Noel Nichols, MM3 '62-64

It was January, a week after my 17th birthday, all my friends were older than I when we joined the Navy. In April, Easter week vacation plus a week we went to Boot camp in NTC San Diego. Boot camp was a gas! We loved it and my buddy Jay Sherman kept me going with his humor and antics. In July we did two weeks of duty aboard the DE Wiseman, a Naval Reserve Training
ship at the time. Mainly we just chipped paint and rust. Covered it with red lead and haze gray. At this time we had our one and only liberty and we went into town and got pictures made for our moms.

In the fall I made E3 Fireman and the Cuban Missile Crises occurred. The Unit Commander read Pres. Kennedy?s call for volunteers for active duty. All my buddies signed up for active as they had graduated form High School and had nothing better to do. I volunteered too, but I was still in my senior year. The XO of the reserve unit called my Dad to report I
had volunteered. Dad said no. He insisted I complete High school and I could go active in June after graduation. He was right but I was disappointed to be separated from my friends.

In June I got my orders to report to the Naval Base in Long Beach for processing and Transit duty. For weeks we cleaned barracks, ran the commissary, polished floors in the CPO barracks, moped the deck in the CPO club and worked boxing books for something called
?Operation Hand Clasp? I liked this the best as there were some interesting books coming through our boxing system which I read back in my bunk. In August I got my orders to report to the USS Hopewell in San Diego.

For this trip I took the Train from Fullerton to San Diego and walked to the water Taxi pier. It was coold and foggy and late on Friday when I arrived at the quarterdeck of the Hopewell. The fire watch took me to the after berthing quarters where all the engineering rates bunked and I picked a rack next to the ladder where I had a breeze and some light. After stowing my gear and putting on my dungarees I went for a self guided tour of the ship. I visited most of the spaces and meet everyone in the engineering spaces.

In the after engine room there was a big project going on with all the first classes and chiefs working on a huge pump at the foot of the ladder coming below from the quarter deck. Not knowing anything useful to do with the pump, I made fresh coffee for all. The pump got messed up because of the seawater that spilled in from the hatch above and the turbine cover and bearing were all corroded. All weekend, day and all night, they (me made coffee) worked. Come Monday morning the pump casing was still not off. Chief Jones got some Yard birds to come over and help with special tools (always use the right tool!) and we got the casing off bearing replaced and the pump back online. The ship got underway immediately and Hopewell made maneuvers with her Squadron just a little late.