Wednesday, January 29, 2014

VETERAN ADMINISTRATION (VA) ALERT


Veteran Administration (VA) ID Card - Alert!!!!!

 


Check your card out........

Not a joke. Please pass it on to any Veteran. The Cards are to be replaced, "sometime" in 2014. If you carry a VA ID card, you need
to watch this.

         http://youtu.be/4ycbVaOk6To 

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Sea Poacher Base


NEWS-01: Sea Poacher Base Lost Boats Memorial is looking for you!

Submitted by: T. Michael Bircumshaw on 1/21/2014

------------------------------------------------------

The Sea Poacher Base is down to the final nine of the Lost Boat Plaques for the Roy Holland Gallemore Submarine Veterans Memorial to be constructed at Summerlin Military Academy in Bartow, Florida.

The plaques can be sponsored for a $65.00 donation.  It is a Tax Deductible donation to the Baae under the USSVI Veteran Status which is in effect for 2014.

These are the remaining Boats to be sponsored:

USS H-1  (SS-28)

USS S-5  (SS-110)

USS S-51 (SS-162)

USS S-4  (SS-109)

USS O-9  (SS-70)

USS S-36 (SS-141)

USS S-26 (SS-131)

USS S-27 (SS-132)

USS S-39 (SS-144)

Make checks out to Sea Poacher Base, USSVI and mail to 1947 Birchwood Loop, Lakeland, FL 33811 Please make a note at bottom of your check for "Lost Boat Plaque" and the name of the boat you have d selhe sponsorship could be done by an individual or by a Base.

 

Best,

Michael

 

 

 

Saturday, January 25, 2014

TWIN LAKES SUBMARINE BASE

TWIN LAKES SUBMARINE BASE INC., WILL BE MEETING TODAY, SATURDAY JANUARY 25, 2014 AT THE VFW HALL IN BULL SHOALS, ARKANSAS FROM NOON-1 PM.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

jOSEPH kULISEK USS SENNET SS-408


Shipmates,

Received word this morning that Joseph Kulisek departed on Eternal Patrol 16 January 2014.

Joe served aboard Sennet during the years 1953-1954 as a CSSN.

 

Fair winds and following seas, Shipmate.

 

Joseph Kulisek Family

PO Box 3107

Big Bear City, CA  92314

ROBERT SCHMITZ


Shipmates,

Received this notice today about Bob Schmitz departing on Eternal Patrol.

Bob served aboard Sennet as a TM3(SS) during the years 1951-1954.

The last address I have for Bob was his assisted living home.

Robert Schmitz

Warren Manor

682 Pleasant Dr

Warren, PA 16365

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Submarine You-Tube Videos


Received from Buzz Bussard (62-63)

 

 

Subject: Fw: Submarine You-Tube Videos 

 

 
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+united+states+largest+submarine&go=&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=the+united+states+largest
+submarine&sc=1-32&sp=-1&sk

Humbles you to your toes.


Received from Bill Zilar (68-70).  Wow!

 

----------Original Message----------

 

 

 

Subject: This video humbles you right down to your toes.

 

This is really good!

Friday, January 17, 2014

SUBMARINER


Subject:  Submariner


 


Shipmates & Friends:  Only those of us that rode submarines can appreciate the following experiences.  I know that there is not one of us that would not jump at doing it all over again.  A little long but brings back memories.




Ever A Submariner

I liked popping the hatch at the top of the sail (submarine’s bridge) at sunrise and being the first to savor the scent of fresh air for the first time in 8 weeks… watching dolphins race in the bow wave on the way back home to Pearl… the tear-drop hull of the boat beneath me silently slicing through the sea.

I liked the sounds of the submarine service (sounds that we alone could hear, as we were the Silent Service where others were concerned) – the ascending whine of the dive alarm sounding, and the haunting echos of “Cayooogah, cayooogah… Dive! Dive!” from the boats yesteryear, the gruff voice of a Chief headed aft… “Down ladder; Make a Hole!”, the indescribable creaking sound of hull-steel compressing at depths that remain classified to this day.

I was impressed with Navy vessels – bracketed in the aperture of Periscope #2, the crosshairs gently rising and falling across their silhouette on the horizon, while obtaining range, bearing and angle off the bow.

I liked the names of proud boats of every class, from the “pig boats” of WWI to the sea creatures of WWII, like Barbel, Dorado, Shark and Seawolf, and the Cold War boats that bore with honor the names of these and 48 others that are “Still on Patrol.” Boats honoring national heroes, statesmen and presidents: Washington, Madison, Franklin and more. Whole classes of boats honoring cities and states: Los Angeles, Ohio and Virginia.

I liked the tempo of opposed piston diesels and the “pop” in your ears when equalizing to atmospheric when the head valve first opens to ventilate and snorkel. I miss the “thrill” of riding an emergency blow from test depth to the top at a nice steep bubble.

