By Stan Worthley, RMCM(SS) Ret.

Yesterday, the corpsman at pharmacy at the U.S. Navy Hospital Yokosuka handed me a Skillcraft pen to sign for an RX. I thought OMG! They still have them. I asked if I could have it and, of course, he said – sure. Its on my desk now.

That brought back a flood of memories. Got my first one on the USS TRUTTA SS-421. I thought, wow a free pen – this Navy is great! I’m re-enlisting.

About 1980, YN1(SS) Jones on the USS USTAFISH made a plea at quarters one morning on the pier. The Navy was out of money and he was out of pens. So he created an “amnesty box” and he put it by the brow. He instructed everyone to go down below and look in their bunk pans and under their flash covers and turn in all those navy pens. He said, No charges will be filed.  Everyone loved his announcement and by the noon meal, the “amnesty box” was filled with Navy pens.

So, anyway, I GOOGLED it and this is what I found. Things I never knew. Check it out below. Those should have been some quals questions.

What do A-ganger’s hate to find in a flapper valve? What can you do for one mile in – 40 deg F?  etc . . .

Hope it brings back memories for you too.   Ah – the good old days!

Hope you are well and safe and happy!

Stan in Japan 

Read Article here: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC – Skilcraft U.S. Government Pen https://nib.org/sites/default/files/pen/pen-index.html