June 2010 Volume IV Issue I

USS PRICHETT DD-561 REUNION ASSOCIATION LOOK OUT

Prez Says WE ARE ON THE WEB

Good Day Shipmates and Friends, www.ussprichettdd561.org I think summer has finally arrived, hard to tell with all the rain and rising rivers we are having, but we have been enjoying it anyway. Sounds like a lot of you are doing some traveling and we plan on taking a trip this summer and take our granddaughter to Yellowstone. I’m not sure if it is granddaughter or Mary Ann looking forward to the trip the most. The information for all the reunion tours should be in your hands now and it looks like we will have a good time. If you haven’t made your reservations yet you need to get on the ball and get them in. At the reunion we will have more information for you for next year’s reunion so you can make your plans sooner. The board was slow getting it together this year; we will do better for next year. It’s alright to throw things at me (I have a preference for money). You still have time to track down other shipmates and sign them up to be eligible for the grand prize, was that $2.00 or $200? We want to see our group continue to grow; meet back up with old friends and make new ones. Besides, we could use some new sea stories! Some of you have heard that Mary Ann had some health problems but that is all taken care of. Her medications were just off track and made her act a little more unusual than normal. Her medications have been adjusted; she is doing fine and looking forward to the reunion. Some day this census work will be over and I will have more time to get things done, until then have a good summer and see you soon. Smooth Sailing!

Terry Crawford 618-259-3007 [email protected]

"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution is worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks." Samuel Adams

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE! This article was in the Jan., Feb., Mar., 2009 Tin Can Sailor paper . P a g e 2

Dear Editor:

I enjoyed reading the article about the sinking of a sub during the . It brought to mind another incident that involved the USS PRICHETT (DD-561) and the USS CUSHING (DD-797). I was on the PRICHETT, and we were escorting the Task Force 77 carriers when, during a course change of the fleet, the CUSHING was given permission to leave her station early and to plot a course to end up behind the carriers at the end of the course change so she would be on station for the launching of aircraft. The course change was given about 3:30 AM, and the fleet started the change of directions. Shortly after we began to turn, the CUSHING hit us on the starboard side and cut a gash about 35 to 40 feet long below the waterline. The CUSHING’s bow was hanging and threatening to break loose. We notified the fleet command and were ordered to head for Japan for repairs. They sent a to escort us, the CUSHING and PRICHETT, out of the area. The next day, however, we received word that the destroyer had been recalled to the fleet because the screen was three short. The destroyer left us, and the word was that a salvage tug was being dispatched from Japan to pick us up and escort us back. The next day, before the arrival of the tug, our sonar men picked up a contact that they identified as a sub and the information was relayed to the fleet. They sent back a message that none of our submarines were in the area, that it was an unknown sub, and to take whatever action we could. The captain sent back that we would commence a run on the sub and would drop depth charges. The disabled CUSHING could only make about five knots. We increased our speed as much as possible with the gash in the PRITCHETT’s side and made a run over the sub. We were running so slowly that, as we turned to make the second run, we lost the contact. We searched for awhile, then rejoined the CUSHING, and continued to Japan. Later we were joined by the tug. We entered the dry dock where they put a temporary patch over the gash, and we were ordered to rejoin the task force. We located a floating mine on the way back to the carriers and were told to keep it in sight until a was dispatched to join us. She was to destroy the mine. She came up and lined up her marines. After they had shot at the mine for quite some time with their rifles and were unable to destroy it, the cruiser resorted to her five inchers to blow it up. We continued on to the task force at flank speed, and the patch held. We finished the tour of duty and sailed for home completing, a ‘round-the-world’ cruise. The CUSHING’s bow was repaired in the ship yard, and she returned to Korea. Bill Stegall

SMOKY STOVALL HAS A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION Regarding Stegall's article, he and I have some differences in what we remember. I was in the after boiler room for 0400 to 0800 watch. I logged the collision in at 0409. At the time of the collision I immediately checked for damage. Our 10,000 gal. water tank was full and it should have only been half full. I took a salt test and we had pure salt water. We did not have a 35 to 40 foot gash in the side as I don't believe we would have stayed afloat. We had about a 3 foot gash in the forward engine room coming back into the after boiler room six foot. The tank held in the boiler room or I would not be sending this e-mail. In dry dock in Sasebo they permanently fixed our The watch crew on that fateful morning in damaged side before we went out again. That's all Feb 1953. Left to right—(hanging) Elmer I've got to say about that but that's my story and I'm Kennedy, Rudy Godinez, Rolly Gimple and sticking to it. Later…..Smoky Smoky Stovall. NOTE FROM VERNA STOVALL: Don and Maria P a g e 3 Calvin, Smoky and I met Terry and Mary Ann in Galena, IL the weekend of 16 May to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Jim and Charlotte Simms, who stood up with them at the wedding, were unable to attend. This picture was taken (by Verna Stovall) beside Grant's home where they stood when they were married ten years ago on 13 May.

