2019 • Fourth Quarter • $6

1 | Fourth Quarter 2019

2019 • Fourth Quarter • $6.00

American Submariner | 2 3 | Fourth Quarter 2019

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The 2019 National Convention is now history and except for the normal but still unexpected hiccups encountered at every convention, it was a great success! The Central Texas and Brazos Valley Bases are to be congratulated and thanked for the tireless work they contributed that enabled the attendees to spend such quality time with their shipmates and friends.

Our 2020 Convention, which is being hosted by the Tucson and Perch Bases in Tucson, is still roughly 11 months away, but it is not too early to begin making your plans to join us in this second largest city in Arizona.

I had the pleasure of joining our Convention Committee early last year to participate in the vetting of potential hotel sites for this convention, and since I am a lover of the United States Southwestern desert, I thoroughly enjoyed my two days in Tucson. The Hilton El Conquistador Hotel is a beautiful place with all the amenities you could ever want, and for me, next August 23-30th can’t come soon enough.

Steady progress is being made on the new National website. However, the effort needed to preserve as much of our old data as possible still has too many unknowns to even attempt estimating a completion date at this time. As mentioned previously, our existing website is capable of handling our present needs from National down through the Base level, so please be patient. We will get there soon!

Finally, when this edition hits the streets, we will be into the fourth quarter of this year and it’s not too early to start the process of paying our dues for 2020. The consistent decline in the number of our members that pay their dues annually has a noticeable and unfortunate impact on our organization’s income. So please, if you pay annually, take care of your 2020 dues as early as possible before the December 31st deadline. Doing so will help our organization’s bottom line while also helping to reduce the workload on our National Office staff members who spend an inordinate amount of time each year chasing down “dinks.” Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

I wish all of you a calm and enjoyable sea during the wind down of this year 2019.

All the best, Wayne Standerfer National Commander

OFFICER’S CALLWayne Standerfer National CommanderContents

The Forging of a Submarine Icon: Admiral Nimitz and Pearl Harbor

Buffalo Base Hosts 75th Anniversary Celebration

of USS Croaker Commissioning

Chicago Proudly Presents a New WWII Submarine Memorial

SUB-MA-REENER? OR SUB-MARE-INNER? The Debate Rages On

A Brief History of the Western Region Roundup

From Corpsman to Hero to Medic and Beyond

I Am Not Here to Bug You

Topeka-Jefferson City Base Members Awarded Quilts of Valor

2019 USSVI Award Recipients

The Ellwood Bombardment Revisited

Veterans History Project

Keystone Base Awards Certificate at Eagle Scout Court of Honor

Lentil Soup Down in Mountain Home Arkansas

Keystone Base Members Attend USS Thresher Memorial Dedication

Blueback Base Visits Veterans Home

Hoosier Base Dedicates USS Indiana[olis Submarine Memorial

Penny on Patrol

Bremerton Base Captures “Traveling Dolphins″ at Western District 4 Picnic

First-Ever Undersea Memorial Honors Lost

U.S. Submarines and Their Crews

Call for Nominations

Looking for an Easy Fundraiser?

In Every Issue 5 Officer’s Call USSVI Committees 6 Regional and District

Representatives 8 Chaplain’s Corner 9 National Officers 10 Mail Buoy

16 Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) 28 Classifieds 34 Boat Sponsorship Program 36 Lost boats 40 New Members 42 Upcoming Boat Reunions 44 Eternal Patrol

NATIONAL EDITORT Michael Bircumshaw

POB 892616 Temecula, CA 92589-2616

[email protected] (951) 775-4549

Fax (951) 239-0522TREASURER Paul Hiser

(215) 317-5666 [email protected]

DISTRIBUTIONNeal Britner


BOAT SPONSORSHIP CHAIRJack Messersmith


PROOF TEAMBill Andrea

Neal Britner Dick Kanning

John Mansfield Joan Miner

John StanfordSTAFF ARTIST Tom Denton


WWII SUBVET HISTORIANJack Jeffries


AMERICAN SUBMARINERThe Official Magazine of the United States Submarine Veterans Inc. is published quarterly by USSVI. United States Submarine Veterans Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(19) corporation in the State of Connecticut.

AMERICAN SUBMARINER DEADLINES First Quarter 1 December Second Quarter 1 March Third Quarter 1 June Fourth Quarter 1 SeptemberThe American Submariner is not responsible for the claims of its advertisers. The primary focus of this publication is for the benefit and service to USSVI members. Issues concerning Advertisers may be sent to the editorial staff for mediation.

The American Submariner is copyrighted under the laws of the United States of America. Any re-production in any form without the written consent of the editor is forbidden by law. All authorized reproduction requires acknowledgement of source, author, and the American Submariner.

NATIONAL OFFICEFred Borgmann

POB 3870 Silverdale, WA 98383

(877) 542-DIVE

USSVI COMMITTEESMEMBERSHIP

Steve Bell, NJVC(704) 824-3510

[email protected]

WAYS & MEANSJon Jaques, NSVC

[email protected] (615) 893-7800

CONSTITUTION & BYLAWSSkip Turnbull

(Parliamentarian)(217) 487-7710

[email protected]

AWARDSJohn Stanford


NATIONAL CONVENTIONRichard (Ozzie) Osentoski

(734) 671-3439

EAGLE SCOUT PROGRAMDavid Farran


BOAT SPONSORSHIPJack Messersmith


BOARD OF INQUIRYChairman

Ross Sargent (JA)(703) 629-1119

MembersDutch HollandHerbert Orth

Bill WindleHISTORIAN

Peter J. Koester(978) 500-5085

STOREKEEPERBarry Commons(925) 679-1744

[email protected]

HOLLAND CLUBBud Atkins


KAP(SS) 4 KID(SS)John Riley


VETERANS AFFAIRSJohn Dudas

(928) 420-0061

1218

1920 21

22

232627

28293031323337

3839

On the CoverCrew members man watch stations at sea aboard USS Seawolf (SSN 21). Commissioned in 1997, Seawolf was built entirely out of Hy-100 steel and features a strengthened sail, designed to permit operations under the polar ice cap. She is driven by a “pump-jet propulsion system,” allowing her to maintain acoustic stealth even when cruising at high speeds.


OFFICER’S CALLSteve Bell National Junior Vice Commander

REGIONAL and DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES

WESTERN DISTRICT ONE(AZ, NM)VIC VAN HORN(708) 609-9840 [email protected]

WESTERN DISTRICT TWO(CO, UT)BRIAN E. BELL(719) [email protected]

WESTERN DISTRICT THREE(ID, MT, WY)JOE TARCZA(509) 627-2168 [email protected]

WESTERN DISTRICT FOUR(WA, OR, AK) JIM DEMOTT(360) 895-0547 [email protected]

WESTERN DISTRICT FIVE(Northern CA, NV)PETER (PETE) T. JUHOS(916) 983-7943 [email protected]

WESTERN DISTRICT SIX(Southern CA, NV and HI)MICHAEL (WILLIE) WILLIAMSON(909) 754-0326 [email protected]

WESTERN DISTRICT SEVEN (WY, MT, Western SD, NE)RON MARTINI(307) [email protected]

WESTERN DISTRICT 8 (ID, UT)ROBERT MORGAN(708) [email protected]

CENTRAL DISTRICT ONE(AR, KS, MO, OK)EDMOND L. ERWIN(573) 230-7120 [email protected]

CENTRAL DISTRICT TWO (WI, IL)PHILLIP OWENS(608) 365-1925 [email protected]

CENTRAL DISTRICT THREE (MN, ND, SD, NE, IA)DANIEL ANDERSON(507) 372-2170 [email protected]

CENTRAL DISTRICT FOUR (Texas)HAROLD (BILL) SCOTT(512) 826-8876 [email protected]

CENTRAL DISTRICT FIVE(KY, TN) MARLIN HELMS, JR.(865) 387-5625 [email protected]

CENTRAL DISTRICT SIX(IN, MI, OH)FREDRICK KINZEL(586) 945-8561 [email protected]

NORTHEAST DISTRICT ONE(New England)JEFFREY R. WALSH(860) 449-2103 [email protected]

NORTHEAST DISTRICT TWO(Lower NY, NJ, Philadelphia)MICHAEL E. BOST (732) 979-4831 [email protected]

NORTHEAST DISTRICT THREE(Pennsylvania)HUBERT C. DIETRICH(412) 486-2635 [email protected]

NORTHEAST DISTRICT FOUR(MD, DE, Northern VA)ART GLOVER (301) 785-6414 [email protected]

NORTHEAST DISTRICT FIVE(Upstate New York)JAMES IRWIN(518) 383-2481 [email protected]

SOUTHEAST DISTRICT ONE(VA, NC)DAVE CAMPBELL(919) 803-1842 [email protected]

SOUTHEAST DISTRICT TWO (SC,GA)WAYNE PHILLIPS(803) 302-8877 [email protected]

SOUTHEAST DISTRICT THREE(FL Panhandle, AL, MS, LA)STEVEN WALMSLEY(228) 324-4309 [email protected]

SOUTHEAST DISTRICT FOUR (Northern Florida)JAY MACK(407) 920-9347 [email protected]

SOUTHEAST DISTRICT FIVE (Southern Florida)JOHN TROIA(239) 980-0846 [email protected]

USSVI PURPOSE “To Perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds and supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its Constitution.”

DISTRICT COMMANDERS

Southeast Region DirectorKENNETH W. NICHOLS


Northeast Region DirectorLES ALTSCHULER


Central Region Director WYVEL “TOM” WILLIAMS III


Western Region DirectorJIM DENZIEN


Henry Breault, TM2(SS)USS O-5 (SS-66)

1923

CDR Howard W. GilmoreUSS Growler (SS-215)

1943

CAPT John P. CromwellUSS Sculpin (SS-191)

1943

CDR Samuel David DealeyUSS Harder (SS-257)

1944

CDR Lawson P. RamageUSS Parche (SS-384)

1944

CDR Richard H. O’KaneUSS Tang (SS-306)

1944

CDR Eugene B. FluckeyUSS Barb (SS-220)

1945

CDR George L. Street IIIUSS Tirante (SS-420)

1945

Medal of Honor

SubmarinerSWOW! What a convention we had in Austin. Yes, it was hot outside, but the hotel A/C worked very well. Those Texas bases involved did a great job. Now it is

time for all of us to look forward to Tucson next year. The 2020 Convention is now posted on the USSVI website. Take a look and begin making your plans now to attend.

We are now in what I call “Dues Season.” It is time for those that pay annual dues to submit them to their base. If you are a MAL, then send your check in to the National Office (you can get the address off the website). Help your Base Treasurer/Membership Chair by getting them submitted early. Earlier this year it was necessary to drop more than 800 members due to non-renewal. Some of those have returned. Let’s see if we can dramatically reduce that number. If you do not plan to renew your membership, please let your base know the reasons. We cannot attempt to fix something if we don’t know what it is. Again, please get your dues in early to make it easier on the system. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

By now, most (if not all) have seen the National Bulletin regarding our War Veteran status. The Legion Act is American Legion specific and does not impact USSVI. Some organizations have taken some exception to the narrow-ness of the act, and things may change in the future. Until the IRS changes the wartime definitions, we are stuck with the way we are, and we need to concen-trate on recruiting new members to overcome the numbers.

I want to thank again the members of those Texas bases that put on the convention this year. They did a fine job and showed all of us some good old Texas hospitality. Smooth Sailing Shipmates,Steve

Shipmates,If you were unable to attend this year’s conven-

tion, you missed a good one. Next year’s convention will be in Tucson, and if you can, please make plans to attend.

During the convention, an annual financial audit was conducted by the appointed audit board with no unresolved audit discrepancies.

The American Submariner advertising rates have been reduced to attract more advertisers to help offset the publication costs. A new category specifi-cally targeted to USSVI bases and Boat Reunion groups has been established. Please call for details.

This year’s EOY report will be in the same format as the past few years and is due no later than March, 2020.

Base Liability Insurance will be due and payable on January 1, 2020. Invoices will be emailed in mid-November 2019. Bases have opted in the past to pay from year-to-year; please consider paying for the term of the Base Command-er’s office, e. g. two years which would equate to $50. This way you eliminate the obligation the rest of the term.

I want to thank those of you who have stepped forward to volunteer in any capacity. Don’t hesitate to contact me to help resolve accounting and banking issues that arise from time to time.

With football season on us, I’ll wrap it up by saying: “Go Navy – Beat Army.”Fraternally, Paul

OFFICER’S CALLPaul Hiser National Treasurer


For the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, our local base held a dinner honoring our World War II Sub Vets. We had nine in atten-dance if memory serves me correctly. One of our members worked closely with local Navy recruiters and their XO, and as part of the ceremony, the XO presented each with a certificate of appreci-ation, and a photo of their submarine on which they served. The base covered the cost for the vet and his guests. Members were asked to be contacts for each individual and arrange transporta-tion to and from the dinner if necessary. A local group presented each of them with a handmade quilt. There was not a dry eye in the place. The commanding officer of the USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) was also in attendance, and he remarked how today’s submarine force exists in great part by the sacrifices these men had made.

Our WWII Sub Vets are a resource and an inspiration for each of us, and our opportunities to interface with them are decreasing rapidly.

Lastly, I have been a member of USSVI for only ten years, so that makes me a newbie. However, one observation I have is that a lot of members do not attend meetings. I would encourage each of you to attend a meeting at least once a quarter, as YOUR input is needed. Election participation is also very poor. Again, YOUR input is needed. USSVI is our organization, and we are the ones with the responsibility to make it work.

I leave you with these scriptures that I have been researching and working from 2nd Peter 1: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious prom-

ises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:Our attitudes, thinking and behavior can greatly affect our suc-

cess or failures in life. Our walks are a day to day effort. I lift all of you in prayer and I pray daily for our shipmates that are deployed in harm’s way for them and their families. In His Service,Carl

Ray WewersNational Secretary


Paul HiserNational Treasurer

(215) [email protected]

John Markiewicz Immediate Past Commander


James E. DeMott District Cmdr. of the Year


Wayne StanderferNational Commander


Jon JaquesNational Sr. Vice Commander


Steve Bell National Jr. Vice Commander


UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS, INC.

NATIONAL OFFICERSCHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Carl StigersNational Chaplain

Greetings to all my fellow USSVI shipmates, spouses, and as-sociate members,

Another quarter is passing before us, and once again I take a moment to reflect on what has been happening. I want to thank the many who emailed me to comment on my first introduction Chap-lain’s Corner. Your comments were a blessing to me.

During my many years doing Pastoral work I have spent a lot of time being involved in counseling, and various ministerial du-ties along with maintaining a full-time job. I understand the stress-es that life can bring. So often in our lives we get caught up in the minutiae that we miss the major happenings going on around us. For us bubbleheads that means we lose sight of the forest for the trees. Yep, been there, done that and have the tee-shirt. (I have a collection of them).

The National Commander has tasked me with updating the Chaplains manual. I would like to solicit recommendations from Base Chaplains on changes to be considered. I have a simple me-morial service that I use that I am looking to include to assist the Base Chaplains that may not have the experience in doing them. I am also trying to get a local Rabbi to sit down with me to ensure that our content is correct and respectful for our Jewish members.

