USNS Joshua Humphreys Signal Bridge Drills

Maneuvering drills using flaghoist communications and receiving a message via flashing light onboard the USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO 188) in October 1991. They did fairly well considering one of the guys helping was an Electronics Technician.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Signalman
• U.S.
• Navy
• Flag
• Hoist
• flashing
• Light
• Morse
• code
• signal
• bridge
• USNS
• Joshua
• Humphreys
• (T-AO
• 188)
• Persian
• Gulf
• ship
• SM
• sailor
• fleet
• oiler
• drills
• flaghoist
• wheeler

[brown1mm]

LOL!!!

Aye, a bit painful, but still a joy.

The halyards were new and the lines were about 12 feet too long. In addition, there was an ET1 who was about 8 years out of being an SM2 (cross-rated) and an SMSA on the flag bag.

Practice makes perfect and things got better as the deployment progressed.

It's all about the memories.

[jrober8989]

is that aegis cruiser the lake champlain, your not communicating to it in the video but i was there in 91 i remember the humphrey unreped several times with that ship .. SM3 roberts ..

[brown1mm]

I think in this case it was the Ticonderoga. We spent a lot of time with her.

[B17MIKE]

OK, so they receive a message via morse, then translate it to the flags? I'm a little lost.

[brown1mm]

The flaghoist in this video communicated maneuvering instructions from the lead ship. After the exercise was over, a flashing light message was sent to comment on the performance of the crew during the event.

With flaghoist, The receiving vessel, sees the signal from the originating ship and repeats it with flags on their own yardarm, 3/4 of the way up. Once the receiving ship is ready, they close it up to the top and when the originator pulls theirs down, the maneuver is executed.

[tumblindice66]

I enjoyed this video. I was a Signalman from 85 to 2005. What a great experice for me; I' d do it all over again. are there any other videos like this which catch us actually doing our jobs?

[brown1mm]

I haven't seen any others. I was an SM from 81 to 85 - switched to ET. I had the good fortune to be able to hang around on the signal bridge a little bit later in my career. Glad you liked it.

[POBulkhead]

I would be stomping their guts out!

[POBulkhead]

@tootonetommy That was the funnest part of being a signalman.

[tootonetommy]

but I miss those drills now....lol

[tootonetommy]

We were wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy faster...... we had SMC Nash..lol

[tootonetommy]

these guys are way too slow......lol

[sgsimonds]

@Flickchaser

at night we put on amber filters. The white light was to bright and would ruin your night vision.

[Flickchaser]

With amphibious unit( USMC) I was aboard APA-33 Bayfield& LSD-34 Hermitage 1960's. We observed signalmen do their thing,flags,semaphore,and blinking light. Q-Before computers,how was blinking light taught?Class room,film or what? And what is a good realistic speed in WPM for the light? Some of the large signal lights were white others were amber any reason for that?