Dedicated to the men who served on this great fighting ship! SeaSea PoacherPoacher AssociationAssociation Volume 7, Issue 3 • July 2009 Former 406 Skipper Reflects on His Time Aboard neighbor. Boca Chica was keeping his wife informed of what was 1951 – 1953 going on and she, in turn, relayed the latest to my wife. Each of us has unique recollections of our I must confess that it was not a smooth operation. We picked up past. The following are some of my memories of the blimp bow line while the blimp was still airborne. The crew on the the period from late July 1951 to August 1953, fantail secured the line on an after cleat. The line was then passed for- during which time I had the privilege and honor to ward to the bow capstan be the Commanding Officer of Sea Poacher. My where they tried to apologies, if it seems too much self oriented but, heave it in, not knowing for good or bad, that is how most of us view our it was secured aft. The W.R. Gibson personal history. You who are the creators and line broke and the blimp caretakers of the excellent Sea Poacher web site was loose again. About can edit or delete any of this material without complaints from me. that time a rainsquall Please use what ever adds or amplifies any material already contained came through and the in the history of the boat. weight of the water put the blimp in the water. There are five events that This time we got a good highlight my time as boss: The line bent on the blimp’s conversion period at Charleston line and were able to where she became a Guppy 1A, commence the tow. We the famous blimp event, the Med succeeded in spite of cruise, the times at Key West ourselves! when we provided services to ASW training and research and development, and the last – back The Med Deployment Our first stop was Malta for a NATO pre-op conference. We to Charleston for more repair moored alongside HMS Forth, a UK sub tender and got introduced on work. the how the Brits entertain their NATO pals. They’re very skillful in ply- I have pictures of the conver- ing a bit more of the liquid stuff than one should imbibe. Here’s a photo sion but there are quite enough of us, with Lionfish, entering Malta harbor. already on the web site. The Med tour began with the NATO operation that was impacted So, going on to the signature event, the Blimp escapade, here are with some lousy weather. After the operation we proceeded to Izmir, some details that may add to the existing information. Turkey for a port visit. In LIFE, the article was two page spread with top photo on the left. The main tour site was Ephesus, an ancient Greco-Roman city It is interesting to note that the article mentioned only the officers in the ca. 1 BC – 1 AD, noted in St. Paul’s letters to the Ephesians. Lots of blimp with no information about Sea Poacher. The reason, of course, ruins. is that the gas bag staff had a good PR group while the “silent service” Next came a visit to Athens and tours to the Acropolis, made little of the event. An interesting side note was that the blimp pilot was my next-door (Continued on Page Two) 2 USS Sea Poacher (SS406) Association Volume #7 Issue #3 (Continued from Page One) Membership Roll The following is a list of paid-up members. Are you on this list? If not, why not? LIFETIME MEMBERS Skipper Robert Abbott David Elmore J.J. Lynch Fred Socha Bob Acor Jack Ensminger John Mach John Sohl Charles Ahler Garl Eubank Tony Madsen Bill Sololoski Dewey Akins Frank Evans John Majzun Vincent Sottile Reminisces Paul Allers Buster Flaskas Ken Manion Richard Stickney Peter Amunrud Dante Fortini Mark Markham Marty Stokes Parthenon, and Corinth. Dave Andres Richard Fox Robert Matheny Chuck Strand Ted Anthony Ron Fraley Earl Matthews David Strunk After the port visits we Charles Auclair Harold Gall Jim McClanahan Tom Sugden had a chance to be a sub- George Axford Larry Garrett David McCollum Robert Sumner marine again with some Vernon Barnett Arthur Geddes T. McCommas Terry Tague Amelia Beers Jack Gentry Carl McCutcheon Chester Taylor Sixth Fleet exercises Harvey Benson Ed Gibbon Jim McNerney Ed Thompson where we practiced screen Carol Bergs Ron Godwin Jack Merrill Ron Thompson penetrations and simulat- Truman Bernhard Billy Gorsuch Ty Merritt T. Thompson Doug Bishop Jackie Graham Eddie Montz Richard Trench ed torpedo firing on Jim Blackmon Dave Green Joe Murdoch James Tryon destroyers and cruisers as Kenneth Bonnell John Greenville Anna Murphy John Tulodeski well as providing services George Boyargian Eugene Guibault Lester Murray Al Turbeville Bob Bradley Paul Gusler Joe Musgrave Tony Tuttobene to the aviation and surface Bill Brinkman Tom Haire Gary Nagle Ed Urban ASW forces. Leroy Broadbent Jim Halbert Jon Nagle Ed