I have had the opportunity to participate in a number of funer-als for submariners who were not part of our organization. As the National Chaplain, I receive emails from National listing anyone who has submarines mentioned in their obituary. If they are within a few hours of me, I print the certificates and such and travel to the funeral home and make contact with the family, pay my respects, and offer the condolences of USSVI. If possible, I also attend the funeral. The last two of these that I have done have been a blessing.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in one of these services. The family was genuinely surprised that I came as they did not know of our organization. I met with the Pastor of the church prior to the service to introduce myself and ask for a min-ute to meet with the family if possible and explained who I was. I showed him the certificates and the base challenge coin (our local base) provided to each family. I then asked if I could perhaps read the certificates as part of the funeral service as long as it was not an imposition. He was gracious and allowed me to do just that. And so, I had the chance to speak and render honor to a shipmate who would not otherwise be recognized. The family was comforted in the realization that someone from the individual’s military service was there to honor and remember him.

I want to encourage all members to do a few things. Check your local obituaries and let your base commanders and chaplains know if you see one of these gentlemen in your area. If asked to participate in a memorial service for the individual, make an ef-fort to do so. The impact on the family is unimaginable and much appreciated.

If you have older members of your base who are unable to at-tend meetings, volunteer to bring them.

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/2-Peter-1-4/

















Editor, SUBSAFE not only rings my klaxon but

saved my ass.I was recently given the latest copy of

American Submariner and read the article on SUBSAFE. I was teaching at Nuclear Pow-er School, Mare Island when the Thresher went down and was transferred to her sister ship USS Permit (SSN 594) in July 1964. The Permit was going through refit at Mare Island and was getting an emergency blow system installed.

Back in 2007–08 there were a number of theories about the cause of the Scorpion go-ing down. I wrote a letter that was published in Volume 2, 2008 Issue 3, page 13 about an incident that occurred on the Permit in De-cember 1964 while transiting from Pearl to San Diego.

Basically, the planes failed on full dive and we headed for the bottom. Only quick actions and the Emergency Blow saved us. The article I wrote said that the Scorpion could have experienced the same situation but was unable to recover as we did. We will never know but in my mind that is the most logical situation.

Thanks for the reminder.Robert (Bob) Jones ETCS(SS)Peoria BaseMichael,

I received my copies of the most recent issue of the American Submariner magazine today and I just gotta tell ya—WELL DONE!

I’ve only been a member of USSVI for 17 years, but I never really thought that much of our magazine. I know a lot of work went into every issue by a number of our submariner brethren, and I don’t fault any who volunteered their time and talents over the years—BUT—this 2019 Second Quarter issue is the finest I’ve ever seen, and it blew me out of the water.

Classy— Slick—Professional—Awe-some (fill in the blank with your favorite adjective). At first, I couldn’t believe I was holding, in my formerly nicotine-stained hands, a copy of our very own, tried and

true, American Submariner—but then I realized this was the first issue since you took the helm as the National Editor. You are to be congratulated for turning out a 4.0 superlative effort that projects a very positive, professional image of USSVI and our beloved submarine force that all our members can be very proud of.

I know you told me the Boat Sponsor-ship Program problem we’ve had with USS Virginia would not be fixed until the next issue, but that is easily overlooked in view of the tour de force you have pulled off with your first effort. I have blind copied my Base members, who I’m sure will agree with me that this is the finest American Submariner ever produced—and we look forward to receiving many more of this high caliber.

THANK YOU!God bless, Green board/Straight board and all the best!KennKenneth R. McDermott, LT, USN (Ret) Holland Club memberGood afternoon, Editor Michael!

Message received and I thank you for putting up with an old man of 94. I do not like putting you in this position, But I surely appreciate your editing and rewrite for the next edition. Is there any expense entailed? If so, please advise and I will gladly remit. I promise—this will be my last request unless you might require something in the future. May you be blessed with good health and a LOOONG life. I only hope other submariners appreciate your intense evolvement in your position. So long for now and keep an even bubble! Fondest regards,“Dutch” PragerKingfish Mandeville, LAMichael,

I’d like to congratulate whoever chose the picture of the Thresher for the cover of the 2nd Quarter issue of our magazine. It is hauntingly beautiful and evokes sad memories of when we were ordered to sea to search for the then lost Thresher. Thanks for the photo.Joe RocheUSS Sirago (SS-485)Thank you!

As you might guess (see Laird Heiser article) I have a deeply vested connection to the Thresher, part of which has to do

with another brother on the Thresher by the name of Rodger E. Van Pelt, IC1(SS). Rodger and I were in the same school at Great Lakes in ‘61 for the Sperry Mk 1 Mod 0 SINS (Ship’s Inertial Navigation System, Analog). Choice of duty station at the completion of that school depended on your standing in class. Rodger finished 9th and I finished 10th in a class of 10. Rodger desperately wanted to go to the East Coast, and I had no interest in the East Coast. He took the 593, and I was thrilled to take the 588 out of Mare Island, which is about as far as you can get from the East Coast without leaving the country. I am going to write a story soon on how close (within 8¾ inches) the 588 came to beating the 593 to the bottom. I am pretty sure it happened on the 4th of December 1961.Best, Michael

Michael,A big Bravo Zulu on the cover of the

2019 Second Quarter issue of the American Submariner. That is the best cover ever!Jay D. MackDistrict CommanderSoutheast District 4 Dear Mr. Bircumshaw,

As a recently joined member of USSVI perhaps it is unwise for me to “bitch” about anything, but in this case, I’ll offer my two cents worth in my humblest tone. I just read the May edition of American Submariner from cover to cover and found it enjoyable and entertaining. However, I found two glaring omissions on page 8. In the list of “Presidents who road or served on Submarines” there are two additions which deserve mention.

First, I would like to point out that Pres-ident Eisenhower not only DOVE aboard USS Patrick Henry (SSBN 599), he actu-ally DROVE aboard. All Henry sailors will recall the photo of the beaming President (with then CNO Arleigh Burke holding on to his chair behind him) as he manned the fairwater planes to experience the feel of controlling the ship. The photo, taken in 1959 while the ship was showing her stuff for the President off the Virginia coast, hung in the crew’s mess during my four years aboard.

Second, there is an even more glaring omission. President George H. W. Bush was fished out of the Pacific off the Bonin Islands on September 4th, 1944 after Japanese anti-aircraft fire brought

his TBF Avenger down while on his 58th combat mission. USS Finback (SS-230)sailors pulled him out of the drink and the grateful not-yet-President served a month with them while they pulled other downed pilots out of the Pacific and sank two Jap-anese freighters before they took him back to his carrier (USS San Jacinto CG-56). He never forgot the men of Finback and made sure that the survivors all had reserved seats of honor for his inaugural.

Please don’t use the cat on your proof-ing team too harshly.Sincerely,George W. Palmer, LCDR, USN (Ret)USS Sailfish BaseMichael,

Just received my first American Subma-riner magazine (2nd Qtr. 2019). I congratulate you on an excellent magazine. It is good to once again track what is going on in the submarine community.

I qualified in April 1994 on USS Thomas Edison (SSBN 610) (Blue). I left Edison after eight patrols in both Blue & Gold crews as a TM1(SS).

Keep up the good work. I look forward to continuing to read the American Submariner.Tom Shipley, CDR (LDO), USN (Ret) Carbonero BaseEditor,

Read the article in the 2019 2nd Quarter magazine about the Presidents on Board.

Having ser ved on Patrick Henr y (SSBN 599) and Thomas A . Edison (SSBN 610), first as JO and then Engineer, I would swear we had a black and white photograph of Dwight Eisenhower on the fairwater planes at SCP (can’t remember which boat), grinning ear to ear. You might research the same.

Great magazine, BTW.Harry SheffieldL3 Defense Electronic SystemsRange and Test SolutionsUnit Operations Manager SWS Oversight and Assessment UK Liaison and Advanced SystemsDear Mike,

THANKS—your publication of the Ell-wood Bombardment article really caught my attention. As a surviving member of the crew that boarded the surrendered Japa-nese Submarine I-14, I appreciated reading

about the history of the I-17. Over the years I have heard bits and pieces of the event, but had never attempted to research the details. Presently, I am a member of the Perch Base in Phoenix, Arizona.Sincerely,Louis C. Reynolds Shipmate, Thank you for your service in our Navy from 1943-1952 as a member of the Submarine Relief Crew, and your time aboard SS-295, SS-276, SS-308, SS-324 and SS-307.Best, Michael

Editor,Your article in the 3rd Quarter did a

great job explaining the Mays incident of WWII. However, my readings have found the term “Silent Service” was first used in 1939 (Webster’s collegiate dictionary, un-fortunately there were no details). Another dictionary (name not remembered) attribut-ed the term “Silent Service” to our pals the British, again no details.

After the Mays incident the Submarine Force and the entire Navy reemphasized the need to be closed mouth about all things involving security. I only found one reference to Admiral Lockwood’s directive was his telling his staff to wait three months before announcing a boat as overdue- presumed lost.

I would be interested in knowing if any-one has other ideas pertaining to the origin of “Silent Service.” Ask 1000 sailors and you will get 1000 different answers.

GREAT JOB ON THE MAGAZINE!Chuck Mayer, FTCM(SS) USN (Ret)Chuck, As I added to the story, “He sure as hell added to the need.” Fonda, Mays, & Walker, my personal least favorite almost humans!Best, Michael

Michael,The last issue of the American Submari-

ner (3rd Quarter 2019) has a request on Page 38 titled “Attention WWII Buffs.” It is about the salvage air plate from a submarine, and it is what we had on the USS Corporal (SS-346) on the topside deck. This system is described in the Fleet Submarine Manual chapter 6 (there is a photo and a link to a system drawing). The manual is based on the Balao-class submarine USS Perch (SS-313) as representative of the group: http://

archive.hnsa.org/doc/fleetsub/index.htm The salvage air was also on the earlier Ga-to-class boats: http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0821214.jpg. However, I could find no mention on the S-class and earlier submarines.

You are doing a great job with the American Submariner.Regards,David KauppinenSan Diego BaseHi Michael,

Great job on our American Submariner magazine. Can’t wait for next issue. Would also like to thank Carl Stigers for stepping up. I also served on USS Tinosa (SSN 606) in the sixties. I thought our shipmates might like to see a couple of pictures of my Dad’s 100th birthday party. Carl R. Hanson, of Danvers, Massachusetts, served on the Spikefish (SS-404) during WWII and was also assigned to the German U-Boat U-234 . My Dad’s brother served on Tirante (SS-420). I guess you can say submarines run in our family.Jim HansonMarblehead Base

You have the Midwatch!


hester W. Nimitz didn’t like to miss the Sunday afternoon radio concerts when his schedule permitted. The year was 1941, and Nimitz was a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy,

serving as chief of the Bureau of Navigation from his office in Washington, D.C. (The division is now known as the Bureau of Navy Personnel, which connotes a truer meaning to its purpose.) The admiral had a coveted day off his busy work schedule that Sunday, 7 December 1941. It was a cold and windy day in the nation’s capital as he relaxed in his armchair listening to his customary diversion—this time, a broadcast of Toscanini leading the New York Philharmonic playing selections of classical music. First up was Symphony No. 1, Op. 10 by Shostakovich. Next, the orchestra played Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 83 by Brahms.

As the Brahms piece concluded, the radio broadcast was interrupted. Announcer Warren Sweeney broke in with the news of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor. It was shortly after 1400 hours local time, and the initial reports were very sketchy, but clearly an attack of epic proportions had just concluded. Nimitz immediately reported to headquarters to size up the situation. President Franklin Roosevelt had only been informed of the deadly assault at 1330 hours local time (a 5-hour time difference between D.C. and Hawaii in the winter) when his Navy Secretary Frank Knox burst into his study to announce that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor.

Admiral Nimitz was no stranger to war. A native of Fredericks-burg, Texas, Nimitz was born in 1885 and educated as a midship-man at the U.S. Naval Academy between 1901 and 1905, finishing seventh out of a class of 114. After graduation he was assigned first to the battleship USS Ohio (BB-12) and then the destroyer USS Decatur (DD-5), where he assumed command at age 22 as an ensign. In 1908, he ran the destroyer aground on a mud bank in the Philippines, surviving a court-martial that could have jettisoned his burgeoning career.

Nimitz was given a reprieve and subsequently found his true calling in 1909, when he was given command of the nation’s second submarine, the USS Plunger (SS-2), at the age of 24. Other submarine commands followed on the USS Snapper (SS-16) and the USS Narwhal (SS-17), but Nimitz’ career really began its upward trajectory when he was assigned to the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Bavaria to study diesel engine design in 1913. At the time, young Nimitz had already burnished his reputation in the Navy as the foremost expert on diesel engines, and he also spoke fluent German since his parents were both of German descent.

Recall that World War I had not yet begun, and the world was not aware of the lethal power of submarine warfare that the Germans would unleash with their U-boat program. Nimitz was privy to many of the technical innovations that the Germans would bring to bear in their impending attempt to dominate the world’s seas. Nimitz was the brains behind the American initiative to refuel surface ships while underway, a strategy that he helped to implement with great success in the First World War. At the conclusion of the Great War, Nimitz spent a year as XO (executive officer, second in command) aboard the USS South Carolina (BB-26), making two trips back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean to bring American GIs in Europe back home.

Nimitz’ post-war career saw more and more shore-duty posts and less time at sea, but he remained a submarine man at heart. He earned his gold dolphins indicating proficiency in submarines, insignia that he proudly wore even many years later. During the interwar period between 1920 and 1940, Nimitz built a reputation

as the “go-to” man for submarines. His expertise and experience were peerless in that burgeoning aspect of naval preparedness. No one could have anticipated just how important the submarine force would become on that “day that shall live in infamy,” as famously stated by FDR in his emergency address to the Joint Session of Congress on 8 December 1941.

The following two weeks in December 1941 were chaotic for Nimitz. Navy leaders met day and night to formulate an appropriate response to the unprovoked attack upon Pearl Harbor that had killed more than 2,400 military personnel. On 16 December, Nimitz was tapped to become the next commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, replacing William S. Pye. He was to be promoted to admiral on 31 December— a mere two weeks to prepare for a major upheaval in his life. Nimitz said goodbye to his wife Catherine three days later and boarded the train—the Santa Fe Chief—westward on its transcontinental journey to California.

On the train with his aide Commander Hal Lamar, Nimitz pored over a large pile of classified documents as he contemplated the enormity of his task. Passing through Illinois, he jotted a letter to his wife, a portion of which read: “I have preliminarily read all of the data which was furnished to me upon leaving Washing-ton—some ten pounds of paper—and my conscience will now permit me to relax.” The train continued its steady progress to the West Coast, passing through Colorado and New Mexico. On 21 December, Nimitz wrote: “…after spending most of today reading reports and estimates, I find it difficult to keep on the cheerful side. Perhaps when I actually arrive and get over the first shock, things will be better.”

Arriving at San Diego on 22 December, Nimitz encountered heavy storms that caused the postponement of his flight to Hawaii. Waylaid at the naval base, he met with friends and colleagues stationed there, including Vice Adm. John S. McCain —the grandfather of the late senator from Arizona, and a major historical figure in his own right. The weather did not improve until 24 December, meaning that the aircraft personnel charged with delivering the next commander-in-chief to Hawaii would miss spending Christmas with their families. Nimitz’ concern for his men’s welfare was clearly conveyed in a note written to McCain before departing San Diego: “I greatly regret taking these pilots away—and the crews on Christmas Eve, but I see no choice on my part. I only hope I can live up to the high expectations of you and the President...I will faithfully promise to do my best.”

Nimitz’ plane touched down uneventfully in Oahu on Christmas Eve. During the final approach, he got his first sweeping look at the sheer magnitude of destruction—a vision that both shocked and angered him. Mostly, though, Nimitz felt a great sadness for the many lives lost. “(It was) the saddest Christmas I ever had,” he later recalled. “The harbor was filled with wreckage. They were exhuming bodies. The water was covered with oil, and it was blowing and raining.”

