- DAVE GROSS -

Dave Gross served aboard USNS Bowditch in 1965-1966 as a Navy PH2.  He was the photographer for Oceanographic Detachment One

 

BOWDITCH PHOTO ALBUMS, 1965-1966
  Click a thumbnail to open the photo album, then any thumbnail in the album to start the slide show.  Click any slide in the album to open that photo at a higher resolution.
  The Journey Begins
  Cass_Tempest-1200.jpg (471442 bytes)

I stopped to visit my family after leaving the Philadelphia Naval Base, on my way to check in at the Brooklyn Army Terminal for duty aboard USNS Bowditch. My girlfriend dropped me at Kennedy International Airport for my flight to Belfast, after Bowditch's home port figured out when and where the ship was docking.  As it turned out they didn't get it quite right!

I arrived in Belfast with $1.47 to my name only to find no ship waiting for me and no one who knew when she would dock.  I asked John Dunstan, the owner of a local Pub in Belfast, for short term job in order to survive until the Bowditch arrived.  John wouldn't hear of it!  He treated me like family until the Michelson arrived.  Bowditch did not arrive for two weeks.  I laughed out loud!
 
Aboard USNS Bowditch - In Port
  Epsi_and_Guides.jpg (347975 bytes) Ireland London4.jpg (362311 bytes) England Lydias_Birthplace.jpg (403060 bytes) Switzerland
  Pompeii_Italy.jpg (405285 bytes) Italy Lisbon_Portugal2.jpg (277017 bytes) Portugal Jerez_Spain7.jpg (292899 bytes) Spain
 
Aboard USNS Bowditch - At Sea
  North_Atlantic1.jpg (334250 bytes) North_Atlantic2.jpg (234702 bytes) Winter in the North Atlantic. PH2_Gross.jpg (172514 bytes) PH2 Dave Gross.  Four of us made rate about 5 or 6 months retroactively.  What a party we had on a Santander beach!!!
  R&R2.jpg (343984 bytes) Life at sea Transponder_Launch4.jpg (317380 bytes) Working at sea Horse_shoes.jpg (297185 bytes) Recreation at sea
   
  The Journey Ends
  Lisbon_Leave.jpg (119477 bytes) The ship pulled into Lisbon for a one day inport to drop me off to fly home.  I had 30 days leave upon return to the states but ended up in Lisbon attached to the US Air Force at the US Embassy due to the commercial airline strike (although they had no housing).  I was there for about a week and a half where my'gal' from the last two inports put me up until the airline strike was over.  She took me to resorts in the daytime and gave me a place to stay at night.  She was a sweetheart and I owed her big time.
  Home.jpg (341845 bytes) Back in US, leave is over. I'm heading out to report in at my new duty station, the US Naval Photographic Center in DC.