There was nothing that was going to deter me

Written by Kari Sundberg, Eagle Editor

“There was nothing that was going to deter me.” That’s how he describes the 6-year contract he signed with the United States Navy back in 1979 as he set out to serve his country. 

We know Steve Anderson as the friendly jokester and familiar face commonly seen around town. We know him as the down-to-earth and approachable HR Director as he sits behind his desk at Machinewell, Inc. in Grygla. What we may not know is how Steve served diligently, faithfully, and professionally in one of the loneliest and hottest areas of the world: the Indian Ocean. Or how he’s been awarded many prestigious certificates that include crossing the Equator or being the first ship to travel around the entire world in almost 20 years. We also don’t know how his time aboard the USS California as a Navy Machinist has helped shaped him into who he is today.

Until now.

From California, to Singapore, to Spain, to Australia, Steve Anderson, United Stated Navy Machinist 2nd Class, sits down, reflects on his time in the service and takes us on a little trip around the world.

It was a couple of years after his graduation from Grygla High School in 1976, Steve was 20 years old and decided to enlist in the Navy. Rather than just working, and because a recruiter had visited the area a couple of years prior, it was a decision Steve decided to put into action. 

Initially enlisting for Advanced Electronics, and taking the required entrance exam, Steve got a call from someone in Kansas City asking if he’d be willing to take a Nuclear Power exam. This is what brought him into the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program where he served six years from January 1979-January 1985.

It was the first time he had ever flown as Steve was bound was San Diego. Being the middle of winter in Grygla, he touched down to a beautiful, sunny 70 degrees in California. There weren’t a lot of nerves on his end, though it was expected to be a tough 8 weeks of basic training. Like most veterans say, the mental challenge is almost greater than the physical challenge; they break you down to build you back up stronger. “Honestly, I thought football practice with Lindstrom was harder than basic, but I was a lot smaller back then,” Steve laughed.

For the first couple of days, the guys were basically just camping at the U.S. Naval Training Center. They needed to wait until about 80 men or so came to form their recruit company. That’s when the medical exams started, the clothes were handed out, the hair was cut, and the training began. In addition to the well-planned physical training program, and many hours in the swimming pool, classroom training also occupied a lot of the future shipmates’ time, as well as ordnance and gunnery training. Everyone was getting into the necessary physical and mental shape for their time abroad the USS California that would soon follow.

Before Steve could set sail around the world, he would first need to head to Military A School as a Machinist Mate where he perfected all skills necessary for operating and maintaining the ship’s propulsion machinery. After spending roughly four weeks at the Great Lakes Naval Station, there was a lull in his schedule, so Steve headed to a base in Norfolk, Virginia, for a couple of months. Just before he was transferred out of there, he recalled an interesting story involving a sailor who didn’t want to head out to sea. The man cut all the fire hoses and lit the ship on fire while it was in port. The whole ship had to be evacuated, fire boats and crews fought the fire for hours, which caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage.

After that stay with vivid memories, Steve was headed to Orlando, Florida, for Nuclear Power School and then Idaho Falls for Prototype schooling. 

He says, “Just the travel within the United States alone was great. If I hadn’t been in the Navy, there is no way I would have seen what I’ve seen. Many times, I just had moments of being astounded; especially when you’d see the size of the ships, wondering how they can even float.”

Floating around the world would come next. With no active wars at the time, besides the Iranian Hostage Crisis that had taken place, Steve and his 500+ shipmates aboard the USS California served as an escort ship for the American Battle Group. The USS California was 596 feet in length with a full-load displacement of 11,100 tons. It was outfitted with guns, torpedoes, missiles, and anti-submarine rockets. The crew consisted of over 30 officers and over 500 enlisted men. The year was 1981 when it began its 221 day-long journey around the globe. 

“We were escorting another ship from Norfolk to the Indian Ocean, which was a hot spot at that time. I remember getting up to the Suez Canal (a waterway in Egypt), but not being able to travel through it since we were a nuclear power ship, which wasn’t allowed in there. We had to go all the way down and around the southern tip of Africa and meet them again,” Steve shared. It was during this time that the ship got a call that something was happening in the Middle East. The ship had to travel all the back up and get to Cartagena, Spain. 

