Subic Bay

[stokerstan]

Hi all, Subic Bay was a run ashore to remember! shame about all the Americans clogging up the place, although I remember that their PX club was good for meals and drink at cheap prices.
It was very educatational for students of the world affairs!,and one could get things then unknown to medical science,with no effort at all. Entertainment was a bit different too,not that I would know much about that, but I was told it was so.

[MikeD]

Hope they have found cures by now.

[Dave]

Subic Bay    HAPPY HOUR    yes I remember  with this photo
 
 Mick   Jumper and myself

 

[Dave]

Mike  look at the  Good   Looking  Feature`s   of course it`s me    

[stokerstan]

  wasrecently reminded about a brew the locals called whisky,I only ever smelt it,and it reminded one of embalming fluid! I was told on good authority that it made you go blind or mad or both,if anyone is having this read to them by a sighted friend,and can reply lucidly, What did that stuff taste like ??

[Gary]

Attached a pic of the Vic at Subic on the 1965-67 commission.
As you are aware the Americans were still fighting in Vietnam at the time and Subic was one of their main R&R bases.
We spent 4 days berthed there and everyone without exception managed a run ashore (some of us managed 3 days before the money ran out).
Olongapo was indeed an eye opener for a young 17yr old from the mountains of Wales and I am still recovering from the shock.
One story that I must share was after we had been ashore for the first day it was obvious that there was no way we could compete with our American cousins with regard to booze as the prices charged by the locals was reflected in the pay that the Yanks received in so much as their spending power was at least 4 times what we could afford.
One advantage that the RN had was that we had all night leave whereas the Yanks had "Cinderella" leave in other words back on board for 12 midnight. The first night made no difference as the locals shut down the bars and clubs when the Yanks left leaving us with nowhere to go. However the second night was different as the locals realised that we intended to stay after 12 so the bars stayed open and even dropped the prices to accommodate the lads.
Around about 3am even the bar owners had had enough and started to shut up shop so a massive happy band of brothers in arms started to make our way back to the base only to find that our "friends" from across the pond had locked the gate and we were faced with a troop of "snowdrops" armed to the teeth and refusing us entry until the gates were due to be opened at first light.
Never to be outdone one of the lads " a ginger headed stoker from Scotland" decided to provide a little light entertainment for the crowd and stripped off and jumped off the bridge into the moat that surrounded the naval base. Egged on by roars of encouragement he treated us to a display of "Tarzan" type fights with a rubber crocodile that someone had inflated and thrown into the water which by the way was only about 6 inches deep.
Needless to say this sight completely unnerved the guards on the main gate who immediately opened up to let in the drunken mob rather than have to possibly put down a riot...
On the final day, one of the nuclear American Aircraft carriers berthed alongside us. It was huge, so big that I can distinctly remember standing on the "Goofers" geck on the Island and I was still looking up at the flight deck of the carrier.
Still it's not always size that matters it's how you use it that counts.
As they say "A good small one will always better a poor big one everyday".......

Cheers
Gary
 

[stokerstan]

Yes Gary Olongapo was a run ashore one remembers when other more civilized runs get hazy! The Vic turned out a very good boxing team on the 63/64 trip and trounced the resident Fleet on our visit,we had a leading patrolman (who's name I've forgotten) went on to A.B.A glory. I was going to recount a tale about L.M.E Haughton in Olongapo,but as I know his wife very well, I've thought better of it and  I'm not going to put it in print!! Anyone coming to Coventry though,I'll be happy to talk then !! We had a great time on that commission, just think what we could have done if only we had had any money !!!!

[john66]

wasrecently reminded about a brew the locals called whisky,I only ever smelt it,and it reminded one of embalming fluid! I was told on good authority that it made you go blind or mad or both,if anyone is having this read to them by a sighted friend,and can reply lucidly, What did that stuff taste like ??

Whiskey,Rum,Gin,Brandy and all spirits tasted like meths as far as I can remember from Olongapo on 64/65 cruise,and those boxes of cigars Jeasus they were rough.
John

[stokerstan]

That was because they were meths, although I still think embalming fluid was added to some of them.