A newsletter exclusively for former USS YANCEY SAILORS YANCEY MEMORIES

Volume 6, Issue 4 November 2002

Special Points of Interest 2002 CHARLESTON REUNION —GREAT • Read all about the 2002 reunion in Charleston in our cover story. You missed a Twenty-nine former visit after getting settled homes along the Battery, good one if you weren’t there. sailors of the USS into their rooms. At 5:00 Rainbow Row, magnifi- Yancey and twenty-two of P.M. a reception was cent public buildings and • If you want to see who at- their guests had a fabu- held to welcome all to the churches and other tended the reunion, turn to lous time in the charming reunion and to introduce points of interest. A favor- page two for a list. city of Charleston, SC the new arrivals to one ite stop, especially for the during the November 7- another. The evening ladies, was the Market in • Coordinator George Clifton 10 reunion. The Radisson was free to have dinner the downtown area. Many has a welcoming article on page two. North Charleston was the with old friends and newly took advantage of the host facility for the sev- acquainted arrivals. The multitude of jewelry, • WELCOME MAT on page enth reunion of the group. hospitality room became crafts and souvenirs three has 12 newly located We just wish everyone a popular meeting area to available there. After shipmates. could have been there to discuss lives and remi- lunch it was off to Boone join in the fun and fellow- nisce about the days Hall Plantation for a tour • MAIL CALL begins on page ship. gone by. of the house and grounds three and has some great stories! Remember Bosun Shipmates and guests The Charleston Day of the beautiful old home L? began arriving on Thurs- tour left at 9:00 A.M. on used in the movie North day for registration which Friday for those choosing and South. After returning • The History of the USS started at noon. The hos- to participate. The fully to the hotel in the after- Yancey continues on page pitality room also opened narrated riding tour of noon and having time for six. at that time and gave the Charleston took the a short rest, the social reunion goers a place to group by the lovely (Continued on page 2) VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4 YANCEY MEMORIES PAGE 2

(Continued from page 1) and renewed. hour began at 6:00 P.M. Dinner at Sunday morning brought the 2002 REUNION 7:00 was served in the atrium of the reunion to an official ending, as hotel, which was a perfect setting for those still remaining enjoyed one ATTENDEES the Plantation buffet. Dinner was last meal together before heading Norman & Connie Boyd followed by entertainment by Bonnie back to their homes and present Richey Brunskill Earle. Ms. Earle is an “Artist in Resi- day lives. The reunion was over, Kenneth & Connie Chester dence” in SC and entertains with but its memory will live on in the Richard & Jackie Chester Low Country music and legends. hearts and minds of all who at- David & Blanche Chestnut Her music was enjoyed by all. tended. We hope you will be able George Clifton Saturday was a big day! A visit to to join everyone next year in Cor- Robert & Pat Dinwiddle Patriot’s Point was the highlight of pus Christi, TX. Make an effort to James & Verna Ford the reunion for many of the “old” attend. You won’t regret it! Jerry & Carol Goforth sailors. They saw the Aircraft Carrier ______Kenneth Groom Yorktown, the famous fighting lady Ulysis & Jean Harmon of WWII; the destroyer Laffey; the FINANCIAL STATEMENT Johnnie & Fay Johnson submarine Clamagore; and the Balance remaining after 07/02 issue Duane & Betty Malme Coast Guard Cutter Ingham. Lunch $415.03 Fred & Florence Matherne was aboard the Yorktown in the Douglas Mayo CPO Mess. After lunch the group Funds received since 07/02 issue Clifford McCune was taken aboard the General $40.00 Rufus Meadows & Lydia Gracia Beauregard out to Fort Sumter Joel & Marjorie Newman where rangers from the Park Ser- Funds available for 11/02 issue Harold & Jo Donna O’Leary vice gave information about the fa- $455.03 Michael & Ginny O’Leary mous bastion and its museum. Dur- Grady Pentecost & Tony Purmort ing the 20-minute cruise to the fort, Funds expended for 11/02 issue Delbert & Doris Perry Charleston’s harbor and the battery $231.40 Henry & Marilyn Pohlmann were in