Hosts: Bill & Ulla Melyan Email: [email protected]32nd Reunion— Jacksonville, Florida Inside this issue: USS STODDARD DD566 WWII * Korea * Vietnam Website: www.ussstoddard.org Date: April 2020 USS STODDARD ALUMNI NEWSLETTER Double Tree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront 1201Riverplace Blvd. Jacksonville Fl. 32207 Reservations: 1-800-222-8723 “USS Stoddard Group Code STO “ Standard Room - $119 Riverfront Room - $139 Riverfront Suite - $159 Rate Good Three Days Before / After Reunion Breakfast for 2 Included Additional Breakfast $10 Free Parking Stoddard Tidbits 2 Navy Ship Namesakes 3 Namesakes (Cont.) 4 Namesakes (Cont.) 5 Chaplain’s Report 6 Secretary Report 6 Westpac 63-64 (pics) 7 Stoddard History 7 Ship’s Store 8 The 32nd Stoddard Reunion for 2020 has been cancelled and re-scheduled for Jacksonville the following year: September 15th thru 18th, 2021 The USS Stoddard 32 nd Reunion has been cancelled for 2020. After talking with our tour director who informed us the Mayport Naval Base has been closed to civilian traffic and the clo- sure of restaurants and other venues for the reunion, it was decid- ed to cancel the 2020 Reunion. We secured the Double Tree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida for the Reunion in 2021. The hotel has agreed to honor the rate for next year. If you have already made hotel reservations, please call the hotel and change the dates. Please stay safe, we want to see you next year! There will be no newsletter in July, the next newsletter will be February 2021 with the 32nd Stoddard Reunion details.
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USS STODDARD DD566 WWII * Korea * Vietnamussstoddard.org/images/2020Reunion/Newsletter - April -2020.pdf · USS Stoddard Alumni Newsletter—April 2020 Page 4 The Seaman: James Stoddard
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Double Tree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront 1201Riverplace Blvd. Jacksonville Fl. 32207
Reservations: 1-800-222-8723
“USS Stoddard Group Code STO “
Standard Room - $119 Riverfront Room - $139 Riverfront Suite - $159 Rate Good Three Days Before / After Reunion Breakfast for 2 Included Additional Breakfast $10 Free Parking
Stoddard Tidbits 2
Navy Ship Namesakes 3 Namesakes (Cont.) 4
Namesakes (Cont.) 5 Chaplain’s Report 6
Secretary Report 6 Westpac 63-64 (pics) 7
Stoddard History 7
Ship’s Store 8
The 32nd Stoddard Reunion for 2020 has been cancelled and re-scheduled
for Jacksonville the following year: September 15th thru 18th, 2021
The USS Stoddard 32nd Reunion has been cancelled for
2020. After talking with our tour director who informed us the
Mayport Naval Base has been closed to civilian traffic and the clo-
sure of restaurants and other venues for the reunion, it was decid-
ed to cancel the 2020 Reunion. We secured the Double Tree by
Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida for the
Reunion in 2021. The hotel has agreed to honor the rate for next
year. If you have already made hotel reservations, please call the
hotel and change the dates.
Please stay safe,
we want to see you next year! There will be no newsletter in July, the next newsletter will be
February 2021 with the 32nd Stoddard Reunion details.
Fort Gorges in Casco Bay Calendar Islands—Casco Bay
How One Battle in the Civil War Produced Three Medal of Honor Recipients and the Names of Four U. S. Navy Destroyers in WWII
The Battle: Attack on Yazoo City, Mississippi- 5th March 1864 The Yazoo expedition ended in a small but sharp engagement at Yazoo City on March 5, 1864. The
battle included a number of black troops, including former slaves from Mississippi who had enlisted in the
Union army. Because of their presence, the battle of Yazoo City was particularly ferocious and would serve
as a template for much of the fighting to come in 1864 and 1865. The Yazoo River had long been viewed as
a likely avenue of approach for the Union navy, but the river had been blocked by Confederate batteries at
Snyder’s Bluff north of Vicksburg and by Fort Pemberton in the north, an earthen and cotton bale fortifica-tion just west of Greenwood. With the fall of Vicksburg, however, the river was open to Union navigation, at
least part of the way. The purpose of the 1864 expedition was two-fold: first, Sherman wanted to capture or
destroy the enemy’s cotton and corn in order to “Impress on the people along Yazoo and Sunflower that we
intend to hold them responsible for all acts of hostility to the river commerce.” Second, he hoped to draw
Confederate cavalry in the region to the defense of the Yazoo and away from his main column. On March
5, 1864, USS Marmora was assigned to support the 11th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in defending Yazoo City, Mississippi from fierce Confederate attacks. During this action Stoddard was assigned with two other sail-
ors (Franks and Laffey) to dismount one of the ships rifled howitzers, mount it on a field carriage and take
it ashore to support the Illinois Volunteers. To quote from a report by Rear Admiral Porter to Secretary of
the Navy. Gideon Welles: “…At this time the fighting in the city was hand to hand. The gun was placed in
position in the street and did good service, helping very much toward winning the day. The crew at one time was driven from the gun, they did not have sufficient support to hold it, but the soldiers seeing the
crew driven, rallied charged on the rebels and retook it, losing three men in the charge, and wounding
James Stoddard of the Marmora…I am proud to say that the Navy was well represented by three sailors,
who nobly stood by their guns through the whole action, fighting hand to hand to save the gun and the
reputation of the Navy. The sailors are highly spoken of by the army officials for their gallant conduct.
