Our inability to communicate with the crow community is causing them some anxiety. An example of this surfaced just a few days ago. The crows know Pat and Terri and recognize their cars as well. If we could have just passed on the message, “She traded cars,” then the crow world would have remained calm. Terri had enjoyed her car for quite some time, but, one day, her mechanic told her that the mileage on the car indicated that she would soon be plagued with heavy maintenance charges. She spent several weeks shopping and ordered a car with all of the latest tech packages. After a month, the car arrived at the dealership, and Terri and her husband, Steve, went to check it out. When Terri was satisfied that the car was what she had ordered, she signed off and took delivery. Steve headed for home, and Terri headed for our house to show us the new car.

The crows were hanging out in the neighbor’s trees when Terri pulled up in the driveway and jumped out of the car. The crows all started jabbering at once. That was Terri, but what’s with her car? Is that really Terri? What’s going on? The crows continued to raise heck as Terri told us about the car. Terri left for her house and noticed that a crow had followed her. When she parked, she saw that the crow had landed across the street in a neighbor’s tree and was watching her. Later, she went into her backyard, and, in a neighbor’s tree, she saw the biggest, blackest crow she had ever seen watching her. The crows’ security force was on the job. She said this went on for a couple of days before the crows decided that everything was all right.

Dave Thomas

7/30/2024

It had been several weeks since any crows had shown up at the house. Pat was afraid her new friends had abandoned her. This particular morning, Terri drove up and parked in our driveway, and pandemonium broke loose. All you could hear was crows yelling and jabbering and carrying on in a most excited way. Pat ran to the window to see if these were “her crows.” Sure enough, the crow with the mangled foot was there, and this, indeed, was her group. However, the group had always been five crows before, but now there was a total of eight. The three extra crows were a little smaller and didn’t seem to be fully developed, so Pat figured they must be the new generation. Pat was happy to think that she had not been abandoned, but that her crow friends had been nesting and raising their young. The crows were just as excited about seeing Pat and Terri as the ladies had been about seeing them. It looks like we will be getting back to normal.

Dave Thomas

7/11/2024

Caw, caw, caw, caw! Hot damn! We can converse with another species. It was a big day when we figured out what four caws meant. Pat had been feeding the crows and talking to them for several days. Having a vision problem, all I can do is listen to them. Crows jabber all the time, but I noticed that if only one crow showed up, it would give four caws, and, in a couple of minutes, the rest of them would fly in. I compared notes with Pat, and we agreed that four caws were a summons. Pat tried it at different times and, sure enough, it worked every time.

The crows always arrived in a group of three or a group of five, and Pat could always tell if it was “her” crows because the guy with the mangled foot would be with either group. If a group of three came, it would be Boss Crow, the crow with the mangled foot, and one small crow that we took to be a mate. If it was a group of five that showed up, we figured the extra two were offspring.

The day that Pat found the 10-inch stick beside the water bowl, we figured it was a “thank you” gift. But, since we have been seeing less and less of the birds, it may have meant “Thank you and farewell.” We think that since spring is here, they may have found a new food source. Also, Pat has noticed that they will sometimes pick up some food and fly away with it. They may be nesting and have extra mouths to feed.

It’s been fun to observe these guys and learn from them. They are intelligent and can solve problems. We also discovered that they want to make friends, are compassionate, and have other human-like traits. Pat found a website on the Internet called “Crow Lovers” where people can post their crow stories. One man posted a video of himself teaching his pet crow how to dance and moonwalk.  A lady wrote and wondered what to do if the crows didn’t show up for breakfast. A man responded “Caw, caw, caw, caw!” There it is. Corroboration for our findings.

We went for four days with no crows. Then, the guy with the mangled foot and another crow that Pat thought must be The Talker started coming around at different times of the day. They would do fly-by’s real close to the windows so Pat would know they were there. She would get some food and go and talk to them. Sometimes, they would eat and sometimes not. Pat said they acted as if they missed her and just wanted to hang out and talk.

Two crows that Pat didn’t recognize (no bad feet) showed up for several days. A third crow would try to join them, but they didn’t like him and always drove him off. Pat wondered if it was a raven rather than a crow. There must be some big reason for their hostility.

One morning, Pat heard a cooing sound. She opened the front door and looked out. She saw that a crow was perched on the edge of the garage roof and making that cooing sound as if to call her. She went out and talked to it for a few minutes, and then it left.

