loaded or a practice loading in the hanger deck or flight deck the Marines provided a security detail. This was not an area you wanted to cross as Marines took it very serious. We did not know what the weapons were, if they were real, if they were Nukes, etc. All we knew was that you were not going to get close to them when being loaded or unloaded or take any pictures.

When a person was sent to the brig from a Captain's Mast or Court Martial the Marines ran the ship's brig. They were responsible to carry out discipline and return an individual back to the Navy that would make them part of the team that made the Yorktown a great ship. Most of them did and quickly regained rank exceeding the Marines that ran the brig. In a word they learned "discipline" Something every Marine learns in Boot Camp.

Marines also carried out "Honor's" duties. We dressed in Dress Blues with brass shined and weapons ready for inspection to welcome dignitaries aboard. We raised the flag on the fantail when docking at port (assuming the "squid" on the 07 level lowered the Sea Flag as we raised the flag.) When in port there was a Marine stationed at the forward brow. Their job was to insure only officers and guests, and qualified civilians entered the ship. Marines on the Yorktown always stood Quarters for entering/leaving port at the brow in formation during my time aboard the ship. The after brow was staffed by a CPO who checked the enlisted for booze or contraband all of which the Marines brought onboard in unlimited quantities. Marines were experts in this area.

During "General Quarters" Marines manned the #51 5"38 gun mount and had Marines in the magazines ready to "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition" All Marines trained on the gun so that they all knew every position on the gun. That is the Marine Corps training.

Marines that were selected for Sea Duty came from a lot of different areas. There was some criteria that had to be met before you were sent to Sea School. You had to have the best uniforms, spit shined shoes, meet physical standards, and show a real "Esprit de Corps"
The Marine Corps had two Sea Duty training centers: One at MCRD San Diego and one at MCRD Paris Island. You had to earn the assignment by being one of the top Marines selected to go to the school.

Part of your training at MCRD San Diego was done at the NCT. Every Marine had to pass the Fire Training and the Damage Control course at these facilities. I swear on my grave that the Navy tried to drown us or burn us alive during these training courses.

Every Sea Going Marine had to pass an extensive background check in order to have a "top secret" clearance. Without it you were transferred back to a Marine Corps Unit.

Other training the Marines had to complete were the correspondence courses through the Marine Corps Institute or as known the MCI courses. These covered many of our duties and training as Marines. These courses covered everything from the M-60 machine gun, 3.5 rocket launcher, flame thrower, infantry squad tactics, brig turnkey, NCO training, firing a Naval 5"38 gun, etc. We did a lot more than just polish brass and spit shine leather although we spent a lot of time on that too. Like the Navy we all had General Quarters assignments which included the gun mount (if the Navy couldn't get them we could) people in the ammo magazines to supply the gun mount, brig duty turnkeys, Special 'Weapons, etc. Long hard hours at these posts as did the Navy.

Marine Detachments provided the Ship's Captain's and Admiral orderlies. These Marines were charged with the safety of the Captain, carrying out orders given them, and guarding Ann Margaret while she was on board from a bunch of sex starved sailors. This was also the duty of every Marine while she was on board. This we carried out in the finest Marine tradition by making sure we all got a chance to get up close to her. Who the hell was Johnny Rivers?

A couple of times Marines were assigned to re-supply details. This was not done too often due to the loss of canned hams, cheese, and other highly tradable items that never made it to the ship's galley storage area. Same went for ammunitions-seemed to always come up short if Marines were involved in the re-supply details. Between the hanger deck and where it was supposed to go it just-well it just-just didn't make it.

When the Ship's Detachment Marines returned to Marine Corps assignments we were always just a "cut above" other Marines. We were the "old salts" with our Sea Duty dips in our covers, our squared away uniforms, and all the stories we had about the Navy, training, and yes-missing our squid brothers that we served with-God bless them.

There are so many memories I have during my "Tour of Duty" aboard the Fighting Lady that I will never forget. I know that I have passed over some of the many things Marines did on the ship (some I will never admit to under oath) but it was one hell of a tour of duty and you squids made it happen.

"Thanks for the Memories" Ray Buss-MarDet-1964-1966

Over the last two hundred years US Marines and US sailors have teased each without end.. But in the end, we are brothers. One marine had transferred onto the

ship after having been wounded during a firefight in Vietnam. A female celebrity came aboard and he was assigned to escort her everywhere. There he was in his marine dress blues with his purple heart and the pretty celebrity. Of course this caused a little resentment amongst the white hats. It was if the brass thought that if this marine didn’t guard her we would "lose control" near her. We were not out to sea that long for that to happen.

