Fall 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 10/12/2009 11:58 AM Page 1 OCTOBER ANCHOR NOVEMBER DECEMBER WATCH 2009 The Quarterly Journal of the Historic Naval Ships Association www.hnsa.org SNOOPY GETS DELIVERED Fall 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 10/12/2009 11:58 AM Page 2 2 ANCHOR WATCH HNSA STAFF HNSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS President Executive Director RADM John P. McLaughlin, U.S.S. Midway CDR Jeffrey S. Nilsson, U.S.N. (Ret.) Vice President Executive Director Emeritus Brad King, H.M.S. Belfast CAPT Channing M. Zucker, U.S.N. (Ret.) Secretary Executive Secretary LCDR Sherry Richardson, H.M.C.S. Sackville James W. Cheevers Treasurer Individual Member Program Manager COL Patrick J. Cunningham CDR Jeffrey S. Nilsson, U.S.N. (Ret.) Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park Anchor Watch Editor Immediate Past President Jason W. Hall William N. Tunnell, Jr., U.S.S Alabama Battleship New Jersey Museum Webmaster HONORARY DIRECTORS Richard S. Pekelney Admiral Thad W. Allen, U.S. Coast Guard Sean Connaughton, MARAD International Coordinator Admiral Michael G. Mullen, U.S. Navy Brad King Larry Ostola, Parks Canada H.M.S. Belfast Vice Admiral Drew Robertson, Royal Canadian Navy Admiral Sir Alan West, GCB DCD, Royal Navy DIRECTORS AT LARGE HNSA COMMITTEE Captain Terry Bragg CHAIRPERSONS U.S.S. North Carolina Captain Jack Casey, U.S.N. (Ret) U.S.S. Massachusetts Memorial Annual Conference Maury Drummond Ms. Angela McCleaf U.S.S. KIDD U.S.S. Texas Awards Alyce N. Guthrie PT Boats, Inc. James W. Cheevers United States Naval Academy Museum Terry Miller Communications Tin Can Sailors, Inc. Associate Member Representative Dr. John C. Fakan, U.S.S. Cod Curatorial CAPT F. W. "Rocco" Montesano, USN (Ret) Ms. Patricia J.Rogers U.S.S. Lexington Carnegie Science Center Richard S. Pekelney Education Individual Member Representative Ms. Karin Hill, The Navy Museum Timothy C. Rizzuto Insurance U.S.S. Slater COL Patrick J. Cunningham Buffalo Naval Park Patricia Rogers Carnegie Science Center Marketing Vacant James Schuck Membership U.S.S. New Jersey CDR Jeffrey S. Nilsson, U.S.N. (Ret.) William Sheridan Preservation U.S.S. Saratoga Museum Foundation Joseph W. Lombardi Ocean Technical Services Bruce Smith Submarines Port Columbus Civil War Naval Center William N. Tunnell, Jr. U.S.S. Alabama/U.S.S. Drum Matt Woods Intepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Fall 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 10/12/2009 11:58 AM Page 3 ANCHOR WATCH 3 THE ANCHOR WATCH TEAM CONTENTS FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, Jeffrey S. Nilsson...4 FALL 2009 U.S.S. JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, JR., Peter P. Papadakos...5 Executive Editor U.S.S. INTREPID...6 JEFFREY S. NILSSON NATIONAL VIETNAM WAR MUSEUM, Harry T. Scholer...7 Publisher ROBERT D. BOARD U.S.S. LING, Jay Levin ...7 Editor U.S.S. COD, Paul Farace...8 JASON W. HALL U.S.S. STEWART & U.S.S. CAVALLA, John McMichael...9 Battleship NEW JERSEY Museum 62 Battleship Place NEW & RENEWING HNSA MEMBERS...10 Camden, New Jersey 08103 U.S.A. Tel: 856-966-1652 ext. 201 U.S.S. PT-658, Shawn Eggert...11 [email protected] U.S.S. Little Rock, Jake May...11 Anchor Watch Editors Emeritus ROBERT A.WILLSON HNSA NEWS & VIEWS, Jeffrey S. Nilsson...12 ANNE E. McCARTHY B.A.P. ABTAO, Gustavo Barragan...13 D. DOUGLAS BUCHANAN, JR. EDITOR GONE A ROVING, Jason W. Hall...14 Proofreaders D. DOUGLAS BUCHANAN, JR. U.S.S. SALEM, Louis Wittig...16 JEFFREY S. CARY JEFFREY S. NILSSON U.S.S. SLATER, Timothy C. Rizzuto...16 SUSAN M. NILSSON U.S.S. CANON...17 Contributing Writers U.S.S. NEW JERSEY, Edward Colimore...18 GUSTAVO BARRAGAN EDWARD COLIMORE TRIVIA CHALLENGE, Terry Miller...19 SHAWN EGGERT PAUL FARACE JASON W. HALL JAY LEVIN The Anchor Watch in COLOR! JAKE MAY The Anchor Watch is now available in color on the JOHN MCMICHAEL HNSA website. To see this issue, and past issues, TERRY MILLER in full color, JEFFREY S. NILSSON visit:http://www.hnsa.org/anchorwatch/index.htm PETER P. PAPADAKOS TIMOTHY C. RIZZUTO HARRY T. SCHOLER LOUIS WITTIG THE COVER DISCLAIMER Articles represent the views of the authors Right: Delivery day of and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the SNOOPY to the Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA) destroyer U.S.S. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Mass. Fall 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 10/12/2009 11:58 AM Page 4 4 ANCHOR WATCH was appointed NATO’s eighth supreme allied commander. He later became commander-in-chief of the U.S. Atlantic FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Fleet. Admiral Cousins was 94 years old at his passing. BY JEFFREY S. NILSSON On May 27, 2009, the ex-Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg was sunk seven miles off Key West, Florida to create an artificial reef to attract recreational divers and fishermen. The ship is 523 feet long and the well placed explosives caused her to go to the bottom in less than two minutes. From the 1960s to the 1980s the ex-Vandenberg tracked spacecraft launches while she also played a big part in the Cold War. The Bob Hope commemorative stamp went on sale on May 29, 2009, which would have been his 106th birthday. Hope died at the age of 100 in 2003. The dedication ceremony n a hot summer day in August, the 22nd to be for the stamp was held on the aircraft carrier Midway. exact, I took a run over to the Amphibious Base at Hope had entertained troops twice aboard Midway, once in Little Creek, Virginia. I went to see how things 1972 and again in 1987. Owere coming along on the ex-Zuni/Tamaroa, a former seagoing tug/ATF. As the Tamaroa she was WMEC-166, while as Zuni she was ATF-95. I met Mrs. Shirley Jaeger in the wardroom of the ship and asked where I could find her husband, Harry. Shirley told me that he was up in the forward hold. Once I found him, for the next hour and a half Harry took me up and down ladders, into berthing spaces, engine rooms, storage rooms, the galley, the communication shack, the bridge, and just about every conceivable location on the ship. Before the tour was completed, I was soaking wet from perspiration, but I had seen every inch of the ship. What a thrill! We then sat in the wardroom and had a very nice lunch. The Zuni, even though she is a long way from being restored, has come a long way in that very tedious and time consuming process. Harry and Shirley have done nothing short of performing miracles. To all the folks who have had a hand in restoring Above: Son and daughter of Bob Hope, Kelly Hope (L) and ex-Zuni: BRAVO ZULU. In October the ship will celebrate Linda Hope (R), unveil the new stamp aboard the aircraft its 66th birthday. Again, Harry and Shirley, thank you! carrier Midway. (UPI Photo/Earl S. Cryer) The James River “Ghost Fleet” has been reduced by two On July 18, 2009, Buffalo & Erie County Naval & more ships: ex-Escape, a former rescue ship built in 1942, Military Park, home of ex-Little Rock, ex-The Sullivans, and ex-Cape Cod, a former destroyer tender built in 1980. ex-Croaker, and ex-PTF-17, hosted the reunion of the They are the 83rd and 84th ships to be removed from the Little Rock Veterans Association. Their special guest and “fleet” since 2001, according to Maritime Administration keynote speaker was the Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary statistics. The removal of these two ships brings the of the Navy. The Secretary had served aboard Little Rock remaining total to less than 30 ships. The Escape is the during 1971–1972. more famous of the two ships as she was involved with the Project Mercury manned space program in the 60s and was We also wish to welcome into the Historic Naval Ships awarded several medals for her service. Association family the following new Associate Members: Charles C. Deroko, Inc – Marine Surveyor, Consultant & We report, with sadness, that Admiral Ralph Wynne Licensed Captain of Brooklyn, New York, and The Cousins, USN (Ret) passed away on August 5, 2009. At Maritime Event Center of Seattle, WA. We also welcome the outbreak of WWII, he was stationed as an aviator Fleet Obsolete – a PT Boat preservation organization, as a aboard U.S.S. Lexington (CV-2). From June 15, 1960 to new Fleet Member. April 22, 1966, then Captain Cousins was the Commanding Officer of U.S.S. Midway (CV-41). In 1972, the Admiral Jeffrey S. Nilsson Fall 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 10/12/2009 11:58 AM Page 5 ANCHOR WATCH 5 NEWS FROM THE FLEET DELIVERY OF RARE SNOOPY DRONE U.S.S. JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, JR. (DD-850) BATTLESHIP COVE Fall River, Massachusetts , U.S.A. by Peter P. Papadakos Executive Director, Gyrodyne Foundation wonder how many of you remember the U.S.S. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850) in Fall QH-50 DASH weapon system from the River, Massachusetts. FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and IModernization) program of the early 1960s. From the time the crew of the Kennedy had For the World War II era Sumner- and picked up their QH-50C from the Army’s Gearing-class destroyers, FRAM was designed missile testing facility at White Sands Missile to give them another ten years of operational Range, NM, the Kennedy’s curator, Richard use.