During the years of the cold war,the Navy deployed ships to the Mediterranean and the Fareast on a regular basis. If lucky , deployments lasted 8 or 9 months. Ships and crews worked during these over seas tours. Long underway periods, watch sanding, exercises , rough weather and meeting commitments were enervating. When orders were received to proceed home,the long trip was always welcome. Our four ship destroyer division was ordered to steam home alone. There would be no accompanying carrier conducting night flight operations that would require duty life boats, rescue crews on the alert.and maneuvering at high speeds. These activities would necessitate destroyers to fuel at sea. Steaming at an economical speed of 16 knotts, with a layover in Pearl, to transit from Japan to San Diego could take up to 20 days. The sea was glass the weather great. The only thing to interfere with sun and sack time besides ship routine were occasional divisional tactics ordered by the division the commander, the Commodore.
A message was received from him announcing a pancake eating contest would be held on board the flagship in four days time, and that he would award a prize of $25 dollars to the winner. Each ship was to select and prepare a contestant and assign one officer and one enlisted man to observe and monitor the contest. The batter recipe would be taken from the Navy Cooks Manual. Each cake was to be no smaller in diameter than 7 and a half inches in diameter or or larger than eight. The officers were lukewarm to the contest because it was one more thing to interfere with needed sack time. However, the crew took the flapjack eating contest seriously. Had it been known then, the winner had been decided the moment the contest was announced. The destroyer on which Ashcan Ack served already had a lock on the win.
Ashcan was a 19 year old 6 foot 3 inch cherub who resembled a chubby 2 year old child. Almost hairless,smooth skin. massive arms legs and a roly-poly belly. Ashcan had a pleasant personality and a ready smile. He was the first to show up for exercises and working parties. When the ship had to be secure for heavy weather. he could be counted on to be out on the wet and heaving deck to tie down loose gear.
He was popular with the ships crew, particularly with the ships cooks. He took the sign on the mess deck that read,” Take all you want, eat all you take” very seriously. However he ignored the compartments in the steel mess trays that kept food items separated. He piled the chow on as he worked his way down the service line ending up with all items on the menu molded into a six inch pyramid completely covering the tray. He then proceeded to destroy it in the reverse order of construction— top to bottom. A rumor had it that when Ashcan went home on first leave out of boot camp and knocked on the door, his father opened it spotted Ashcan, groaned and and slammed it shut . The door opened in a few seconds and a 20 dollar bill was thrust at him with a plea, “Give your mother a break, go feed yourself then come home” If Ashcan Ack had a given name it wasn’t known to his shop mates. No one ever thought to ask. It must have been recoded on his health and pay records.
On D-minus one, the day before the pancake eating contest day, The Commodore sent out his operations order that gave detailed instructions and times for that days events. The preciseness and complexity coupled with the military jargon in which it was written, it could have been used as a model for preparing an oporder for a major amphibious landing.
At 0800, all units form into a column, Junior ship take lead in station No 1 At 0810, slow to 5 knotts; 0820, lead ship lower whale boat with contest personnel, pick up personnel from units 2 and 3 and deliver to flagship in station No 4. Unit No 1 retrieve whale boat. All ships prepare highlines port side for transfer of personnel upon completion of contest. Twenty minute notice will be given to each unit to make starboard side of flagship and rig high line for transfer. Guard mail and movies will be exchanged. Actually all this stuff could have been set up with a few signals. The last sentence in the oporder riveted attention. Ship handling and seamanship will be included in the divisional competetive program and will be observed and graded accordingly.
When the Commodore heard that the crews were betting on the contest, he added two appendices to the oporder; ALPHA, Commanding officers will take peraonal custody of all wagered monies. BRAVO, Maintain radio silence during period of contest exept for command channel. Only commandig officers transmit. The other ships sent hospitalmen as the enlisted obervers. Presumably hospitalmen were better qualified to administer medical aid and comfort to over stuffed eaters. Ashcan‘s ship sent a signalman as the enlisted observer. It’s amazing how much and how fast information can be sent with signal flags for short distances. The signalman would observe the pancake destructon for a while, then surreptitously sneak out on deck where he could only be seen from Ashcan‘s ship and send status reports—-Ashcan just finished 4th stack of three, second place working on 2nd.——Ashcan on 17th. and going away, closest guy on 11th. And so it went. Encouraged by these reports the crew scraped up an additional $2000 dollars. The captain came up on the command channel and asked if anyone cared to cover the $2000. One ship took $1200 and another covered the rest. The flagship did not respond because half the crew was watching there man trailing far behind. The Commodore became concerned when the rate of consumption slowed down to a pace where the cook manning the grill could not only keep up with the eaters , but was now a few stacks ahead. One guy quit and the other two were picking at their plates. Ashcan had slowed down considerably but he was still racking up the numbers. For the safety and well being of the contestants, the Commodore stopped the contest and declared Ashcan the division hotcake eating champ and presented him with the $25 prize money. Then a few people witnessed a most peculiar action on Ashcan‘s part. He tried to give the Commodore a $5 bill of the prize money. The Commodore smiled shook hands with Ashcan and refused to take the money.
With the contest over the remainder of the oporder was carried out. Ships were ordered to come alongside the flagship and send over high lines to take back contestants. Highline transfers can be exciting, particularly for the guy sitting in he bosn’s chair. The line is sent across to the other ship and made fast. The loose end is passed through a pulley on the sending ship and run along the deck where 20 or so sailors grab ahold of the line much like in a tug-a-war contest. The sailors keep tension on the line to prevent slack while the ships open or close distance. When Ash can got in the bosns and lifted out over the side, his bulk and cargo caused the line to sag and almost was dunked in the water. Supper human effort and additional sailors tuggng on the line successfully landed him on the deck of his own ship with a thump that was followed by an instantaneous roar. He was mobbed by his grateful admirers. A triumphal procession was formed to escort him aft to the quarterdeck where the captain would officially greet and and congratulate him for sucessfully representing the command in the contest. No one suggested carrying Ash can on their shoulders. Ashcan seemed to be in a bemused mood rather than his usual cheerful self. He hadn’t spoken a word since his victory. He just shook his head when asked if he was ill He was told to get with if he wasn’t sick. The Captain is giving you his winnings and he crew 1/3 of theirs. The cooks have changed the chow menu to steak and eggs with ice cream. Then the hero spoke his first and barely audible words. “I bet the Commodore I could break my record of 36 hotcakes, he stopped me at 33.”