OOGA OOGA NOVEMBER, 2008 PALMETTO BASE SUBMARINE VETERANS NEWSLETTER
OOGA OOGA
NOVEMBER, 2008
PALMETTO BASE SUBMARINE VETERANS
NEWSLETTER
Base Commander – Ron Friend
Palmetto Base Members
Joe Gawronski – Vice Commander Russ “Pappy” Cline - Treasurer
DW Eggleston – Secretary Mark Basnight – Chaplain
Tommy Richardson – Public Relations Jim “Snake” Stark – Chief Of Boat
Brian Steffen – Storekeeper Jerry Stout – District 4 Commander
Milt Berkey James Charbonneau Tracy Charbonneau
Judy Cline William Cox Allen “Buzz” Danielsen
Mae Friend Joe Geiger Kelly Grantham
John Green Glenn Harris Stoney Hilton
Mike House Jim Kirby John Krause
Dick Lane Bill Lindler Ken Middleton
Bob Miller Tom O’Brien Rebecca Richardson
Sam Sanders Ted Schneeberg Leonard Snell
John Solis LE Spradlin Jeffrey Wagner
=============================================================================
Treasury Summary Report
1/2/2008 Thru 10/21/2008
Balance - $836.61
Complete report not available at this time
OUR CREED: To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of duties while serving
their country. That their dedication, deeds, and supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward
greater accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its constitution.
Base Commander – Ron Friend
10-31-08
UNITED STATES SUBMARINE VETERANS INC.
Palmetto Base
Minutes – October 21, 2008
Meeting called to order by Vice Commander, Joe Gawronski.
Fourteen members were present (list attached).
Minutes of the September 16, 2008 meeting were approved.
Total in the treasury is $836.61.
It was recommended and approved to present Bob Oswald a submarine flag for
his hospitality at our October base outing.
The submarine flag was distributed to those that had purchased them and Brian
Steffen, our base storekeeper now has possession and responsibility for the
flags.
2009 National and Base dues are now due. Deadline is Jan. 1, 2009. Dues
should be submitted to the base treasurer, Russ Cline. National is $20 and Base
$15.
Plans for the Veterans Day parade and the memorial ceremony for Robert Gibbs
who was lost on the Squalus were discussed in some detail.
The interim submarine float has been completed and will be in the parade.
The sub vet float is scheduled to follow the White Knoll high school JNROTC drill
team, color guard and band.
Tommy Richardson (PRO) is arranging for the news coverage.
The depth charge contributed $66 to the base treasury.
Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at the CRAB
SHACK in Lexington. Time is 1800 social, 1900 business.
Respectfully submitted,
DW Eggleston, Base Secretary
Members Present
Russ Cline
DW Eggleston
Joe Gawronski
Gil Kaelin
John Krause
Bob Miller
Tom O’Brien
Tommy Richardson
Ted Schneeberg
John Solis
LE Spradlin
Jim Stark
Brian Steffen
Jeffro Wagner
November Birthdays
TROLL KROUSE – Thur. Nov. 13
O’BIE O’BRIEN – Sat. Nov. 15
PALMETTO BASE OCTOBER OUTING
Many thanks from the sub vets to the committee of Tommy, Snake, Buzz and Rebecca who did
all the work and organization of our outing. Those who didn’t attend missed a real good time
and should seriously consider not being AWOL again. What you missed is punishment enough.
Special thanks to Bob Oswald who allowed us to use these quality facilities. We should consider
him a good friend of the “PHIN”.
What a beautiful spot for an outing and with perfect weather
S.C. Submarine Veteran flag is flying.
Committee member and executive chef,
Tommy Richardson welcomes all to the
outing and the cuisine.
Three top chicken pickers were selected to
help prepare the feast. District CO, Jerry
Stout and Base XO, Joe Gawronski under
direction of Buzz Danielsen, committee
member and assistant chef.
Duty taster and duty spice control at work. “QUALIFIED”
COB, Snake Stark, says seconds are in order. What do you mean? You don’t like country?
What an outing, we got to do this again! Hope they will let me be on the next Committee.
Palmetto Base Submarine Float to be used in the Lexington Veterans Day parade on
Sunday, November 9, 2008 ( Construction location and materials provided by Jim “snake” Stark
our base COB)
Base interim submarine float under construction
Submarines, “The Ultimate In Stealth”
Roughead calls boats „the ultimate in stealth‟ MCLEAN, Va. — Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead jokes that his fellow surface warfare officers believe he‟s gone to the “dark side,” but he‟s proud of it. “I love submarines,” he said Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Naval Submarine League. Roughead said in a former job as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, he considered the undersea force his “killer arrow in the quiver,” and not a Cold War leftover as some perceived. “As a commander in the Pacific you rely on submarines more than anything else,” he said. “There‟s nothing that represents the ultimate in stealth like a U.S. Navy submarine.” Submarines are used extensively these days for intelligence gathering and surveillance and now as CNO, Roughead said he has heard more debriefs from submarine commanders home from patrol than from returning — and higher-ranking — strike group commanders. Calling American submariners the “most professional and competent force we have,” he said the community nonetheless faces a growing fleet of undersea competition with 40 nations operating 350 subs with a projected 280 more on the way. “They are not bush league submarines,” he said, noting that not all are allies. “These are pretty capable boats we‟ll have to deal with.” Roughead also said the Navy needs to “move aggressively” toward fielding unmanned underwater vehicles, as well as unmanned aircraft. The theme of this year‟s two-day event is the operational debut of the four Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines converted to carry a high load of conventional ordnance and to conduct larger force special operations missions. The SSGNs Ohio and Florida are currently on deployment, Michigan will deploy in the coming weeks and Georgia deploys in 2009.