Congratulations!! Bill and Carol Kramer celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary December 26, 2009. Sorry this announce- ment is a little late. I don’t have a photo to include this time, but would love to have “then and now” pictures to put in the next issue.

As Tommy Forcum would tell the story: In circa Jan 1958, on the way to Australia, at approximately 0015hrs, the Captain came on the “bitch box”: “THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!” About 15 minutes later, the Captain asked if anyone had seen Jack Lightfoot. After another 15 minutes “Secure from General Quarters.” was given. The next day, we found out that Lightfoot didn’t show up for mid-watch. He was found sleeping in the lifejacket locker. I think Jack made Seaman Recruit again!

L. Gualtieri writes: I was aboard the Prichett in 1953 and we stopped in Genova, Italy. We (me and Tony Competlo) went to meet my cousin who was a police officer in Forgia, Italy. To make a long story short: I understand a little Italian, but could not understand my cousin. However, Tony was my interpreter...HaHa! This was the first and last time I ever saw my first cousin Frank.

In all fairness to Bill Stegall’s recollection, (story on page 2) Smoky thinks Bill may have gotten his measurement from the ship when it was in for repair, as they had to cut out a large section to properly repair the ship. (photographer unknown) P a g e 4 April 19, 2010 Capitano di Vascello (Riserva) Salvatore (GO) Italy Dear Capitano di Vascello: I was pleased to note your letter as published in “Tin Can Sailor”. It was cited in a newsletter of the USS PRICHETT DD561 Reunion Association this month. I was Commanding Officer of the USS PRICHETT for 17 months from February 1963 to July 1964. I was fortunate in having the crew a talented damage control petty officer who took pleasure in ship repair. At his suggestion I bought a fine modern welding machine from the ship’s operating funds. He proceeded practically to rebuild the ship to overcome years of hard use. Many lapses of watertight integrity were corrected. He installed new hatch coamings to the engineering spaces and new gaskets on water tight doors and hatches. In some instances entire doors required replacement because of holes in them. In the meantime, our destroyer division was the screen for an Attack Carrier in the War. In later years, I was proud to see that ensuing inspections by survey teams found PRICHETT to be the only ship of her contemporaries in such good condition as to be held active while others were sent to scrap. I should be pleased to hear from you Sincerely, Corliss R. Nugent Commander, U.S. Navy (ret)

April 19, 2010 Dear Shipmates: I am grateful for the newsletter “LOOKOUT” although I have not been in touch with you for a long time. The letter from Capitano di Vascello Salvatore Pasco as shared by John Benoit was very interesting to me as indicated in my letter to the Capitano. I do hope his address as published will serve to reach him. I should be grateful to see my response to him in “LOOKOUT”. It might serve to new recollections of those times. Please enter me as a member, and I’ll send my contribution directly. Sincerely Corliss R. Nugent

May 23, 2010 Dear Ms Lucy; In my letter of April 19, 2010 to “Shipmates” I included a copy of my letter of that date to Capitano di Vas- cello (Riserva), Salvatore Pasco, Monfalcone (G0), Italy. My letter to the Capitano has been returned from Italy with the stamp as shown here. I no longer have the address of the TIN CAN SAILOR, and I request your help in researching any further directions for ad- dressing my letter to Salvatore Pasco. If you approve, I should be happy to see my letter recounting repair of Prichett by ship’s company in an issue of LOOKOUT. Your taking up the PRICHETT responsibilities is very pleasing to us all, I’m sure. Sincerely Corliss R. Nugent

Dear Sir...It is my pleasure to print your correspondence and indeed it has been a blessing to me to have the opportunity to be the editor of the newsletter for the USS Prichett Reunion Association. I am learning more history and “the rest of the story” so to speak, than I ever learned in school! I encourage more of our members to send me information, stories and photos about their experiences while aboard the Prichett. If I have too much information for one issue, I will make sure it makes the next one. I will try to track down a good address for the Capitano. In the meantime, the address for the Tin Can Sailor is: Tin Can Sailors PO Box 100 Somerset, MA 02726 Yours Truly, Lucy Forcum P a g e 5 TAPS Harold Fitch WWII / Plank-holder Marysville, WA Patricia (Pat) Harris Wife of Robert Harris Charleston, WV Anthony (Tony) Servidio Virginia Beach, VA