I enjoyed seeing places I’d only dreamed of, and some of which I’d heard from my grandfather who had seen them under very different circumstances and conditions… places like Pearl Harbor, Guam, Truk Island and Subic and Tokyo Bays.


I admired the teamwork of loading ships stores, the “brow-brigade” from pier to boat, and lowering them vertically through a 24” hatch to the galley below. I relished the competition of seeing who could correctly guess how many days underway before the fresh eggs and milk ran out and powder prevailed upon us henceforth.

I loved my “brothers,” each and every one, whether their dolphins were gold or silver and regardless of rate or rank. We shared experiences that bonded us evermore, and knew each other’s joys, pains, strengths and weaknesses. We listened to and looked out for each other. We shared precious little space in which to live and move and work, and we breathed, quite literally, the same recycled air.

After weeks in cramped quarters, my heart leapt at the command, “Close All Main Vents; Commence Low Pressure Blow; Prepare to Surface; Set the Maneuvering Watch.” When safely secured along the pier, the scent of my sweetheart’s hair evaporated the staleness emanating from my dungarees.

Exhausting though it was, I even liked the adrenaline rush of endless drills, and the comfort in the knowledge that any dolphin-wearing brother had cross-trained just like I had… not only on basic damage control, but to the point of having a basic working knowledge of every system on the boat, such that when real emergencies inevitably arose, the response was so automatic and efficient they were almost anti-climactic.

I liked the eerie sounds of “biologics” through the sonar headphones, the strange songs of the sea in the eternal night below the surface of the deep blue seas.

I liked the darkness – control room rigged for red or black, the only illumination that of the back-lights compass and gauges of the helm and myriad of buttons and indicator lights across the BCP. I liked the gentle green glow of the station screens in the Sonar Shack and Fire Control. I grew to like coffee, the only way to stay awake in the numbing darkness of the Control Room with the constant rocking of the boat during countless hours at periscope depth.

I liked “sliders” and “lumpia” and pizza at “Mid-rats” at the relieving of the watch. I liked the secure and cozy feeling of my rack, my humble little “den,” even when it was still warm from the body-heat of the guy who just relieved me of the watch.

I liked the controlled chaos of the Control Room, with the Officer of the Deck, Diving Officer and Chief of the Watch receiving and repeating orders; the sound of Sonar reporting: “Con-Sonar: New Contact, submerged, designated: Sierra 1, bearing: 0-1-0, range: 1-0-0-0 yards, heading 3-5-0, speed: 1-5 knots, depth: 4-0-0’.”


I liked the rush of “Man Battlestations; Rig for Quiet” announced over the 1MC, and the “outside of my rate” role I played as CEP plotter during war games, and later… SpecOps – the window to another world that I was allowed to peer through… the tactics, stealth and tenacity of our Captain making prompt and purposeful decisions to see us safely and successfully through the mission.

I appreciated the fact that I was a 19 year old kid, entrusted with operating some of the most sophisticated equipment in the entire world, and the challenge of doing those tasks in a 33’ x 360’ steel tube, several hundred feet below the surface, in potentially hostile waters.

I admired the traditions of the Silent Service, of Men of Iron in Boats of Steel, where you were just a NUB until you were “Qualified” and had EARNED the respect of the Officers and crew. I revered past heroes like inventor John Philip Holland and innovator Hyman G. Rickover. Such men and those that followed, both Officer and Enlisted, set precedents to follow, standards to uphold, and examples of bravery and self-sacrifice like the world has seldom seen. We were taught to honor these traditions. Somewhere far below the ocean’s surface, I became a man… and not just any man. I became… a Submariner.

Decades now have come and gone since last I went to sea. The years have a way of dimming things, like looking at the past through a smoky mirror. I went, as many others, my separate way… raised a family, and moved on… but a part of me, my Sailor’s Soul, will always be underway… somewhere… in the darkness, in the deep, making turns for twenty knots and a pushing a hole through the water.

Written By:

Jody Wayne Durham, MM2/SS

USS Los Angeles (SSN-688), ’85 – ‘88





 


 


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Thursday, January 9, 2014

CRASH DRIVE BASE AND USS CHICAGO BASE


From: "Frank Voznak" franklin2@comcast.net
Subject: Chicago Submarine Memorial
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2014 21:33:54 -0600

  patch merge2 copy.jpgCrash Dive Base, USS Chicago Base, United States Submarine Veterans, Inc._________________

 

 

Commander Curtis Grant,

 

Crash Dive Base, and USS Chicago Base, have undertaken a submarine memorial project for the City of Chicago.  The proposed site is located on the south bank of the Chicago River, just east of the Columbus Drive Bridge, near the downtown area.   Our intention is to keep December 7, 1941 in public view, discuss and show that there were submarines built in Manitowoc Wisconsin during World War II, and to honor all United States Navy submariners, past, present and future.