Viewing the massacre firsthand must have been particularly dispiriting for Nimitz since 20 years earlier he had spent time at Pearl Harbor helping the U.S. Navy to establish its first submarine presence there. The irony of that fact was certainly not lost on Nimitz. The future admiral spent the holiday week assessing the extent of the damage, dealing with the families of the many killed or injured, and strategizing against a cunning enemy who had driven the Hawaiians into a state of panic about the next attack.

For the change of command ceremony, Nimitz made a symbolic and noteworthy choice of venue. Normally, such events occurred aboard battleships, but because the Japanese had

The Forging of a Submarine Icon:Admiral Nimitz and Pearl HarborBy Charles G. Hood, MD

C


either sunken or heavily damaged every single battleship at Pearl Harbor, another location was needed. Fittingly, Nimitz selected the top deck of the submarine USS Grayling (SS-209) to host the proceedings. Asked why he made this somewhat unconventional choice during a local press conference, Nimitz simply replied, “Because I’m an old sub man.”

Nimitz’ terse answer belied a much deeper understanding of just how important the submarine fleet would become in defeating the Imperial Navy. Although the Japanese declared the assault upon Pearl Harbor an unmitigated success, short-term analysis of the fallout by American naval intelligence did reveal a few silver linings on the otherwise abysmal cloud of destruction. Namely, the submarine piers at Pearl Harbor had been spared of any significant damage, and the large oil reserves stored in tanks at the base were mostly intact. Nimitz intended for his submarines to immediately take the fight

to the enemy at sea, in order to send the clear message that America was wounded but not fatally so. It would take months of concerted effort to rebuild the crippled surface fleet, but in the meantime the smoke boats could hold the line and give the U.S. morale a much-needed shot in the arm.

For the men of the Grayling, the change of command ceremony was considered a very rare honor. The Grayling was a Tambor– class submarine built

at Kittery, Maine and launched in 1940. She was en route to San Diego via the Panama Canal when the surprise Japanese attack occurred in 1941. Her orders changed, and the Grayling set sail for Pearl Harbor on 17 December. When she arrived on Christmas Eve, the men of the Grayling saw the same horrible scene that Nimitz described. Shortly after she made port at Pearl Harbor, her captain, LTCDR Eliot Olsen, was notified that Grayling had been personally selected by Nimitz to host the solemn event marking the beginning of his tenure as fleet commander.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, guests began to arrive aboard the Grayling for the ceremony. The weather was ideal for late December: Clear and sunny skies, a temperature of 78° F, and a light breeze of 5 knots. The chosen uniform was service dress whites, except for the official party who were decked out in full dress uniform with medals and swords. Just minutes before the start of the event, Nimitz paused in private to write in his jour-nal. “This is just a very hasty note to tell you that at 10 am…I will relieve Pye and become C in C Pacific Fleet. May the good Lord help and advise me, and may I have all the support I can get for I will need it. I have still not reached the point where I can sleep well because there is so much going on and so much to do. I am well however and full of energy.”

All hands on board were called to quarters at the start of the proceedings at 1000 hours. The outgoing admiral said a few words, concluding with the statement, “I am ready to be relieved.”

At that moment, Chester Nimitz stepped forward and recited his new command orders to those assembled. He then saluted the outgoing commander and said, “I relieve you, sir.” In so doing, the participants in this stirring ritual fulfilled a noble tradition dating back several generations in the United States Navy. The transfer of power had solemnly occurred.

Admiral Nimitz then addressed the crowd. He could not have known for certain at the precarious time that he assumed command that the defeat of Japan in the Pacific theater would indeed occur, so he kept his comments brief: “I have just assumed a great responsibility and obligation, which I shall do my utmost to discharge.”

Nimitz’ aggressive strategy of deploying the submarine force offensively while the surface naval power was rebuilt at unprec- edented speed paid off. The Japanese, seeming invulnerable at the beginning of 1942, suffered a major defeat later that year at Midway, and the tide turned toward the eventual victory in the Pacific, albeit at great human cost. Of the 52 submarines lost at sea during World War II, resulting in more than 3,600 sailor deaths, one was the USS Grayling. She was lost during her eighth war patrol in August 1943 near the Philippines. All 77 men aboard perished, and the boat was never found. The Grayling sunk 16 enemy ships for a total of 61,400 tons and received six battle stars during her abbreviated period of wartime service.

Nimitz was greatly moved by this loss—the mighty boat where his admiral flag had first been raised. The loss did not dampen his resolve to vanquish the enemy. A brilliant tactician, Nimitz once summarized his fundamental tenet: “It is the function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy so that it is not fought on American soil.” Parenthetically, history shows us that the continental United States was exceptionally vulnerable to an invasion at the time—and senior Japanese officers had lobbied strenuously for such a follow-up to Pearl Harbor.

The wartime actions of Chester Nimitz have filled the pages of many historical books; no justice could be given his impeccable track record in only a few sentences here. Suffice to say that his leadership and strategic vision were instrumental in the successful prosecution of the war effort in the Pacific. We now complete our story by fast-forwarding to the war’s conclusion.

For Chester Nimitz, World War II began on one ship and ended on another. The date was 2 September 1945, and Admiral Nimitz was aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) as an official representative of the United States when the Japanese offered their formal surrender. Aboard with Nimitz were his Army peer, Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Allied Commander, and his dear friend and fellow Navy colleague, Admiral John McCain. The war efforts of the past 45 months had eroded McCain’s health considerably, and he had been advised to rest and recuperate at home. However, Admiral William Halsey had requested McCain’s presence at the ceremony, so he dutifully came and watched along with Nimitz as the Japanese signed the surrender docments. Nimitz was happy to see his old friend again. It was the last meeting for the two great Navy leaders; McCain would die just

four days later of an apparent heart attack in California.After the papers had been signed and the Japanese surren-

der party had departed, Admiral Nimitz stood at the microphone and spoke poignantly about those Americans who had made the ultimate sacrifice during the epic war in the Pacific. He uttered this promise to those assembled on the battleship in Tokyo Bay that day:

They fought together as brothers in arms; they died together, and now they sleep side by side. To them, we have a solemn obligation—the obligation to ensure that their sacrifice will help make this a better and safer world in which to live.

True to form, Admiral Nimitz chose another submarine for the next change of command ceremony, on 24 November 1945. On the top deck of the USS Menhaden (SS-377), Nimitz relinquished his command of the Pacific Fleet to Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. The proceedings took all of ten minutes to complete. Fittingly, Pearl Harbor served as the backdrop for the solemn transfer of power that day. Four years earlier, the tattered remnants of a wounded United States Navy installation there had inspired a nation to enter a mighty war. That conflict was waged, and victory had been won, yet the mood that Sunday morning was more contemplative than triumphant. World War II had taken an enormous toll on the United States Armed Forces. Over 400,000 total American military deaths, of which approximately 63,000 occurred in the Navy alone, represented the incalculable cost of the war.

The calm azure waters that surrounded the submarine that morning were a far cry from the scene of carnage and destruction of 7 December 1941. In his final remarks as commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz spoke with reverence about the hallowed seas of Pearl Harbor:

In hauling down my flag as commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, it seems to me appropriate that I do this aboard a submarine at Pearl Harbor...It was on the submarine Grayling that my flag was hoisted when I took command of the fleet nearly four years ago; it was from Pearl Harbor that this fleet fought its way across the Pacific to victory. The triumphal march of United States and Allied forces across great distances and through innumerable islands of the world’s largest ocean was made possible because all of our forces worked so well together.

When we began our task here near the end of 1941, our country truly faced a possibility of disaster...Our powerful and determined foe was on the offensive and many of our ships lay sunk in the mud of this harbor. At that time, the fleet relied heavily on its submarine force, for it was the only force we had then, or for many months, that could attack Japan near its home bases. By themselves our subma-rines made the Japanese pay for Pearl Harbor many times over. Their courage and daring is [sic] known to us all. I take great pride in their achievements.”

His work done, the old submariner worked for another two years as the Chief of Naval Operations, where perhaps his greatest accomplishment was the staunch support that his office threw behind Hyman Rickover’s initiative to

create a new post-war submarine class operating on nuclear propulsion. Chester W. Nimitz retired in 1947 after more than 40 years of active service in the United States Navy. He died nearly 20 years later at Yerba Buena Island, adjacent to the U.S. Navy base at Treasure Island in California.

The graves of Chester Nimitz and his wife are grouped with those of several of his contemporary admirals and spouses by mutual consent at the Golden Gate National Cemetery. Rather than choosing burial at Arlington National Cemetery in our nation’s capital, the admirals preferred their final resting places to be placed together in San Francisco in a touching act of geographic symbolism. Facing west, their graves stand sentry in perpetuity over the Pacific Ocean—the vast body of water they helped to liberate.

Like countless other men and women who dealt with extraordinary circumstances between 1941 and 1945, Admiral Nimitz missed many a broadcast of the Sunday afternoon classical music program that he so treasured in the prosecution of war against the Japanese. History looks back fondly on his competent and steady service as commander of the Pacific Fleet. Admiral Nimitz never forgot his submarine roots, and the following quote attributed to him (from an introduction he penned in 1949 for the classic book, United States Operations in World War II, by Theodore Roscoe) has become immortalized in the annals of submarine history. Indeed, many believe that his words represent the finest accolade ever given in praise of the Silent Service.

“When I assumed command of the Pacific Fleet on 31 December 1941, our submarines were already operating against the enemy, the only units of the Fleet that could come to grips with the Japanese for months to come. It was to the Submarine Force that I looked to carry the load until our great industrial activity could produce the weapons we so sorely needed to carry the war to the enemy. It is to the everlasting honor and glory of our submarine personnel that they never failed us in our days of peril.”

Surrender of Japan, Tokyo Bay, 2 September 1945. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN, signs the Instrument of Surrender as United States Representative, on board USS Missouri (BB-63), 2 September 1945. Standing directly behind him are (l-r) : General of the Army Douglas MacArthur; Admiral William F. Halsey, USN, and Rear Admiral Forrest Sherman, USN.

Ensign Chester W. Nimitz on board a U.S. Navy training ship, circa 1907.

As commander-in-chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, Nimitz had operational control over all allied units in the Pacific, including air, land, and sea forces.


Rocky Mountain BaseKap(SS) 4 Kids(SS) team members from the Rocky Mountain Base in

Arvada, Colorado visited Brent’s Place on May 20, 2019. Located in nearby Aurora, Brent’s Place is a long-term home away from home for children and families with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses while they receive treatment at local hospitals. The facility is closely associated with Children’s Hospital Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and has been providing safe, clean accommodations for families in the Denver area for more than 20 years. For more information about Brent’s Place, visit brentsplace.org.

In addition to the traditional visit and talking to the children and their families, the team prepared dinner for approximately 40 people. The meal, of meat loaf, mashed potatoes, corn, din-ner rolls and brownies was enjoyed by all.

During the visit we passed out ball caps, rubber duckies, glow in the dark bouncing balls and bracelets and pre-sented each kid with a framed Honorary Submariner Certificate.

We got to meet many wonderful peo-ple and were even serenaded by Ariel from Disney accompanied by a sweet 4-year-old girl staying at Brent’s Place who knew all the words to the song.

Many thanks to Jimmy Alfaro, potato chefs Dennis and Barbara Robinson and meatloaf masters Cora Tostiven and Ab-bey Munyan for stepping up to help. We all made it home safely that night despite a late spring Denver blizzard!

Shipmates,

U.S. Submarine Veterans Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) Week is just around the corner!

Each year K4K Week is celebrated around Veterans Day (November 11th).

In addition to other K4K visits made during the year, I encourage USSVI Bases to schedule and make a K4K visit to kids as close to Veterans Day as they can.

This is done to:1. Obtain local and national recognition of

USSVI’s Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) Program. This in turn will let our communities learn about the USSVI and why we exist.

2. Take advantage of a period when child care facilities are more likely to welcome visits by Veterans.

3. Have SubVets interact with children, their families and facility staff at a time when the appreciation for Veterans is at its highest.

4. Bring joy to sick children and to the SubVets who visit them!

“We begin by imagining that we are giving to them; we end by realizing that they have enriched us” — Pope John Paul II

Thank you for all that you do in bringing happiness to sick children by participating in this life changing USSVI Community Outreach Program!

John Riley National Chairman USSVI Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) USSV Charitable Foundation K4K Fund Manager

K4K Video: http://bit.ly/K4KVideo K4K Guidelines:http://bit.ly/K4KGuidelines

Chairman Emeritus and Founder T Michael Bircumshaw Cora Tostiven and Abbey Munyan prepare

meat loaf for the oven.Dennis and Barbara made 15 pounds of mashed potatoes.

Groton BaseWe made 27 Kids Honorary Submariners!We recently visited children at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital and

Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven Connecticut. The kids, their families, the hospital staffs, and hospital visitors thanked us for the visit and for our service to our country!

The children were excited to learn that if they visited the free USS Nautilus Submarine Museum in Groton, they would receive a special tour conducted by active-duty submariners and a USS Nautilus challenge coin. This is done for any visiting Honorary Submariner child from any USSVI base’s K4K Program.

Our Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) Team on this visit included Bob and Susan Sharpe, Charlie Murray and John Riley.

We received the following email a few hours after our visit:

Dear John, Charlie and Bob: It was wonderful to have the three of you visit today. You operated like a well-oiled team. Your genuine passion and enthusiasm comes through to families. Your visit brought some wonderful moments and smiles!It’s always a pleasure to spend the afternoon with you—you are such good friends of the Child Life program. With my gratitude for your kindness,Janice Baker, MA, CTRSManager, Arts for HealingYale New Haven Children’s Hospital

Central Florida Base On Tuesday, July 16, 2019, Central Florida Base Kaps4Kids team members

Bob Steffy, Alan Fickett and Jay Mack visited the children at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. It was another successful visit, with the children enjoying becoming “Honorary Subma-riners” and receiving their caps and certificates.

The Kaps4Kids Chairman at Central Florida Base, Bob Steffy, has done a great job in planning these visits and keeping us active. In addition to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, we also visit the Walt Disney Pa-vilion at AdventHealth for Children, another hospital for children in Orlando. Our visits are on a rotating and bi-monthly schedule.

I strongly recommend that any base not involved in Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) consider doing so in the future. It is a wonderful program and very well worth your time and effort.Jay D. Mack, Southeast District 4 Commander

Newly-designated Honorary Submariner Kaia with (l-r) Charlie Murray, Bob Sharpe and John Riley.

(l-r) K4K Chairman John Riley, Charlie Murray and Bob Sharpe present Nico with a certificate making him an Honorary Submariner.

(l-r) Southeast District 4 Commander Jay Mack, K4K Chairman Robert Steffy and Central Florida Base Commander Alan Fickett with Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children staff members (l-r) Dawn and Julia.

Isaiah is all smiles upon becoming an Honorary Submariner.

“ No one stands so tall as when they stoop to help a child.”

— Abraham Lincoln

STILL WEARING HIS K4K HAT! James Etheridge was

visited by Peoria Base Kap(SS) 4 Kids(SS)

Chairman Woody Woodhouse while in the

hospital awaiting surgery. He was given a K4K

submariner hat, a gift he wore constantly, never

wanting to take it off. Now a teenager, James

continues to proudly wear his K4K hat.

Still wearing his K4K hat! James Etheridge was visited by Peoria Base K4K chairman Woody Woodhouse while awaiting surgery and received a K4K hat, a gift he wore constantly, never wanting to take it off. Now a teenager, he still proudly wears his K4K hat.