Hello...I am writing to notify you that my father, Harold Fitch who was a plank-holder on the USS Prichett 561, passed away at age 91 on February 9, 2010. He was so proud of serving on the Prichett and of his 8 years of service in the US Navy before and during WW II. In the last few months of his life, his conversation was mostly about serving in the Navy and about his ships. In 1944, he was aboard the USS Strong when it was sunk in the Kula Gulf. .Naval Station Everett, which is the homeport of the USS Abraham Lincoln, is very nearby and he loved to drive by to see what ships were in port. At his memorial, we had a Navy honor guard and we know that he would have been so proud of that Sincerely…..Carole Leigh Ingram Harold Fitch July 26, 1917 - February 9, 2010

To the world you might be one person; but to one person, you might be the world.

I regret to inform members of the Prichett Association that our former shipmate, Anthony (Tony) Servidio , BMC USN (Ret), passed away yesterday. 23 April 2010, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Tony ran the "nightshift" while at Boston Naval Shipyard during USS Henry W. Tucker’s (DDR 875) FRAM I overhaul in 1962. During the start of the Vietnam fracas, he Cox'nd the motor whale boat that took a landing party ashore somewhere along the RVN coastline. Several years later, when I took command of the Prichett (June 1966), I managed to have him transferred from the "Pineapple Fleet" to Prichett as a BM2, where he became the leading Bos'n on board. A real " hellraiser" on the beach, there was never a better or more competent sailor on board ship. He also ran the nightshift during Prichett's overhaul in Long Beach NSYD. Please disseminate this sad news to the former crew members of Tucker and Prichett. Many thanks. Paul E. Smith, CAPT USN (RET) P a g e 6 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION : Terry recently received this request for information. If anyone has anything they can share, please respond to Terry’s email or phone so that all info collected goes into his historical data files for the Association. Keith Shay writes / 31 May 2010: I’ve recently received some emails from Rob Wassem, son of Kenny (Pops) Wassem. Rob found my email address and asked me some questions about the Prichett and whether I remembered his dad. I replied indicating that I remembered his dad and that I would try to get together some materials to help in his search for information about his dad’s experience aboard the Prichett. I’m looking thru my materials to see what might be helpful to Rob. I believe his dad served from 1943-46 aboard the Prichett ( as did I). He was a gunner, I believe, but he may have been in the first or second division as a seaman (rather than in the gunnery division). Maybe you’ll have some info that both Rob and I would appreciate seeing. I do appreciate the work you do for all of us. Keep up the good work! Best regards

Request for T-Shirts: I had spoken to a few of the ladies last September in Maine about a project I wanted to undertake. I am in the process of putting together a t-shirt lap quilt representing the different places that we have visited for the reunions. I will be donating the quilt to be used as an auction item at the reunion in Michigan. Depending on the number of t- shirts I can collect and time permitting, I would like to have at least two ready to go this year. Thanks to Maria Calvin, Verna Stovall and Carol Benoit who have already sent me some to get started! Donations can be sent to: Lucy Forcum 2730 Johnson Grass San Antonio, TX 78251 If you have any questions about the project, you can email me or call me at 210-683-1712.

JIM KLOCK WRITES: Some of you will be shocked, stunned, amazed, flabbergasted, surprised, filled with wonderment, or any other form of emotion when you read the following: For the first 38 years of my life, I goofed around....Went to school, joined the Navy and saw the World. Visited 33 foreign countries and 49 states. Lived in Michigan, Ohio, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Japan, the , and several times in ...then stayed in California the next 38 years. Now Theresa and I are moving to Florida for the next 38 years. It's time for us to join the older generation and see how they live! We understand there are older people down there that we can observe and learn how to be "older". In the area we are moving to, there are, at last count, some thirty executive courses and nine full sized (eighteen hole) golf courses. Our house has an addition to the garage, a separate golf cart garage, complete with a golf cart! The very best to everyone...Good Health and good luck. I hope you find buried treasure in your yard or oil gushing from the ground. (Note from the editor: thanks a lot for putting the evil eye on us Gulf Coast residents. We now have the oil gushing thing going on!) To Bob Hawley: Never had time to plant Saint Joe upside down by the front door, there was a gecko who did not want his space invaded (a big gecko with nasty teeth). Hope they are more friendly in Florida!