 

Our memorial project is in the form or representation of a “submarine bulkhead.”  The “bulkhead” will be made of steel, and coated with marine grade epoxy paint.   On it there are several points of interest.  On the west side of the bulkhead, at the top center, the Submariners Dolphin Insignia will be engraved.  Below that and on the left, an inscription will read “Dedicated to all U. S. Navy Submariners, past, present and future, who defend our nation in peace and in war.”  “28 Submarines built in Manitowoc Wisconsin passed this spot on their way to war, after Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941”  is also included.  Also on this side, is an artist’s rendition of a WWII submarine that was built in Manitowoc Wisconsin, passing through the Lake Shore Drive Drawbridge and entering the Chicago River on its way to Lockport Illinois, the next to last stop on their Stateside journey before going off to war.

 

To the right of the picture and inscription, we have obtained and will have installed, a watertight door salvaged from the USS Trout (SS- 566) that will be rendered non-functional, but the public will still be able to traverse or step through the “bulkhead” using the door.  Also on this side there will be seating facing the memorial so the public can sit and view the whole side of the memorial.  At a special spot, people can view the artist’s rendition previously mentioned, then look through the water tight door opening, and get that “Ah-Ha” moment connecting the past with the present by viewing the Lake Shore Drive Bridge through the door opening.  The seating material will be made of teak to represent the teak decking of those “boats,” but the outer seating will be steel, also coated with the marine grade epoxy paint,  made to represent the shape of the superstructure, including several “limber holes.”   On the back of the seating, we will have engraved the famous quote from Adm. Chester Nimitz, "We shall never forget that it was our submarines that held the lines against the enemy while our fleets replaced losses and repaired wounds."

 

On the east side of the bulkhead, at the north end, there will be the list of the twenty-eight submarines that were built at Manitowoc.   Four of the 28 submarines were lost in combat.  Each of the four will have an asterisk by their name denoting “Lost in Combat.”

 

The “Bulkhead” will all be placed on a wide circular base made of concrete and brick pavers.  The concrete and paver base represents the approximate outer hull diameter of the Gato & Balao class submarines built at Manitowoc, and other shipyards, during the war. 

 

Visitors can view the route these boats took going towards the Mississippi River en route to their destination at New Orleans, Louisiana on the map that will be part of the memorial, they can continue their journey by exploring the website we will have included with the map.  The website will enable them to continue their journey by going to various links to the related submarine

 

Museums and other information that we will provide.  Our hope is that it will spike their interest to the point that they then visit the various museums and libraries mentioned in the website.  Being placed next to the existing bike path / walkway, and next to where the “tall” ships tie up is a perfect spot and should draw a lot of attention.  We also plan to have our memorial included as a point of interest for the various Chicago River tour boats.  The design of our project meets the approval of the City of Chicago.

 

Our fundraising efforts have been mostly in approaching companies, organizations, and individuals that have a connection with the military, and/or submarines.  Because the USSVI creed is to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country, and also to educate all third parties we come in contact with about the services United States submariners performed and how the sacrifices of lost shipmates made possible the freedom and lifestyle Americans enjoy today, we hope your base and /or membership can assist us in moving this memorial forward.  Any financial assistance from either the Base itself or from individual base members would be greatly appreciated and acknowledged by Crash Dive Base and USS Chicago Base, at some point on the Memorial, or on our website, when the project is completed.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration.  Please feel free to contact me or CDR Ken Tupman of USS Chicago Base with any questions that you might have.

 

Fraternally yours,

 

Frank J. Voznak Jr.

Frank J. Voznak Jr.

Vice Commander/ Project Manager

Crash Dive Base, USSVI

 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

SUBMARINE TEE SHIRT & SWEAT SHIRTS

Check out this site - they have a lot of sub related tee shirts and sweat shirts

http://www.biggerthangods.com


Monday, January 6, 2014

USS SENNET


Hey Shipmates,

Our Sennet website, www.sennet.org , has pictures from the reunion posted. Take a look and remember the good times we had.

Stan Pollard, our WebMaster, has done an excellent job it keeping the site up and current for us. Some of the pictures need captions to identify those in the picture. If you can identify any that are not as such, let Stan know at 408.stan@gmail.com . Jim Vernon and I have tried to help Stan with it, however, some of the ladies names have slipped by us. Jim had a list for the captions but when he went thru customs on his way home to Canada our trusty TSA folks lost his list when checking his bags.

 

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year. 2014....where have the days flown to? In February, Sharon and I will be going to Myrtle Beach to check out a few places for the 2015 Reunion. We won’t be checking the water though...might be a weee bit too nippy if you know what I mean. Winking smileWe should be able to dial in a firm date for the reunion but prices might have to wait until we are a year out from the reunion. Many places don’t like to set prices too far in advance. We’ll do what we can and let you know ASAP.

 

Until later, Shipmates, stay well,  keep warm, and be careful with that white stuff called snow.

Cheers

Ralph