European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine Sailor directs a helicopter to the Sellers Fantail where it will drop off supplies. Sailors heave supplies unloaded by  aboard the Sellers exotic ports engine rooms and camaraderie stories and photos by Dan Wollam staff writers ome sailors aboard the . Navy s guided missile destroyer Sellers believe shipboard is life at the cutting Edge of protecting the free world. Others think life on a ship is Drudgery. Few would claim that life on a combat ship is easy. The hours Are Long the work exhausting. But for some gators s the Belt me they know the life they have  Sellers was More than half Way through a five month Mediterranean cruise. It left Charles on. S c june 4 the numbers of Days remaining m the cruise arc posted daily with the Crew s menu on the mess decks 54,53,52sailors on cruises to the Mediterranean live in a world letters from Home when they come. 01 powdered eggs and French cafes of striking sunsets and storms that can pitch the Salties Sailor from his bed. Look at All this said Seaman Don Trowbridge waving his arms at nothing except the Miles of water surrounding the ship. You be gotta be insane to Deal with this we be gotta act insane to keep sane around  in Light of recent world events such As the War Between Iran and Iraq and America s bombing of Libya some sailors have a let me at pm attitude toward their work. The Sellers spent nearly 100 consecutive Days at sea during its last cruise to the Indian Ocean keeping an Eye on the Iran Iraq War. During its current cruise the ship was called suddenly to sea from Naples after an american passenger plane was hijacked in Pakistan. The ship wound up doing Little More than cruising in circles while the hijacking incident was settled in Pakistan but the Sellers was on station with the aircraft Carrier forestall awaiting the outcome. Not every Sailor feels that Way. Many just want the cruise to end. They watch the countdown on the mess decks carefully. The Sellers is 437 feet of steel and aluminium guns and missiles engines radar and sonar systems and Crew s spaces. It s a Small ship when compared to the 1,000-foot, 5,000-Man aircraft carriers. Ships like the Sellers Bob like corks on seas that would give a Carrier Little More than a gentle Roll. The Sellers carries two 5-Inch guns an anti submarine rocket launcher and missiles. It has a Crew of 350 men. Since it s a combat ship women can t serve on it. Although the Sellers is smaller than an aircraft Carrier and much roomier than a submarine some aspects of sea life Are about the same no matter the Type of ship. Ship captains differ in style and rank. Different ships do different jobs. But Boatswain s mates still heave around on lines signalman still talk in semaphore engineers continued on Page 14 tuesday november 4, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 13