Lobster Off Lebanon

By Bob “BB” Buehn, Captain, USN (Ret.)

In December 1982, USS Nimitz was operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Lebanon. This was when the Cold War was hot, and Nimitz and her battle group had back-to-back winter Mediterranean Sea (Med) cruises in ‘81 and ‘82, chasing the Soviet fleet and showing the flag. Christmas 1981 was spent in Naples, Italy, which seemed like our second home port. But for Christmas 1982, Nimitz was at sea, keeping an eye on unrest in the region.

I flew a mission on Christmas Eve and missed a special meal: fresh lobster. When I got back aboard, I was disappointed to find the chow line closed and the lobster gone. Later, after the traditional midnight Mass on the fo’c’sle, some of us aviators filtered into the wardroom for “mid rats” (midnight rations). Much to our surprise and pleasure, we found an offering of cold lobster salad, made with the lobster leftovers from dinner. It was delicious, sweet and crisp! Although eaten in the stark and hardly festive wardroom, to this day it is my most memorable Christmas dish.

Early the next morning, Nimitz swung in close to shore off Beirut, a ravaged and war-torn city, once known as the Paris of the Middle East. From the flight deck, we could clearly see bomb-damaged buildings. I was too junior to know what the operation was all about, but I always thought it was simply a show of force, a Christmas reminder to those on shore that there was a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier close by. As the ship eased back out to sea and over the horizon, it was a Christmas no-fly day aboard Nimitz: a day of rest for the crew. The lobster salad was gone, but not forgotten.