view, while “thousands!” of Philip & Mary Sara sea gulls came along for the ride, Remaining balance Lawrence & Helen Tedesco begging for a handout. $223.63 Ernest & Mary Ann Todd The business meeting was held James Way when the tour returned to the hotel A NEWSLETTER EXCLUSIVELY FOR Ray & Mary Wilson in the afternoon. Suggestions for the FORMER USS YANCEY SAILORS James Young site for the 2004 reunion were dis- cussed. , CA or Long Military Locator & Reunion Service, Inc PO Drawer 11399 Total Members: 29 Beach, CA were the two localities which will be voted on at the 2003 Hickory, NC 28603 828-256-6008 (voice) Guests: 22 reunion in Corpus Christi, TX. 828-256-6559 (Fax) George Clifton will be the coordina- [email protected] (e-mail) GRAND TOTAL: 51 tor of the group for the next year. [email protected] (Newsletter e-mail) ______The festivities for the Saturday www.mlrsinc.com night banquet began with a pre- “Our Reunions Work So You don’t Have To” dinner cocktail hour and photo ses- sion for the Sentimental Journal, a post reunion book which will be for WELCOME ABOARD FROM GEORGE CLIFTON sale later in the year. Dressed in their finest, everyone looked “ship- I want to welcome all shipmates hesitant because they aren’t sure shape” for the more formal setting aboard that I was able to track down someone they were aboard with will of the banquet. Following the dinner, and hope you enjoyed the reunion be there. I can understand that be- the group was delighted by a film of in Charleston if you are one who cause I felt the same way. But I can the USS Yancey brought in by Chief made it there. I also want to encour- tell you that the shipmates at these Groom. Also after dinner was the age anyone who hasn’t made it to reunions (and their wives) are a memorial service held in remem- one of the reunions to make an ef- great group and make everyone feel brance of all shipmates who had fort to attend the next one in Corpus welcome and we have a great time. died or whose deaths were learned Christi. Since our first reunion in After all, we do all have something of since the last reunion. The night Norfolk in 1995, I have only missed in common—the Yancey. ended with lots of stories being told one and I hope to never miss one and many friendships being made again. I know people are sometimes George Clifton VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4 YANCEY MEMORIES PAGE 3 Lewis Daniels (1965) FN A Gang TAPS 313 Keeling St Veedersburg, IN 47987 765-294-4595

Jadie Ates (1964-67) MAIL CALL The Yancey Memories was noti- 1515 Cunningham Rd fied of the following shipmates’ Columbia, MO 65203 Yancey Story: deaths. Our deepest sympathy is 573-445-3910 extended to the families of the de- [email protected] In the last issue, Jim Way, in ceased. Anyone who knows of a recounting his story of his liberty deceased shipmate, or learns of Charles Tarpley party returning to the ship in the one, please notify ML & RS, Inc so 1 East View Cir “M” boat and the sailors throwing their names can be included in Greensboro, GA 30642 the hats overboard, reminded me TAPS and be added to the Honor of a liberty party returning on the Roll. Douglas Mayo (1964-67) Boat Div “M” boat in Sasebo. 6445 A S Florida When the Yancey was doing a Ralph Wayne Hovey Lakeland, FL 33813 6 months tour on station in Sa- Died July 16, 2002 813-967-4083 sebo in ‘52-’53, I was one of the duty LCM coxswains. I considered Stan A. Mallory James “Sparkie” Sparkman that was the best job I had while in Date of death not known (1951-52) EM3/c E Div the Navy. Among other things, be- 1773 CR 2700 ing a coxswain of an “M” boat Mineola, TX 75773-4921 gave one a feeling of superiority, 903-569-9225 especially when using it as liberty [email protected] launch. Most of the other ships in the YNC (AW) Eugene Watson USN(Ret) harbor at Sasebo were ships of WELCOME MAT (1965-66) YN2 the line and, of course, their [email protected] launches were the low gunnels The following shipmates have variety. As you remember, during been located since the last news- Thomas Constantinovich (1951) HN this time frame, we didn’t have letter. Welcome Aboard! We hope 6480 Millcreek Rd overnight liberty and the last lib- to see you at the next reunion. Youngstown, OH 44512 erty party pick up was at 2330. You are invited to