Dedicated to the men who served on this great fighting ship! Volume 7, IssueSeaSea 2 PoacherPoacher • AssociationAssociation April 2009 Posing in front of the Submarine School in Callao, Peru is the entire group of trekkers including the Peruvians, who extended a very warm welcome to the USS Sea Poacher crew and their wives. A better, more wonderful trip could not have been imagined. Sea Poacher Peru Trekkers Return with a Lifetime of Memories sights in our travels. The eighteen travellers were Bill Brinkman, EM 60-62; Richard & Nancy Clubb, QM 62-63; Cal Cochrane ,MM 55-56 and his son-in-law, Vince Sottile; Arnold Johnson, EM 62-63; Ivan From the Joslin, LT 60-63; John & Sharon Love, ET 58-61; Jack & Sandra Merrill, TM 61-63; Joe & Stella Murdoch, ET 62-63; Don Schwartz , TM President: 54-55; Larry & Arlene Weinfurter, MM 62-65; and Lanny Yeske and Bill Brinkman Fran Zimmerman,LTjg 61-63. But the best part of our journey was the dinner Sunday night, [email protected] March 8 with nine Peruvian Navy officers and their wives and the all day tour and get-together with the Peruvian Navy at their Callao, Peru All eighteen of us who visited Peru are still on an emotional high. base on March 9. We experienced many wonderful events and saw many beautiful (Continued on Page Two) 2 USS Sea Poacher (SS406) Association Volume #7 Issue #2 (Continued from Page One) The followingMembership is a list of paid-up members. Are you on Rollthis list? If not, why not? LIFETIME MEMBERS Robert Abbott Daniel Eberhardt Troy Law John Romeo Peru Trip Bob Acor Fred Edwards Robert Lawrence Salvatore Rosina Charles Ahler Leon Eggleston Carroll Lawson Robert Roth Dewey Akins Dick Elliott Gail LeBlanc Martin Ruch Paul Allers David Elmore Frank Lederer Marcel Rull Peter Amunrud Jack Ensminger Ted Lee John Savory Dave Andres Garl Eubank Jim Lemerman Herman Scallan Ted Anthony Frank Evans George Lockwood Bob Schindhelm Charles Auclair Buster Flaskas John Love Karl Schipper George Axford Dante Fortini Jerry Loveless Ron Schnars Vernon Barnett Richard Fox Nathan Lundy Russell Schondorf Amelia Beers Ron Fraley Bill Luttrell Donald Schwartz Harvey Benson Harold Gall J.J. Lynch William Sharp Carol Bergs Larry Garrett John Mach Harry Sherman Truman Bernhard Arthur Geddes Tony Madsen John Smith Doug Bishop Jack Gentry John Majzun Rick Smock Jim Blackmon Ed Gibbon Ken Manion John Snook Kenneth Bonnell Ron Godwin Mark Markham Fred Socha Bob Bradley Billy Gorsuch Robert Matheny Bill Sololoski Bill Brinkman Jackie Graham Earl Matthews Richard Stickney Leroy Broadbent Dave Green Jim McClanahan Marty Stokes Jim Burgett John Greenville David McCollum Chuck Strand Captain Thornberry greets the newly arrived Sea Russ Burrows Eugene Guibault T. McCommas David Strunk Poacher trekkers to the Peruvian Submarine Base in Frank Calderone Paul Gusler Carl McCutcheon Tom Sugden Callao, Peru. Alice Calvert Tom Haire Jack Merrill Robert Sumner Dick Carney Jim Halbert Ty Merritt Terry Tague Leo Carr Carl Hale Eddie Montz Chester Taylor Lanny Yeske had been in contact with several Peruvian Officers Kent Carroll John Hallam Joe Murdoch Ed Thompson since June 2008 working on the details of when and where to meet John Chaich Dave Harms William Murphy Ron Thompson Richard Clubb Frances Heckroth Lester Murray T. Thompson with them. But after our tour and get together with them, we realized Ralph Cobb Bill Hellmer Joe Musgrave Richard Trench that as much as we wanted to visit with them and meet them, that it Cal Cochrane Robert Henry Gary Nagle James Tryon was now apparent that they wanted to meet us and were well prepared Lawrence Colwell Marjorie Hickman Jon Nagle John Tulodeski Bill Cook Lucy Higley John Nicholoy Al Turbeville for us. Robert Cooley Dick Holtz Jack Nims Tony Tuttobene Briefly, let me tell you that we all have many pictures, videos and James Cooney Robert Horne Charles O’Baker Ed Urban stories to tell and that we are in the process of making an Addendum Jerry Coutu Jerry Houchens James Ochs Ed Voloka Bill Crismon Harry Huggins Paul Ogg Don Waldrop to our Sea Poacher book which will document our visit to the Peruvian Jolene Darnold Carol Humphries Ron Patterson Arne Weinfurter Navy. Richard Dempsey Rod Ihrig Tom Polen Larry Weinfurter Also, one of the honors rendered by the Peruvian Navy is to make Tom Deuley Hubert Jackson Jim Powers Ray Wengrzyn Betty Dickey Richard Jennison Henry Primeaux James Weston the USS Sea Poacher Association one of their official associations William Dietrich Aronld Johnson Jean Rabuse Don Wilkinson (such as their retired Enlisted, Retired Chiefs, Retired Officers, etc ). William Donnelan Gerald Joseph Charles Rager Olin Williams We are reciprocating by adding weblinks