Military Monday: Bill Brittain in the US Navy

William Lee Brittain, 1942-2003

My dad, William Lee Brittain, was in the United States Navy from 1960-1966 (the last couple of years were as a reservist). He was proud of his service and, from some of the pictures we've seen, he had a pretty good time, too.

He served aboard the USS Pictor, where he was a machinist and traveled to Japan, Okinawa, Hong Kong, The Phillipines and Hawaii. He also served aboard the USS Scamp, a nuclear-powered submarine. For at least part of that time, he was based at Hunters Point Naval Station in San Francisco. Here are some photos and documents that tell about Dad's time in the Navy.

Dad's Armed Forced ID card. I think he looks a little like
Elvis in that picture.

Bill Brittain, the guy in the middle with the black eye...

This is my favorite picture from Dad's Navy days. From what I recall of  Dad's stories, they were in some port in the Pacific and, apparently, they'd had a pretty rough night. Note the black eye on Dad. The other guys weren't looking too spiffy, either. 



Dad didn't talk all that much about his time in the Navy, but when he did tell stories, they were usually about his good times. He and I were both a little tickled to find out that one of his Bay Area haunts when he was stationed at Hunters Point was also a bar I liked to frequent in my younger days. Like father, like daughter!

Those Navy boys sure knew how to have fun! This was taken during
his time on the USS Pictor, and was likely somewhere in the Far East.

The USS Scamp is the submarine that Dad was stationed aboard

Some of the crew of the USS Pictor. This was the "M" division.
Dad is standing behind the guy in front who is second from the left. 

Some of Dad's memorabilia from his Navy days: the yearbook
from his time on the USS Pictor, and a statue of the USS Scamp

Dad's Honorable Discharge certificate