Chicago Proudly Presents a New WWII Submarine Memorial

Windy City’s Unique Nod to Submarines is One

of the Most Impressive YetBy Jeff Porteous

ne might wonder what a striking new WWII submarine memorial is doing in Chicago. After all, the boats were never based here. But the City of the Big Shoulders did

provide an unusual Great Lakes gateway for new construction submarines coming out of Wisconsin’s Manitowoc Shipyard to enter the war.

Twenty-eight such Gato- and Balao-class submarines were to pass through the area on their way into history. After first conducting essential freshwater “sea trials” in Lake Michigan to gain Navy acceptance, they then set out on an arduous multi-thousand mile trek to the Pacific and their ultimate fates. Transiting via Lockport through the ship canal to the Chicago River, one-by-one these submarines then headed south down the mighty Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, through the Panama Canal and on to Pearl Harbor—then very much into harm’s way. Four of these boats and their crews were never to return, although their combined Silent Service sisters from shipyards across the country were eventually responsible for sinking half of all Japanese shipping during the war, and using a mere 2% of total Navy resources to do it.

Members of the Crash Dive and USS Chicago Bases of USSVI initially started with the idea of encouraging the city to honor the memory of Pearl Harbor, but the notion quickly grew to include a celebration of the city’s unique connection to WWII submarines as well. After all, how many knew or would even suspect that the industrial midwest—so distant from either coast—would play such a significant part in crucial warship production?

Steve Benicke and Frank Voznak, both area SubVets, were among those who saw this wartime submarine story as an important one. Wanting to create something more impressive than a typical memorial plaque, they ultimately organized and fostered the raising of $250,000 toward construction of a new memorial. Dedicated to all U.S. Navy submariners—past, present and future—this unique spot on Chicago’s new Riverwalk area sports quite a different look from military monuments you may’ve seen before—and most beautifully and strikingly so.

Designed by Frank Voznak III, son of Vietnam-era submarine veteran Frank Voznak Jr., from his studies of the nearby Wisconsin Maritime Museum sub, USS Cobia (SS-245), the waterfront site features a submarine bulkhead replica and an actual watertight door salvaged from the USS Trout (SS-566). Rostered on one side are the names of all the submarines built nearby, including the four lost. This structure is flanked by a flagpole and surrounded by decorative paving stones listing the names of submarine veterans. There are also benches whose seats are made of teak-wood—the same type used to make the deck slats of WWII-era submarines—and cutouts looking like the free-flooding limber holes of those very same boats built so long ago. An image of a WWII fleetboat passing under the raised spans of the Lake Shore Drive Drawbridge on the Chicago River is also featured on the bulkhead—identical to the view of the bridge which can be had there from the site. The whole edifice is coated with the same marine-grade paint used on submarines, and rests on a circular base 33-feet wide, representing the diameter of those locally built boats which had passed through the area.

More than four years in the making, the new memorial’s installation was completed in the spring of this year and dedicated in a ceremony held on May 18th. Those SubVets and others who sponsored it hope its distinctive presence not only honors submariners and their submarines which transited the area on their way to fight a dangerous undersea war, but educates the public as well about the role Chicago played in helping to ultimately deliver such a critical maritime victory.

O

ABOUT JOE BUFF

Six-time award winning pro-USN Submarine Force author

Longtime contributor to

The Submarine Review

Several essays in the American Submariner

MS degree in math

from MIT (1977)

Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (1980)

Former partner of top-ten

global management consulting firm

Three years Wall Street fixed income research

Expert in technical process

enhancement and risk mitigation

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Commander Fritz Marazita and I had our time to speak. We had the pleasure of listening to Commander Hurley’s sea stories and his praise of his crew. The crewmembers were much appreciative of what he said.

New York Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, Erie County legislator, and newly-elected County Executive Lynn Dixon, and a represen-tative of the Mayor’s Office all presented proclamations and did so in a typical political fashion. Naval Park President and CEO Paul Marzello spoke of the future of the park, and the future appears bright for the park, the city and Buffalo Base.

A luncheon on the mess decks of the USS Little Rock (CLG-4)concluded the ceremony and was followed by an audio tour of the ships.

Buffalo Base Hosts 75th Anniversary Celebration of USS Croaker CommissioningOn Saturday, 27 April 2019, Buffalo Base and the Buffalo and

Erie County Naval and Military Park hosted the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Croaker (SS-246) and the 30th anniversary of the opening of Croaker to the public

at Buffalo Naval Park in Buffalo, New York.

The weather was not go-ing to be denied. The rain gods gave us a break, but the wind and cold forced us to move inside, cramming ev-eryone into the museum, which turned out to be the perfect place—making it as if everyone was elbows to elbows on the boat.

And so, we began our cere-mony to commemorate these two momentous events. We had just short of twenty former

Croaker sailors from all over the country with their guests. Buffalo Base was well represented, in addition to area dignitaries and oth-ers interested in the Croaker story.

The ceremony went very well, with the Red Blazer Men’s Cho-rus singing the National Anthem and the American Legion Post 880 color guard presenting the colors. Our guest speaker, Com-mander Robert Hurley, USN (Ret) was the commanding officer of Croaker from 1966-68. Base Vice Commander Dennis Staley did the call to colors, and Charles Andrews, along with Buffalo Base

The Gato-class USS Croaker (SS-246) slides down the ways on 19 December 1943.

Just like the good old days! All smiles and elbow to elbow as foul weather forced the Croaker 75th anniversary celebration below decks.


From Corpsman to Hero to Medic and Beyond

James (Jim) Scire, HMC(SS) joined the U.S. Army in 1937. He remained in the Army until 1940. In 1941 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he attended corpsman school and submarine school. Upon completion, he was assigned to USS Pike (SS-173) where he made one war patrol. Jim qualified in submarines in 1943. He was subsequently transferred to USS Redfish (SS-395) under the command of Cmdr. Louis D. McGregor. On her first patrol, Redfish engaged in a surface gun battle during which a crew-member was shot in the head. Jim immediately went top-side amid intense gunfire and brought the injured shipmate below decks and performed the surgery necessary to save the man’s life. For this action Jim was awarded the Silver Star.

On her second patrol, Red-fish was pinned down under a depth charge attack. They were on the bottom in 200 feet of water under intense depth charging. During this action, Jim’s right ear was partially detached in a fall. Jim performed the necessary surgery on himself to reattach his ear. It was also during this patrol that Redfish sank the newly-built Japanese carrier Unryū.

Jim left the Navy in February 1946 as an HMC(SS) with several Combat Patrol awards. After a brief rest he rejoined the Army as a Sergeant Medic.

After completing his military service, Jim atended college and upon graduation went into teaching, eventually becoming Dean of Students. Upon retirement he joined USSVI and became a Life and Holland Club member of Montana Base. In his final days Jim was cared for by his daughter Elizabeth (“Liz”).

As can be seen from the photo, he enjoyed reading Sports Illustrated, and he especially liked the pictures as any good boat sailor would.

In August of this year, Jim departed on Eternal Patrol, just 56 days short of his 100th birthday. Both he and his great smile will be missed by everyone who knew him. Jim was the last known Redfish plankowner.

A Brief History of the Western Region Roundup

Submarine Veterans of WWII divided the country into regions and they would hold annual caucuses at a location chosen by the host state. Before the year 2000, the Southwest Regional Caucus was held in Laughlin, Nevada. Beginning in 2007 it became a joint event with United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI).

At the business meeting in 2014, the Western Region of USS-VI assumed responsibility for hosting the “Roundup” as it had become known. The event was moved to Las Vegas for the 2017 and 2018 gatherings and returned to Laughlin in 2019. The 2020 Roundup will be held at the Riverside Hotel Resort and Casino, March 22-27. Complete details as they become available can be found by visiting wrroundup.com.

All submariners, veterans, and active duty alike are welcome. The purpose of the Roundup is to provide a means for Region-

al and District Commanders to conduct USSVI business and also provide a place for submariners to gather for their mutual benefit and enjoyment.

able with being a SUB-MA-REENER. I have always felt that I will not judge whatever anyone may choose to call themselves, but I just might speak up at the way another person may label me. Thank you for your service and for being a member of SubVets.T Michael Bircumshaw National EditorMike:

I can agree with everything you say—even preferring to be called a SUB MA-REEN-ER. But keep in mind that a person is not “obligated” to call you a SUB MA-REEN-ER despite your preference. I hope that someone’s refusal to comply with your request will not end up with you being mentioned on national news for a needless tragedy! BTW, there is no word pronounced as SUB -MARE-IN.

Nonetheless, I’m still hoping that you will put my article in American Submariner (SUB MA-REEN-ER!). HowardHoward,

Thanks again. By the way, I prefer to be called, “Michael.” Have I violated the laws of English language decency once again?

Since there is no word pronounced as SUB-MARE-IN, I am forever confident that I cannot possibly be a SUB-MARE-INNER. Thanks so much. I greatly appreciate being vindicated. As to your splendid dissertation on other words, ie: Nuclear. I am forever hearing people of status use modifiers with the word “Unique.” There are no modifiers to that word. “Unique” will always stand alone. There are others who use a “NON-EXISTENT” word with annoying regularity, that word being “IRREGARDLESS.” The point being that there are those among us who not only “Vote,” they also procreate and worst of all they insist on the continuing misuse of the language. Deaf ears included.Best, Michael

The Correct Pronunciation of SubmarinerThe Third Quarter Edition of American Submariner is the first

edition of the magazine in about a year that does not contain arti-cles about the correct pronunciation of submariner. Those articles acknowledged that two pronunciations are being used in the U.S.: one with the same pronunciation as the submersible ship with an “r” at its end, and another with either pronunciation of a word that refers to someone who serves on a ship—mariner (phonetic tran-scription: \'mer-ə-nər or 'ma-rə-nər\). The articles in the magazine insisted that the only correct pronunciation is the one based on that of the submersible ship. And some authors of those articles were adamant about their decisions!

I will set the record straight—once and for all. Either pronun-ciation of submariner is correct, and neither is less acceptable than the other. Thus, the actions of those who despise the use of the “mariner” pronunciation or condemn those who use it is un-called-for! Even the title of this article is incorrect because it sug-gests that one correct pronunciation exists for the word. I decided not to correct the title—either by adding an “s” to pronunciation or deleting the word correct—because my article might not be read. Since you’ve read this far, please continue for authoritative confir-mation of my conclusion.

One must keep in mind that the official language of the U.S. is American English; not British English, Old English, Middle English, or any other English. For the general public, the authority for infor-mation about the words of our language is the dictionary, specif-ically the 11th Edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (This dictionary is also the authority in court systems of the U.S.) Most people consult dictionaries for senses, aka “definitions,” of words and less often for their correct spellings. Few use the book for pronunciations of words. But more importantly, nearly everyone has never consulted the preliminary information of a dictionary. By omitting that consultation, one is unaware of some significant in-formation related to the use of the dictionary. Had those whose articles appeared in American Submariner thoroughly consulted a quality dictionary, they would have learned that no basis exists to justify their articles.

The collegiate dictionary has many sections of preliminary in-formation of which “Explanatory Notes” is one. This section has one portion that deals with the proper interpretations of variant pronun-ciations for word entries in the dictionary. Submariner has two pro-nunciations that are separated by a comma. In this case, the second variant is the “mariner” pronunciation. The Explanatory Notes alerts users that a second-place variant with separation by a comma is not to be regarded as less acceptable than the pronunciation of the first. Thus, no one should disapprove of anyone’s use of either sanc-tioned pronunciation of submariner. The Explanatory Notes further states: “It [the second variant] may, in fact, be used by as many edu-cated speakers as the first…” The section continues: “…but the re-quirements of the printed page make one [variant] precede the oth-er.” In other words, the pronunciations cannot be stacked vertically for word entries. Some words with variant pronunciations have pref-erential usage of the pronunciations, and the dictionary has means of specifying how and when each is or may be used.

I suspect that some early on submariners probably adopted the submersible-ship pronunciation of submariner because this word—without its trailing “r”—can only be pronounced as it always had been. In other words, they probably considered “submarine” as the root of submariner. Although this would have been an er-

roneous deduction, it would have become the justification for the submersible-ship pronunciation. In contrast, a class of ordinary, educated individuals probably considered “mariner” to be the root of submariner and incorporated that pronunciation into subma-riner. This would have been another erroneous deduction. None-theless, pronunciations by these two groups led to two pronuncia-tions of submariner becoming acceptable.

For the record, the root of submarine and submariner is “marine”—a word that has many senses with many of those relat-ed to the sea. “Sub-” is a prefix that means “under” or “beneath.” The realization of the true root of these words might seem to in-dicate that the submersible-ship pronunciations of submariner should, at least, have become the preferred pronunciation. That didn’t pan out. And I suspect that if one attempts to force the sub-mersible-ship pronunciation of submariner to become either the preferred pronunciation or the only correct pronunciation by dis-cussing the matter with editors at Merriam-Webster, Inc., the per-son will be met with deaf ears.

To win over those editors, one must be or have been a presti-gious individual or hold or have held a prestigious position! Con-sider what happened with the acceptable pronunciations of the word nuclear. Two of the acceptable pronunciations are \'nü-klē-ər or 'nyü- klē-ər\. Two other acceptable pronunciations that seem unfounded are \'nü-kyə-lər or 'nyü- kyə-lər\. The second and third syllables of these latter two pronunciations have a sound of a long “u.” How can this be! Neither the vowel nor a combination of letters that might produce a “u” sound are present! The dictionary’s ex-planation follows:

Although disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in \-kyə-lər\ have been found in widespread use among educated speakers including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, U.S. cabinet members, and at least two U.S. presidents and one vice president.

I believe that most of those who use the unusual pronuncia-tions are from the South as these folks have a dialect that is often challenged by the Northerners.

This instance with nuclear tends to support my belief that the editors at Merriam-Webster, Inc. will not consider making prefer-ential pronunciations of submariner. What happened with nuclear was an add-on of additional pronunciations because of “wide-spread usage.” This is the same situation that caused the earlier, variant pronunciations of submariner.

I had been using the “mariner” pronunciation of submariner until about 12 years ago when a shipmate rebuked me. After con-sulting the dictionary to verify that the submersible-ship pronun-ciation was acceptable, I began using it solely because of the sub-mersible-ship inference.Howard DobsonUSS Sam Houston (SSBN 609)

Dear Howard,To each his own. And I am convinced that since I never sailed

on a SUB -MARE-IN I am not willing TO be a SUB-MARE-INNER. Right or wrong, my PC levels are nearly non-existent, and I only served on SUB- MARINES. I accept being a MARE-INNER as are all of us who choose to go to sea. But, I will always be a SUB MA-RE-EN-ER. For me SUB-MARE-INNER signifies being something less that a TRUE MARE- INNER, and I refuse to accept that title. With 17½ years at sea and ten of that on the boats. I am forever comfort-

SUB-MA-REENER? or SUB-MARE-INNER? The Debate Rages On

Longest Qualified Enlisted C.O. “Art” Tinsley, ENDC

Qualified 1937 S 24 (SS-149)

Longest Qualifed Officer Cdr. Gus Krause

Qualified February 1941 S 36 (SS-141)

UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS, INC.PROUDLY RECOGNIZES OUR

LONGEST QUALIFIED MEMBERS

Boat Sponsorship Program WinnerDallas Lesley of the PC Stryker Base is the winner of the fourth quarter Boat Model Giveaway for the Boat Sponsorship Program. He has won a $500.00 credit towards a model of his choice from Cold War Submarines. Congratulations, Dallas!