to the Peru Navy on our Charles Donnelly Ivan Joslin Dewey Reed George Wyse Merlyn Dorrheim Mike Kassinger Larry Reiche Lanny Yeske webpage. John Dubbs Allen Katen David Richter Hope Young Also, we are making certificates to make all of the former BAP La Bill Dukacz David Keffeler Mark Richwine Jerry Young Pedrera S-49 Shipmates Honorary USS Sea Poacher Life members. Daniel Dybala Ken Kile Luke Riley Robert Young Richard Earl Terry Kleinweber David Ringland In our planning for meeting with the Peruvian Navy , we organized Jack Easley Richard Laake Robert Ritz both our personal and Sea Poacher Association gifts so that we could present these gifts to former members of the La Pedrera and to the MEMBERS Ed Ashenden Ron Coe Gerald Keffer Dale Peterson various Peruvian officials that we would meet during our tour. Robert Atkins Dennison Compton Jim Keir Roy Randall The Association presented (11) Challenge coins, (18) key rings, Russ Bauer Billie Cowart Roy Kindleberger Clyde Riggar (22) DBF pins, (8) Peru hats , (6) Peru hats, and a stained glass piece Richard Bernotiet Walter Culp Ray Krivascy John Saeli Stanley Bissen James Deming William (Jess) Lee Bennie Sheldon created by Annette Snook, wife of John Snook QM 59-62 of the Sea Donald Blomquist Ray Dicare Peter McCormack Delvin Smith Poacher/La Pedrera with the number 49 on it. We distributed many of Clyde Boley William Docekal Dan McLaren John Sohl them via the 11 shipmates with the instruction to give them to Peruvian Gordon Bradford William Dougherty Jim McNerney Charles Summitt Fred Brattain Elwood Erickson Jim McSorley Gary Stark Navy personnel that they met that weren't on the list for major gifts. In Dierdre Bridewell Richard Ferris Mark Mordecai Glen Suttle addition, the association paid for the dinner for the 9 Peruvians on Bill Buckley Ernest Fontes Julius O’Bannon Jim Thompson March 8. The total cost to the association is $523.87 ($271.90 gifts, Warren Burkett Robert Ford John O’Grady Fred Vavra Richard Carlson Lyle Gillette Charles Owen Andrew Viers $251.94 dinner ). Frank Caulfield William Hayes Bill Parhamenko Richard Whitmire I'd like to thank all of the other shipmates for their personal gifts, George Childs Carl Headland Walter Patrick Billy Williams I don't have an exact accounting, but i do remember that Cal Cochrane Don Cipra Wayne Holmgren Charles Peppler 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 Three) and Mail to: Bill Brinkman, 4500 Tiffany Nicole St., Round Rock, TX 78664-9466 Volume #7, Issue #2 USS Sea Poacher (SS406) Association 3 (Continued from Page Two) a sting! All day we had an official photographer from the Peru Navy tak- ing pictures and we thank Sharon Love for being our “official” photog- rapher. Then we went to the outdoor pavillion to gather for dinner and speeches and presentations and a get together with the former crews of Sea Poacher and La Pedrera and the six active Peruvian submarine commanders. The dinner was the traditional Pachamanca which consists of fir- ing rocks, laying down banana leaves, then the beef, pork, chicken; then more leaves, then the vegetables, then a covering tarp and final- ly covering with dirt. Cooking time is one hour! Lanny Yeske was given the honor of being the "Godfather" which means that he gave the blessing and also drank a toast with Admiral Zarate. During dinner, we were entertained by a dancing couple which presented three dances from different regions of Peru. Rear Admiral Zarate, Commander of the Peruvian Submarine Forces greets the troops inside his head- quarters. He also presented the trekkers with a gift package presented by his pretty assistant. made model submarines and three ship’s plaques, Jack Merrill made three SS-406 plaques, many brought copies of our book, and many brought dolphins to hand out and present. Now, let me try to convey what happened on March 9 at the Callao Naval Base. We were picked up by a Peru Navy bus at our hotel and driven to the base. When we arrived, we were welcomed by their Rear Admiral Carlos Zarate, Commander of the Submarine force and then given a tour of their Naval Academy and then the Submarine School. We went to visit the museum submarine BAP Abtao which was built in 1954 in Groton, Connecticut for the Peruvian Navy. There we saw pictures and Many intrepid trekkers tour the BAP Abtao which equipment from the Sea Poacher and Atule. We viewed Sea Poacher's was built in 1954 in Groton, Connecticut. brilliantly shined propellor, capstan, periscope head, and #2 Torpedo Tube inner door all of which were prominently displayed. Then we vis- ited the active submarine BAP Antofagasta (S-32), a German built type Lanny Yeske made a few speeches in Spanish and was well 209 .