USS John F Kennedy Visits Ireland: Troy’s View

There are two “Ports of Call” that hold a special place in my memory and heart.  Both of the ports were cities where it was the first time that an Aircraft Carrier had ever pulled into that port.  The first one is Benidorm Spain while I was on The USS Forrestal.  It was an epic place for liberty and is forever ingrained in my memory.  The second is Dublin Ireland while I was on the USS Kennedy.  This visit is the subject of this post.

Part Of Multi Vista Concept

This will be the first of, what I hope will be, many posts where I invite someone else who experienced this same event to post their own story about what happened.  In this case, I have asked Paul Gartlan to write about his memory of this port visit.  I intend to post it along with this sea story.

In July of 1996, the USS Kennedy and it’s embarked Airwing had a port call in Dublin Ireland.  It was a well advertised visit and also the first time a carrier had ever pulled into an Irish port.  The fact that the Kennedy name has deep connections in Irish history was a factor in enabling this visit.  I also have strong family ties to Ireland so this was definitely a special visit for me.

Roots In Ireland

My Grandmother, Mary Riggs, was from the Carrickmacross area of Ireland and her maiden name was Gartlan.  I had hoped to visit that area, but I knew realistically that it would not be feasible due to my duty schedule.  Our duty schedule was work one day, stay aboard the ship, and work the next day but have liberty after working hours, and the next day was a liberty day.  Our squadron, VS-24, had the responsibility for Shore Patrol during this visit so our XO, CDR Randy Cohen, was the Officer in Charge of all Shore Patrol duties, including the boats and ferries that departed Fleet Landing to go out to the ship.

One thing worth mentioning is that in every port, except for the two mentioned above, sailors would never wear their uniforms while on liberty voluntarily.  There were times where everyone had to wear uniforms on the first day of a port visit, but in Benidorm and Dublin, we WANTED to wear them!  It was like a celebrity status symbol to be seen in uniform, believe me, I never had to buy a drink while wearing it and had hundreds of pictures taken in it by random people wanting photos.  It was rare to see sailors in civilian attire during this visit.

Dun Loahgaire, Not Dublin

On our first day in port (Dun Loaghaire, just south of Dublin), I called home to my dad, who lived in Lincoln Nebraska.  He was excited that I might be able to get together with a distant relative, but I told him that it would not be possible for me to visit anywhere outside of Dublin due to time constraints from the duty roster.  So he did something that still, to this day, brings a big smile to my face. 

He called an overseas operator for Ireland and asked for any phone number of anyone who lived in Carrickmacross and was named Gartlan.  He figured anyone with that name in that area HAD to be a relative.  The operator gave him a number for Paul Gartlin, so my dad called him.  I don’t know exactly what the conversation was, but when I called my dad back an hour or so later he gave me Paul’s number and had invited Paul to come find me so that we could visit.

Lottery

At this point I should mention that there were so many Irish people who had requested to come aboard the ship for a visit, that Ireland held a national lottery to randomly pick those who would be allowed on board.  The ship could accommodate 5,000 people per day to visit and there were well over ten times that number of requests, so only a lucky few got to come aboard.  Each lottery winner had a specific date that their “ticket” was good for and only that day.  There was at least one day when weather prevented any boats or ferries to the ship so those folks lost out.

I don’t exactly remember how I hooked up with Paul.  I think I had called him and we talked and set up a day, place, and time to meet.  I think we met at a bar that was near Fleet Landing called Jennifer Bar.  (It’s strange the things you do remember and the things you don’t)  We had a Guinness and talked for a while, trying to see if we were, in fact, related.  I’m still convinced that we are, but don’t have definitive proof of it.

Front Of The Line

I invited Paul out to visit the ship and he said he did not have a lottery ticket. I told him he didn’t need one, and that I could get him on board.  We proceeded down to Fleet Landing and the line for those waiting to board the ferry to the ship was very long probably a 5-hour long wait for the last folks in line.  As we approached, I took Paul around the line and walked right up the head of the line.  Remember, I said that our XO was the Shore Patrol Officer, so those of us he knew got special privileges.  One of those was head of the line to go back aboard the ship.

It just so happened that a ferry had just unloaded and was just getting ready to load.  I told the XO that I had a special guest with me and asked permission to go aboard, so he let us on first.  I think Paul was pretty impressed that I had the “pull” to skip that entire long line and get us to the front.  Especially since he didn’t even have a ticket in the first place.

Haze Gray Maze

When we got aboard, I showed him all around the ship.  It was all second nature to me and I don’t know what impressed him the most.  Most people who go aboard a Navy ship realize very quickly how easy it would be to get lost since the passageways seem to be a maze to navigate.  I do remember that when we were on the flight deck he pulled out his cell phone and made some “Bragging” phone calls to friends!!  I think we spent most of our time up on the flight deck looking at the aircraft.  I explained what each type of aircraft did as it’s primary mission.

We only actually had a few hours together, but we have forged a lasting friendship over the years.  We have stayed in touch via Face Book, and Chris and I intend to make a pilgrimage to Ireland at some point in the not too distant future.  A stop in Dublin is a must! We will definitely be spending some time in Carrickmacross and intend to hook up with Paul again and, maybe even knock back a few more Guinness brews.