Another time, Pat heard a bird in the driveway and went out. There was just one lone crow, and it was talking. As she talked to it, Pat tried to get closer, but the bird was fearful and kept backing up. No matter how she tried, the crow just wouldn’t relax and let her get up closer. Finally, it took off and flew over the house. She could hear it in the backyard jabbering. She went out to the patio and saw that the crow was perched up in our carrotwood tree. Pat sat down on the swing and started talking to the bird. It responded by jabbering and occasionally making little cooing sounds. She thought it was the bird that had cooed on previous days but was also the one driven off by the other birds and was scared to get close. It would sure make things easier if the birds were different enough to tell them apart. It would make it so much easier to understand their personalities.

The crows like grapes, so Pat comes up with a treat for them every now and then. The other morning, she put out some grapes and gave the four caws, and no crows came. After a few minutes, the two sparrows showed up. They immediately attacked one of the grapes and were pecking away with gusto. I guess if the crows don’t show up, we’ll be lucky in that we only have to put out one grape.

Dave Thomas

6/20/2024

The seaplane tender, U.S.S. Pine Island, completed gunnery practice and returned to port. We were anxious to get our engine replaced and get back to Iwakuni. We were also curious to see how our plane would be lifted aboard the ship. The seaplane tenders didn’t look like regular ships. The superstructure extended from the bow to about mid-ship. A deck extended from that point to the stern. A deck this size could accommodate two seaplanes. To lift them aboard and position them were two giant cranes, one at the stern and one on the port side of the deck. The only number that comes to mind for the weight of the planes is 70,000 pounds. I don’t know if that is with gas or without.

I have posted two stories about seaplane tenders to this blog. They are “Seaplane Story 6” and “Seaplane Story 7.” Also, the internet has stories and pictures of the U.S.S. Pine Island AV12 and U.S.S. Salsbury Sound AV13.

Putting a seaplane aboard ship was exciting stuff. A bridle was attached to built-in places of the plane and suspended from the hook of the crane. A rope was placed on top of the wings and connected from wingtip to wingtip. This was for the two guys that would be standing on the wings to help balance the plane as it was hoisted aboard. Each man would stand at the mid-point of a wing and hold on to the rope. If the plane was out of balance and tipped a little, the men could step toward the wingtip or the fuselage and restore balance. I volunteered, and I’ll tell you it was quite an experience. I was used to working high when working on the tops of oil rigs in Colorado, but that didn’t compare with this gig. Anyhow, we were swung aboard, and the engine was replaced. I can’t remember, but think we were aboard the Pine Island for 4 or 5 days. The ship’s crew were professionals and did a great job. They also took good care of us and saw to it that we had everything we needed.

Well, now you have seen some of the highlights of my deployment. I enjoyed everything about it except the absence from my wife, kids, and home. I looked on the Navy as a job and did my best to produce every day. I made AT2, E5, and my final year of my 4-year hitch, I was flying in SF1, the Skipper’s Crew. All in all, the Navy was a great experience for me.

I liked my fellow crew members and the other guys I worked with. I recently heard from a man named Don Frazeur who was in VP 48 after I was. Don had done a lot of research on the crews and former squadron members. He had learned that in Crew 8, my crew, there were only 5 of us left. They are Al Bell, Jay Dow, Jim Dollar, John Reid-Green, and me. Time marches on.

I hope I haven’t bored you with too much detail. I thought that explaining how some of the stuff worked would make the story more enjoyable.

Dave Thomas

6/13/2024

We were notified that a typhoon was headed for Akuni, and the squadron must evacuate to Sangley Point in the Philippines. A few hours later we loaded up and took off. We had only been in the air for an hour or two when we lost an engine. As before, the pilots feathered the prop, trimmed up, and called in a Mayday. We were directed to go to Buckner Bay at Okinawa where the USS Pine Island, a seaplane tender, was berthed. We also were told The Pine Island was out to sea for gunnery practice and would be back in a couple of days. We were to tie up to a buoy and wait for the ship to return.

The loss of another engine must have been quite a blow to our head mechanic, Don Crocker. He served in a seaplane squadron during the Korean War. After that, he moved to the L.A. area and worked for a man who was a stunt pilot for the movies. This man also had a collection of vintage planes he flew for the movies and Crocker maintained them all. I was glad he re-joined the Navy as I learned a lot from him.

Surovik and Bell were good pilots, so I wasn’t worried about flying single engine. We got to Okinawa okay and after landing, the pilots spotted  a buoy that was a few yards from the pier. Seaplanes are like boats in that they don’t respond quickly to changes in direction. There is an appendage on each side of the hull, at the stern. They look like little wings that fold up into the hull and are controlled by hydraulics. They are individually controlled and are used for steering when the plane is in the water.  

