The Inspection Hat

Another Engineman on the USS Grenadier SS 525 that we were close with was Gene Courmier.  We always called him Little John because he was huge.  I still keep in touch with him and his present wife Martha.

At the time we were stationed with him he was married to Shirley. One of the stories I remember about them, they had a party at their house one night at Big Coppitt Key. I know that Hoffman and Barron were there, they were also Enginemen.

Another guy who was there, and I don’t recall his name, but he had a prize winning handlebar mustache. He kept it trimmed and waxed and in great shape, and he was of course quite proud of it.

He got pretty drunk and passed out, and while he was passed out the other guys decided to shave half of his mustache off. Submarine sailors do this sort of things to each other and to them it was great fun.

USS Grenadier SS 525 in Toulon, France
photo by Alan Shapiro

In April of 1962 the Boat made a trip to the Mediterranean Sea. One of the ports they stopped in was Toulon, France. I am not quite sure if the photo above was the April 1962 trip or a later one.  A bunch of the guys from the engine rooms went over on the beach together. 

Dixie Cup Hat

Little John couldn't find a hat to wear so he borrowed one from Hoffman, and it just happened to be Hoffman’s inspection hat. 

They partied hardy and were sitting on the deck of a bar they were at the time, with their feet dangling over the railing on the side of a hill.

Hoffman having had too much wine; got sick and had to barf  He didn't want to barf over the side because people were walking down below. So he laughed and snatched the hat off Little Johns head and barffed in it.

He laughed a deep belly laugh and said, “Hey old buddy, I just puked in your hat.” Little John said, “That’s okay Hoffman it was your inspection hat.” Then Little John laughed and laughed. Crazy guys!

And then there was Ding Dong Bell, who missed the Boat one morning. They were having quarters on deck, looked up, and behold, here comes Ding Dong behind a boat on water skies. He is dressed in his uniform.

1940 Cadillac Limousine

Ding Dong also had a really nice old car I don’t remember what kind it was, but the guys always teased him about his Al Capone car. I am not quite sure if his car was a Cadillac or not but this car looks  a lot like the one he had.