United States Submarines lost in November
USS Albacore (SS-218)
View Ship's Log for SS-218
View full profile of SS-218
View several memorials for SS-218
Lost on:
11/7/1944
Lost on Nov 7, 1944 with the loss of 86 men when she was sunk off
northern Hokkaido. Winner of two Presidential Unit Citations, Albacore
was on her eleventh war patrol and struck a mine while running submerged
near a Japanese patrol craft that had detected her.
Class: SS 212
Commissioned: 6/1/1942
Fate: Albacore was assumed to have been
lost. According to Japanese records
captured after the war, a submarine
assumed to be Albacore struck a mine very
close to the shore off northeastern
Hokkaido on 7 November. 86 men lost.
Launched: 2/17/1942
Builder: Electric Boat Co (General
Dynamics) Length: 312, Beam: 27
#Officers: 4, #Enlisted: 54
USS Growler (SS-215)
View Ship's Log for SS-215
View full profile of SS-215
Lost on:
11/8/1944
Lost on Nov 8, 1944 with the loss of 84 men when she was sunk in the
South China Sea. Winner of two Navy Unit Commendations, Growler was
on her 12th war patrol, and was lost while attacking a convoy, probably as a
result of a depth charge attack or victim of a circular run by one of her own
torpedoes.
Class: SS 212
Commissioned: 3/20/1942
Fate: The wolfpack, headed by Growler, closed a
convoy for attack. The order to commence
attacking was the last communication ever received
from Growler. She was listed as lost in action
against the enemy, cause unknown. 85 men lost.
Launched: 11/22/1941
Builder: Electric Boat Co (General
Dynamics) Length: 312, Beam: 27
#Officers: 5, #Enlisted: 54
USS Scamp (SS-277)
View Ship's Log for SS-277
View full profile of SS-277
View several memorials for SS-277
Lost on:
11/9/1944
Lost on Nov 9, 1944 with the loss of 83 men near Tokyo Bay. On her 8th
war patrol, she may have been damaged by a mine and was trailing oil,
which helped Japanese coast defense vessels locate her and destroy her with
depth charges.
Class: SS 212
Commissioned: 9/18/1942
Fate: From records available after the war,
it appears that Scamp was sighted by
Japanese planes and reported depth
charged by a coast defense vessel to the
south of Tokyo Bay. 83 men lost.
Launched: 7/20/1942
Builder: Portsmouth Navy Yard
Length: 307, Beam: 27
#Officers: 6, #Enlisted: 54
USS Corvina (SS-226)
View Ship's Log for SS-226
View full profile of SS-226
View several memorials for SS-226
Lost on:
11/16/1943
Lost on Nov 16, 1943 with the loss of 82 men when she was sunk just south
of Truk. Corvina was on her 1st war patrol and appears she was lost to the
torpedoes of a Japanese submarine.
Class: SS 212
Commissioned: 8/6/1943
Fate: Sunk by Japanese submarine south of
Truk on 16 Nov 1943. 82 men lost.
Launched: 5/9/1943
Builder: Electric Boat Co (General
Dynamics) Length: 312, Beam: 27
#Officers: 4, #Enlisted: 54
USS Sculpin (SS-191)
View Ship's Log for SS-191
View full profile of SS-191
View the memorial for SS-191
Lost on:
11/19/1943
Lost on Nov 19, 1943 with the loss of 40 men near Truk. Severly damaged
by depth charges after attacking an enemy convoy, Sculpin continued to
fight on the surface. When the captain was killed, the crew abandoned ship
and scuttled Sculpin. 41 men were taken prisoner; only 21 survived the war.
Among those not abandoning ship was CAPT Cromwell,aboard as a
potential wolfpack commander, he rode the Sculpin down, fearing that vital
information in his possession might be compromised under torture. For this,
CAPT Cromwell was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor.
Class: SS 188
Commissioned: 1/16/1939
Fate: Scuttled in the Gilberts Archipelago
on her 9th patrol. The Commanding
Officer CDR.Connaway was killed. Capt.
Cromwell went down with the ship and was
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
for his act of heroism and devotion to
country.
Launched: 7/27/1938
Builder: Portsmouth Navy Yard
Length: 311, Beam: 27
#Officers: 5, #Enlisted: 50