Nick Name/Call Sign: Mak eye

Rank/Rate: MM3

Division/Squadron: A-A1 gang

Years Aboard: 1965-1968

Location: Rice Lake, WI USA

Comments: Just checking in looking for all the old A-1 gang. My wife says she wants to go to Hawai. I told her four cruises 2 full snd two patial along with eight stops there on the way to Yankee Station and Dixie harbor were enough for me. Would like to go see the PI though and see how much it has changed in 45 years or so. I guess they were doing you smokers a favor when they put the smoking lamp out throughout the ship so often.

Nick Name/Call Sign: smitty

Rank/Rate: ams3

Division/Squadron: VF161 airframes

Years Aboard: 67 68 69 70

Location: morganton, N. C. USA

Comments: Good to see some fellow "Chargers" on this great site . Will try to contact some of you . Beckerson , Wilsher , Woody , Wichner ,Bill Kelly , West , Rogers , Chief Barr , just to name a few , You out there ? I would'nt change a day !

Rank/Rate: RM2

Division/Squadron: CM

Years Aboard: 1965-1968

Location: Stamford, CT USA

Comments: Spent the best 3 years of my life as a radioman on the Coral Sea. Three cruses to Viet Nam. Met many great guys and miss them all. Ray from NJ, Reggi from MA, Mike the keddi cruser from NU and the guy from Phila. Best time of my life. Hope everyone is well and healty.

Bob

Nick Name/Call Sign: chris

Rank/Rate: abf third

Division/Squadron: v4

Years Aboard: 1968/1972

Location: fullerton, calif USA

Comments: LONG LIVE AND THE MEN WHO WERE THERE> GOOD LUCK MY BROTHERS> CHRIS CHRISTIAN

Nick Name/Call Sign: Mike

Rank/Rate: E4

Division/Squadron: VF-151

Years Aboard: 1964-1965

Location: Hudson, MA USA

Comments: Was proud to serve in VF-151. Would enjoy talking w/ anybody who new me back then. Also was on the USS Constellation in 1966. Lt. Marv Johnson was the Ordinance officer. I believe he shot down a Mig. My phone no. 774-392-1520

Rank/Rate: AE2

Division/Squadron: VFP 63

Years Aboard: 1966-1969

Location: Decatur, Al., USA

Comments: I spent (3) 9 month tours with VFP 63 in the South China Sea. Good Times and Bad.

Rank/Rate: MS2

Division/Squadron: s2/s5

Years Aboard: 1976-1979

Location: , USA

Comments: happy new year

Nick Name/Call Sign: 'Andy'

Rank/Rate: MM2

Division/Squadron: Engineering= 3 main

Years Aboard: '81=;86

Location: Banks, OREGON USA

Comments: Honored to have of served aboard this Mighty ship. Great people, great experiences and awesome memories from my 5 years aboard her.
Few memorable events stand out;

=Hurricane soon after we pulled anchor in Kowloon Bay.
=Bombing Libya
=shipwreck off Cuba
=118 days at sea
=6 on 6 off for almost a month
=Secretary of Navy Lehman giving my Navy Achievement medal to me in the Engine Room
finally, cooking 'procured' steaks on steam manifolds...

and, the sunburns i would get the few time i had an opportunity to come out of the 'hole' to see daylight.

and, all the s

Rank/Rate: E-3 AN

Division/Squadron: OC Div

Years Aboard: 1972-1974

Location: , USA

Comments: I still don't know how I made it!

Nick Name/Call Sign: Crash

Rank/Rate: AT2

Division/Squadron: VAW-114, VAW-113

Years Aboard: 1974-1979

Location: , Colorado USA

Comments: Would like to reconnect with old friends.

Rank/Rate: BT2

Division/Squadron: B Div. 4 Charlie Fireroom

Years Aboard: 1967-1970

Location: Hales Corners, WI USA

Comments: Charles Cline, good to see a name I remember from my time aboard.

Rank/Rate:

Division/Squadron:

Years Aboard:

Location: , USA

Comments: JP4&5 Jet fuel....If you worked in V-4 Div or on the flight deck, you were exposed, if you were one of the lucky ones to have Sounding Tubes in your below deck berthing..you were exposed....if you drank the water after the ship sucked it up in the Evaps( After striping the Fuel tanks)....you were exposed. Find out yourself by doing a search on the Web....Many sites out there that will tell you the Chemical make up... But the Main 2 are Pesticides and Benzene...Look it up and make your own decision....Fuelman

Rank/Rate: bt3

Division/Squadron: b division

Years Aboard: 67,68,69,70,71

Location: baisden, wv USA

Comments: would like to see more people sign the guest books who served in b division 1967-1971.

Rank/Rate: E-4 Machinery Repairman

Division/Squadron: Engineering

Years Aboard: Nov. '81 - July '85

Location: Columbus, NJ USA

Comments: I remember my Coral Sea mishap of 1985. Either March or April, the collision with the oil tanker while on a shake down cruise by Cuba. We had just completed a dry dock overhaul in Portsmouth which went over the $220 million that was budgeted. It felt like we were torpedoed or something. I was a "short timer" thinking oh what the hell is going on. I rode 3 hurricanes out at sea and Coral Maroo never moved like that. It takes an awful lot to get an Aircraft carrier to move sideways in the water and throw you to the deck. Ships crew instinctively went to GQ stations. Minutes later the collision alarm sounded. Whoops!!!!!

Rank/Rate: MM1

Division/Squadron: M

Years Aboard: 1973 - 1978

Location: Tracy, CA USA

Comments: Haven't checked in for a few years. Still think my time aboard the Coral Sea and wondered how some of my shipmates are holding up after nearly 35 years have passed. Wishing everyone a healthy and happy 2012!

