Random thoughts:
Highcockalorum was certainly around in the 70s
Cat launches of the wardroom joanna were an exercise in logistics to get the darn thing onto the flight deck. Just fitting through hatches designed to keep water out was one thing, but maneuvering the piano into the weapons delivery lift to get it up to the flight deck was another!
After a boring wardroom dinner at Culdrose I thought it a jolly jape to ride my Honda step through up the carpeted steps into the bar and ride around the fireplace: Wings was good enough to charge me a horses neck and let the rest of the guys try to set lap records.
Friday Happy Hour at CU would often degenerate into pingers vs junglies. Moet was the weapon of choice, only 19/6d a bottle but on our salary it made a fair dent in the mess bill!
Occasional dinnertime event was to make a long rope from tying the napkins together and sending the junior midshipman under the tables to tie it to a senior officer's chair. A concerted pull by all involved usually removed the chair and started the evening on a downward spiral.
Tradition was that most carrier squadrons took on a spare pilot or observer for the long deployments (6 months away or more) to allow for 'wardroom damage'. Catching a 6" shellcase ashtray thrown across the wardroom bar when three sheets to the wind oft led to broken bones or worse.
Which leads on to the Vixen (?) driver who had his scalp opened one night, and was duly carted off to the sickbay to be stitched up (literally) by Doc Adamson. Swathes of bandages duly wrapped around the wound and back to the bar. Day or so later the pilot was complaining of the large lump under the bandage but told in no uncertain terms not to worry and leave it alone by Doc. A lot of mumbling until Saturday lunchtime in the bar, Doc deemed it the right time to remove the bandage there and then. Most of the attendant drinkers were quite amused to see the shipboard fuse attached to the needlework
