Fun with the Skimmers by Forrest Cramer

It was 1962 and the boat was down in Ft. Lauderdale. We were scheduled to do some operations with a destroyer.

As the story was that some of our officers, along with some from the destroyer, were at a nightclub the night before our ops and were able to obtain costumes from some of the ladies entertaining at the club.

The costumes were basically like a one piece bathing suit (shiny red) with feathers.

Myself and Jim Gardner, along with two others, were requested (strongly) by the Captain to put on the outfits while at sea complete with oranges stuffed in appropriate places.

A banner had been made up saying: "The USS Albacore Welcomes...(whatever the destroyer's name was)" We surfaced alongside the destroyer and the Captain called for the "girls" to go on deck. We unfurled the banner to the cheers of the destroyer crew who apparently thought we were real "girls", that is until we took the oranges out and threw them in their direction.

Rumor had it that the real "girls" were on board the destroyer, but that was never actually authenticated.

Albacore Galley - March 1962

Albacore, Fort Lauderdale - 1962

Photos taken by Forrest Cramer, ET