[GreenKeys] 11/11/07

[Ira B. Rothenhoefer]

If you are interested please send your Name, Branch of Service, Job 
Specialty, Highest Rank Attained, Years of Service and Date 
Discharged I'll add your name to the list.


Ira B. Rothenhoefer   USN   Radioman   RM3 (E4)   1956-1960   Jan 1960


Served aboard the USS O'Brien DD725, The USS St. Paul CA73 (notice the Hull 
nr), and the USS Mansfield DD728.

Made 2 far east cruises on the O'brien. New Zealand and Australia twice. 
Got caught in a typhoon somewhere out there.  They had 12 knots rang up in 
the engine room, but we were just maintaining headway and we were being 
blown backwards.  

     They had always told me that destroyers were unsinkable in heavy seas, 
but have learned that if they take some water down the stack, it's all 
over.  I never read my history about Halsey!!!!

      We took a 59 degree roll during that storm.  I was in the starboard 
op position. Had my knees locked under the table, the ship rolled to port, 
then starboard, then back to port and just layed there for it seemed a 
long time.  Probable only 5-10 seconds, then righted herself.  Don't 
really know what happened.  Probably got a rogue wave or the ship just 
wallowed a little somehow. 

      I had looked out earlier in the evening, from what I called the back 
porch.  It was the the 02 deck, the one above the torpedo tubes just aft 
of the forward stack, and the crest of the waves were probably 40-50 feet 
above where I was standing.  Foam was just streaming from the tops of the 
waves from the wind.  Of course the ship was doing the usual, diving under 
to the NR2 gun tub, then when it launched from the top of the wave, the 
screws came out of the water.  What fun.  I did go up to the Bosun's 
locker, just for fun.  It was like the fastest elevator you ever got on.  
Almost leaved the deck when it free fell.  WhooooHooo.  What else would 
you expect form an 18 year old!!

      Transferred to the St Paul,  The shack had been completely refitted.  
Had a whole bulkhead of ANURR 390's, (14) plus 11 TTY machines.  I think  
there were 2 model 14's or 15's with the TD unit. The rest were mod 28 RO  
I did quite a bit of tape cutting, but liked the cw better and swapped 
with one of the Radiomen there.

       My job daily, or the watch duty, was to set the duplex cw circuit 
with NPN for the whole watch.  We had COM7THFLT aboard and had piles of 
999 coded group messages.  (hope the statute of limitations has ran out, 
not sure I should divulge this info),  So I would send them on cw.  Had a 
chrome plated vibroplex, with red handles, that I bought from the radioman 
shipping out. Case and all.  Did the same when I left.  $5.00 bucks, got 
my money back.  Gosh I wish I had kept that thing.

     Transferred to the Mansfield to California for discharge.


Barney/NO0N