NERD-1 News. Winter The search for ARA San Juan. The official newsletter of United States Submarine Veterans, Inc Northeast Region District One

Transcription

1 NERD-1 News Winter 2018 The official newsletter of United States Submarine Veterans, Inc Northeast Region District One The search for ARA San Juan

2 Front Cover: N-TY COMODORO RIVADAVIA, Argentina (Nov. 20, 2017) The Norwegian construction support vessel Skandi Patagonia gets underway with Argentine officials and Sailors and equipment assigned to Undersea Rescue Command (URC), heading for the search area of the submarine A.R.A. San Juan (S 42). URC is the U.S. Navy s only submarine rescue unit, mobilized to support the Argentine government s search and rescue efforts for the Argentine Navy diesel-electric submarine A.R.A. San Juan (S 42). (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Karl Schonberg/Released) (Please note the Submarine Rescue Chamber [modern version of the McCann Rescue Chamber] on the deck of the ship just forward of the crane assembly. -ed.) The View from the Bridge Happy New Year, Brothers of the Phin! A mild fall has led into a brutally cold winter here in New England. I hope everyone is managing to stay warm and find something indoors to keep you busy for the next few months. One thing I want to get out right away here is the change in date for the 2018 USS Thresher Memorial Service. The commissioning of USS Manchester (LCS-14) at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has been pushed back to May As a result, the 2018 Thresher Memorial is scheduled for Saturday 7 April 2018 at 1:00PM! See further details in the District Events section. If you have any Base News you wish included in the next issue of NERD-1 News, it to SubGuySS@verizon.net or NERD1USSVI@gmail.com. Please include in the subject line: For District Newsletter Most Sub Vets would agree that civilians have no idea what we went through, what we endured. To increase understanding, Frank Hood (Marblehead Base Vice Commander) and his brother Charles have written a book about day-to-day life aboard a US Navy submarine. Fellow Submarine Veterans would enjoy reading it, because the book s details will take them back to their days on the boat, and the funny stories add spice. But this book is written in language that civilians will understand, so once a Veteran has read it, he can pass it on to his children to better help them understand what he went through. The Title of the book is: Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots - Tales of a Submarine Officer During the Height of the Cold War All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the USSVI Scholarship Fund - to help kids and grandkids of our Brothers of the Phin. Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots can be ordered as Hard Cover, Soft Cover, or E-Book at: or 2

3 Northeast Region District One Upcoming Events and Activities Almost Every Saturday Field Day/Repair Work aboard USS Lionfish (SS-298) Battleship Cove Naval Museum, Fall River, MA. Contact Boston Base John Anderson for details and to make sure there is a work party scheduled: anc3@att.net February 2018 Saturday 10 Feb through Sunday 18 Feb New England Boat Show Boston Convention and Exhibit Center For more information: For anything and everything Boat related in New England! April 2018 Saturday 07 April Hours (1:00 PM) 55 th Annual USS Thresher Memorial Service Hosted by USSVI Thresher Base Where: R.W. Traip Academy, Kittery, ME When: 1300 Hours (1:00PM) For more information: Monday 16 April Hours (2:00 PM) Patriot s Day Parade Lexington, MA Buses leave the Lexington HS periodically between 1100 and 1300 Marching units should be mustered NLT 1300 hrs. For more information: Saturday 21 April Hours (5:00 PM) [Tentative Scheduled Time] 118 th Submarine Birthday Ball Hosted by USSVI Marblehead Base Where: Gerry 5 VFA Hall 210 Beacon St, Marblehead, MA When: Time 5:00 PM Cocktails and Mingling/5:30 PM Program Starts Guest Speaker Vice Admiral Richard P. Breckenridge, USN (Ret) Price: $35 per person Meal Options: Prime Rib or Baked Stuffed Haddock For more information: 3

4 District Photo Recon October-December 2017 Sunday 01 October USS Trout (SS-202) Memorial Members of USSVI Marblehead Base and US Submarine Veterans of World War II gathered along the Cape Cod Canal to remember the crew of USS Trout and all residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who gave their lives serving aboard submarines during World War II. The USS Trout Memorial is held on the first Sunday of October every year along the north shore of the Cape Cod Canal, Rt 6 in Buzzard s Bay, MA. All are invited to attend. 4

5 Marblehead Base Treasurer George LeBlanc tosses the Memoria Wreath into the Canal. Members of USSVI Marblehead Base and US Submarine Veterans of World War II. 5

6 Monday 02 October USSVI Marblehead Base Marblehead Base Commander Frank Harrington presents Base COB Doug Bryant with his USSVI Meritorious Award, which was awarded at the 2017 USSVI National Convention in September. Frank also presents the USSVI Silver Anchor Award to Past Base Commander and Past District Commander Tom Shannon. 6