There was some wind and a little bit of chop to the water. Lt. Surovik would taxi up to within a few feet of the buoy and when he reduced power to keep from overshooting it the wind, tide, or current would push us back. Normally, it was no big deal. Having only one engine for control made it a lot tougher.  He tried several times, and I don’t doubt that he could have worked it out. Instead, his voice came over the intercom and he said disgustedly, “Someone is going to have to swim for it.”

It’s usually a simple chore to tie up to a buoy. The pilot drives up to the buoy. The man in the bow reaches down and snags it and ties up. The buoy is anchored to the bottom. On top of the buoy is a rope with a loop having a diameter of 18” or so.    There are hatches on both sides of the bow. The port side hatch is used when the pilot gets the plane up to the buoy and pulls the throttles back to idle.

There is a hole or receptacle in the threshold of each hatch to accommodate a bollard.  The bollard looks like a piece of 4” pipe and after insertion into that receptacle in the threshold becomes a snubbing post to hitch the buoy to. A rope called a hawser is used to secure the plane to the buoy. The rope is probably 1 ½” or 2” in diameter and maybe 25 or 30 feet long, and has a loop built into one end.

Now that we have all the components identified let me describe how this buoy operation is supposed to work.  While the pilot taxis the plane to the buoy, one of the crewmen goes to the bow and opens the port hatch. He retrieves the bollard from its storage place and inserts it into the receptacle in the threshold of the hatch. Next, he gets the hawser from the rope locker and loops it over the bollard.  The pilot gets the plane up against the buoy and pulls the throttles back to idle. The crewman gets the free end of the hawser and leans out the hatch and passes it through the loop on top of the buoy. He pulls the slack, snubs the plane up against the buoy, and makes a couple of turns around the bollard with the hawser and ties it off. The pilot shuts down the engines and secures the cockpit. The crewman gets ready to install the wheels if the plane is to be pulled up the ramp to the beach.

After Lt. Surevik had announced that someone would have to swim for the buoy, I decided that a swim would be perfect on such a hot day. I went to the bow and stripped down to my shorts. The buoy was just a few yards away, and the swim looked like easy money. I grabbed the free end of the hawser and jumped in. With the hawser in one hand, I started doing a side stroke toward the buoy. I soon realized that I wasn’t getting anywhere. There was either a rip current or a tide was running. Not having many choices, I stuck the end of the rope in my mouth and clamped down on it. With both hands free, I was able to do a breaststroke and make some headway. I was able to get to the buoy okay and threaded the end of the hawser through the loop on top of it. Then, I was able to drag the end of the hawser back to the plane and hand it to the guy in the bow. He took a couple of turns around the bollard and tied it off. Mission accomplished.

Dave Thomas

6/6/2024

The weather was good as we left Guam and headed for the Naval Air Station at Iwakuni, Japan. There was nothing to look at but a lot of the western Pacific,  and we were anticipating a long and boring day. We were just a few hours out when one of the pilots announced over the intercom that we were approaching Iwo Jima.  I had no idea our officers had plotted a course that would take us to this infamous battlefield. Iwo Jima is 814 miles from Guam and it’s another 750 miles to Japan. The Battle of Iwo Jima was one of the fiercest battles of WWII. Over 1,100 U.S. Marines died there and more than 4,000 were wounded. One of the most famous photos of WWII is of the Marines raising the flag atop Mt. Suribachi. Mt. Suribachi is an extinct volcano that rises 554 feet above sea level and dominates the island. It’s a big, black, ugly rock. The Battle of Iwo Jimo was fought from February 19 to March 26, 1945. I was only eight years old, but I remember the news reports. We got war stories from the radio, the newspapers, and the newsreels at the theater. If you are a younger reader, here is a bridge to get you back in the time period. Future actor, Lee Marvin, a 20-year-old marine, was wounded at Iwo Jima. Another young marine in the same Company was Bob Keasham. He was later known as Captain Kangaroo.

The flight was smooth, and we made good time. After we landed at Iwakuni, we attached our wheels and were pulled up the ramp. We were more than a month late, so it was no wonder that the whole squadron was there to greet us. As we lined up at the hatch to disembark, cans of beer were handed to us. When it was my turn, I started down the ladder. Suddenly, a bunch of hands grabbed me and jerked me off the ladder. Then, I was carried to the sea wall and thrown in the water. As I was being dragged onto the ramp, I noticed that none of my fellow crew members had been dunked.  I wanted to know what was going on. It turned out the results of the ratings exams had been posted, and I had made Third Class. I was an Aviation Electronics Technician Third Class, AT3. Hooray! More money!