Voloka Jim Burgett Carl Hale John Nicholoy Don Waldrop Russ Burrows John Hallam Jack Nims Arne Weinfurter The next port visit was Frank Calderone Dave Harms Charles O’Baker Larry Weinfurter Naples. All who have made Alice Calvert Frances Heckroth James Ochs Ray Wengrzyn Med cruises experience the Dick Carney Bill Hellmer Paul Ogg James Weston Leo Carr Robert Henry Ron Patterson Don Wilkinson valuable opportunity of the Kent Carroll Marjorie Hickman Tom Polen Olin Williams tours to important and historic John Chaich Lucy Higley Jim Powers June Wyse places. Tours to Rome and Richard Clubb Dick Holtz Henry Primeaux Lanny Yeske Ralph Cobb Robert Horne Jean Rabuse Hope Young Pompeii were the favorites this Cal Cochrane Jerry Houchens Charles Rager Jerry Young visit. Leaving Naples we got a Lawrence Colwell Harry Huggins Dewey Reed Robert Young good view of Stromboli. Bill Cook Carol Humphries Larry Reiche Robert Cooley Rod Ihrig David Richter . James Cooney Hubert Jackson Mark Richwine The at-sea period following Naples was spent with a mini fleet Jerry Coutu Richard Jennison Luke Riley exercise and providing target services. We did get a few opportunities Bill Crismon Aronld Johnson David Ringland Jolene Darnold Gerald Joseph Robert Ritz to practice our professional skills in what submariners do best – pene- Carroll Davidson Ivan Joslin John Romeo trate a screen and attack the Richard Dempsey Mike Kassinger Salvatore Rosina main targets. Tom Deuley Allen Katen Robert Roth Floyd Dickerson David Keffeler Martin Ruch Betty Dickey Ken Kile Marcel Rull William Dietrich Terry Kleinweber John Saeli Christmas in William Donnelan Richard Laake John Savory Charles Donnelly Troy Law Herman Scallan Cannes! Merlyn Dorrheim Robert Lawrence Bob Schindhelm Prior to deployment Key John Dubbs Carroll Lawson Karl Schipper West, Navy families had col- Bill Dukacz Gail LeBlanc Ron Schnars lected clothing for us to take to Daniel Dybala Frank Lederer Russell Schondorf Richard Earl Ted Lee Donald Schwartz needy children in France. We Jack Easley Jim Lemerman William Sharp delivered the clothing and gave Daniel Eberhardt George Lockwood Harry Sherman a Joyeux Noel party to a group Fred Edwards John Love John Smith Leon Eggleston Jerry Loveless Rick Smock of orphans. Dick Elliott Nathan Lundy John Snook As all who serve know, Christmas is a tough time to be away from Bill Luttrell home, family and friends, but having a party for the less fortunate fills MEMBERS a lot of gaps. Ed Ashenden Bill Buckley Ernest Fontes John O’Grady Sea Poacher also made the local English language paper. Robert Atkins Richard Carlson Robert Ford Charles Peppler Quitman Bardwell Don Cipra William Gibson Clyde Riggar Russ Bauer Billie Cowart Carl Headland Bennie Sheldon Nice-Matin Richard Bernotiet James Deming Wayne Holmgren Charles Summitt Mike Birck Ray Dicare Jim Keir Glen Suttle Dimanche 28 Decembre Stanley Bissen William Dougherty Ray Krivascy Jim Thompson Tours, again were very popular. While the Cote D’Azure is excit- Clyde Boley Elwood Erickson Peter McCormack Lee Yonts If your name does not appear here . Why not??? Please help support your association!!!! Dues are $10 per year or $100 for a life membership. Please make check payable to “Sea Poacher Association” (Continued on Page Seven) and Mail to: Bill Brinkman, 4500 Tiffany Nicole St., Round Rock, TX 78664-9466 Volume #7 Issue #4 U.S.S. Sea Poacher (SS406) Association 3 From the Special Projects Treasurer: Officer Hubert Jackson Lanny Yeske EM 67-69 LT 61-63 [email protected] [email protected] April 1, 2009 Beginning Balance in the following funds was: Jack Merrill and I are finishing a 52 page bound 2009 ADDEN- Memorial Fund 550.00 DUM to the WE REMEMBER SEA POACHER BOOK, that fits nicely Humanitarian Fund - 1235.00 inside the back cover of the original book. It has over 80 color photos General Fund - 25218.28 and includes in detail our March 2009 Sea Poacher Trekker's travel Bank Balance - (General+Hum+Mem) 27003.28 to Peru, and the disposition and fate of our boat which was not scrapped and still exists. The hull has been viewed and visited by for- April/2009 Debit Activity: mer sailors, but we cannot bring it back or do anything with it. That Check# 158 for news letter expenses - 380.00 should capture your interest. The ADDENDUM includes our first Check# 159 for postage, supplies and dinner expenses release of several color photos of the Sea Poacher Hull, satellite for 11 Peruvians - 438.82 imagery, a chart, and what we surmise happened to our boat. Total Debits - 818.82 You are going to want to read and put this ADDENDUM in your hard cover book, and also in the copies of the book you gave as gifts April/2009 Deposit Activity: to others.