CHANGE OF ADDRESS Jim Klock & Theresa Zalinski 549 Foxfield Path The Villages, FL 32162 NEW MEMBERS Neil B. Deriemer (Ens) 1034 Hershey Mill Rd. West Chester, PA 19380 [email protected] P a g e 7 On Sunday, 22 Mar 2010 while visiting Albuquerque, NM, Don and Maria Calvin ran into four members of the WWII Code Talkers. They were having their reunion. “Not many of them are still living” said Don. “We had a great conversation. One told me of some of his war experiences, especially Guadalcanal. We told them how proud and honored we were to meet them and thanked them for all that they did for our country. We owe them so much and it is a shame that it took so long for them to get the recognition that they deserve.” So, I decided to dedicate this issue to the Navajo and Apache Code Talkers, for it is because of their service that turned the course of the war and saved many American lives during WWII.

NAVAJO CODE TALKERS - THE CODE THAT WAS NEVER BROKEN Source: Department of the Navy "Navajo Code Talkers." Infoplease. © 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. 22 Apr. 2010 .

Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, : the Navajo code talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945. They served in all Marine divisions, transmitting messages by telephone and radio in their native language—a code that the Japanese never broke.

The idea to use Navajo for secure communications came from Philip Johnston, son of a missionary to the Navajos and one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Because it was an unwritten language of extreme complexity, it answered the military requirement for an undecipherable code.

When a code talker received a message, what he heard was a string of seemingly unrelated Navajo words. The code talker first had to translate each word into its English equivalent. Then he used only the first letter of the English equivalent in spelling. Thus, the Navajo words “wol-la-chee” (ant), “be-la-sana” (apple) and “tse-nill” (axe) all stood for the letter “a”. One way to say the word “Navy” in Navajo code would be “tsah (needle) wol-la-chee (ant) ah-keh-di- glini (victor) tsah-ah-dzoh (yucca).”

Not all words had to be spelled out letter by letter. Approximately 450 frequently used military terms that did not exist in the Navajo language were assigned a Navajo word. “Besh-lo” (iron fish) meant “submarine”, “dah-he-tih- hi” (hummingbird) meant “fighter plane” and debeh-li-zine” (black street) meant squad.

The Japanese, who were skilled code breakers, remained baffled by the Navajo language. The Japanese chief of intelligence, Lt Gen Seizo Arisue, said that while they were able to decipher the codes used by the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps, they never cracked the code used by the Marines.

Even after declassification of the code in 1968, it took many years before any official recognition was given. In 2001, nearly 60 years after they created their legendary code, the Navajo Code Talkers finally received well-deserved Congressional Medals of Honor.

The official website of the Navajo Code Talkers is www.navajocodetalkers.org

President George W. Bush honored Unidentified “Code Talkers” Photos taken by Don Calvin Navajo Code Talkers in July 2001. P a g e 8

Hope everyone is ready for a GREAT time in Romulus, MI. Don and Maria Calvin have really worked hard and put together an action packed week with plenty of time to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Here is the agenda so you can make your plans now!

Tuesday 9/14/10 Check in at Crown Plaza Hotel Romulus, Mi. Hospitality room opens. At 6:00 pm, FREE FOOD will be served in hospitality room. NOTE TO BOARD MEMBERS: Let’s plan on having a little side meeting, like we did last year, just to get our ducks in a row and make sure there are no loose ends

Wednesday 9/15/10 Depart hotel at 9:15 am Visit The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village Lunch on own at either place Return 4:15 pm 5:00 pm Members meeting in hospitality room.

Thursday 9/16/10 Depart hotel at 9:00 am City tour of Detroit, The Motor City Lunch on own at food court at G.M. Headquarters in Renaissance Center. Board the Detroit Princess Riverboat Diamond Jack for 2 hour cruise.. Return 4:00 pm

Friday 9/17/10 Free Day BANQUET: picture taking, raffle, auction, dinner, dance and cash bar. 5:00 pm to midnight (some have been known to keep the hospitality room open ‘til dawn!)

Saturday 9/17/10 Depart hotel at 8:30 am Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, MI for memorial Service honoring our departed shipmates. Tour the Edsel Ford Mansion and grounds. Lunch at Mansion. Return 4:30 pm

Sunday 9/18/10 Meet for breakfast. Hugs, Kisses, and farewell until next year. See You In ALBUQUERQUE Sept. 2011.