Scuttlebutt was that he was transferred to sea duty because he had been wounded in a very private area and that's why he got the "escort duty." Everyone on board "Knew" the truth. One day, he was cleaning his rifle and I was talking to another marine across the space and I quietly said to my buddy, another Marine, "is it true what they say about him. He got his balls shot off in Vietnam and that's why he got sea duty?" My friend snorted and said, "hay grunt, come here, listen to this squid" . (We respectfully called them "jarheads" and they affectionately called us "squids.")

I didn’t want to repeat myself as he came over...but two marines can be persuasive. "Is it true you got your balls shot off in Vietnam and that's why you got sea duty? Everyone on board is saying that." He said, "hell no its not true. No wonder everyone is looking at me funny!"

Click here for the free previews of the Academy Award Winning Movie about
the USS Yorktown, "The Fighting Lady.

Rifle Inspection onboard the USS Yorktown, 1956. Gunny SGT. Ralph Pollack doing inspection. Left to right is George Ross, Ray De Groot.

Lord Mayor of Portsmouth England and First Lt. Aiken inspecting the
Yorktown's Marine Detachment
Yorktown's Hanger Deck

Raymond J. Buss, MarDet, Cpl
Leaving San Francisco

Think it was 1965 we were leaving San Francisco and standing at the front of the flight deck in formation all of the Marines were watching as we went under the Golden Gate bridge and looking at a huge fog bank just beyond it. We kept hoping they would secure from Quarters for leaving port real quick.

All of the brass on our Dress Blues (buttons, buckles, etc) were highly polished and had no protective coating on them.
We were well into the fog bank when they finally secured from Quarters for leaving port.

Our brass was the shade of green you don't want to know about. Took us three or four days to polish them back.

Why hold quarters so long? I don't know but I have a feeling it was up to some Bosun that had been a guest of our six cell Brig. Maybe a bit of pay back. We always secured as soon as the Lady had cleared the Golden Gate Bridge. No matter, I always felt it a privilege to serve on a ship with her history.

USS Yorktown Marines at parade rest as the "Fighting Lady" enters Rio de Janeiro just in time for "carnival" in 1969.
Background is Sugar Loaf Mountain

Marines and sailors
Can't we all just GET ALONG?

I was just watching the John Wayne Movie "In Harms Way." on t.v.

It reminded me that back on the Yorktown we all gathered in the Hanger Bay to watch the movie on a screen. As you remember at the start of the movie John Wayne is the Captain of a cruiser and he hears a noise in his cabin so he starts talking to who he thinks is his XO.

Turns out it is his US Marine orderly, wearing his dress uniform, nicely pressed, standing at his door at attention.

In the movie John Wayne looks at the Marine and says "Oh its just you. I'll have ham and eggs for breakfast."

When we were watching the movie on the hanger bay HUNDREDS OF YORKTOWN SAILORS BURST OUT LAUGHING AT THAT LINE. I suppose the handful of Marines watching the movie with us on the Yorktown hanger deck were mortified!

When Capt. Cain was CO

he got upset with the sailors dragging their whites in net bags off the fan tail when at sea. Problem with that was too many did not have long enough ropes and they became tangled in the props.

He asked the Marines to post a sentry on the fan tail to prevent this from happening. As Marines do when they are assigned a duty they do not wish to do only what they are told so we came up with a better solution.

Two Marines checked out a couple of Thompson's and .45 ammo and went to the fan tail. Good time for FamFire. We never saw another net bag being dragged off the fan tail.

Next Port of Call saw a lot of sailors going ashore with little holes sewed up in their white uniforms. The Marines often wondered how many "hero" stories were told about how those holes got into their uniforms. Bet none of them were sporting a PH across their chest.

Semper Fi

Many people believe that the services don't get along because they really don't speak the same language.

Here's an example; So the President orders the Chief of Staff to go out and "secure" a building.

The Marine Corps Commandant, gets the Navy to bombard the building from off shore, then the Marines land by helicopter, fly through the windows, storm every room with bayonets attached to their M16's and thus "secures" the building.

The Fleet Admiral has his sailors clean all "spaces", wax the floors, lock it up nicely and thus "secures" the building.

The Air Force General, takes out a three year lease with an option to buy and thus "secures" the building.

So the Yorktown sailor was arguing with the Marine in a bar in Yokoska, Japan. The Marine said..."when we drill, all you hear is 'click, click, click'.

"Really"", says the Yorktown sailor, "when we have inspection on the flight deck and the order is "RIGHT FACE", all you can hear is click, click, jingle, jingle."

Marines from the Yorktown Marine Detachment sternly march from Hangar Bay One to HB2 for their birthday cake cutting ceremonies Friday, November 8, 1968. Moments before, Capt. Fifield, Yorktown's Commanding Officer and Marine Corp Detachment CO Tom Collins presented speeches.