7 USSVI Marblehead Base was also awarded the Robert Link Award by the National Commander for

8 Sunday 08 October Columbus Day Parade Boston, MA On a very rainy day in Boston, the USSVI Marblehead Base USS Thresher Memorial Parade Float took part in the Boston North End Columbus Day Parade. The Boston Columbus Day Parade is hosted by the Historic North End on odd-numbered years and by East Boston on even-numbered years. Very happy to have been in FRONT of Mayor Marty Walsh s re-election contingent this year! 8

9 District Commander Peter J. Koester and the USS Thresher Memorial Float were welcomed warmly by the residents and visitors of Boston s Historic North End. 9

10 Exeter, New Hampshire In a small public triangle near the Old Cemetery in Exeter, NH is a World War II deck gun, possibly from a fleet boat of the era. The gun is in memory of Captain George Leonard Smith, who invented the breech mechanism used by guns of this type during World Wars One and Two. 10

11 Saturday 21 October Jeepin for Vets Fundraiser NERD-1 and his Jeep Belle participated in the First Annual Jeepin for Vets Fundraiser, a Jeep Ride from Portsmouth to Rochester, NH to benefit Veterans Count a division of Easter Seals that helps Veterans and their family members. USSVI Thresher Base members Doc Thomas Clayton and Peter J. Koester with US Navy Veteran, former Police Chief, and 2018 New Hampshire Congressional Candidate Eddie Edwards, who also volunteers with Veterans Count. 11

12 Right: Twenty-One Jeeps hit the road to ride between Portsmouth and Rochester, NH raising awareness and funds for Veterans Count. Below: Doc Clayton, Belle, and Michele Peterson s Jeep (representing Marblehead Base) in Rochester. The Jeepin for Vets Fundraiser raised over $500 for Veterans Count that day. For more information see: 12

13 Saturday 11 November Veterans Day Members of USSVI Marblehead Base gathered in Lynch Square, North Beverly, MA for their annual Veterans Day Memorial Service at the Lynch, Trask, Walsh World War II Submarine Memorial. The Sub Vets were joined by members of the Lynch family and the Beverly Fire Dept. The Submarine Veterans Park sign was replaced this past year by USSVI Marblehead Base. 13

14 Above and Below: The solemn Tolling of the Boats ceremony is performed to remember all submariners who gave their lives in the performance of their duties. 14

15 Submarine Veteran of World War II Doug Bryant presents the Memorial Wreath at the Lynch, Trask, Walsh World War II Submarine Memorial in Lynch Square. 15

16 Veteran s Day Evening, local veterans and the USS Thresher Memorial Float were invited to join the Lowell-Dracut Boy Scout Troops for their Salute to Veterans Camporee. Past Marblehead Base Commander Tom Shannon explains the submarine to the younger Scouts. Veterans local to Lowell and Dracut, MA from all the services gather around the Thresher prior to the Flag Retirement Ceremony. 16

17 As night falls, the Boy Scouts and their Troop Leaders solemnly retire around two dozen United States flags. An amusing story that goes with these pictures: You may have noticed how bundled up Marblehead Base Commander Frank Harrington is, especially in comparison with the other Sub Vets who were in attendance that day. When asked why he was dressed like an Eskimo and if he had ever made a Northern Run during his time aboard the boats, the formerly Pearl Harbor-based sailor responded, No, I never pulled into San Diego. 17

18 Saturday 18 November USS S-4 (SS-109) Memorial Service St Mary of the Harbor Church, Provincetown, MA St Mary of the Harbor Church, which looks out on the spot where the USS S-4 was rammed and sunk on 17 December 1927, holds a Memorial Service to the 40 men lost aboard the boat each year. Members of USSVI and the local Coast Guard Base often participate in each year s Memorial Service under the guidance of the Very Reverend Terry R. Pannell. 18

19 The USS S-4 (SS-109) Memorial Cross in the Churchyard of St Mary of the Harbor. The metal piece at the base of the cross is a part of the USS S-4 recovered during the salvage of the submarine. 19

20 Above: USSVI Marblehead Base members Peter Koester, Dana Sweeter, Dave Zeno, and Charlie LaScola were on hand with the Very Reverend Terry Pannell and a Provincetown local - retired Vice-Admiral and Commander of the Sixth Fleet Scott Allen Fry. Right: The S-4 Memorial Wreath is placed on the Memorial Cross in the Churchyard. 20

21 Thursday 23 November Thanksgiving Day USSVI Groton Base Left: Another turkey is slowly lowered into the oil outside the Sub Vets Clubhouse at 40 School Street. Below: NBC CT reporter Heidi Voight interviews volunteers in between sending out hundreds of to-go meals and serving several hundred more in the Clubhouse. 21

