{"id":8019,"date":"2026-02-25T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=8019"},"modified":"2026-02-24T19:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T00:26:13","slug":"210-theres-nothing-like-a-liberty-port-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/210-theres-nothing-like-a-liberty-port-call\/","title":{"rendered":"#210\u2014There\u2019s Nothing Like a Liberty Port Call"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Who said, \u201cNever let things you want make you forget the things you have.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear: \u201cA Chief Petty Officer shall not drink. However, if he should drink, he shall not get drunk. If he should get drunk, he shall not stagger. And if he should stagger, he shall not fall.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following:
    This old highway’s gettin’ longer<\/em>
    It seems there is no end in sight<\/em>
    To sleep would be best<\/em>
    But I just can’t afford to rest<\/em>
    I gotta ride in Denver tomorrow night<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    <\/div>
    Blog #210 (audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>
    <\/div>
    Published: <\/span>February 24, 2026<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>1<\/span> Download<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    After five weeks at sea, running flight ops from mid-morning to midnight, lack of sleep, and the constant hum of Kitty Hawk\u2019s<\/em> four main engines, I\u2019m ready for a port call. I\u2019m sure all 5,500 of my closest friends and shipmates are ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s see \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We got underway for Westpac \u201975<\/a> <\/strong>on Wednesday, May 21 at about 1430 (2:30 p.m.). We were supposed to leave mid-morning, but one of the ship\u2019s boilers had a problem, so a slight delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It took us about six days to travel from North Island<\/strong> (San Diego) to Hawaii, passing by the USS Arizona Memorial.<\/strong> That was awesome\u2014both the memorial and<\/em> our stop in Hawaii<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I tell ya, after 15 months at NAS Agana, Guam<\/a><\/strong> in a scuba diver\u2019s paradise, Hawaii seemed like a natural transition. Surfing was definitely better, but Hawaii was a little more expensive than Guam. Nevertheless, the Navy covered room and board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Naval Station Subic Bay<\/strong> in the Philippine Islands<\/strong> (PI) was our overseas home port for forward deployment. We\u2019d been in and out of PI several times, and each time the excitement of working in Crash & Salvage<\/a><\/strong> on the flight deck was an adrenaline rush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The 16-18-hour days were long, but with constant movement and multiple flight ops cycles each day, it didn’t get tiring. Especially at night, with some of the jet aircraft in full afterburners during launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In between, there\u2019s a serene type of quietness at sea. A million twinkling stars above, the bright moon shining a lighted trail from the ship to whatever path you can visualize. And the fresh, clean air \u2026 well, except when you\u2019re downwind from a jet exhaust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Anyway, after five weeks at sea and the freezing cold transit through the Sea of Japan<\/a><\/strong>, I\u2019m ready for a break, some ice-cold San Miguel Beer, a big plate of fried lumpia and fried rice, and some good ol\u2019 Filipino country music band. Along the way, I\u2019ll grab a bag of a dozen hot Pandesal bread rolls, fresh from the oven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah, I\u2019m ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    A starboard bow view of the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63) docked in the harbor with the guided missile cruiser USS STERETT (CG-31), the destroyer USS INGERSOLL (DD-990) and the fleet oilers USNS MISPILLION (T-AO-105) and USNS NAVASOTA (T-AO-106) docked at its stern; Naval Station, Subic Bay. Photo credit: PHC Lawrence Foster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Pulling into port<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Even though I\u2019ve been aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em> for seven months and watched this magical orchestration of maneuvering a 60,000-ton ship into a tight mooring spot alongside the pier a dozen times, it never ceases to amaze me what it takes to coordinate this effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve learned that the liberty \u201cexcitement level\u201d is based on the amount of time we\u2019ve been at sea. For example, many times we\u2019d be at sea for a week or so and pull back in. Sure, that first liberty or two was awesome, especially for a newbie like me. But after that, I learned from my good friend, ABH2 Shelby \u201cBig Willie\u201d Williams, that you can actually make some money by taking someone\u2019s duty that first night of liberty. The going rate back in the mid-70s was $10 a night. It was worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We had six