become an ac- 330-758-3844 This meant that Fleet Landing was tive member of the association. a large jockeying mass of boats Stephen Mann trying to reach the landing floats at Charles Williams (1955) GM3 3457 Idlewild Rd the same time. This is where the 207 Brown Rd Burlington, KY 41005 advantage of having an LCM as a Simpsonville, SC 29681 859-586-6491 liberty boat pays off. Being the ______largest boat there and having twin Leland “Pipe” Piper engines for maneuverability, plus (1953-55) BM1/c 1st Deck the fact that the “M” boat’s ex- P.O. Box 1325 hausts were at about the same Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 NEWSLETTER level as the gunnels on the other 337-332-2033 launches, assured that everyone SCHEDULE got out of the way when they saw John Mewis SM1 the boat coming. Diesel exhaust 8460 Hope Ct The Yancey Memories will re- on dress whites does not go to- Thornton, CO 80631 sume its regular schedule in Janu- gether. 303-288-0422 ary of 2003. The newsletter was Anyway, being the last liberty [email protected] one month off schedule this time run on this particular night, the because we wanted to wait until the boat was nearly full in the well Bruce Proctor (Recomm-1964) reunion was over so all the informa- deck and the deck around the cox- 729 Omak Cir tion from it could be published in the swain’s station was loaded with Las Vegas, NV 89107 fall edition. chiefs and officers. Of course, 702-870-7972 ______regulations required that all pas- [email protected] sengers be in the well deck while

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4 YANCEY MEMORIES PAGE 4

(Continued from page 3) usage has somewhat expanded the Do you? (By; Greg Peterman USN underway. You can imagine how original definition so that today, the Retired) easy it was encouraging chiefs and end of any line, secured to bitts or If you did not keep yours and if officers who were feeling no pain to not, is called a bitter end. The land- you would like to buy a copy it is join a well deck full of highly inebri- lubbing phrases “stick to the bitter available from Amazon.com. Type ated sailors! end” and “faithful to the bitter end” in Bluejackets Manual in the search It was a particularly dark night, are derivations of this term, and refer area and you should find listed sev- overcast and rainy. And as those of to anyone who insists on adhering to eral different editions and some in you who were there at the time re- a course of action without regard to hardcover. I bought a used copy so member there was a small island in consequences. that on my bookshelf it would look the middle of the harbor with a blink- like I had saved mine from boot ing light. Near the island on the port Ever wonder where the term camp. Actually I did not get a copy side outbound there was a mooring “Bridge” came from? As ships when I was in boot camp so I will buoy. The was coming in at a passed to steam and orders could be study my manual and see if I knew good clip, which was probably fortu- given by remote methods such as what I was doing when I was in the nate because the buoy was slanted the engine-order telegraph, a small Navy. toward the oncoming boat. Not see- control deck with an enclosed pilot ing the buoy while watching the is- house was constructed above the Ever dropped a tool in a bilge land led to a glancing blow off the main deck of the ship in front of the and had to retrieve it? “Bilge” is Old buoy with the boat. This took care of funnel, usually reaching from side to English in origin, and is a variation the standing passengers on the top side and thus ’bridging’ the main on “bulge.” Where the ship bulged deck of the boat. Most, if not all, deck. It became the term used to de- most was at its bottom, where sea ended up in the well deck. Fortu- scribe the place where the Captain water seeped in and became stag- nately, no one was injured and no steered the ship from and gave his nant and foul, mixing with dripping one fell overboard. orders. water and ‘slops’ from the upper This quieted all the ruckus on decks. Pumping out the bilges was board. Surprisingly, I never heard any Ever wonder how the Quarter- a smelly, very disagreeable chore, complaints. deck got its name? In very early Eng- and the term thus became used to Does anyone remember the lish