(Continued from CHOPPER 60s HISTORY page 2)

Training Group for a period of five weeks.

In March 1963, USS CHOPPER was invited to Venice, FL as a guest of the Venice Chamber of the Navy League and made a cruise at sea with members of the Navy League on board. USS CHOPPER operated locally from Key West for the remainder of the year.

In July 1963 LCDR E.J.CONDON relieved LCDR C.R. MIKO as Commanding Officer. Also during July 1963 USS CHOPPER was again awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" Award and the Annual Award for Fire Control Excellence as one of the outstanding submarines in the U.S Atlantic Fleet. For the remainder of 1963 USS CHOPPER remained in Key West performing services for the Fleet Sonar School, Test and Evaluation Detachment and Submarine Squadron Twelve.

In 1965, USS Chopper was deployed to the Mediterranean to participate in UNITAS exercises there.

In 1968 USS Chopper went through a shipyard overhaul and later that year the submarine deployed for what was to be her last trip to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

On February 18, 1969 USS Chopper experienced a nearly catastrophic deep dive excursion off the coast of Cuba involving very large up and down angles approaching 85 degrees and a diving depth of 1,000 plus feet at the forward end of the submarine.

Chopper's crew was able to restart engines and proceeded to Guantanamo Bay.  Upon re-entry to Guantanamo Bay, CHOPPER was extensively surveyed by marine engineers, and was given approval for a surface transit back to Key West under escort.

Lcdr Newcomb relieved LCDR Don Forbes as Commanding Officer in April, 1969 but CHOPPER never went to sea again as a warship of the USN.  Following further inspection and repair, USS CHOPPER was removed from active service in Sept. 1969 and she was prepared for training duties with the USNR.

After decommissioning CHOPPER continued to serve her county as a static Naval Reserve Trainer in New Orleans until June 30, 1971. At that time the USNR Submarine

Division program was disestablished and CHOPPER was designated IXSS and assigned to SERVRON 8.

She served on as a salvage and rescue training hulk until July 21, 1976 when, rigged as a tethered underwater target for USS SPADEFISH (SSN-688), flooding sounds were heard and CHOPPER was lost as she sank in 2,400 fathoms off the Florida Coast....but we prefer to think CHOPPER just went deep and evaded one last time.

(Continued from DOLPHINS, page 4)

ment greased skids, untangled red tape and took care of you.
And when you grew old, the crazy bastards came and found you and brought you back to the tribal gathering… To sit next to the fire… Drink the fermented sprits and tell lies until late in the night and recall days long ago when lads with silver pocket fish roamed the oceans of the world… Pissed against the wind and only had each other.

Dex Armstrong was a E3 TM striker on USS Requin's deck gang and his stories ring true no matter what diesel sub you served on.

NON QUAL FOLLIES:  We once had a NQP route a chit thru the supply officer for 50 feet of fallopian tube, also on the same order he was requested to get 20 feet of umbilical cord to tie off the tube... sounds like a variation of the old "get me 50' of water line" gag.
How about the NQP deck ape who was sent to the COB of the furthest boat in the nest to borrow some pre mixed camoflage paint?
A NQP striker for the TM's was requested to order 10 more water slugs, he filled out the paper work but could not find the part #. The TM3 who instigated this filled in the phony # and had him route it up the COC.
The only fault that the TM3 made was that he filled in a price tag that exceeded the normal limits and had to be signed by the captain who happened to be sleeping. The OOD relayed the request to the captain without reading the chit thoroughly.
After several minutes the captain came storming into Control (in his underwear) yelling that the type of water slugs ordered were not the correct size !!!!
Needless to say the rest of control was in tears when the captain departed.