22 Michele Peterson, wife of District Commander Peter Koester, has manned the Sub Vets kitchen alongside many other volunteers each Thanksgiving since 2003! NERD-1 hanging out with a Senior Chief Logistics Specialist and a Chief Yeoman, both volunteering to serve food at the Sub Vets Clubhouse and both starting Basic Enlisted Submarine School (BESS) the following Monday morning. 22

23 USSVI Groton Base Commander Jeff Walsh (relaxing briefly at the bar with Club Bartender Sharon Foret) oversees an operation that takes months of planning to coordinate donations of food items and money and dozens of volunteers to bring everything together on Thanksgiving Day. The 2017 Thanksgiving Caring & Sharing Program served nearly 1000 meals to local police, fire, and emergency services, National Guard units, boat duty sections, the elderly, and dozens upon dozens of Sub School students from nearby US Naval Submarine Base New London. Bravo-Zulu Jeff and Groton Base! 23

24 Saturday 25 November Parade of Holiday Traditions Malden, MA USSVI Marblehead Base and the USS Thresher Memorial Parade Float were again invited to participate in the Malden, Massachusetts Parade of Holiday Traditions on the weekend following Thanksgiving. The USS Thresher Float is a crowd-pleaser that gets a lot of attention during the parade and is highlighted specifically by the city s Government Representatives at the parade reviewing stand. 24

25 Marblehead Base members Dana Sweeter and Peter Koester man the Jeep Belle for the parade. District Commander Peter Koester s niece Judy Zimmer Driscoll, visiting from North Carolina, rides along for her first parade. 25

26 Belle and the USS Thresher Memorial Float pass through downtown Malden, MA. Friday 08 December The USS Thresher (SSN-593) Memorial Parade Float finally returns to her storage garage in Topsfield, MA after a very busy year, where she will be undergoing a major overhaul and refit during the winter to be ready for the 55 th Annual USS Thresher Memorial Service on April 7, 2018! 26

27 Sunday - 10 December Holiday Parade Hampstead, NH Belle dressed up in her Holiday best and joined the other Jeeps of Granite State Off-Road to celebrate the season in Hampstead, NH. 27

28 Saturday 16 December Wreaths Across America At Noon on Saturday, 16 December, cemeteries and Veteran s Memorials across the entire country participated in a simultaneous ceremony to lay Wreaths honoring our nation s warriors. In southern New Hampshire, that event took place in Albacore Park, Portsmouth, NH, and was organized by USSVI Thresher Base and the USS Albacore Museum. USS Albacore Museum Executive Director Jim Craig offers his personal reminiscences on family members who served in the US Military during World War II and the Cold War. 28

29 Left: Submarine Veteran of World War II Bill Tebo lays the wreath honoring the US Navy at the Albacore Park ceremony. Right: USSVI Thresher Base Commander Kevin Galeaz was the Master of Ceremonies for the Wreaths Across America Ceremony at Albacore Park. Bill Tebo salutes the Wreath honoring the US Navy. 29

30 Bill Tebo (USN), Bernard McAfee (USA), Command Chief Master Sergeant Matt Heiman (USAF), Charles Skinner (USMC), Gene Grossi (USCGA), Kelton Jamieson and Bradon Parker (Boy Scout Troop 320), the wreath-layers for the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and POW/MIA. 30

31 Sunday 17 December USSVI Boston Base Holiday Gathering Members and guests of USSVI Boston Base gathered at Conrad s Restaurant in Walpole, MA for a Holiday Gathering, Toys for Tots Collection, and swearing-in of their 2018 Executive Board. 31

32 On behalf of United States Submarine Veterans Northeast Region District-1, I hope all our members had very happy and healthy holidays, and I wish you all the best and brightest of New Years ahead! ~Peter J. Koester Commander USSVI Northeast Region District One 32

33 Links: UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS National Homepage USSVI THRESHER BASE USSVI GROTON BASE (First and Finest) USSVI RHODE ISLAND BASE (Home of the USS Providence (SSN-719) Parade Float) USSVI BOSTON BASE USSVI MARBLEHEAD BASE (Home of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) Parade Float) USSVI USS MAINE BASE (Home of the USS Skipjack (SSN-585) Parade Float) NORTHEAST REGION DISTRICT ONE on YouTube Various You Tube videos posted by USSVI Bases located within USSVI Northeast Region District One NORTHEAST REGION DISTRICT ONE on Facebook All the latest goings-on with D-1 UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS, INC. Northeast Region District One Our Creed: 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. 33

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