MERITORIOUS AWARD (Individual)Pete Rathmell, USS Snook Base Frank Hood, Marblehead Base

Peter Koester, Marblehead Base Kevin Galeaz, Thresher Base

Edgar “Ed” Brooks, Gudgeon Base Raymond Zieverink, Carolina Piedmont Base

MERITORIOUS AWARD (Base) USS Chicago Base

Groton Base

GOLDEN ANCHOR AWARD Class I

(Large Bases – 151+ members) No EntryClass II

(Intermediate Bases – 101-150 members) No EntryClass III

(Medium Bases – 51-100 members) Albany-Saratoga Base

Carolina Piedmont BaseClass IV

(Small Bases – 1-50 members) No Entry

SILVER ANCHOR AWARD Kevin Galeaz, Thresher Base

George LeBlanc, Marblehead Base Jerry Luedtke, Placoderm Base

Wade Miller, Rogue-Umpqua Base Marilyn Senior, LA-Pasadena Base

BEN BASTURA AWARD Richard Pekelney, Mare Island Base

NEWSLETTER OF THE YEAR AWARD Class I

(Large Bases – 151+ members) Bremerton Base • Puget Soundings

Class II (Intermediate Bases – 101-150 members)

Gold Country Base • Clear the BafflesClass III

(Medium Bases – 51-100 members) Central Texas Base • The Deck Log

Class IV (Small Bases – 1-50 members)

SLO Subvets Base • Scuttlebett

NATIONAL NEWSLETTER OF THE YEAR Bremerton Base • Puget Soundings


2019 AWARD RECIPIENTS

James AlbertNaples Base

Roy “Buck” BiddleWhite Mountain Base

Stephen BishopNorthern Virginia Base

James BrennanNaples Base

Dennis “Phrog” CoulterOld North State Base

Thomas ConnerGroton Base

Warner Doyle Jr.Perch Base

Frank HoodMarblehead Base

James IrwinAlbany-Saratoga Base

Phillip JaskoviakDallas BasePaul Kelley

Rhode Island BaseCharles “Chuck” Martin

Northern Virginia Base

Robert Medearis West Tennessee Base

Wade MillerRogue-Umpqua Base

Dennis NardoneBremerton Base

John NorthMare Island BaseSteve PaganelliMare Island Base

John “Jack” ReganCuttlefish Base

Charles “Chuck” SeniorLA-Pasadena Base

Frederick WilliamsDallas Base

Wyvel Thomas Williams IIIBrazos Valley Base

Herbert WiseUSS Snook BaseJerome Young

Seawolf BaseGreg Zonner

Razorback Base

ROBERT LINK AWARD

JOE NEGRI AWARDSTEVE BELLCarolina Piedmont Base

Topeka-Jefferson City Base Members Awarded Quilts of ValorQuilts of Valor was started by Catherine Roberts of Seaford, Delaware, after her son was deployed to Iraq in 2003. She wanted to give thanks and honor service members with handmade quilts. A soldier who had lost his leg in Iraq and was recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, received the first quilt. The Quilts of Valor movement spread from Catherine Robert’s home across the nation and beyond through the power of word-of-mouth and the Internet. QOV became a national nonprofit in 2005, and to date more than 200,000 quilts have been presented nationwide.

American Legion hosts Janice and Paul Hobbs welcomed all Topeka-Jefferson City (TJC) Base members and their wives to their Columbia, Missouri Post following the 2019 Memorial Day Veterans Parade.

After a great lunch, Janice Hobbs introduced the ladies of the Patriot Piecers Quilts of Valor and talked about the Quilts of Valor movement and its purpose to “cover all combat service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.”

The quilting ladies presented each TJC Base submariner with his own special quilt. Each handcrafted quilt was made for a specific individual and given an appropriate name. My quilt’s name is “One Ping Only,” because I was a Sonarman.

We were all deeply grateful for the recognition of service and for the quilt we each received from the Quilts of Valor ladies.

The hospitality, luncheon and fellowship of American Legion Post 202 will long be remem-bered by TJC members.George H. ArnoldCommander Topeka-Jefferson City Base

(l-r) Back: John Cronenberg, Ed Irwin, Wendell Koerner, Stan Putthoff and David Oelrich. Front: *Phillip Cross, Jay Polchow, George Arnold, Paul Hobbs, Sam Spayde, *David Hutchison. *WWII Submarine Veterans were awarded their quilts at a prior event.

Honestly, I’m not. But if I bug you enough to take action and get a no contrast

high-resolution cat scan, then I have done almost all I can and the rest is up to you.

So far, I have received 607 telephone calls and emails—nearly five percent of our current membership. I am hoping that the other 95 percent got the CT scan and received a clean bill of health with no lung problems.

Of the 607 shipmates that I have counseled, 412 have gotten the scan and called back to report the results. Of that, 128 (31%) have said that they are clear, having only minor or no lung issues. Two hundred eighty-four (69%) have asbestosis, or something more serious. Five have reported lung cancer, and three say they have been diagnosed with mesothelioma (a malignant tumor caused by inhaled asbestos fibers). Those with lung cancer have had it removed. The three with mesothelioma have between 18 months and some unknown number of months to live.

Please understand that there is no cure for asbestosis or me-sothelioma. However, there is compensation, from both the Veter-ans Administration and specific private funding sources.

If you have not done so, please take the time to get a cat scan. Do this for you and your family.

If you are ready to take action, call me, and I do my best to guide you through the process.

I have asbestosis and believe me it is a process. Call or email me with any questions and call me before you go to the VA. If you have already been to the VA, call me anyway, and I will do my best to assist you.

Email me at [email protected] or give me a call at (951) 775-4549. Leave a message if I do not answer, and I will call you back.Best,MichaelT. Michael Bircumshaw

I Am Not Here to Bug You


TOURS AND EVENTS

Welcome Aboard Reception Holland Club Breakfast

Motorcycle Run Pima Air and Space Museum

Casino Night and line Dancing

Biosphere II Tour

Men's and Women's Luncheon

Gaslight Music Hall Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum

Tolling of the Boats Memorial Service RaptorShow Star Gazing

Farewell Coffee Social Raffle for a Free Stay at El Conquestador Resort

ADDITIONAL AREA ATTRACTIONS &INTERESTS

Tucson Botanical Gardens Shopping - La Encantada Mall

Shopping - Premium Outlet Mall DeGrazia Studio Tour

Desert Diamond Casino, Trans. Provided Tombstone, Arizona

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Titan Missile Museum (Green Valley) Pima Mine Tour (Open Pit Copper)

San Xavier Mission Old Tucson Movie Studios

CONTACT: Dennis Ottley, Chairman

P.O. Box 11492 Tucson, Arizona

[email protected]


The design of the last two issues of American Sub-mariner is very appealing and the substantive articles are as well. A point in case is the lead article in the latest issue (2019, Third Quarter), The Ellwood Bombardment by Charles Hood, MD.

The article is well written and informative, however, I think an error at the bottom of page 14 is worth pointing out for the historical record: Although only implied and not stated specifically, the picture of a Japanese subma-rine is not the I-17; it is most likely the considerably larger I-14 which was launched in 1944, went into service in early 1945, surrendered at sea to the U.S. Navy in late August, and was taken to Guam, Eniwetok, and finally arrived at Pearl Harbor in early 1946. The I-14, along with four more recently constructed Japanese submarines, were stud-ied by naval investigators and then sunk off Oahu a few months later.

Two additional more nuanced observations about Dr. Hood’s fascinating account relate mainly to the historical timeline.

First, he writes that “[w]ithin months [of the I-17‘s shelling at Ellwood, California, on 23 February 1942], the fears of a clandestine Japanese-American network op-erating primarily on the West Coast led to the policy of involuntary internment of tens of thousands of American families of Japanese heritage for the duration of the war.” While the I-17 incident no doubt exacerbated the situa-tion, the internment policy developed earlier during the two months following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor and was formalized on February 19, 1942, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. (As a young child living near San Diego at the outset of the Pacific War, I failed to understand why my Japanese-Amer-ican playmates were obligated to move away—I recall my father and mother thanking my playmates’ parents for a welcoming gift, a bushel basket full of fruits and vegetables from their truck farm, when we moved into the community a few years earlier.)

Secondly, Dr. Hood also writes, “[a]nother ramification of the Ellwood Bombardment . . . was to galvanize the resolve of U.S. military leaders to give the citizens of Japan a taste of their own medicine. Within two months, the famous Doolittle Raiders . . . took to the skies in their B-25s on a daring mission over heavily populated Tokyo . . . .” U.S. military leaders were heavily committed to what became known as the Doolittle Raid well before the I-17 attack on American soil. Retaliation was in the air as evidenced by FDR’s “Day of Infamy” address to a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress on December 8th. By 10 January 1942 Captain Frances S. Low, USN, a distinguished submarine officer, proposed the idea —attacking the Japanese home-land by launching twin-engine bombers from an aircraft carrier—to the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet, Admi-ral Ernest J. King, who immediately endorsed the idea and pushed it forward. (Although King never became “Qualified in Submarines,” in the early 1920s he commanded a sub-marine division at New London, Connecticut, and in 1923

he proposed and helped to design the U.S. Navy subma-rine Dolphins insignia.) Within a week the proposal was reviewed by the Chief of the U.S. Army Air Force, General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, who enthusiastically backed the plan of a retaliatory air raid. At this point, mid-January, the resolve was absolute among top military leaders, yet a lot of painstaking, detailed preparation was essential to make the intricate Doolittle Raid a success a full three months later, on 18 April 1942.

The crisis at Pearl Harbor – my uncle was on Ford Island during the attack and my father arrived a little more than a week later aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3) – was provoc-ative for the American military and the society which it protected. Challenges were profound and weighty, but never overwhelming!

With steadfastness and determination, the top U.S. military immediately rushed to action. Nearly an hour before the last Japanese planes over Oahu departed for the return flight to their carriers some 230 miles north, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox ordered execution of the latest version of the war plan against Japan. Within hours the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Harold R. Stark, ordered the commencement of unrestricted air and submarine warfare against Japan. These explicit retalia-tory military directives came the day before the President asked “that the Congress declare that since the unpro-voked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Decem-ber seventh, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

U.S. Navy submarines, in particular, seized the initiative by sailing to Japanese home waters. The USS Gudgeon (SS-211) sailed from Pearl Harbor on December 11th and became the first American submarine to sink a Japanese warship in the Second World War, the I-73 on 27 January 1942. A little earlier in January two other American subma-rines, the USS Plunger (SS-179) and Pollack (SS-180), sank over 12,000 tons of Japanese freighters.

There is probably no better example of U.S. naval leadership than Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who earlier commanded four different American submarines. He was sworn in as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet on the deck of the USS Grayling (SS-209) the last day of 1941. His distinguished direction of the Navy in the Pacific War, in which American submarines played a decisive role, was a classic example of superior naval leadership at a time of crisis. He was a noble leader of the Greatest Generation.

Thus, the confidence with which the United States went to war in December 1941 manifested itself in a draw in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942—each side lost a carrier. The next month in the Battle of Midway the U.S. Navy gained an astonishing victory. The Japanese lost four carriers and a heavy cruiser to the American loss of one carrier. The Japanese naval air wing never fully recovered from the Midway loss during the rest of the war.

Although the Pacific War, a war of attrition, would last for more than three years after the Midway victory, patri-otic enthusiasm for retaliation in December 1941 remained

strong throughout. It was matched only by the American zeal for victory and peace which was represented so color-fully in various New York City Ticker Tape Parades for war-time leaders before the close of 1945: June 10—General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, September 14—General Jonathan M. Wainwright (hero of Corregidor), October 9—Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, October 27—President Harry S Truman, and December 14—Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey.

Carl Boyd is an Eminent Scholar Emeritus and Louis I. Jaffe Professor Emeritus of History at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He has written or co-authored three books. His areas of expertise include military, naval and intelligence history. Professor Boyd is a former U.S. Navy submariner and a life member of USSVI. Carl qualified on USS Pickerel (SS-524) in 1955.

Carl Boyd, YN1(SS), 1954-58

The Ellwood Bombardment Revisited

The above photos show the superstructure differences be-tween the two Japanese submarine classes—the B1-class I-17 (represented in the photo by her sister ship I-26) and the AM-class I-14. The AM class submarine (also known as the I-13-class) was a large seaplane carrier submarine. Seven were ordered, but only two were built. The I-13 was sunk in July 1945 about 630 miles east of Yokosuka, Japan. The I-14 surrendered at sea at the end of WWII and was sunk off Oahu, Hawaii in 1946 after being studied by naval investigators. Of the 20 B-1-class boats, 95% were lost during the war, and only I-36 survived. The I-17 was sunk by New Zealand trawler Tui and two U.S. Navy aircraft off Nouméa, New Caledonia on 19 August 1943. The I-26 (above) survived until October 1944, when she became an operational loss off Leyte in the Philippines.

I-14

I-26

Keystone Base Awards Certificate at Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony

Seven members of the Keystone Base attended the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Jeffrey “Clay” Leitzel on August 18, 2019. The event was held in the Port Royal Community Building in Port Royal, Pennsylvania and was attended by approximately 100 people. Jeffrey’s Eagle Scout Project consisted of updating the online Veteran’s Honor Roll for Juniata County, Pennsylvania. Once that was complete, he visited the cemeteries to ensure all veterans interred in Juniata County had their service medallions in place and replaced any that were missing.

Keystone Base Commander Allen Boyer and Vice Commander Earl Gee present a certificate of achievement to Eagle Scout Jeffrey Leitzel.

If you are a veteran and would like to share your story and have it included in the permanent collection at the Library of Congress, call (202) 225-2015 to schedule an interview. While there is no deadline to submit materials, it is recommended you do so as soon as possible.

The project began in 2000 as an initiative to share a diverse array of veterans' personal experiences. These stories will allow future generations to learn about the realities of war directly from veterans who were there. The Veterans History Project now has tens of thousands of first-hand American veterans' stories from 1914 to present, including World War I, World War II, Cold War, Ko-rean War, Iraq War, and Afghan War. The stories are expressed in a variety of forms such as audio and video-taped interviews, written memoirs, letters, postcards, personal diaries, photographs, draw-ings, and scrapbooks.

For more detailed information about the project, including fre-quently asked questions, visit https://www.loc.gov/vets/.

The project and the phone number are legitimate. I am going to call again and share my story, and I encourage others to do the same.Charlie BackesCoastal Carolina Submarine Veterans

A PROJECT OF THE AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS


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Quartersawn White Oak with dovetailed corners.

HOOSIER WOODWORKS118 E Ridgeview Dr.

Bloomington, IN 47401www.hoosierwoodworks.com


Craftsman Roger Kugler, QM1(SS) USSVI Member

SUBSCRIBE FREE TO THE POLARIS

You are cordially invited to subscribe to the Polaris, the WWII Submarine Veteran’s magazine. Even though the WWII Sub Vets have closed their doors, the magazine continues. Volume 63, Number 3 has just been published. Polaris has survived because one man and his lovely bride—Robert DeVore and Rosemary just keep on keeping on. The Polaris is free, however donations are graciously accepted. If you desire to read about WWII submarines, give Bob a call.Robert DeVore P.O. Box 824 Mt. Washington, KY 40047 Phone (502) 718-9344 [email protected] them that I sent you! —Editor

Lentil Soup Down in Mountain Home, Arkansas

St. Peter the Fisherman Lentil Soup night is a community service opportunity during Lent where Twin Lakes Base mem-bers invite the community to come and share a simple meal of soup and bread in hopes that with their donations, the less fortunate can be fed.

Brandi Noval, St. Peter’s Director of Youth Ministry, started the program in 2017. It grew from 60 families to more than 100 participating families in one year. This year St. Peter the Fisherman was able to raise $1,350 through the generous donations of their community.