REMINDER TO ALL: Donations of items for auction/raffle are always appreciated. Keep transportation in mind: a lot of folks are flying, so large items can be difficult. All funds go right back into the Association! P a g e 9 Ahoy Shipmates! Mark your calendars and make your reservations NOW!!! WHAT: 21st Annual USS Prichett DD-561 Reunion WHO: Family, friends, shipmates WHEN: 14-19 September 2010 WHERE: Romulus, Michigan (only 1 ½ mile from Detroit Metro Airport, 20 mi to Detroit and Ann Arbor) Crowne Plaza Hotel 8000 Merriman Road Romulus, MI 48174 (734)-729-2600 The Crowne Plaza is a beautiful hotel and will provide our group with oversized rooms, free internet, 50 % off breakfast and free shuttle to and from airport. There is plenty of free parking, an in-house restaurant and lounge that serves good food, but other restaurants are nearby. Not all rooms have refrigerators, so if you need one for medicine or other reasons, notify the hotel when you are making your reservations along with any other special needs you may have (i.e. handicap room, need to be near elevator, etc). Rates are $89.00, with special rate available 3 days before and 3 days after reunion. Cutoff date for reservations at the blocked rate is 31 Aug 2010, so make your reservations ASAP.

CUT HERE AND SEND WITH PAYMENT Wed 15 Sep Henry Ford / Greenfield Village # people @ $54.00 pp

Thur 16 Sep City tour of Detroit The Motor City G.M. Headquarters in Renaissance center Cruise on Detroit Princess Riverboat Dia- mond Jack # people @ $44.00 pp

Fri 17 Sep Banquet # people @ $38.00 pp

Sat 18 Sep Great Lakes National Cemetery Edsel Ford Mansion and grounds Lunch at Mansion. # people @ $62.00 pp

Registration fee # people @ $10.00 pp

TOTAL

Drink request:______Any Special Needs:______Send payment to: Don Calvin 305 Columbus St Coatsburg, IL 62325 Make checks payable to: USS PRICHETT REUNION ASSOCIATION CUTOFF DATE FOR REGISTRATION IS 6 AUGUST 2010 USS PRICHETT DD-561 REUNION ASSOCIATION C/O LUCY FORCUM 2730 JOHNSON GRASS SAN ANTONIO, TX 78251

NAVIGANS OPPUGMANE THEY SAIL TO ATTACK FIRST CLASS MAIL

President Terry Crawford Vice Pres John Benoit Sec/Treas Don Calvin WWII Rep Leonard Beetstra Family Rep Verna Stovall Hon. Bd Mem Harry Galbraith Hon. Bd Mem Jim Simms If mailing label has a RED LINE , please send $35 contribution. Contributions are due Oct 1 2010 for membership 2010-2011. Please make checks payable to USS Prichett DD-561 & mail to: Don Calvin 305 Columbus St Coatsburg, IL 62325

USS PRICHETT DD561 REUNION ASSOCIATION*21ST ANNUAL REUNION*14-19 SEP 2010 Crown Plaza Hotel 8000 Merriman Rd Romulus, MI 48174 734-729-2600

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK: Well, last time I only had enough material for 6 pages and that was stretching it. But thanks to all who sent me material, I had MORE than enough. So I had to stop at 10 pages lest the newsletter became a book! I already have several stories in the works for the September issue, but would love to have more! As some of you may have heard, I took a little road trip in May with my faithful dog Cooper. Drove down to Florida to visit one of my kids. Stopped in Orange Park and was treated to dinner by Ted and Mitsuko Hallman. Then went to Springfield, VA to visit another kid. Spent a nice morning visiting with Jim and Ann Shealey (poor Ann was sick..better now I hope) and was treated to lunch. On my way home, I stopped in Lafayette, LA and spent the night with the Benoit’s. Yep, I got fed there too!!! I swear, I thought they were going to have to roll me to my car in a wheelbarrow! So, something to look forward to in the September issue: I got Carol’s SECRET recipe for those marvelous pralines. She gave me hands on instructions but I have not been able to duplicate them to the perfection that hers are. Also got the recipe for “to die for” baby back ribs (a John and Carol collaborative). The secret is in the sauce! (2 cans of beer!!) E.J. and Verna Olivier came over for the BBQ, so got to visit with them too. So, I will sign 30 for now and who knows, YOURS may be the next door I knock on when I get an itch to hit the road again! Sincerely and faithfully Lucy Forcum