Rank/Rate: PR

Division/Squadron: AIMD/SUPPLY

Years Aboard: 1981-1983

Location: Prospect, Oregon USA

Comments: Came onboard as a nonrate worked in supply until I went to PR A school came back as was in AIMD.

Nick Name/Call Sign: JD

Rank/Rate: ABE

Division/Squadron: V2

Years Aboard: 82-86

Location: Sac City, IA USA

Comments: Just checking in for the new year.

Nick Name/Call Sign: jjkuhn

Rank/Rate: ET1

Division/Squadron: OE

Years Aboard: 1975-1979

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio USA

Comments: Just discovered this web site today...it was great to look at some of the entries. zWould love to hear from guys in the OE division from the 1977 West Pac

Rank/Rate: MS3

Division/Squadron: SS05

Years Aboard: 1979-1983

Location: Delanco, NJ USA

Comments: Hello to all Shipmates! Hope everyone is doing OK!
Even though while onboard the Coral Maru I cussed, cursed, & whined...just a bit...about the hardships we had all experienced. Today? I would give just about anything to be onboard for just one day.
"You only remember the good things." My late father once told me. How merciful!

Rank/Rate: CSSN

Division/Squadron: S2-C

Years Aboard: Nov 51 - Apr 53

Location: Brooklyn (then), NY USA

Comments: I'd like to wish all of shipmates past and present a Blessed. Healthy, Prosperous and Happy New Year. As I sit and write this memo, my thought go out to all my shipmates who have fallen in for the last muster. May they all rest in peace.

And may all of you on sick bay, heal well, including me so that I can throw back a brew with you guys. I miss the reunions oh so much.

Sal Avellino, Sec'y. Emeritus. USS CORAL SEA, CVA43 Assn.

Nick Name/Call Sign: WALT THE SALT

Rank/Rate: ABH-1 U.S. NAVY RETIRED

Division/Squadron: V-1 AND V-3 DIVISION

Years Aboard: OCT.22,1964 TO 6 APR. 1968 AND JUNE 17, 1977 TO SEPT. 12, 1983

Location: STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA USA

Comments: HAPPY NEW YEAR SHIPMATES HERE WE GO WITH ANOTHER NEW YEAR WHERE THINGS ARE STILL THE SAME AS THEY REMAIN. YOU KNOW THE DEAL AS WE ALL GET OLDER WHICH MAKES ME THING BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND COULD RUN WITH THE BEST OF THEM WHEN I FIRST GOT ABOARD THE CORAL SEA BACK IN 1964 BEING 18 YEARS OLD FULL OF VIM AND VINEGAR LOOKING FORWARD TO MY VERY FIRST WESTPAC CRUISE TO THE FAR EAST. BUT AND THERE WERE ALWAYS THAT BUT THROWN IN THERE SOMEWHERE WHEN WE WERE GOING ON THAT PEACETIME CRUISE WHEN THE BIG BOYS WHO CONTROLLED US LOW MEN ON THE TOTEM POLE AND FOREIGN EVENTS TOOK US TO A PLACE WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WAS ON THE MAP AT THAT TIME TO BE INVOLVED WITH AN ENEMY JUST AS CUNNING AS THE JAPANESE WHO BOMBED PEARL HARBOR DECEMBER 7, 1941.

A DATE THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY SPOKEN BY THE PRESIDENT AND HISTORY DOES HAVE A VERY FANNY WAY OF REPEATING ITSELF AND THE CORAL SEA WAS THROWN INTO THE MIX JUST EXACTLY TWO MONTHS AFTER WE LEFT NAS ALAMEDA OUR HOMEPORT ON DECEMBER 7, 1964 EXACTLY 23 YEARS TO THE DAY AT 0800 THAT MORNING HEADING FOR MY VERY FIRST WESTPAC PEACETIME CRUISE BUT ON FEBRUARY 7,1965 A SUNDAY PRESIDENT JOHNSON HAD ALL THREE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN THE SEVENTH FLEET MAKE RETALITORY AIR STRIKES AGAINST THE NORTH VIETNAM FOR KILLING AMERICAN OVER IN SOUTH VIETNAM FEBRUARY 6, 1965. WELL THE REST BECAME HISTORY BECAUSE THE CORAL SEA LEAD THE WAY THAT CRUISE BY MAKING THE LONGEST CRUISE OF ANY AIRCRAFT CARRIER EVER SINCE THE KOREAN WAR AND EVEN TODAY BY 331 DAYS LONG.

I'M JUST HAPPY I'M STILL AROUND TO TALK ABOUT IT SINCE SO MANY OF MY SCHOOL FRIENDS WHO GOT DRAFTED NEVER MADE IT BACK HOME ALIVE I NEVER SEEN AGAIN. IT'S AN HONOR TO SERVE ABOARD THE GREATEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER AFLOAT AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED BUT THAT IS JUST MY OPINION. HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR AND BE SAFE AND LOVE AND CHERISH ALL YOUR LOVED ONES. LIFE IS TOO DAMN SHORT NOT TO LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST AND BE HAPPY DOING IT. JOINING THE NAVY WAS THE GRESTEST THING I EVER DID IN MY LIFE AND I STILL MISS GOING ON A WESTPAC CRUISE.

WALTER HARDY, JR.
ABH-1 U.S. NAVY RETIRED

Nick Name/Call Sign: Joe

Rank/Rate: E-4

Division/Squadron: MP-B

Years Aboard: 74-78

Location: Interlachen, Florida USA

Comments: Happy new year to all