ships, a small religious shrine describe anything unpleasant or night? was set up there, and every man go- unbelievable. ing by would take off his hat in re- David Chestnut spect or salute it as he passed. This Port or starboard? Ever wonder ______was the origin for saluting the Quar- where those terms come from? Be- ter-deck which still persists today. It fore the rudder was invented, sail- Hello Shipmates, also became the place where the ing ships were guided by a large Ever wonder why the eagle on men were gathered to muster and oar or “steering board” set towards your Crow/Devices faces front? For receive orders from the officers up the stern of the ship, usually on the many years the Navy specified modi- on the raised (or “poop”) deck in the right side. To avoid damage from fied forms of the Napoleonic Eagle in stern area. This was also the origin the dock or pier, the ship was tied the devices and insignia used to dis- of the “Watch, Quarter, and Station up on its left side while the ship tinguish the various ranks and ratings Bill, “ and also the origin of “Beat to was in port. Thus the left side of the of enlisted men and officers. This ea- Quarters,” when drums were used to ship became the “port” side, and gle was usually cast, stamped or em- summon the crew to battle stations. the right the “star board.” This soon broidered facing left. Why the Napo- became known as the “starboard” leonic eagle faced left is unknown. In Bluejacket’s Manual celebrates its and designated the right-hand side 1941 the Navy changed the eagles to 100th year! Students in training at of the ship. follow the heraldic rules, facing right the Great Lakes Service School When in port, the vessel would toward the wearer’s sword arm. This Command’s Seamanship Training tie up on its left side, away form the rule continues to apply, and the eagle Division became part of Naval history steering oar, thus becoming known now faces the front or the wearer’s as they observed the 100th anniver- as the “port” side. right. sary of the Navy’s Bluejacket’s Man- Submitted by George Rohrman ual. The first Bluejacket’s Manual ______To the bitter end? The Bitter End was printed in 1902 and authored by is a turn of a line around a bitt, those Lieutenant Ridley McLean. By World THE IDENTITY OF BOSUN “L” wooden or iron posts sticking through War I, the Bluejacket’s Manual was a ship’s deck, is called a bitter. Thus, issued to every recruit in boot camp, I wrote the story titled “Looking the last of the line secured to the bitts a tradition that has continued to this for ‘L’ in All the Wrong Places” a is known as the bitter end. Nautical day. I still have my Boot Camp copy. year ago in the January issue. I did VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4 YANCEY MEMORIES PAGE 5

(Continued from page 4) battleship on chest on me for liberty?” How could you not identify Bosun L, and will not, I remember he liked to show his refuse when only 25 cents pre- but I would like to point out some of expertise with a knife and also his vented him from going on liberty. his characteristics. I am sure there ‘sidearm’ (45 cal. pistol) when he Later, I realized that there were are shipmates that remember more was on duty. I was told the clever (or something like 200 sailors aboard details than I remember as well as is it cleaver) manipulation of the knife and if he only contacted half of what I have been told. was accidentally found its way into them, he was $25 ahead. I did say I think the best way to describe someone’s leg. Also, he tried to imi- he was thrifty. him is that he was sort of like Jack tate a western movie in the Galley Nicholson, the actor, in the movie when the 45 went off while he was SHIP’S LAUNDRY FACILITIES “The Last Detail.” You know, he had twirling it on his finger. The shell did a permanent devilish grin. He al- some bouncing around in the galley Recently I was surfing the web ways wore tailor made dungarees before hitting the overhead and and came across this item. Several with a wide leather belt. He had a glancing off of the large copper ket- ex-sailors were polled about the tanned and leathery appearance tles before it came to rest. type of laundry facilities they had on and also wore a tailor made dress He knew his seamanship and their ships. They fell into