I was 18 years old when those photos were taken, Rikki. On the top photo, I was sitting atop the flying bridge of the ship, perched just above a an 8-inch turret and in the background, was the top of the ships crane, which was used to lift motor whaleboats and the captain's gig aboard, plus a half dozen cars that we carried with us all the time. The ship had a crew of 1,400 sailors and officers.
Back then, I was playing a solid-body, electric guitar with a small band formed on the ship. We performed at nite clubs throughout the Mediterranean Sea area, North Atlantic and some South American and Caribbean ports, which was a lot of fun. We didn't make a lot of money, but we sure had fun back then.
The attached photo was taken about 8 years after I got married and was performing for friends at a private party in a small, log home just north of Spokane, Washington. Same guitar I used while in the US Navy - it cost me $50 in a pawn shop. Things were sure a lot different back then.
Gary