BajaNomad

Hong Kong Memories

Marc - 4-12-2023 at 01:34 PM

Any of you deep water sailors remember Hong Kong when in the old navy? Fenwick Pier was where our ship gig dropped us off for liberty. Long ago; Ike was president then.

AKgringo - 4-12-2023 at 04:55 PM

Aside from an occasional lift by the Air Force, I was strictly a ground pounder! However, a friend and high school classmate of mine went to college on a Navy ROTC program, and wound up as a supply officer for an Aircraft carrier (I don't know which one).

He had a small shuttle/cargo plane at his disposal to fly ahead of the carrier to line up supplies, hotels, transportation and events well ahead of the ship reaching the port. He had a lot of great tales about that part of his job!

thebajarunner - 4-13-2023 at 08:57 AM

I requested a West Coast ship so they sent me to the carrier Boxer in San Diego. Ten days later we sailed for Panama and spent the rest of my time ferrying Marines up and down to attack a desert island in the Caribbean. Our new home port was Norfolk, the armpit of the East.
I really wanted to see Asia, instead had about ten visits to Port au Prince (which sounds great, and isn't)
Ah, the great military mentality.

Paco Facullo - 4-13-2023 at 10:43 AM

I wasn't there during the Ike era, but that of Nixon...

Got my first tattoos at world famous Pinky's

Ate at the famous Floating restaurant.

Went to the Kowloon side and saw the Red border.

Ate Ox-tail soup for the first time, it was fantastic !

Ate authentic English fish and chips w/ malt vinegar , fantastic again !

The Navy warned us before shore-leave of the pure Hong Kong rock heroin, they didn't want to lose any of us.
Well, after leaving port, a shipmate of mine had scored some heroin,
I was scared to try it as the propaganda that was drilled into my head was that IF you just try it one time you are "hooked" for life.

But, being the adventurous and curious soul I am, I figured even IF I wanted more, there isn't any more available.

So, I joined my Mates and tried some. It was brown rocks that we cut up into very small pieces. We snorted a few lines.

It is said that it is common to get sick the first time you do heroin, but maybe that is with shooting it ? I didn't feel sick at all ....

Well, what an incredible high it was, total euphoria.... No wonder people get hooked on that stuff !
Ends up, that was the only time in my life I did heroin..

So glad I experienced it.

More than this happened in Hong Kong, but I just wrote a few ..

Marc - 4-13-2023 at 03:16 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Paco Facullo  
I wasn't there during the Ike era, but that of Nixon...

Got my first tattoos at world famous Pinky's

Ate at the famous Floating restaurant.

Went to the Kowloon side and saw the Red border.

Ate Ox-tail soup for the first time, it was fantastic !

Ate authentic English fish and chips w/ malt vinegar , fantastic again !

The Navy warned us before shore-leave of the pure Hong Kong rock heroin, they didn't want to lose any of us.
Well, after leaving port, a shipmate of mine had scored some heroin,
I was scared to try it as the propaganda that was drilled into my head was that IF you just try it one time you are "hooked" for life.

But, being the adventurous and curious soul I am, I figured even IF I wanted more, there isn't any more available.

So, I joined my Mates and tried some. It was brown rocks that we cut up into very small pieces. We snorted a few lines.

It is said that it is common to get sick the first time you do heroin, but maybe that is with shooting it ? I didn't feel sick at all ....

Well, what an incredible high it was, total euphoria.... No wonder people get hooked on that stuff !
Ends up, that was the only time in my life I did heroin..

So glad I experienced it.

More than this happened in Hong Kong, but I just wrote a few ..


Kowloon was strictly off limits in 1959. Yes many memories. What happened in HK stays in HK.

Marty Mateo - 4-13-2023 at 06:16 PM

Great stories , thanks for sharing. My experience in Hong Kong was a stop over at the airport flying from Bangkok to Los Angeles but I did get to experience landing at the old Hong Kong airport. Probably the wildest landing I’ve experienced dropping down between all the apartment buildings , it was hard to believe that the wings weren’t going to hit them

thebajarunner - 4-14-2023 at 08:16 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Marty Mateo  
Great stories , thanks for sharing. My experience in Hong Kong was a stop over at the airport flying from Bangkok to Los Angeles but I did get to experience landing at the old Hong Kong airport. Probably the wildest landing I’ve experienced dropping down between all the apartment buildings , it was hard to believe that the wings weren’t going to hit them


Flying out of Kai Tak one Saturday night our Singapore Arilines 747 blew an engine on takeoff
It felt like someone slammed the fuselage with a 2 x 4
We shuddered and shook and flew past those apartment windows, finally got enough lift to clear the ones at the end of the runway.
Went out and dumped all the load of fuel (SF bound, that is a lot of dump)
Came back in for a very firm landing and spent the night and next day awaiting a new plane to come in from Singapore
And Sunday in Hong Kong is totally shut down so nothing to do.