The parishioners of St. Peters selected Twin Lakes Base in Mountain Home, Arkan-sas because of its ongoing programs to help feed and clothe local veterans.

Volunteering teaches compassion and understanding to people of all ages and backgrounds and is often transformative. The community of St. Peters strives to live the gospel message and reach out to oth-ers through service. No matter how young or old, everyone benefits by participating in community service.

Members of the Keystone Base were honored to be among the more than 1,000 guests attending the dedication of a memorial to the USS Thresher (SSN 593) on September 26, 2019, at Arlington National Cemetery. The monument honors the 129 men lost on April 10, 1963, when Thresher failed to return to the surface follow-ing a series of deep-dive tests.

The well-attended ceremony was held in the ANC Memorial Amphitheater and began with the Presentation of Colors, National Anthem, and Invocation. Speakers included Kevin Galeaz, Pres-ident of the Thresher Memorial Foundation, Thomas Wiley, the brother of Lt. j.g. John J. Wiley, a crewmember lost on Thresher, retired Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen. The dedication concluded with a moving rendition of the Navy Hymn sung by the U.S. Naval Academy Women’s Glee Club.

Attendees then relocated to the site of the new monument, lo-cated midway between the Visitor Center and the Tomb of the Un-known Soldier. Wreaths were presented, including one by Wayne Standerfer, National Commander of United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. The final tribute was the playing of Taps.

A reception followed the ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington, where we made new friends and reconnected with old ones.

Twenty-three members from the Keystone Base joined other submarine veterans and their families from all over the country on

this day of events. Although it was an enjoyable time, we were ever mindful of the

reason we were there—to honor the sacrifice of the Thresher crew and their SUBSAFE Program legacy.

We returned safely to port because the men of the Thresher did not.

Keystone Base Attends USS Thresher Memorial Dedication

Sailors, currently assigned to the Ceremonial Guard, salute as Taps is played during a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Thresher (SSN 593) memorial dedication in Arlington National Cemetery.


A monument to the USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) was dedicated in a ceremony on June 8, 2019 at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, Indiana. The ceremony was attended by more than 200 people and included former crew members, four former captains, and three crew members of the soon-to-be commissioned USS Indianapolis (LCS-17), a Freedom-class littoral combat ship.

Captain William Toti, the last commanding officer of the India-napolis, delivered the keynote address in which he gave an over-view of the life of the boat and it’s many accomplishments.

After the dedication a Tolling the Boats Ceremony was held, followed by a luncheon. Commander Joseph Mitzen, executive of-ficer of the new Freedom-class Indianapolis then addressed the crowd, explaining how this highly automated ship will be a weapon in the years to come.

The monument includes the subma-rine’s original conning tower (sail) which is placed on a simulated concrete hull. The appearance of the monument gives the vis-itor the impression of the boat approaching the surface.

The dedication was the culmination of a six-year effort that began in 2000 when Hoosier Base members Thomas Barnes and Carle Blackwell toured Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It was there they saw the India-napolis moored alongside several other Los Angeles-class submarines. They decided to launch an effort to bring the sub to Indiana as a memorial to all submarine veterans.

The members of the Hoosier Base im-mediately began a fundraising campaign to make this possible.

Appeals to local organizations for finan-cial assistance were met with “Have bake sales and yard sales.” So Hoosier Base members did that and more. White elephant sales were held where items sold were brought back the following year and sold again. A crowdfunding account was created, which raised about $800. Raffles became a regular event at Base meetings.

When foundations were solicited for assistance, the general response was that they only issued grants for peace-related endeavors rather than military projects (It was pointed out that American submarines were the most effective peacekeepers in the world during the Cold War).

More than $140,000 was raised for the project, with the majority coming from Hoo-sier Base members, their friends, and a few other sources. Additional funds will be need-ed to maintain the memorial.

The Indianapolis was commissioned in January 1980 and was homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii until she was decommission-

ed in December 1998. She was docked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington from 1999 through 2017.

The submarine received many awards over her 18-year life, in-cluding the Humanitarian Service Medal for the rescue of 30 South Vietnamese boat people and transporting them to safety. India-napolis is also one, if not the only, submarine to provide power to an island nation when Hurricane Iwa caused the loss of electrical power on the island of Kauai.

The Indiana Military Museum is open every day and has several events throughout the year, including Labor Day weekend. Many reenactments and presentations throughout the year bring events of the First World War and all later wars involving the U.S to life.

“We were pleased to do this and are proud of the result.”Hoosier Base Dedicates USS Indianapolis Submarine Memorial

Photo by RichmondCD / CC BY-SA 40

Former crew members with the sail from the USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) at the June 8, 2019 dedication ceremony at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, Indiana.

Blueback Base Visits Veterans Home

On 7 September 2019 members

of Blueback Base in Portland, Oregon visited the Oregon State Veterans’ home located in The Dalles. The home overlooks the Columbia River and The Dalles dam and was the first State Veterans Home in Oregon.

We cooked hotdogs and ham- burgers for the residents. Some Base members chatted with residents in the memory care unit as they enjoyed their burgers and dogs.

The core mission at The Dalles is to provide the state’s aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residen- tial, and medical care and services in a home-like environment.

The award-winning facility provides care for as many as 151 residents who require long-term care in a skilled nursing facilty.


USSVI members from Blueback Base, Bremerton Base, and Inland Empire Base gather at the WD4 Picnic on August 10 at Champoeg State Heritage Area in St. Paul, Oregon.

WWII Veteran Paul Christofferson traveled more than three hours from his home in Tacoma, Washington to attend the picnic. l-r: Bremerton Base Commander Steve Corcoran, Western District 4 Commander

Jim DeMott, and Blueback Base Commander Bill Long, with the WD4 Traveling Dolphins.

Bremerton Base Captures “Traveling Dolphins” at Western District 4 Picnic

Western District 3 Commander Joe Tarcza (center) and his wife Gail with District 4 Commander Jim DeMott.

Members from three different bases converged on Champoeg State Heritage Area in St. Paul, Oregon on August 10 for a picnic that is expected to become an annual tradition. The idea was to have an event for all bases in Western District 4. Blueback Base acted as host, since they were more centrally located in re-lation to the other five bases in the District, and therefore had the most base members present.

Bremerton Base members traveled south to join the festivities and wound up capturing the District’s “Traveling Dolphins.” The Traveling Dolphins is an engraved plaque that is captured when one base visits the base that holds the Dolphins. The visit must be made by at least three base members, one of which must be an elected officer. After sharing a sea story, the visiting base be-comes the new holder of the Dolphins. The purpose is to encour-age interaction between the bases in the District. To date, all but one base in the District have held the Dolphins.

The picnic was promoted as being for all Oregon and Washing-ton USSVI members. Although the Inland Empire Base is in West-ern District 3, it is located in Washington, and therefore its mem-bers were also invited. Several members showed up, including the Weastern District 3 District Commander and the Inland Empire Base Commander.

The weather at times looked threatening, but it stayed dry and wasn’t too hot. Everyone present appeared to have a good time,

and many people were talking about doing it again next year. If it becomes an annual event, the location could change, allow-ing each base the opportunity to host.

Several World War II submarines had dogs as mascots (listed below). Most mascots stayed ashore when the boat left for patrol, waiting on the pier for the crew to safely return. One mascot, Penny, made four war patrols on USS Gurnard (SS-254) under three different skippers!

While the maneuvering watch was set in July 1944, MoM1 Bill Gleason found a small black Toy Pomeranian puppy cross-ing the gangway onto Gurnard. Gleason put the puppy, which he named Penny, and took it below, not sure what to do. For six days after departure from Freemantle, Gleason kept the puppy out of sight, having trained her to use the bathroom on cardboard in the forward torpedo room.

On the morning of the sixth day at sea, the skipper, Charles H. Andrews, stepped out of his state-room to go forward to the head and stepped into a pile of something. The steward was standing close by and was called upon for explanation. “Captain, it looks and smells like dog mess to me.” He eventually had to disclose the existence of the dog and the owner.

Gleason was called to the skipper’s state-room. After explaining how the dog came to be on Gurnard, Captain Andrews asked the dog’s name. “Penny, sir,” Gleason of-

fered. “She only weighs four and a half pounds, and I couldn’t just throw her over the side.”

Captain Andrews instructed Gleason to put the dog ashore when they returned to Perth and ended the meeting.

Penny stayed onboard with the two subsequent skip-pers, making a total of four war patrols. She went from ship’s mascot to ship’s company, earning a submarine combat pin, one star. After Gurnard returned to Mare Island, Penny was taken to Gleason’s home in Elyria, Ohio, and lived with his mother until death at age 17. She was buried under Gleason’s old bedroom window.

Gleason wrote, “Penny made my cruise aboard the Gurnard richer because she was a true friend, and pal. Ask any member of the crew aboard the sub during patrols five thru eight if she didn’t bring us joy and confidence. Penny, rest your oar, sail in peace.” Penny was never mentioned in the official patrol reports.

Bill Gleason went on to teach high school and coach football for 30 years before retiring.

Dog mascots per the five-volume set of United States Subma- rine Veterans World War II published by Taylor Publishing Company:

USS Besugo (SS-321) mascot “Sugi” (Vol 3, p.282)USS Chubb (SS-329) mascot “Digger” (Vol 3, p.289) USS Spadefish (SS-411) two unnamed dogs made five successful war patrols (Vol 3, p.332) USS S-35 (SS-140) had a mascot, name unknown. (Vol 3, p.337)

Though the name Besugo has nothing to do with a dog, the crew of the Besugo had a mascot that resembles the dog riding the torpedo on their battleflag. The dog’s name was Sugi and was one of the most famous subma-rine mascots of the war.

PENNY ON PATROLBy Jon Jaques


You know the value that you get from reading the American Submariner, and you also know that recruiting new members is necessary for our organization to survive. What better way to reach current submarines in the fleet or hospitalized vets, NROTC and JNROTC units, schools, and other organizations for potential new members, than through their reading of the latest issue of our great magazine. The Boat Sponsorship Program is designed to do just that. Three subscriptions to the American Submariner will be sent to your boat or organization. Subscriptions may be in the name of a base or an individual. Each first-time sponsor will receive a special BSP patch. All sponsors will be entered in the quarterly USSVI Boat Model Giveaway contest, a $500 value (one entry per sponsorship).Questions? Call Jack Messersmith at 928-227-7753 or email [email protected]

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USS F-1 / CARP (SS-20)22 men on board.Lost on 17 December 1917 when it was sunk after collision with USS F-3 (SS-22) off San Clemente, California.19 men lost – 3 rescued

USS O-5 (SS-66)29 men on board.Lost on 29 October 1923 when it sank after a col-lision with the SS Ababgarez (owned by the United Fruit company) off the Panama Canal. Torpedoman Mate 2nd Class (SS) Henry Berault received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions aboard.3 men lost.

USS S-4 (SS-109)38 men on board.Lost on 17 December 1927 when it was sunk as it surfaced and was rammed by USCGC Paulding off Provincetown, Massachusetts.All hands lost.

USS SEALION (SS-195)54 men aboard.First Submarine lost in WWII. Fatally damaged on 10 December 1941 by aerial bombs during a Japanese air attack at Cavite Navy Yard, Republic of the Philippines. Addition-ally, one crew member died as a POW. One man lost on USS Seadragon (SS-194) tied up inboard of Sealion in the same attack.6 men lost.

USS S-44 (SS-155) 56 men on board.Lost on 7 October 1943 when it was sunk by surface craft off Paramushiru, Kuriles.54 men lost, 2 men prisoner.

USS WAHOO (SS-238)80 men on board.Lost during a Japanese air and surface attack on 11 October 1943 in La Perouse Strait off northern Japan.All hands lost.

USS DORADO (SS-248)76 men on board.Lost by an air attack on 12 October 1943 in the Southwest Atlantic.All hands lost.

USS CORVINA (SS-226)82 men on board.Lost on 16 November 1943 during a Japanese submarine attack off Truk.All hands lost.

USS SCULPIN (SS-191)82 men on board.Lost on 19 November 1943 when it was sunk by a Japanese surface craft north of Groluk Island near Truk. 42 were taken prisoner. 21 survived the war. 40 men lost.

USS CAPELIN (SS-289)78 men on board.Lost on 2 December 1943 by an unconfirmed Japanese surface attack in the Celebes Sea.All hands lost.

USS SEAWOLF (SS-197)82 crew and 17 U.S. Army on board.Lost on 3 October 1944 when it was mistaken for a Japanese submarine and sunk by friendly destroyers just north of Morotai, Republic of the Philippines.All hands lost.

USS ESCOLAR (SS-294)82 men on board.Lost by possible Japanese mine in the Yellow Sea off China on 17 October 1944. All hands lost.

USS DARTER (SS-227)60 men on board.Lost on 24 October1944 when it became grounded on Bombay Shoal off Palawan then was destroyed. All the crew wererescued by USS Dace (SS-247).

USS SHARK (SS-314)90 men on board.Lost on 24 October 1944 when it was sunk by Japanese surface craft in the channel midway between Hainan and Bashi Channel.All hands lost.

USS TANG (SS-306)86 men on board.Lost on 25 October 1944 when it was sunk by her own torpedo in the north end of the Formosa Strait. Nine of the crew were taken prisoner and survived the war. Her Commanding Officer, Richard O’Kane, received the Congressional Medal of Honor.77 men lost.

USS ALBACORE (SS-218)86 men on board.Lost by possible Japanese mine on 7 November 1944 between Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan.All hands lost.

USS GROWLER (SS-215)85 men on board.Lost on 8 November 1944 by a possible Japa-nese surface attack in the South China Sea.All hands lost.

USS SCAMP (SS-277)83 men on board.Probably sunk on 16 November 1944 from progressive damage in multiple air and sea attacks east of Tokyo Bay.All hands lost.

“I can assure you that they went down fighting and that their brothers who survived them took a grim toll of our savage enemy to avenge their deaths.”

Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, USN

LOST BOATS

Finally, we remember all the brave submariners who died in the course of their duties aboard submarines, some individually and some in groups, but where the submarine itself was not lost.

A five-year effort by United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. and the Florida-based nonprofit Eternal Reefs, Inc. has culmi-nated in the creation of the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef, the first-ever undersea memorial to the 65 American submarines lost since 1900, along with more than 4,000 officers and crew. The new marine memorial is located nine miles off the coast of Sarasota, Florida and is the first and only memorial honoring the sacrifice of these submariners in the environment in which they served: the ocean.

The dedication of the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef took place Memorial Day weekend 2018, almost 50 years to the day after the U.S. nuclear submarine USS Scorpion (SSN 589) was lost with all 99 officers and crew on 22 May 1968.

“This reef project is a beautiful thing and a good remem-brance,” said Phil Orapallo from Lakewood Ranch, Florida, who served aboard Scorpion as a Quartermaster and navigation expert from 1962-1964. “I was just a kid when she went down, and the first thing I did was look on the list of missing for chiefs Mazzuchi and Bishop because they were like fathers to me.”

“It just brings back so many memories and made me think of their horrible death,” Orapallo said as he dropped a small tribute wreath over the Flying Fish’s stern in honor of Scorpion, the final boat called in the Tolling the Boats ceremony.

In all, a group of 90 people in eight watercraft gathered to ded-icate the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef. Aboard Flying Fish, 58 veterans and other representatives dropped 65 tribute reefs dec-orated with red, white and blue flowers, one for each lost sub. The small, cement tribute reefs sunk to the bottom, while the flowers made a beautiful floating mosaic in the ocean.

