Eventhough I had the good fortune to serve as PreCom skipper of AEGIS Cruiser
MOBILE BAY 85-88, HARTwill always be special. The sea stories are endless:
The infamous "keel" anchor dropping off out of site somewhere in the waters off Aalborg,
DENMARK. Metal failure of the stock and we steamed around without it unknowingly for 2 mos in EMED and only discovered the
missing object when we tried to put the anchor underfoot on arrival in Norfolk. Here's how it went;
Foc'sle - Bridge "put the anchor under foot"
Bridge - Foc'sle " Sir, the anchor won't drop"
Weps - Bridge " Call the divers"
Bridge - Weps " Aye Sir"
Divers - Captain "Sir, you do NOT have a keel anchor...just a big empty hole"
Captain - Weps " CASREP C4 for loss of anchor"
Weps - Captain (One month later) " Sir, a flatbed is on the pier with a new anchor
they found in a New Hampshire pasture! All the FF CO's are over looking at it 'cause they've never seen
one."
Weps - Captain
" Paint the new anchor GOLD. Assemble all the Sailors who have shipped over this year and take a picture in
front of the "Golden Anchor"; Then...figure out how to get the anchor off the truck, rehook it to the
anchor chain, and FINALLY, "put the anchor underfoot!".
* Truth: the anchor stock failed due bad casting and probably fell to the seabed in the North Sea. There is probably
a eternally dedicated E2 "Stoof" pilot up there 25 years later calling out "MADMAN..MADMAN"!
And...we did win the Golden Anchor....