NAS  Iwakuni was an okay base. There was a good library and a good gym, and that’s where I spent most of my off-duty time. Trying to save money, I allowed myself one ten-cent glass of beer each week at the Enlisted Men’s Club. I was smoking Pall Mall cigarettes as they were longer and could be cut in two, thus providing two smokes for the price of one.

This was the time of the Cold War, and our squadron’s job was to fly patrols in the South China Sea and monitor shipping. Our route took us past the southern tip of Korea and past the coast of China. We took pictures of all ships and identified them by name and/or number. We also recorded all vital info such as deck cargo and people in view.

 One day, we had reached the northern-most point of our trek, and had done a 180 and were headed back south. After some period of time, one of the pilots came over the intercom saying, “We’ve got company!” I looked out my window and there was a Russian MIG with a Chinese pilot. He was having trouble slowing down enough to match our speed and had his flaps down and dive brakes down. He was flying just off our port wing and smiling as he stared at us. He could have potted us, and no one would have ever known the difference.

Another time,  we had to do a four-hour training hop so that one of the newer pilots could get in some time at the controls. The pilot elected to check out the city of Hiroshima. Some of the city had been rebuilt, but it still looked terrible. The results of the atom bomb were evident. The place had been burned to a crisp.

One  morning, the squadron notified us that a typhoon was heading for Iwakuni. All planes were directed to get airborne and head for Sangley Point in the Philippines. We got in the air, but after a couple of hours, lost an engine. That’s another story.

Dave Thomas

5/30/2024

We left Midway and headed for Guam. It was a nice day, and the ocean was blue and serene looking. It was mostly an uneventful day. I only remember that an engine gauge malfunctioned and would have to be replaced when we got to Guam.

Arriving at Guam, we were instructed to land at Apra Harbor. It was a quiet harbor with no traffic, and we were directed to a Coast Guard station that was equipped with wheels and a seaplane ramp so we could be beached. The ground crew towed the wheels to us, and we mounted them and were towed up the ramp by a big tractor-like vehicle called a Buddha. After the aircraft was secured, we were driven a few miles to NAS Agana where we checked in at the barracks.

We were told it would take several days to get a replacement gauge shipped over from the states. I think we spent a week or so on Guam while waiting. Most of our time was spent at Apra Harbor. There was some snorkel gear at the facility that we made good use of. The water was clear and not too deep, and the bottom was beautiful. It looked live every square inch was covered by some type of plant or sea life. It was like looking at one of those beautiful tropical aquariums. Tropical fish were everywhere. One of the guys even speared an Octopus. He took it into town and traded it for a case of beer.

One day I went to the PX to get some items. As I moved with the crowd toward the entrance door, I almost bumped into an officer, an ensign, who was coming out. I did a doubletake when I realized that it was Dick Stephenson, a classmate from my hometown, Augusta, Kansas. We talked for a few minutes, and each of us was quite surprised at seeing the other.

I just remembered a story that makes me chuckle. The day after we arrived at Agana, we wanted to go back to Apra Harbor and do some housekeeping chores. The whole crew went to the main gate to the office of the Officer of the Day (O.O.D.). Lt. Surovik told the O.O.D. that we needed a vehicle assigned to us so we could work on our airplane at Apra Harbor. The O.O.D. (also a Lt) said we could call for a ride when needed. Lt. Surovik said we didn’t want to wait half an hour every time we wanted to go somewhere. The O.O.D. said he was sorry, but that’s the way it was. Lt. Surovik insisted. The O.O.D. said no. Both raised their voices and started getting red in the face. If I remember correctly, Lt. Surovik was 6 feet 5 inches and could appear to be a very menacing guy. Surovik said something like, “I’m a senior officer, and I need a car.” The O.O.D. said, “We’ll see who is a senior. What’s your service number?” They both grabbed for their wallets and pulled out their I.D. cards. Lt. Surovik had the lowest service number, so, therefore, was the senior officer. The O.O.D. reluctantly agreed to assign a vehicle. No one in the crew had ever been assigned a Navy driver’s license. They figured I was the least likely to get drunk and drive, so I was issued a license on the spot. The yeoman that typed the license must have been a little upset over the yelling as he typed my height as 6 feet 11 inches.  I kept the license for years just because of that.