the follow- uniform. On his slim hips he had his could do all of the special rope work ing categories: favorite Bosun knife strapped to his such as “Turk’s” head, monkey fist side. and the special braiding that was 1. Dirty laundry is thrown in a com- One of his famous reveille calls used on the railing around the quar- munity bin, the ship servicemen he liked to use when he had the terdeck. He had wore the same rank pick it up, it comes back and 4:00 am to 8:00 am quarter deck several times up and down the pay people on duty sort it and put it watch is shown below. He could scale. on each individual’s bunk. The pipe the “all hands” with his Bosun Can some shipmate add to the Yancey was similar to this, but pipe with a sound so sweet that I above description? Let’s hear from we sorted our own as I remem- can remember it today. His own you. ber it. My second ship, a carrier, words after piping were: followed the above method. BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A 2. Restricted washing: Clothes “Wakie, wakie rise and shine DIME washed in salt water and rinsed you have had yours and I’ve had I will have to disguise the identity with fresh water. mine. of this individual to protect the inno- 3. Washing with salt water only, cent. I will call him Gunner E. Gunner folded wrong side out causing The cooks are in the Galley burning E came on board the Yancey about the clothes to stick. the stew the same time I did. He was a very 4. All clothes thrown in a big net, So heave out, leap out, lash up and likable sailor and made friends eas- tied to a line and thrown over turn to. ily. I would describe him as thrifty the side and towed for a given and sharing with others. Thrifty? time. In event the line breaks, Sweepers man your brooms, clean Well, he was the kind of guy that you wear shorts for 3 days and sweep down to and froe probably bought irregular under- then turn the shorts wrong side Get the corners as you go. wear—but you can’t fault him for out for another 3 days. Didn’t that. He did have some characteris- say what you did on the 7th I purposely left out one line so as tics that separated him from the run day—maybe stayed in your not to offend anyone. Also I proba- of the mill. For example, during bunk. bly have the sequence of the lines abandon ship drill, at sea, he could mixed up, but that is the best I can sleep standing up staying in tune All the above material was sent in remember after a half of a century. with the roll and pitch of the ship. At by: Maybe some of my shipmates can the time I could not identify the rea- fill some lines in for me. son for this unusual physical attrib- Ken Groom—Yancey Historian I am told by others that they have ute—but in the passing years I deter- 2505 South 250th Place counted up to 25 tattos on Bosun “L” mined by unshakable evidence that Kent, WA 98032 and I can verify some. They include: his center of gravity was somewhere 206-824-4708 near his knees. [email protected] “True Love” on fingers Another trait of his was that he ______ships screws on lower cheeks was quite often without funds to en- babes on forearm joy his liberty. He soon discovered a lip print on a ‘special spot’ system of leverage where he would the words “sweet & sour” pop his head into our office door and blue birds say, “Hey, could you chunk a quarter VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4 YANCEY MEMORIES PAGE 6 USS YANCEY HISTORY Continued from last issues

Yancey entered Tokyo Bay on assignment. The following day, the United States and headed for the the morning of 2 September, the Yancey rode out a with 130 war zone—the attack cargo ship re- day Japan signed the formal arti- fathoms of chain on deck, a second ceived her orders to proceed to the cles of surrender on the deck of anchor ready to go, and steam at the east coast of the United States for the battleship Missouri (RB-63), throttle. On the 11th, the rest of her duty with the Service , Atlantic anchored there. Shortly after the squadron hoisted “homeward bound” Fleet. The ship’s captain, Comdr. conclusion of those ceremonies, pennants and headed for home, leav- Rice, had the orders read over the the attack cargo ship headed into ing Yancey to celebrate the first anni- ship’s public address system. As a harbor, the third ship in