During their journey, the USS California crossed the equator. That’s quite a naval tradition that is celebrated greatly while on the ship. For any men who have never made the crossing, the “pollywogs” and “tadpoles” were part of an initiation ceremony that provided for many laughs and many uncomfortable situations, all in the name of fun. Steve recalls crawling around on his hands and knees while getting sprayed with fire hoses. He also had to crawl through a long tube filled with all the garbage and food from the mess decks. “I think we had to take tabasco shots, too, and parade around in a beauty contest,” he said.

Crossing the equator earned Steve a prestigious certificate in addition to a few others that he still has: Order of the Ditch transit through the Panama Canal; The Domain of the Golden Dragon, which is crossing the International Date Line; and the Order of Magellan for circumnavigating the globe on the seven seas. All of these large documents have been preserved perfectly since he was awarded them in November of 1981. 

As mentioned earlier, the USS California was the first nuclear-powered surface ship to travel around the world in 17 years. During the 221-day deployment, the California participated in several training exercises involving units of the 6th and 7th fleets and those of allied nations. Port visits were made in Spain, Australia, and Singapore, to name a few. 

Memories that stick out in Steve’s mind include an instance where there were 60-70-foot waves, endless 360-degree views of water, the occasional sighting of a whale pod, and island hopping down in the Caribbean. “Perth is my most memorable stop. It’s naïve to figure everyone should speak English, but it’s just the reality. We got to Perth and they spoke English there. They also had a McDonalds,” shared Steve. St. Croix was also a favorite stop along the way.  

While on board, Steve spent a lot of time under deck as a Machinist Mate. Of course, there were days off. Those were much more fun if you were in port somewhere, able to get off the ship and explore. As for his time on though, he never got lonely. Between the hundreds of men aboard or sleeping in the 30-man birthing compartment, playing endless hands of poker, and doing a lot of reading during his time off, the time passed quickly. When he wasn’t on duty, a lot of time was also spent studying and doing extensive training to stay on top of everything, making sure the ship was always operational ready. If it wasn’t, well, the ship wouldn’t leave port until all exams had been passed. 

The ship was always moving. It was never just sitting out at sea and always aiding as an escort ship, presenting a false image and carrier signal. The deployment was highlighted by the rescue of 39 crewmembers from a burning Greek merchant ship, and 1,000 consecutive helicopter landings without a deck mishap. Steve has a yearbook to commemorate the USS California’s time at sea in 1981. It’s extremely interesting and informational to flip through, complete with many pictures from both on and off the ship. 

The USS California was welcomed home in November of 1981. The Norfolk-based ship arrived and docked on the coast of California where she was welcomed home with plenty of pomp and circumstance. Today, the ship is no longer, having been completely cut up as it’s now considered obsolete, but the memories at sea live in countless numbers of sailors.

When Steve stepped off the ship, his service coming to an end, he rented a U-Haul and would make the 36-hour drive straight up to Minnesota. He admitted there was one “insane” moment he thought about re-enlisting, but he ultimately didn’t want to live a life at sea. 

With his motorcycle in tow (that cruised the streets of San Diego, and was later sold to Randy Larson), the U-Haul was Minnesota-bound. For about 6 months, Steve drove truck with his dad before going to work at Marvin Windows in Warroad. After 13.5 years there, he found himself back in his hometown working at Machinewell, Inc., in Quality Control and later Human Resources. He has been there for the last 22 years. 

With a 29-year membership in the American Legion Post #162, Steve shares his feelings as he reflects back on his time in the Navy. “Personally, I think every single man and woman should have to go through the military experience. I think it helps you grow up and learn how to be a responsible member of society, building character. I also think it’s great to be military trained and ready if we were ever invaded. It’s just an all-around experience everyone should have.”

Thank you for your time and service, Steve Anderson, United Stated Navy Machinist 2nd Class.