An Electrician''s job is never done! Buffing up shore power connections on the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) alongside the pier in Subic Bay, Olongapo, Philippines - 1984
Every one of the crew of the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) spent a few minutes sitting on the stern in the middle of the night on a long and boring duty day, staring out across the harbor, pining for wives or sweethearts, and wishing they were somewhere else. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - 1982
A sailor has a reputation in port, justly deserved for the most part, but traveling the seven seas on the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680), we all found time to appreciate the scenery and sunsets. Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories. - 1983
The USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) tied up at the Royal Australian Navy''s Rockingham facility on our visit to Perth, Western Australia during Westpac 83-84. - 1983
The bridge crew scans the horizon as darkness falls on the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) surface transiting the Gulf of Siam. - 1982
The Avalon (DSRV 2) is lowered into her cradle on the back of the USS William H. Bates (SSN 680) in preparation for sea qualifications. San Diego, California -1983
The Crew's Mess was one of the largest open spaces on the submarine, certainly the largest where more than a few sailors could gather at once. On a Sturgeon class boat like the Bates, that's really not saying much.
Situated in Operations Compartment middle level, it was bounded by the Galley, the Crew's Activity Space, the refrigerator, the freezer, and the Trash Disposal Unit room. Tables and benches were permanently installed that provided seating for about 28 or 30 at a time.
The Crew's Mess was central to life on the submarine. We ate there, trained there, planned, staged, prepared, and mustered there. We watched movies, read books, played cards, cribbage, chess, and more there. We smoked, Coke'd and joked there. When things went well, we celebrated and held award ceremonies there. If things weren't going so well, we organized damage control parties there. If you weren't in the Crew's Mess, you were on watch, in your bunk, or moving between any two of those three.
Four times a day, at 0600, 1200, 1800, and 2400, the Crew's Mess was a hive of activity, full of on-going and off-going watchstanders, all eating with with one arm on the edge of the table, folded across their chests to create a little more room on the bench. The rest of the day found the Crew's Mess filled with sailors for School of the Boat, Engineering or Divisional training, or damage control parties during drills and casualties. After dinner or midrats, the tables themselves folded up to provide backrests and make all the benches forward facing, and it was showtime as the latest movie would dance across the screen.
About the only time you could find the Crew's Mess empty was late at night when in-port, and most of the crew was on liberty.
Here at SSN-680.org, our Crew's Mess is home to the Scuttlebutt forum, Sea Stories, the Ship's Store, our Required Reading List and the Movie Locker. We expect you'll find it as busy as the Crew's Mess on the boat, and hope you never find it empty.
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