... but never on a ship. I bought this from the US Mint today anyway. U.S. Navy 2.5 Ounce Silver Medal
I wish they'd put 51 on the hull (my old ship, the Arleigh Burke, was first of this class of destroyer) but I can understand the historical significance of John Paul Jones to the US Navy. If I wasn't dealing with an unexpected move right now I might consider it. $160 is a bit of pricey markup for 2.5 oz of silver.
I thought about buying it as this year is my 20 year mark and I'm retiring in June. The $160 price tag is steep though.
Navy active for 4 years. Navy reserves for another 16 years. Carrier officer on 4 different flattops.
Yeah plan on ordering one myself next month and Yeah a bit pricy for 2.5oz Spent a little over 2 months on FFG-31, Spent the rest of my Navy years on Gators (LSD-38, LSD-39 LHD-1) and for those that need names, that the USS Stark, USS Pensacola, USS Portland and USS Wasp. All great ships, the the Pcola and Portland were "home". never felt that way on the Wasp and wasn't with the Stark long enough to get that feeling... (side note, thanks to the Stark I got to spend nearly 9 months working at SIMA in Mayport FL.. that was good duty lol)
Maybe...but I've been continuously collecting since the summer of 1962 without ever purchasing from the mint.
Hey now...I did 12 years before I went on my first ship. Then I spent 5 years bouncing between a bunch. Thankfully, no more. There's a saying in the Navy: "Choose your rate. Choose your fate." Some jobs just don't go to sea.
I would just assume that it was like mandatory that you did ship time. Forgive me for never serving. If it's any coincidence, I did attempt to but was denied over health concerns.
Spent time in cruises on the Saratoga, John F. Kennedy, and the John C. Stennis. Was a tactical officer in a flight team, doing mission planning. Was an O-3, and O-4. My eyesight was not good enough to fly, but good enough to run a computer team that planned sorties.
I was a BM2 simple deckape and while I spent less then 1/2 my time attached to a "ship". Thanks to BeachMasters Unit 2 I actualy have more "sea time" then service time lol
When did you serve? I was a Surface Warfare Officer in Norfolk between ‘96 and ‘99 on the Mount Whitney (LCC-20) and Harry S Truman (CVN-75).
I was in Desert Storm on the Saratoga in 1990. Suez Canal, and Red Sea. 1992-served on JFK in Red Sea. 1999, on John C Stennis in Persian Gulf. Back to Mayport in 1999-2000. Total sea duty just under 5 years. Reserves after that. Taught at Air Warfare school in Pensacola while a reservist. Tactics and logic officer—air sorties, and formation bombing. Worked on computers and aircraft deployment planning.
I was on the Pensacola in 90 we were right there with the sara... I take back my smiley face... that was the cruise with the Haifa inccident