With plenty of salutes, tears, respect, and camaraderie, the hour-long ceremony included a site dedication and invocation by Rod Dimon, Chaplain of American Legion Post 159). Following remarks by USSVI founding member William Andrea, six giant me-morial reefs were lowered via crane to the ocean floor: the pinna-cle reef; a USSVI reef, and memorials to the four submarines lost after WWII: USS Cochino (SS-345), USS Stickleback (SS-415), USS Thresher (SSN 593) and USS Scorpion (SSN 589).

A Tolling the Boats ceremony followed in which each of the 65 lost boats was announced, a bell rung, and a tribute reef dropped. Finally, all the boats circled the flower-laden reef site blowing horns and sirens to honor the ultimate sacrifice of those in the Silent Ser-vice honored at the site.

“It’s all about honor for me,” said James Jordan who served aboard USS Parche (SSN 683), USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626), and USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN 635). He dropped the tribute reef honoring the USS Pompano (SS-181). “I looked out at all those

floating flowers and imagined they were all the souls that had been lost coming up to the surface to let us know they’re all right now.”

“When you see a veteran, just smile or say ‘Hi,’ because you don’t know what someone is going through and you never know how a small act like this can make a big difference,” said Jordan who moderates a closed Facebook group called OTS at Crush Depth with a mission to support the mental health of all submariners.

Each memorial is an individual reef ball, a specifically-designed artificial reef engineered to mimic Mother Nature, which quickly assimilates into the ocean fostering significant new marine growth within 90 days. Each of the reef balls in the On Eternal Patrol col-lection weighs 1,300 pounds, stands three feet tall and includes an individual plaque identifying the lost submarine, its best-known last location and the number of officers and crew lost.

“Creating the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef is literally a dream come true,” said George Frankel, CEO of Eternal Reefs. “To-day we recognized the heroes of the Silent Service that were lost on those 65 boats with well-deserved respect and honor. Appro-priately, these memorials will continue to replenish the marine en-vironment in which these submariners served.”

As the summer months progress, the remaining 61 reefs in the entire 67-strong On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef will be deployed with assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard. Two Coast Guard vessels are planned to facilitate the deployments: the Joshua Appleby, an offshore buoy tender, and the Vice, an inshore buoy tender. Eternal Reefs executives will coordinate closely with Coast Guard person-nel to deploy the final reef balls as weather permits.

The On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef site is in public waters nine miles off Big Pass in 45 feet of water. GPS coordinates are: 27 15.795N 82 45.505W. See video of the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef project on YouTube and a complete list of the boats on Eter-nal Patrol and those lost in non-sinking events can be fopund at OnEternalPatrol.com.

Eternal Reefs, Inc., a Sarasota-based 501(c3) memorial orga-nization, planned the ambitious project, in partnership with Reef Innovations and The Reef Ball Foundation and dedicated it in a landside ceremony Memorial Day weekend in 2018. Each lost boat received full military honors, for many the first time to have received recognition. The project has garnered gubernatorial recognition from 25 states including Alabama, Arizona, Arkan-sas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Mas-sachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

To learn more about Eternal Reefs, Inc. visit EternalReefs.com or the company’s Facebook page.

First-Ever Undersea Memorial Honors Lost U.S. Submarines and Their Crews

View the full dedication service on Eternal Reef’s Facebook page and see video of the On Eternal Patrol Memorial Reef project, including a full listing of all submarines with their date of loss, on YouTube.


INCLUDED:

General Services:Medical, Dental & Vision

Wellness ProgramRecreational Activities

Full Service LibraryDining Facility

Computer CenterBanking Center

Mail RoomCampus BX/PX

Barber & Beauty SalonOn/Off Campus Shuttle

Major Amenities:Private Room-ShowerInternet-TV connectionDeluxe Fitness Center

Movie TheaterBowling CenterHobby Shops

Gulfport, Miss: Walking Path to Beach

Outdoor Swimming PoolOcean-view balconies

Washington, DC:9-hole Golf CourseStocked Fishponds

Scenic Walking Paths

For more information or to obtain an application,call 800.422.9988

[email protected] | afrh.gov3700 N. Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011

The Armed Forces Retirement Home is an affordable retirement

community for eligible veterans who served primarily in the enlisted ranks.

Whether it’s at our scenic, wooded campus in Washington, DC, or on the beach-side campus in Gulfport, Miss., AFRH offers

supportive care and shared camaraderie.

community for eligible veterans who community for eligible veterans who served primarily in the enlisted ranks.served primarily in the enlisted ranks.

Whether it’s at our scenic, wooded campus Whether it’s at our scenic, wooded campus Whether it’s at our scenic, wooded campus Whether it’s at our scenic, wooded campus in Washington, DC, or on the beach-side in Washington, DC, or on the beach-side

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Affordable Independent Living for Eligible Veterans!

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Participating GroupRaise.com restau-rants will donate back as much as 20 per-cent of the sale to your group.

Invite your Base members plus anyone else you know to lunch, dinner or break-fast or ??? Possibly arrange for a speaker that will be of interest to all who attend and schedule your event with one of the partic-ipating local restaurants in your area.

Participating restaurants are located throughout the country. You can get start-ed by visiting GroupRaise.com. Enter your zip code to pick from a list of participating restaurants in your area. Select a date and submit your request. You will receive an email letting you know if your request can be accommodated.

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For more information on organizing a GroupRaise fundraiser, check out their general guidelines at: http://bit.ly/GroupRaiseGuide

National CommanderNominees for National Commander must have completed at least two years as a voting member of the Board of Directors by the time they take office as National Commander. National Senior Vice CommanderNominees for Senior Vice-Commander must have completed at least two years as a member of the Board of Directors and must certify that they have or will develop a working familiarity of the USSVI bookkeeping software. National Junior Vice CommanderNominees for National Junior Vice Commander must have completed at least two years as a member of the Board of Directors. National TreasurerMust be a regular member in good standing and nominees for National Treasurer must have some experience in bookkeeping, certify that they have, or will develop a working knowledge of the USSVI-approved bookkeeping software, use the USSVI-approved software as part of his/her duties as National Treasurer, and cannot change to another software package without the Board of Director’s approval. National SecretaryMust be a regular member in good standing. Regional DirectorMust be a member in good standing of a base within the region. NoteAll nominations must be sent to the Nominations Committee Chairman on or before March 1, 2020. The nomination is accompanied by a letter from the nominee indicat-ing his willingness to accept the nomination and willingness to serve if elected. The Nomination Letter includes details of the nominee’s qualifications in less than one hundred (100) words.

2020CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

National Officer Positions

and Requirements

for OfficeAll nominations must be received by Nominations Committee Chairman

John E. Markiewicz on or before March 1, 2020.

For further information email [email protected]


Marshall James R. 1978 Abraham Lincoln

Garmendez Manuel A. 2011 Alabama

Ripley Ronald E. 1958 Albacore

Blackman Kyle A. 2004 Albuquerque

Emery George W. 1966 Andrew Jackson

Mitchell David L. 1975 Andrew Jackson

Pietrowski Frederick T. 1960 Angler

Jankowski William 1996 Annapolis

Rogers William T. 1991 Asheville

Caylor Gordon L. 1971 Aspro

Humphreys Gary M. 1990 Aspro

Thomason Brian K. 1981 Aspro

Ratelle Jean William 1965 Atule

Phelps Wilson T. 1985 Augusta

Sherry Dan 1977 Baton Rouge

Cook Christian L. 1982 Benjamin Franklin

Jenson William J. 1970 Benjamin Franklin

Carr George R. 1977 Billfish

Murray Jr. Randy 1998 Billfish

Wise Richard K. 1959 Bream

Murray Wayne T. 1999 Bremerton

Heft Nathaniel 2000 Buffalo

Pickering William M. 1969 Bugara

Plumlee Marion S. 1969 Caiman

Benaglio Anthony 2014 California

Adams William E. 1963 Capitaine

Strang Thomas W. 1961 Carp

Newcomer James A. 1976 Casimir Pulaski

Gallagher William J. 1968 Catfish

Lawrence Brian F. 1982 Cavalla

Corey Nicholas A. 2015 Columbus

Jackson Julius Joseph 1964 Cubera

Kananen Richard 1971 Dace

Rogers Robert E. 2016 Dallas

Britton Herbert M. 1973 Daniel Boone

Libby Michael L. 1979 Daniel Boone

Foster Robert Allan 1968 Daniel Webster

Irwin Gary Roy 1972 Daniel Webster

Pope Scott 1989 Daniel Webster

Rushworth Glenn 1978 Daniel Webster

Reser Raymond 1970 Darter

Doucette Alex Walter 1970 Entemedor

Baxter Larry D. 1966 Ethan Allen

Cox Jr. Charles 1972 Ethan Allen

Gauthier Michael L. 1971 Ethan Allen

Buchanan Hal 1975 Flying Fish

Inman Daniel 1986 Flying Fish

Bowers Brian 1981 Gato

Murphy John A. 1986 Gato

Pickett Donald 1976 George C. Marshall

Voyce Seth A. 1995 Georgia

Gaffney James A. 1979 Glenard P. Lipscomb

Salvatoriello Greg 1978 Glenard P. Lipscomb

Finley James D. 1953 Grouper

Glacy Lawrence A. 1962 Growler

Olson Dennis 1975 Guitarro

Anderson David E. 1973 Gurnard

Walsh Jr. George M. 1982 Gurnard

Harris Edgar C. 1968 Halfbeak

Garlet Carlos Francisco 2008 Henry L. Stimson

Glaub John E. 1973 Henry L. Stimson

Clarke Sean 1989 Hyman G. Rickover

Pisano Andrew R. 1964 Jallao

Green Frederick 1970 James Madison

Casper J. Kip 1966 John C. Calhoun

Hart Bryce A. 1984 John C. Calhoun

Mathews Curtis R. 1983 John C. Calhoun

Willever Craig C. 1978 John C. Calhoun

Ayling Larry 1976 John Marshall

Koning James 1967 Kamehameha

Pelland Jack 1976 Kamehameha

Austin Christopher A. 1992 Kentucky

Christenson Matthew R. 2003 Key West

Hershey Donald W. 1978 Lewis and Clark

McDade John 1975 Lewis and Clark

Hogan Brandon 2002 Maine

Renaud Stephen 1996 Maine

Bush Marvin Thomas 1980 Mariano G. Vallejo

Carley William R. 1994 Michigan

Grissom Zaquavius 2018 Michigan

Van Schaick Anthony B. 1982 Michigan

Hyman Mark Allen 1974 Narwhal

Caccamo David P. 1976 Nathan Hale

Johnson Timothy W. 1978 Nathan Hale

Younts Phillip R. 1966 Nathanael Greene

Salang Roi 2017 Nebraska

Elowski Sean 2010 Nevada

Lutz William H. 1994 Newport News

Almazan Miguel 2000 Norfolk

Sloan Larry S. 1982 Ohio

Caton II Bernard W. 1983 Omaha

Herrington Mark 1987 Pargo

Porter Craig 2007 Philadelphia

Miller Jonathan 1993 Portsmouth

Stramer Carl N. 1943 Puffer

Platt Robert L. 1971 Queenfish

Anderson John A. 1977 Ray

Davy William Brian 1988 Ray

Last Name First Name Qual. Boat

Last Name First Name Qual. Boat

NEW MEMBERSDow Jr. Joseph L. 1977 Ray

Jones John R. V. 1982 Ray

Gomez Ethan 2018 Rhode Island

Fife Richard W. 1976 Robert E. Lee

Nelson Randy R. 1977 Robert E. Lee

Roche Patrick 1966 Ronquil

Karr Kenneth R. 1966 Salmon

Cloutier Michael J. 1976 Sam Houston

Fuller Fred B. 1963 Sam Houston

Harpell Seth 1992 Sam Houston

Mosier Jr. John Ronald 1991 Sam Houston

Shropshire Waylan K. 1980 Sam Houston

Drombetta Richard A. 1993 San Francisco

Masha Abdulkareem A. 2001 San Francisco

Smiglewski Leonard 1989 San Francisco

McLaud Jeffrey 1983 Sand Lance

Mikolajczak Donald C. 1997 Sand Lance

Taylor Dick 1980 Sargo

Seedorf Ronald F. 1963 Sculpin

Slater William A. 1963 Sea Owl

Mattia Marco 1981 Seadragon

Powers Seth E. 2006 Seawolf

Trombley Charles 2009 Seawolf

Johnson Jr. Delbert L. 1967 Segundo

Shewbridge David 1980 Shark

Canny Daniel S. 1988 Simon Bolivar

Thornal Fayette 1967 Simon Bolivar

Hepworth John O. 1959 Skate

Carby Terry L. 1977 Skipjack

Kozakiewicz Gregory R. 1969 Snook

Bilskis Richard A. 1970 Spadefish

Dellinger Clint 1989 Spadefish

Missaggia Domenick A. 1970 Spadefish

Coile Michael 1968 Spinax

Sibilia Michael J. 1998 Springfield

Hart Lawrence J. 1977 Stonewall Jackson

Broussard Dana 1969 Sturgeon

Obey Richard 1969 Sturgeon

Olsen Edward 1976 Sturgeon

Stills Charlie 1964 Swordfish

Cassio Billy Joe 1978 Tang

Sandy Paul D. 1961 Tang

Serruto Marvin L. 1978 Tecumseh

Todd David W. 1975 Tecumseh

Davis Randall S. 1971 Theodore Roosevelt

Quinn Timothy A. 1971 Thomas A. Edison

Blackwell Michael N. 1977 Thomas Jefferson

Johnson Douglas K. 1973 Tinosa

Slifer Randal S. 1996 Toledo

Racey Colman C. 1997 Trepang

Mears James L. 1961 Trout

Butler James G. 1962 Trumpetfish

Naas Gerald M. 1972 Trutta

Serpe Stephen W. 1978 Tullibee

Tammarine Arthur Keith 1964 Tunny

Brown Ralph H. 1978 Ulysses S. Grant

Lancaster Christopher B. 1987 Ulysses S. Grant

Murray Kevin L. 1986 Ulysses S. Grant

Pacl Timothy D. 1980 Ulysses S. Grant

Talbot William Henry 1977 Ulysses S. Grant

Furst John Eugene 1975 Mariano G. Vallejo

Bailey Lauriat 1960 Volador

Hammel Michael T. 1992 Will Rogers

Landers Bernard J. 1978 Will Rogers

Robinson David 1968 Will Rogers

Bond James 1978 Woodrow Wilson

Spyker James T. 1991 Woodrow Wilson

Latta David J. 2005 Wyoming

Shreffler Brandon 2001 Wyoming

Arnold Joseph W. Associate

Begay Shirley J. Associate

Behnke Judith Associate

Call Russell Associate

Cockrum Jerry Associate

Dobbs Clinton E. Associate

Earls Phyllis D. Associate

Ellzey Cynthia I. Associate

Feldman John Associate

Fischer Juanita Associate

Hogan Frank W. Associate

Jones Evelyn Associate

Kent Mitzi Associate

Maitland Jeanna Associate

McAllister Aurelia Associate

Meehle Tim Associate

Nelson Bonnie Associate

Nelson David F. Associate

Nilsson Robin L. Associate

Nunn Nancy Associate

Orluk Ryan J. Associate

Ortiz Elsa Romie Associate

Ortiz Jeri Associate

Perkins Carolyn J. Associate

Perry James Associate

Ritter Helene Associate

Sanchez Edelmira Associate

Smiglewski Melissa Associate

Tarcza Gail A. Associate

Walsh Stephen T. Associate

Zimmerman Jacqueline Associate

Last Name First Name Qual. Boat Last Name First Name Qual. Boat


UPCOMING BOAT REUNIONS

USS Alexander Hamilton (SSBN 617)October 16-19, 2019San Diego, CAFrank Bonafede • (619) [email protected]

