Subject: Last Voyage of the USS Pollack

Date:	 Mon, 22 Mar 1999 21:19:57 -0800

From:	 "David Harlin" 


Has anyone told you about the havoc that we had on the last voyage of the
USS Pollack.  In August of 1987 we left on a NorPac that was suppose to last
until December, but calamity struck and forced us to return early.  Now some
may have a different viewpoint than I, but this is how I remember it.

I think that we were out for only a month when the first calamity struck.  I
was standing Engine Room Lower Level Watch, when I discovered a high
turbidity in the starboard main condenser, we performed the proper casualty
response for the incident and shutdown the starboard side of the engine
room.  Upon investigation, it was discovered that the starboard main
condenser had major tube leakage and that we would have to maintain it in a
secured status until we could hit port and repair it.  So, we were stuck in
the middle of the North Pacifc with only one side of the engine room
operational.  And if anyone doesn't know what that means.....well, let's
just say there's redundancy for a reason.... it's bad.

Then another breakdown ocurred.  I don't remember exactly what the problem
was, but the main drain pump broke down and it was determined that it would
have to be replaced.  Well, of course, we didn't have a replacement out at
sea, so many heads were put together and someone came up with the idea that
we could route all the bilges to the ERLL bilge and pump that out with the
trim pump.

As anyone on a sub knows, the drain system is pretty important in removing
water from the bilges of the boat so that we don't ...uh... sink... I
mean.... when we don't wnat to.. y'know.  I think the water level actually
got up to the diamond back in ERLL before we figured out how to get it off
the boat.  Then the trim pump broke down.  we got lucky with this one,
though, because we were able to fix the trim pump before the ERLL Watch
floated up to ERUL.  That time, I think the actual bilge level flooded the
diamond back floor in ERLL.  It was quite an errie feeling.  Then the 8k
Evaporator broke down.

For all you sonar techs who don't remember, the 8k was what made the water
for all your wonderful showers ::grin:: .  Anyway, the 8k was down for about
a week and we ended up using the 1.6k electric evap to make fresh water.
The boat was on a "no shower" order for that whole time....  I never heard
the sonar techs whine soooo much!! ::HAHAHAHAHAHA::

One thing I do remember very clearly was the war between the nukes and the
forward pukes over the Lube Oil Bay Shower....  Don't remember a Lube Oil
Bay shower??  Well, that's because we built it on the last voyage of the
Pollack out of a 50gallon drum and a compressed air rig.  I have to give
credit to this little invention to Jeff Welch MM2(SS).  He figured out that
we could collect the leakage off the Main Condensers into buckets, pour it
into the 50 gallon  drum, pressurize it with air and WHALAAA!!   A shower
with HOT water!!

I rememebr that quite a few of the nukes actually preferred this shower to
the one forward and it was used quite frequently.  Being setup in the Lube
Oil Bay, the shower was a nuke secret for awhile, until one of the TMs doing
his quals saw it and spread the word.  At first, there was no problem with
the shower, because only a few of the forward guys wanted to use it and
usually asked before doing so.  Then someone started whinning that we were
hogging it and not letting everyone use it, so the Chiefs stepped in and
made the shower public domain.  Well, being possesive as all nukes are,
there were quite a few comments made about the invasion by the guys up
forward, and the comments got louder when the 8k was repaired and the
forward guys still wanted to use the Lube OIl Bay shower.

Now, as I remember it, there was quite some hooorah over this and the shower
was finally dismantled by its inventor and I truly can't remember if it was
ever reassembled.... Maybe some of my other crew members can remember...

Anyway, the last voyage of the Pollack turned out to be quite a trip, no
drugs... I mean pun... intended.  In fact, I was quite fearful of our
chances at returning more than once, especially when I watched my Chief
punch one of the metal cabinets between the Turbine Generators and then he
had me calculate for him the time it would take to reach homeport on the
battery from where we were at the time, I think I came up with almost a
month.  And though, everyone thought that we should have returned to port
when we lost one whole side of the engine room, our Captain insisted on
staying on post.  Well, I guess that's why he was in charge.

In conclusion, I can't guarantee that the events that I just described
are in exact chronological order, it was over ten years ago, but I am sure
of the events themselves.



                                                David G. Harlin  MM2/SS

3/22/99