duty sections in V-1 Division<\/strong>. That meant while we\u2019re in port, one section of 12 men (we didn’t have women on the ship back then) would always be aboard the ship after work hours. There wasn\u2019t really anything to section duty. We just needed to be aboard the ship. If you were a petty officer, like me (ABH3), then you might catch the watch duty at the After brow\u2013that\u2019s where the enlisted men disembarked to leave the ship and staggered back aboard after midnight curfew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Big Willie also taught me that if someone was short of cash, I could double my payback on the loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cChet \u2026 got $20 I can borrow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSure; I\u2019ll loan you $20, but will need $40 back on payday. Deal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cDeal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It was that<\/em> easy, especially for those new guys who \u201cneeded\u201d to take liberty that first night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shore Patrol Duty<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I had Shore Patrol<\/a> duty a few times while in PI. It wasn\u2019t that bad and a lot less boring that SP duty in San Diego. There, we\u2019d walk around the pier and ball fields (boring) to make sure nobody got into trouble or mugged. There were a couple of reported muggings, but never on my watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The biggest problem I had walking the San Diego SP beat was when the ball field sprinklers went off in the middle of the night with no warning. I got soaked several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    ABH1 Morey, AN Eric Campbell, AA Gary Borne (R.I.P.), AA Andy Adkins, AN Bruce Hallowell.
    NAS Agana, Guam. Summer “Whites” Inspection Day. 1973. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Shore Patrol in PI was different, though. We\u2019d patrol Olongapo City<\/strong> in pairs in our \u201csummer whites,\u201d each of us with an \u201cSP\u201d armband, wearing a white web belt and carrying a wooden baton.\u00a0 Our beat was to walk several streets, usually a mile or two, and walk into each bar and each restaurant to check if there were any sailors out of hand, then move onto the next one. It wasn\u2019t a bad duty at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The best thing? I had the opportunity to visit all the bars and restaurants on the beat \u2026 sober.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When it was chow time, we\u2019d place an order at a restaurant, then walk the beat. When we returned, our chow would be ready for us\u2014hot and tasty. The food in Olongapo City was more than reasonable. One of my favorites was fried shrimp. In 1975, the cost of a fried shrimp dinner, complete with fried rice, was about $1.50. In the states, it would have been about $3.50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hong Kong<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I had fun during our stop in Hong Kong<\/a>. It was still under British rule, but we were there for a week in mid-August. Several wives of V-1 Division guys flew out to spend a week with their husbands. Since we had max liberty (meaning no workdays unless you had section duty) I know we won\u2019t see them until we leave to head back to PI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I had duty on the first day in port, which was no big deal. And since Hong Kong didn\u2019t have a pier to moor, we anchored in the harbor near Green Island and had to take ferries into Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Island Tour<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I took liberty on my second day in port. Instead of heading straight to the bars, several of us took an all-day tour that took us up to Victoria Park, the highest mountain in Hong Kong, which provided an awesome overlook of Hong Kong Harbor. Kitty Hawk<\/em> was certainly the biggest thing in the harbor, and she looked beautiful and I was proud to be a part of her crew.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"Hong
    Aberdeen, Hong Kong. ABH3 Steve Cummings. Westpac ’75.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Besides touring Tiger Balm Garden, which had a 7-story pagoda, we took a boat tour through Aberdeen<\/strong>, the floating city in Hong Kong. Here, entire families lived on small sampans, usually tied parallel to a pier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We ended up at the Tai Pak Restaurant<\/strong>, a floating restaurant with exquisite d\u00e9cor. They served a full six-course meal. I\u2019d learned long ago in PI not to ask what I was eating, so I ate what they put in front of me with no questions asked. And it was all fantastic. Because this was a floating restaurant, plain water cost $3HKD, but beer was free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I like this place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tattoo<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I also got a tattoo<\/a> in Hong Kong at Pinky\u2019s Tattoo Parlor<\/strong>. I\u2019ve shared this story many times, but here\u2019s the short version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n