Being from Nevada, we had seen Martha Rae at the old Desert Inn shows for some years as a kid. She came on board Cochrane in October of 66
as Cochrane made its last trip into the Tonkin Gulf for NGFS, and
who could forget the cruise of bottom soundings. Oh gosh 1000's of soundings from the fantail so our Navy Sub brothers did not hit a rock there.
Martha was put on the fantail from a Helo, and came right up to the pilot house. I heard her tell the Captain, (and with those big teeth showing) she was ##$$#!!! glad she did not have a skirt on. She and others did a show on the Mess Decks, and she had a very nice looking gal with her show......(I mean #10 fine)....If you remember the door entry to the pilot house, it had a low height and you had to step over a very high entry plate....There was a 1st Division 3rd Class Boat who was watching this #10 fine Gal, and nearly tore the top of his head off going out of the door to get Martha Rae a drink of water
from the Skuttlebutt just outside the Chartroom and CIC. There were I remember, jokes about it afterwards and he kept saying it was the Best Purple Heart he could ever get. I think the J.O. when he wrote the watch log from the Quartermaster's log, put a note in it about this ATOMIC hit this kid took while watching this #10 Fine LOOKer...