We had a pleasant stay on Guam. I don’t remember for sure, but we must have been there a week or ten days before heading for NAS Iwakuni, Japan.

Dave Thomas

5/23/2024

Pat was on her way to the grocery store. When she backed out of the garage, there were two crows circling the driveway. One was the bird with the mangled foot, and she figured the other one was the Talker. They flew ahead of her for a block and a half. They flew ahead of her for a block and a half. When she stopped at a stop sign, they flew a big circle, did a flyby on the car, squawking at her all the while, and then flew away. They had  just been providing a friendly  escort.

Pat went out to check the crow’s water and discovered that one of the crows had left her a gift. It was a cleanly cut 10” branch. It looked like one of the neighbors had been pruning, and a crow had selected the nice cut-off for Pat.

One time, Pat went to Costco. When she got out of the car a crow was circling overhead and talking to her. There were other people in the parking lot, but no crows were talking to them.  Was this one of Pat’s crows that followed her from home? Or, have Pat’s crows been telling the rest of the crow world that she is a nice lady, and they should have a word with her?

Meanwhile, the crow with the mangled foot shows up and flies past the window several times. Pat sees the crow but is busy and doesn’t go out.  The crow gets up on the stoop and peeks   in the side window of the front door. After a bit, Pat goes out and scatters some bread and English Walnuts. As she watches, each crow picks up an English walnut and dunks it in the water bowl. I don’t know if this has to do with cleanliness or it makes them easier to swallow.

To eat an English walnut, a crow holds it down with it’s foot and then pecks at it. There are always some small crumbs the crows can’t get. Not to worry, as a clean up crew is on the job. There are two sparrows that come in and clean up the nut crumbs and breadcrumbs. The sparrows get there right after the crows arrive. I don’t know what alerts them. Do the understand crow talk, or do they just watch for the crows? The crows and the sparrows get along, so everything is fine.

Dave Thomas

5/23/2024              

VP48 1959 Deployment- Kwajalein to Midway (Part 2 of 6)

I should have introduced the crew already so I can refer to them by name:

Lt. George Surovik- Pilot- Plane Commander

LTJG Al Bell- Copilot

LTJG Jay Dow- Navigator

Don Crocker AD2- Plane Captain

Ed Doering, AM2-

Jim Dollar, AT2

Ken Largent AD3

Marlyn Nelson AE3

John Reid-Green, AN AT Striker

Lucious Smith, AO3

Dave Thomas A18, AT Striker

After we finally got airborne and left Kwajalein, it looked like an easy ride to Midway Island. We were flying at 10,000 feet, which is about the limit for being comfortable without an oxygen mask. The ocean was blue and pretty for as far as you could see. All we flight crew members had to do was drink coffee and try to keep from being bored. After a few hours, we reached the point of no return. That’s the place where you no longer have enough gas to turn around and get back to where you started. Not long after this, one of our engines died. If I remember correctly, it was the starboard engine. The pilots, Surovik and Bell, feathered the prop and started trimming up for single engine flight. Lt. Surovik was also calling ahead to Midway with a Mayday call. As the radar operator, I was ordered to fire it up and see if there were any nearby ships. I could see ahead for about 120 miles, and there wasn’t a blip in sight. Midway Control told Lt. Surovik they were dispatching a Coast Guard seaplane to escort us in. LTJG Dow was computing the fuel situation at the new rate of burn and also doing some figuring to determine when and where we might be intercepted by the escort.

In a few minutes, an order was given to the crew to jettison the non-essential gear that was stowed aft. We were told that if more weight reduction was required, or personal gear was next.

For the next few hours, we just hummed along and wondered where the escort was and if he would be paddling a lifeboat before we saw it. Fortunately, it was just a slow and boring ride until the escort plane arrived and escorted us in to Midway.

Midway was equipped to beach seaplanes. They had the wheels with floats and a seaplane ramp to pull us up. After landing and being brought ashore, we checked in at the barracks. I remember that the lockers had light bulbs in the bottom to keep your clothing dry and to fight the humidity.

We would be on Midway about a month while we waited for a new engine to be shipped from the states. We removed the bad engine from the plane and got it ready for the replacement. After that, we spent most of our time sitting in the shade under the wing of our plane and watching the gooney birds. There were thousands of them and every square foot of beach was taken. These albatrosses had a six or seven foot wingspan and looked beautiful in the air. But, when they came down, it was always a crash landing, and they often collided with each other on the ground.

If you want to hear more about the gooney birds, there is a story in this blog entitled “The Gooney Birds of Midway Island.”

Dave Thomas

5/16/2024