Fleet Admiral Halsey

Started by besilarius, November 21, 2019, 10:53:46 PM

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besilarius

November 21, 2019, 10:53:46 PM
Fleet Admiral William F Halsey retires, 22 November, 1945.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINrEHpLrcE&t=151s

The Naval Museum in the Washington, DC Navy Yard has the saddle that Halsey promised to use on the emperor's horse in Tokyo.
After the signing of the peace, Halsey went to take a ride through the streets of Tokyo.  The only suitable car was a Packard limousine that was owned by the manager of the Imperial Hotel.  Liking the feel of it, Halsey impounded the vehicle as spoils of war and had it transported to the US.  He drove it to the day he died.
"Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out until too late that he's been playing with two queens all along".  Terry Pratchett.

During filming of Airplane, Leslie Nielsen used a whoopee cushion to keep the cast off-balance. Hays said that Nielsen "played that thing like a maestro"

Tallulah Bankhead: "I'll come and make love to you at five o'clock. If I'm late, start without me."

"When all other trusts fail, turn to Flashman." — Abraham Lincoln.

"I have enjoyed very warm relations with my two husbands."
"With your eyes closed?"
"That helped."  Lauren Bacall

Master Chiefs are sneaky, dastardly, and snarky miscreants who thrive on the tears of Ensigns and belly dancers.   Admiral Gerry Bogan.

besilarius

#1
November 22, 2019, 08:04:48 AM
Knew there was something else.
Back in the 70s, There were still a lot of older chiefs who had sailed with Halsey in the Pacific.  He was quite the character and if you could get them going, there were lots of quirky stories they would tell.
He got the nickname Bull from his exploits ashore during the Cruise of the Great White Fleet.  He did love the young ladies.
He was extremely superstitious about the Thirteenth of each month, and really got nervous when there was a Friday the Thirteenth.
When he began pilot training, at the age of 52, his wife told their daughter "the old fool is learning to fly."
He was on a familiarisation tour of the South Pacific command and was in a whaleboat approaching Admiral Ghormley's command vessel, when a communications officer handed him a Top Secret order.  Reading that he was to relieve Ghormley and take command, he uttered, "Jesus Christ and General Jackson.  This is the hottest potato they've ever handed me."
At that time, the mandatory retirement age was 60.  Halsey turned 60 in 1942, but was given a special dispensation by President Roosevelt.  Halsey dreaded being relieved due to his age.
During the kamikaze attacks off Okinawa, it was necessary to keep the destroyers topped off in fuel.  Maneuvering at flank speed  increased fuel consumption enormously, so at every opportunity the battleships would fuel them.  (The fleet oilers in the Sea Train, never went into a combat zone.)
At one point, a destroyer was alongside New Jersey., Halsey's flagship, when he stormed out on the bridge wing and yelled across the water, "Sheer off, coxswain.  I've got bandits coming in."
Now, coxswain is the commander of a small rowboat, and was quite an insult to a ship's captain.
The destroyer captain, was furious at this slight.  He turned his back to the New Jersey and let his feelings out, 'That damned old asshat, blankety-blank bollard screwing..."
The captain let his feelings out for a couple of minutes of salty insults; and then noticed his bridge crew all looked concerned.  He turned and the admiral was furiously glaring at him.  By a trick of the air, his tirade carried over and was heard by Halsey.  He scrunched his arms over the bridge railing and looked like he was going to leap across to the destroyer for the dirty implications.
"How DARE you call me old."
"Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out until too late that he's been playing with two queens all along".  Terry Pratchett.

During filming of Airplane, Leslie Nielsen used a whoopee cushion to keep the cast off-balance. Hays said that Nielsen "played that thing like a maestro"

Tallulah Bankhead: "I'll come and make love to you at five o'clock. If I'm late, start without me."

"When all other trusts fail, turn to Flashman." — Abraham Lincoln.

"I have enjoyed very warm relations with my two husbands."
"With your eyes closed?"
"That helped."  Lauren Bacall

Master Chiefs are sneaky, dastardly, and snarky miscreants who thrive on the tears of Ensigns and belly dancers.   Admiral Gerry Bogan.

DoctorQuest

#2
November 22, 2019, 03:57:27 PM
"Everything you read on the internet is true." - Benjamin Franklin

"Zero-G and I feel fine....." - John Glenn

"I reject your reality and substitute my own." - Adam Savage, inventor of the alternative fact.

Martok

#3
November 23, 2019, 02:48:55 PM
Ha, that's great stuff.  ;D 
"Like we need an excuse to drink to anything..." - Banzai_Cat
"I like to think of it not as an excuse but more like Pavlovian Response." - Sir Slash

"At our ages, they all look like jailbait." - mirth

"If we had lines here that would have crossed all of them. For the 1,077,986th time." - Gusington

"Government is so expensive that it should at least be entertaining." - airboy

"As long as there's bacon, everything will be all right." - Toonces

airboy

#4
November 25, 2019, 07:11:22 PM
This was laugh out loud funny.  Thanks for sharing.
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