Watch The Bubbles Boys!

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

I was visiting my uncle on the old family farm in Central Wisconsin.  He was sharing with me about his old navy days the destroyer USS Wadleigh in 1954.  Those old destroyers were very small, and they could just disappear in the large ocean. He volunteered for destroyer service because they traveled the most around the world.

One day a large storm came upon them! One of the old salts said, "watch for the bubbles boys!"  The order went out to baton down all of the hatches!  As the little ship was thrown around the crew down below grew afraid!  When they rolled over at a 41° angle,  they were not sure if they capsize or not!  

The captain of the ship got on the intercom and shouted for the crew to prepare to abandon ship!  The crew immediately got into their life vests. Again,  one of the old salts yelled, "watch the bubbles boys!"

At this point all of the crew were down below in their life vests. My young sailor uncle asked one of the old salts what "watch the bubbles" meant. The old salt explained like this.

If the ship would capsize and flood with sea water, you follow the bubbles!  Bubbles will always flow upwards, towards the surface.  He said to watch the bubbles and swim in that direction!  Every compartment on the ship always had two hatches. One could be opened and closed at will, this is the main hatch. The second hatch is the safety hatch. That hatch would always remain closed, but always unlocked. It is the way of escape!

The ship rode out the storm and eventually came out of it. That day they didn't need to follow the bubbles! As Christians,  our way of escape is to follow the Bible. The bubbles of God's Word will lead us to safety in our time of distress!

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

The Admirals Steaks

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

I was just up to central Wisconsin visiting family. My wife and I escorted my elderly mother there. My mother was raised there on a dairy farm. My Aunt and Uncle are still living there today.  My Uncle Jerry is my mother's older brother.

One afternoon, Uncle Jerry was telling me about his navy days. He served in the early fifties on a destroyer named the USS Wadleigh, DD 689. Named after the World War One admiral, George H. Wadleigh.

My Uncle Jerry's job was in the boiler room, and the engineering department in the bottom of the ship. One of those jobs was to maintain the temperatures of the food refrigerators and freezers. One of the items in the food freezers were steaks specifically for the captain of the ship, and the admiral of the fleet.

Once in a while when Jerry wanted to get in good with the cook, He would bring up a couple of the Admirals steaks to the kitchen. The cook with fry up the steaks, and Jerry and the cook with dine on the admiral steaks! Jerry said they always had plenty and didn't miss a few once in awhile!

The ships cook appreciated the gesture of a steak now and then, so my Uncle Jerry never went without eating a good meal on the ship during his cruise!  My Uncle Jerry has been out of the Navy for sixty-five years now, so I guess it's safe to tell the story!

William James Roop

 Roop-Crappell Ministries 

 Hospice Care and Dy

 The Trucking Tango 

 Apostolic Theological Seminary