US Navy Photo by Photographers Mate Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel A. Bernath

On some air bases the Air Force and Army is on one side of the field and Navy and Marine Corps aircraft use the other side of the field, with the control tower in the middle. One day the tower received a call from an aircraft asking, "What time is it?"

A soldier, a marine, and an airman got into a fight about which service is best. The fight was so heated, that they killed each other.

Soon, they found themselves in Heaven. They see St. Peter walk by and ask him: "Which Branch of Service is the best?"

St. Peter replied: "I can't answer that. But, I will ask God what He thinks the next time I see Him."

Some time later the three see St. Peter again and ask him if he was able to find the answer. Suddenly, a dove landed on St. Peter's shoulder. The dove was carrying a note in it's beak. St. Peter opened the note and read it out loud to the three fellows:

editor's note: I feel guilty having published the Marine Corps and Navy rivalry that makes light of these fine patriotic warriors. To get the History of the US Marine Corps, please click here Also, chat with other Marines and get some very cool US Marine Corps. stuff at Sgt. Grit click here

Also, if you were a seagoing Marine you can join an organization that no doubt makes jokes about US Navy sailors! UNITED STATES SEA GOING MARINE ASSOCIATION P O Box 463, Stockton IA 52769 Richard T. Morgan

Yorktown Marine Detachment; Yorktown sailors love you. "I Love the US Marine Corps" Great Speech! Click here

Unrequited passion of young men on board US Navy warships. Don’t blame the Marines. We would never do anything like that. Marines are honorable and can wait until we get to a port to release our animal instincts. A cut above the normal "horny" squid that spent all his money the first night in port raising prices for everyone else.

Remember finding two females in the air duct just outside the NCO quarters in 66 on a return to Long Beach from San Francisco. Nice set up-cot and blankets-sailors bringing food from the chow line.

Turned over to the Long Beach police on arrival at Pier E in Long Beach. Nice try. For the women-they never "ratted" on the sailors.

One time we were tied up in Yokosuka harbor. Some of the photo lab guys brought two girls aboard and set them up in the 02 level photo storage room.

They had it all fixed up for the cooks to feed them and even close to a head so they could keep tidy.

They were there for a day or so but when the ship was going to leave, the Marines checked out who came onto the ship and who left. The girls did not leave.

A compartment by compartment inspection was done by Marines. The girls were found and off loaded. No body was disciplined.

After all, we are talking about SAILORS! What else can you expect!

For Ned McIntosh, there are no nightmares about his two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

There are memories, stories he willingly shares, details that remain clear in his memory at 86 years old.

A native of Pittsburgh and resident of Berlin, he was a student at the University of Pittsburgh when he enlisted in 1944 and was trained to be in the communications division.

"When the war ended, pilots looked for prisoner of war camps. The Japanese had held our prisoners of war, and a pilot asked if I wanted to go fly with him on a bombardier to rescue them. It was quite an experience," he said.

When the plane descended to land on the ship, McIntosh looked down and was stunned the vessel appeared as small as a postage stamp.

"I was gritting my teeth and white-knuckled," he said, laughing and reaching down to pat Misty, the golden retriever with whom he and his wife, Elaine, share their spacious home.

McIntosh was aboard the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier. During the war, kamikaze planes crashed into American ships or dropped bombs on them.

The Yorktown was nicknamed "The Lucky Y" "because it has so many near misses," McIntosh said, and that proved true the day McIntosh, a signal officer, was on the bridge of the ship, exposed and not protected, and a bomb was dropped.

It didn't explode, and he managed to get out of the way, below decks, before it tore a hole through the ship and landed in the ocean.

"I was pretty scared when I came back and saw where it had gone through," he said.

Another time, the crew on the Yorktown shot down a kamikaze plane. It landed in the ocean and the Japanese pilot climbed out and was sitting on the wing when the Americans threw him a lifeline from a boat sent to capture him as a prisoner of war. He defiantly tossed away the lifeline.

The ship's captain knew there was a Japanese submarine in the area that could rescue him, allowing him to fly and drop a bomb again, so he gave the order to open fire, destroying the plane and killing the pilot.

A decade ago, the McIntoshes moved to Berlin. McIntosh went to Charlie's Barbershop downtown for a haircut and noticed a picture of the Yorktown on the wall. The men discovered they had served on the same ship.

More than 60 years later, he never forgot the experience of war.

"It obviously made me more mature and somewhat harder," he said. "I think I missed a period of innocence, if you will, and became a different person."

Click here for the free previews of the Academy Award Winning Movie about
the USS Yorktown, "The Fighting Lady.