USS Baltimore (SSN 704)June 12-14, 2020Pittsburgh, PAShawn McGinty • (724) [email protected]

USS Bang (SS-385)September 30-October 4, 2019 Myrtle Beach, SCPaul Schramm • (269) 345 [email protected]

USS Barracuda ( K-1/(SSK-1)September 30-October 3, 2020 Little Rock, ARJohn W. Delihanty • (503) [email protected]

USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN 640)November 4-8, 2019Savannah, GALen Exelby • (302) [email protected]

USS Bluefish (SS-222/SSN 675) April 23-26, 2020Myrtle Beach, SCJohn [email protected]

USS Boston (SSN 703)July 9-12 , 2020King of Prussia, PAPete [email protected]

USS Caiman (SS-323) APRIL 20-23, 2020Albuqerque, NMDoug Smith • (360) 731-5233 [email protected]

USS Chivo (SS-341)October 20-24, 2019Cocoa Beach, FLPeter McVicker • (646) [email protected]

USS Diablo (SS-479)October 13-16, 2019Virginia Beach, VADave Matthes • (617) [email protected]

USS Dogfish (SS-350)October 21-24, 2020North Little Rock, ARJohn [email protected]

USS Ethan Allen (SSBN 608)October 4-7, 2019San Diego, CATed Gasiorowski • (513) [email protected]

USS Growler (SSG-577)September 8-11, 2020Tucson, AZMichael [email protected]

USS James Monroe (SSBN 622)October 20-25, 2019Gulfport, MSWayne Sieckowski • (360) [email protected]

USS Kamehameha (SSBN/SSN 642) October 21-25 2019Jacksonville, FL.Tom Goertz • (985) [email protected]

USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN 644)October 3-6, 2019North Charleston, SCTom O’Donnell • (515) [email protected]

USS Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN 658)October 24-26, 2019Vallejo, CAWilliam Linne • (707) [email protected]

USS Razorback (SS-394)April 20-24, 2020North Little Rock, ARRon Sagaert(828) 461-4618

USS Scamp (SSN 588)May 17- 22 2021Rapid City, SDRod Stark • 702-582-1424 (text)[email protected]

USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN 641)October 10-14, 2019 Mt. Pleasant, SC Tim [email protected]

USS Spinax (SS-489)October 7 -11, 2019Cambria, CABruce Taff • (321) [email protected]

USS Swordfish (SSN 579)May 7 -11, 2020San Antonio, TexasBetty Strong • (319) 721-6220 [email protected]

USS Tunny (SS-282/SSN 682)October 27-31, 2019Charleston, SCWarren Branges • (619) [email protected]

USS Von Steuben (SSBN 632)March 9-12, 2020Pigeon Forge, TNBill Hughes • (954) [email protected]

Reunion Notices

Forward all boat reunion notices to [email protected] for First quarter issue is 1 December 2019.Notices received after deadline will be accommodated on a space available basis.

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John H. Cox Arnold, MD Qualified USS Cobbler 1951 Eternal Patrol 8/31/2019

Joseph F. Cullen Brooklyn, NY Qualified USS Trigger 1957 Eternal Patrol 6/1/2019

Peter R. Davio The Villages, FL Qualified USS Henry Clay 1965 Eternal Patrol 9/7/2019

James W. Derouin Milton, FL Qualified USS Rock 1955 Eternal Patrol 7/12/2019

James C. Dible Grand Junction, CO Qualified USS Thornback 1944 Eternal Patrol 7/6/2019

Gerald A. Dickinson Ocala, FL Qualified USS Chopper 1952 Eternal Patrol 6/28/2019

Lyle W. Dunlap Galesburg, IL Qualified USS Greenfish 1960 Eternal Patrol 8/3/2019

Conrad A. Ensley Stockton, CA Qualified USS Carp 1968 Eternal Patrol 7/21/2019

Anthony P. Esposito Wantagh, NY Qualified USS Angler 1957 Eternal Patrol 9/10/2019

Frank Fatale Southampton, NJ Qualified USS Muskallunge 1945 Eternal Patrol 8/23/2019

Harvey L. Florianic Houston, TX Qualified USS Salmon 1959 Eternal Patrol 7/1/2019

Robert R. Gavazzi Severna Park, MD Qualified USS Becuna 1958 Eternal Patrol 8/28/2019

Richard R. Alkire Ladson, SC Qualified USS Cusk 1961 Eternal Patrol 8/31/2019

Charles Austin Ames Sr. North Stonington, CT Qualified USS Irex 1952 Eternal Patrol 4/25/2019

Garrett E. Baker Fort Worth, TX Qualified USS Carp 1949 Eternal Patrol 4/1/2019

Ronald W. Baker Aiken, SC Qualified USS Lewis and Clark 1968 Eternal Patrol 8/24/2019

William H. Bennett Poway, CA Qualified USS Bergall 1955 Eternal Patrol 3/4/2019

Karl G. Bergstrom Goodyear, AZ Qualified USS Tilefish 1954 Eternal Patrol 8/6/2019

Milton R. Berkey Gilbert, SC Qualified USS Corsair 1962 Eternal Patrol 7/1/2019

Rudolph A. Bernal Peyton, CO Qualified USS Guitarro 1944 Eternal Patrol 7/12/2019

Donald B. Brown Latrobe, PA Qualified USS Razorback 1948 Eternal Patrol 9/17/2018

Marshall M. Clark Essex, CT Qualified USS Seadragon 1945 Eternal Patrol 2/20/2018

Donald Clouse Fulton, IN Qualified USS Sea Owl 1952 Eternal Patrol 3/10/2019

George L. Constable Alvord, TX Qualified USS Shark 1966 Eternal Patrol 7/23/2019

David L. Gibbens San Tan Valley, AZ Qualified USS Bluegill 1960 Eternal Patrol 9/1/2017

Robert E. Hall Ledyard, CT Qualified USS Bang 1960 Eternal Patrol 9/4/2019

Asger Hansen Jr. Fort Myers, FL Qualified USS Nautilus 1944 Eternal Patrol 6/16/2019

Lawrence O. Harjehausen Palm Beach Gardens, FL Qualified USS Cutlass 1948 Eternal Patrol 7/31/2019

Louis J. Harold Westerly, RI Qualified USS Seawolf 1964 Eternal Patrol 2/20/2017

Richard John Harrison Mystic, CT Qualified USS Carbonero 1961 Eternal Patrol 5/15/2019

Anton C. Holstrom Jr. The Villages, FL Qualified USS Tullibee 1974 Eternal Patrol 7/29/2019

Harold E. Horn Russellville, AR Qualified USS Simon Bolivar 1979 Eternal Patrol 6/13/2019

Alexander Ingram III Lynn, MA Qualified USS Torsk 1966 Eternal Patrol 7/2/2019

Kenneth Jacobs Lake Grove, NY Qualified USS Queenfish 1946 Eternal Patrol 8/18/2019

Francis J. Kacsmar Lisbon Falls, ME Qualified USS S-15 1944 Eternal Patrol 7/3/2019

Philip Katz Green Valley, AZ Qualified USS Muskallunge 1945 Eternal Patrol 10/17/2018

Ronald D. Kirby Bakersfield, CA Qualified USS Redfish 1955 Eternal Patrol 9/2/2019

Robert A. Klein McDonald, PA Qualified USS Sarda 1954 Eternal Patrol 9/1/2019

Renaud J. Lebonville Charlotte, NC Qualified USS Finback 1944 Eternal Patrol 8/11/2019

Marshall W. Ledwick Center Moriches, NY Qualified USS Entemedor 1962 Eternal Patrol 5/14/2019

Lewis Lemon Athens, AL Qualified USS Tinosa 1966 Eternal Patrol 7/6/2019

Randolph K. Lemster Las Vegas, NV Qualified USS Charr 1957 Eternal Patrol 6/11/2019

John D. Leonard Jr. Cumberland, VA Qualified USS Catfish 1957 Eternal Patrol 7/10/2019

W. Don Madl Palatine, IL Qualified USS Ronquil 1948 Eternal Patrol 8/2/2018

Norman T. McLeod Portland, ME Qualified USS Toro 1961 Eternal Patrol 9/4/2019

Glenn L. Moats Sierra Vista, AZ Qualified USS Bass (was V-2) 1944 Eternal Patrol 7/15/2019

Darcel R. Moffett Decatur, MI Qualified USS Rasher 1955 Eternal Patrol 9/5/2019

Terrence W. Pendergast Preston, CT Qualified USS Spinax Eternal Patrol 5/17/2019

Alan A. Perry Warwick, RI Qualified USS Sea Robin 1957 Eternal Patrol 5/16/2019

Eugene A. Peterman Brevard, NC Qualified USS Stonewall Jackson 1966 Eternal Patrol 6/30/2019

John Portgee Atlanta, GA Qualified USS Lewis and Clark 1966 Eternal Patrol 9/8/2018

Paul K. Rash Indianapolis, IN Qualified USS Plunger 1943 Eternal Patrol 8/22/2019

James D. Ratigan Oswego, NY Qualified USS Sturgeon 1975 Eternal Patrol 8/28/2019

Everett E. Reilly Jr. Litchfield, MN Qualified USS Cubera 1964 Eternal Patrol 9/11/2019

There is a port of no return, where shipsMay ride at anchor for a little spaceAnd then, some starless night the cable slips,Leaving an eddy at the mooring place...Gulls, veer no longer. Sailor rest your oar.No tangled wreckage will be washed ashore.

ETERNAL PATROL

Fredrick A. Richards Hollywood, FL Qualified USS Parche 1945 Eternal Patrol 9/4/2019William H. Ruth Bonita Springs, FL Qualified USS Barbero 1959 Eternal Patrol 8/18/2019Leslie L. Schmeling Middletown, DE Qualified USS Tirante 1957 Eternal Patrol 2/13/2016David Schmidt Lynchburg, VA Qualified USS Drum 1953 Eternal Patrol 8/2/2019Frederick W. Scholz Manitowoc, WI Qualified USS Blackfin 1954 Eternal Patrol 9/4/2019Michael Schreiber San Diego, CA Qualified USS Grenadier 1954 Eternal Patrol 6/22/2019

Thomas C. Simonson Bremerton, WA Qualified USS Bergall 1949 Eternal Patrol 7/11/2019William E. Smith Jr. Port Orchard, WA Qualified USS Tiru 1960 Eternal Patrol 9/6/2019Timothy H. Spoon Fair Oaks, CA Qualified USS Balao 1963 Eternal Patrol 8/30/2019Paul L. Staffey Carbondale, IL Qualified USS Corporal 1965 Eternal Patrol 8/3/2019Barry O. Stewart Newport News, VA Qualified USS Baton Rouge 1980 Eternal Patrol 7/8/2019William T. Taylor Huntingdon Valley, PA Qualified USS Dragonet 1945 Eternal Patrol 8/26/2019

Samuel M. Templeton Woodsfield, OH Qualified USS Trutta 1956 Eternal Patrol 1/23/2018Ronald Thrift Athens, AL Qualified USS Amberjack 1960 Eternal Patrol 6/28/2019Theodore H. Van Cott Jr. Ormond Beach, FL Qualified USS Requin 1958 Eternal Patrol 7/21/2019Arthur P. White West End, NC Qualified USS Trumpetfish 1966 Eternal Patrol 7/18/2019Henry T. Willis Tucson, AZ Qualified USS Amberjack 1955 Eternal Patrol 7/4/2019William E. Wright Hebron, OH Qualified USS Henry Clay 1969 Eternal Patrol 8/5/2019

Edward L. Perry Saint Petersburg, FL Associate Eternal Patrol 2/28/2019

IN MEMORIAM


USS ALBACORE (AGSS-569)

USS Albacore was the U.S. Navy’s first submarine with a true underwater hull of cylindrical shape that has become the standard for today’s submarines. Commissioned in

December 1953, the single-screw Albacore was an experimental submarine and as such carried no weapons. Her sole mission was to test experimental submarine

equipment and theories. In 1966 Albacore attained an underwater speed of nearly 33 knots (38 mph), a record at the time. Albacore underwent many modifications and

reconfigurations over her 19-year career, including an experimental “X”-shaped tail for increased control, diving brakes, emergency escape systems, sonar systems,

a large auxiliary rudder in the after part of her sail, and contra-rotating propellers. She was decommissioned in December 1972 and today is preserved and open to the

public at the Port of Portsmouth Maritime Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

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Daylight Savings Time ends

Election Day

ALBACORE (SS-218) 1944

GROWLER (SS-215) 1944

Veteran’s Day

SCAMP (SS-277) 1944

SCULPIN (SS-191) 1943

Thanksgiving Day

November 2020 (Five Submarines and 375 men lost) Sunday

Monday Tuesday

Wednesday Thursday

Friday Saturday

PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARDPortsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) was established in June 1800, during the administration of President John Adams, and is the U.S.

Navy’s oldest continuously operating shipyard. During WWI, the shipyard began building submarines, with L-8 in 1917 being the first

ever built by a U.S. Navy yard. During WWII more than 70 submarines were constructed at PNS, with a record of four launched on the

same day. When the war ended, the shipyard became the Navy’s center for submarine design and development. In 1953, Albacore (SS-569)

revolutionized submarine design around the world with its teardrop hull and round cross-section. Swordfish (SSN-579), the first nuclear-

powered submarine built at the base, was launched in 1957. The last submarine built at the yard was Sand Lance (SSN-660), launched

in November 1969. PNS built 139 submarines over a 52-year period and today provides overhaul, refueling, and modernization work.

USS Menhaden (SS-377) flies5-star Admiral’s flag 1945

World War I ended 1918

CORVINA (SS-226) 1943

“I believe it is the duty of every man to act as though the fate of the world depends on them.

Surely no one man can do it all. But, one man CAN make a difference.”

— Admiral Hyman G. Rickover

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine

UNITED STATES SUBMARINES

2020 United States Submarine Calendar

Submarines and the shipyards that built them

It is our purpose to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds and supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its Constitution.

Dedicated to all U.S. submariners who manned our U.S. submarines—from the commissioning of USS Holland (SS-1) in 1900 through the newest nuclear submarines in the fleet. Submariners have always performed a vital service to our nation. U.S. Submariners sank more than 1,392 Japanese ships during WWII, landed raiding parties during the Korean War, monitored the Soviet Navy, and conducted intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions during the Cold War. From the late 50s until 1964 submariners conducted Regulus cruise missile patrols and since 1960 the submariners serving aboard Strategic Ballistic Missile subs have maintained a continuous nuclear deterrent force at sea. Today’s submariners provide covert intelligence and tactical missile strikes when needed in support of the Global War on Terror as well as carrying out continuous deterrent nuclear missile patrols. For 118 years, U.S. submariners have and continue to provide a vital service to our nation and we salute them all! The loss dates for all U.S. submarines sunk or destroyed are listed in addition to other historic dates in both U.S. submarine veteran and U.S. Navy submarine history.

ORDER TODAY!Individual calendars are $10.95+2.75 shipping. Order yours today

by credit card at ussvinationalstorekeeper.com or by sending your

check or money order made payable to USSVI to:

Barry CommonsUSSVI National Storekeeper

2063 Main St. PMB 293 • Oakley, CA 94561

Email: [email protected] • Tel: (925) 679-1744

Contact Barry Commons for information on quantity discounts.

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THE 2020 USSVI SUBMARINE CALENDAR

American Submariner | 48

UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS, INC. POB 3870 SILVERDALE, WA 98383-3870

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GARDENA, CA PERMIT NO. 40

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Documents

2019 • Fourth Quarter • $6