Marc - 4-14-2023 at 08:18 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Marty Mateo  
Great stories , thanks for sharing. My experience in Hong Kong was a stop over at the airport flying from Bangkok to Los Angeles but I did get to experience landing at the old Hong Kong airport. Probably the wildest landing I’ve experienced dropping down between all the apartment buildings , it was hard to believe that the wings weren’t going to hit them


The HK airport is out in the boonies now. I remember flying in years ago when the plane banked to starboard I could look across into the high rises people eating breakfast. Wild for sure.:o

TMW - 4-14-2023 at 09:02 AM

I have a lot of fond memories of Hong Kong. Jenny Tam and the Mag Pie Bar. The floating restaurants, great meals. The best memory I have is at the China Fleet Club. The British Marines were in port when our ship the USS Kitty Hawk was there. Any way at the China Fleet Club an American sailor stands on a chair with beer in hand and looking at a picture of Queen Elizabeth says F the Queen. As you can imagine all H broke loose. My buddy and I grabbed our pitcher of beer and ducked under the table. When all the commotion is over a British Marine policemen looks under our table and says OK you boys can come out now, which we did.

JZ - 4-14-2023 at 02:00 PM

Haven't been to that dock, but have been to HK a handful of times.

Super cool place.

Marc - 4-14-2023 at 03:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW  
I have a lot of fond memories of Hong Kong. Jenny Tam and the Mag Pie Bar. The floating restaurants, great meals. The best memory I have is at the China Fleet Club. The British Marines were in port when our ship the USS Kitty Hawk was there. Any way at the China Fleet Club an American sailor stands on a chair with beer in hand and looking at a picture of Queen Elizabeth says F the Queen. As you can imagine all H broke loose. My buddy and I grabbed our pitcher of beer and ducked under the table. When all the commotion is over a British Marine policemen looks under our table and says OK you boys can come out now, which we did.


The China Fleet club is long gone. I remember drinking there with the Brits & Aussies. The Brits ordered their beer ahead a let it warm to room temp. The Aussies and us Yanks of course drank it cold. They would kid us to "go home Yank" & we would play "The Battle Of New Orleans" on the Juke. I don't remember fights while in the club; although we did have some good ones in the water taxis going back to our ships. Tin Can Sailors vs Airdales.

watizname - 4-15-2023 at 06:50 AM

My tin can hit Hong Kong in '68 for a few days after 30 or so days on the gun line and plane guard, and I think I had a really good time.

Alan - 4-15-2023 at 09:19 AM

I had my 21st birthday in Hong Kong during the early 70's. I was a zoomie in the Navy as a Radar Operator on a P-3 Orion. I was sitting in the c-ckpit on the forward radar cabinet during the landing. I loved the tower instructions for landing at Kai Tak. Mark on top Stonecutter Island then turn right until you see the checkerboard on the hill. Proceed toward the checkerboard until you catch the runway visually on your right.

We stayed in Kowloon and a tailor hosted our crew's visit with a yacht cruise around the area with a swim at Repulse Bay then dinner in Aberdeen at the floating restaurant. The Bottoms Up Club was there at the time. The World of Suzie Wong brings back great memories. Macau was off limits during that period. We had enough to entertain us in Kowloon so I really didn't spend any time in the Wanchai area. I can still say that after 4 years in the Navy, the Star Ferry was the largest ship I was on:biggrin:

[Edited on 4-15-2023 by Alan]

USS Dixon - Hong Kong

jwheel1970 - 4-15-2023 at 01:21 PM

Hong Kong was great, on WESTPAC 1992 we were there for Christmas, anchored out in Victoria Harbor - Good times.

chippy - 4-15-2023 at 02:19 PM

I have fond memories of the American Club back in the 80s :thumbup::bounce::cool:.

AKgringo - 4-15-2023 at 03:53 PM

The closest I ever got to Hong Kong was South Korea. I was there from Nov 68 to Dec 69, with a two week R&R in Tokyo.

I took a military hop to Toyo, and never considered taking one to Hong Kong. I'll bet I would have had a lot more fun on a lot less money than in Japan!