USS Mount Baker

It was an odd feeling some weeks ago when I came across an article that the USS Mount Baker (AE-34) had been transferred from the active military fleet into the commercial support fleet. Perhaps seeing the aging ship was in some way a reminder of the simple fact that time marches on and that in our own way, each of us will follow a path similar to that of the ship.

It was an unseasonably warm late January day in 1974 when I caught up with the Mount Baker for the first time in the port of Sigonella, Sicily. The ship would, for the next couple of years, be home for what would become some of the most memorable times of my life. Because the ship was classified as an ammunition carrier, it was considered a part of the service forces that delivered supplies (bean, bullets, and black oil) to the rest of the fleet. It was not the most glamorous work, but it was diverse, educational, and sometime downright thrilling to be a part of what it did.

Although we were home ported in Charleston, SC, we were rarely in that location. Along with several transits and work in the Atlantic Ocean, we made a couple of cruises in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the Sixth Fleet and Task Force 63. There were frightening times when I learned the meaning of 'fear' most notably the day when the cables supporting the cargo load of missiles snapped and 12 nuclear warheads plummeted to the landing deck. Then there was the time the alarm sounding general quarters sounded without the familiar lead-in words 'this is a drill' and we all scrambled to battle stations hoping it was a mistake. It was also a time of horror when I watched men die in the crashing helicopter as it sank slowly beneath the surface of Mediterranean with its crew of 8 never to be seen again. I remember thinking how close to Christmas it was and thought of the sadness that awaited their families. But, those years meant much, much more for it was also a time of joy and discovery. During this time I was able to visit and enjoy the culture of the coastal regions in Spain, Italy, France, Greece, and Turkey. In those places I overlooked Athens from atop the Acropolis, walked the streets of Ephesus, and sampled cuisine that will always remain a mystery. It was a time when I saw my first whale, saw submarines and aircraft carriers, learned to repair teletypewriters, discovered computers and satellites, and began to discover who I really was.

All in all, it was a time to grow, a time to change, and a time to see the world in a new perspective - and in hindsight, perhaps some of the best years of my life.