1976 Bicentennial Fire Brigade/Ship Party

In 1976, My first year in the Mystic Fire Department as a member of the Mystic Hook and Ladder Company, was our Country's Bicentennial. 

Over in New London a 1945 built Battle Class Destroyer, now converted to a Sonar Trials Ship was tied up at the State Pier. The HMS Matapan. Over the July Fourth week, part of that crew and members of the Hook and Ladder Company would become friends. The Town of Mystic held it's usual 4th of July Parade, in which a Group from the ship marched. This meeting of the two companies would lead to some great partying, uniform swapping, good times, lots of food, and drinking. The Sailors were invited to stay for the Fire Department games, and sailors were staying in the homes of Firemen. In my house we had Dennis (Tanzy) Lee. The games at the firehouse included all the normal games associated with Fire Musters, including water barrel fights. A keg is strung on a cable as two opposing hose lines are brought forth to blast the keg over the opposing teams heads. The days activities even caught the attention of "The Day" paper which carried the article "No Q (water) given". The British ensign (which was later signed by the H.M.S. Matapan crew) flew over the Firehouse (which did generate some negative response from overly patriotic civilians). 

As a return gesture the Fire Department was invited aboard the Matapan for a tour and Party. Being only 16 I was not allowed to drink until one of the British Officers informed my Captain that seeing as I was standing on Her Majesty's property, and the legal drinking age of that country was 14, I was most decidedly allowed to drink. I left with a few British uniform Buttons, some left with a shirt or a cap, somehow, a group of our boys got into their jeep for the ride home in full British uniforms and were pulled over for speeding, but seeing as they were British Seamen they were let off with a warning. 

All in all it was a fantastic week. Unfortunately I learned that the ship itself was decommission and scrapped in 1978.

One final note of interest though... The article in the Day paper had photographs in it of the water barrel fight. Under the photo was the caption, "British Sailors battle".   It's a pretty good photo, but if you look close, those people under the helmets, wearing Fireboots and coats.... weren't British Sailors.  they also weren't Firemen. The people in the photo, were Professional women, brought to the party by the Sailors. Yep, the battle for the barrel was performed by members of the worlds oldest profession.

The flag which the crew signed was on display for years, until some vandals destroyed it with other Firehouse property.