versary of her commissioning an- Yancey sailor recorded, “the re- her squadron to enter that port chored in Hiro Wan, Japan, “waiting sponse left no doubt that all hands and the first to start unloading. orders.” were satisfied.” The ship completed her unloading On 15 October, Yancey got under- After embarking a capacity load of in 19 hours and then proceeded to way for the . She drew re- Army and Navy men returning to the an anchorage off Yokohama. placement boats at Subic Bay and United States for discharge, Yancey TransRon 16 proceeded to sea stopped at for logistics before left Manila harbor on 27 November. on 4 September and steamed via she sailed for French Indochina. En Streaming a homeward-bound pen- to Zamboanga. There, route to , the ship’s force nant 310 feet long and adorned with they commenced loading ele- readied the attack cargo vessel to re- 27 stars, Yancey headed for home. ments of the Army’s 41st Infantry ceive her next passengers, Chinese Reaching Balboa, Panama Canal Division on the 18th. Completing troops. Zone, on the last day of the year—via that process on the 18th, Yancey Assigned to Task Unit (TU) 78.6.7, Pearl Harbor (where the ship fueled and her sisters shifted soon there- Yancey reached Doson, French Indo- and received boiler repairs) and with after to Bugo, , where china, on 2 November. However, em- Navy passengers embarked (the she picked up Army LCM’s. Ulti- barkation of the men of the 471st Army had been put ashore at Pearl mately, TG 54.28, of which Regiment, 62nd Chinese Army, did Harbor)—Yancey was the last ship to Yancey was a part, assembled in not begin for 11 days. The delay per- transit the Panama Canal in 1945. Leyte Gulf on the 21st. The follow- mitted both officers and men from Six days into the new year, 1946, ing day, all ships weighed anchor Yancey to see the local sites ashore. Yancey cleared Cristobal, Canal and headed for the Inland Sea of On the 13th, Yancey brought on Zone, bound for . After a Japan. board by boat 1,027 officers and men brief stop at , the attack Due to minesweeping difficul- and one interpreter. The next day, the cargo ship proceeded on, via Jack- ties, however, the landings sched- task unit-three attack transports sonville, Fla., to Norfolk, where she uled for the Kure- area (APA’s) and Yancey stood out for arrived on 29 January. Less than a were postponed; and the task Takao, Formosa. month later, on 27 February, Yancey group sailed instead for Buckner The trip, as recorded by Yancey sailed farther north and reached the Bay, Okinawa. On 23 September, commanders, was uneventful, except Philadelphia Naval Shipyard the fol- the ship put to sea to evade a ty- for rough weather which caused the lowing day. phoon. On 1 October, she re- Chinese to suffer numerous cases of Over the next few months, Yancey turned and anchored in Buckner seasickness. Regular Chinese Army underwent a regular overhaul there Bay. Two days later, Yancey rations-tea and rice-were served twice and then operated off the eastern again headed for Japanese waters a day, augmented by that staple, the seaboard and into the western Atlan- and entered Bungo Suido on the “C” ration. North of Takao, on the tic. During that time, she called at 5th, beginning the long, difficult 18th, TU 78.6.7 dropped anchor. By Bayonne, N.J.; ; San Juan, passage up the Inland Sea along 1700 that day, the disembarking was ; Guantanamo Bay, the channel swept through the complete. The Chinese had cooper- ; Balboa, Canal Zone; Jackson- mine-fields. The next morning— ated fully during the trip, and one ville, Fla; and made return calls at after spending the night anchored Yancey sailor observed that they Norfolk, Bayonne, and Bermuda. In in the cleared channel—Yancey seemed “most appreciative of what addition, the ship visited the New headed for Hiro Wan, where the little could be done to make them York Naval Shipyard and Davisville, landings were made. comfortable.” R.I., before being assigned tenta- The ship completed her The following day, 18 November, tively to TF 68 effective on 9 Novem- unloading in 48 hours. On 9 Octo- Yancey proceeded to Manila to await ber. ber, she detached from TransRon further orders. On 25 November ex- 16 and reported to CinCPac for actly one year after the ship had left To be continued next issue.