Their names are…James Stoddard, William J. Franks, and Bartlett Laffey of the Marmora. I would recom-mend them for your consideration.” A more detailed report by the Commanding Officer USS Marmora indi-
cates that while the gun was severely damaged during the attack, “to the bravery of that gun crew may
have attributed to the change of fortune of the day…I would most respectfully solicit in their behalf that
you would confer a medal of honor on the following men: James Stoddard, seaman, shot through the neck,
slowly recovering, William J. Franks and Bartlett Laffey.
The Tinclad: USS Marmora (1862-1865, "Tinclad" # 2) USS Marmora was a 207 -ton stern wheel “tin clad” paddle steamer river gun boat in the United
States Navy. Marmora was built at Monongahela, Pennsylvania, in 1862, was purchased by the Navy at
St. Louis, Missouri, on 17 September 1862 from Messrs. Brenan, Nelson, and McDonnell; and commis-
sioned at Carondelet, Missouri, on 21 October 1862, Captain Robert Getty in command. USS Marmora was
soon sent to join the Federal forces campaigning against the Confederate fortress at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
During the rest of 1862, she took part in mine clearance and other operations in the Yazoo River. In Janu-ary 1863, Marmora went up the White River to help capture Fort Hindman, Arkansas, and subsequently
was active on the Yazoo, White and Little Red Riv-
ers. Decommissioned in July 1865, following the end of the Civil
War, USS Marmora was sold the next month.
(Continued on Page 4)
USS Mamora
Namesake: Variant spelling of Marmara, an
Island in the Sea of Marmara. Laid Down: 1862
Acquired: 17 September 1862 Commissioned: 21 October 1862 Decommissioned: 7 July 1865 Fate: Sold, 17 August 1865 Displacement: 207 long tons (210 t) Length: 155 ft. Beam: 33 ft. 5 in. Draft: 4 ft. 6 in. Speed: 6.9 knots 7.9 mph Armament: 8 x 24-pounder guns 2 x 12-pounder guns 6 x 14-pounder guns
Each Medal of Honor citation for Stoddard, Franks, and Laffey reads:
Off Yazoo City, Miss., 5 March 1864. Embarking from the Marmora with a 12-pound howitzer mounted
on a field carriage, (Stoddard) (Franks) (Laffey) landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and, bravely standing by his gun despite enemy rifle fire which cut the gun carriage and rammer, contributed to the turning back of the enemy during the fierce engagement. ********************************************************************************************************************** The WWII Ships:
USS Stoddard (DD-566) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the
United States Navy, named for Master's Mate James Stoddard, who was
decorated for heroism during the Civil War. Stoddard was laid down at
Seattle, Washington, by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. on 10
March 1943; launched on 19 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Mil-dred Gould Holcomb; and commissioned on 15 April 1944, Commander
Horace Meyers in command. Stoddard earned three battle stars for
World War II and three battle stars for the Vietnam War. She was the
last Fletcher-class to be stricken from the U.S. Navy, in 1975. On 30
June 1976, Stoddard was transferred from the inactive ship facility, Mare Island, California, to the Pacific
Missile Test Center at Point Mugu. The required equipment removals were accomplished, and the ship was
modified to perform a new service. During the next few years she served as a target in various weapons test programs, including the Tomahawk Project. Having survived this first group of test assignments, Stoddard
was given a new challenge. In November 1983, a Block 0 Phalanx went aboard the Stoddard for the first
time. In November 1984, Stoddard returned to Port Hueneme. In June 1985, Stoddard again set sail, this
time with a Block I Baseline 0 Phalanx to protect her. After facing supersonic diving targets, she again re-
turned to Port Hueneme, unscathed, in September 1985. The tests continued into the winter of 1989-1990.
During the testing, Stoddard was subjected to attack by no less than forty-three targets, from subsonic
BQM drones to supersonic MQM-8 Vandal missiles. Stoddard final fate was to be towed by USNS Salvor (T-
ARS-52) to an assigned position near the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Seal Team One installed charges, which
sank her 64 nautical miles NNW of the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in the Barking Sands Missile Range on 22 July 1997. The ship lies at a depth of 2,550 fathoms. (Continued on Page 5)
sponsored by Mrs. Martha F. W. Carr, a cousin of Acting Mas-ter's Mate Franks, and commissioned on 30 July 1943, Lieuten-
ant Commander N. A. Lidstone in command. Franks received
nine battle stars for World War II service. Credited with the first
swimming rescue of downed Navy aviators, Mel Collins radar
man and first SEAL rescue diver. Franks was placed out of com-
mission in reserve at San Pedro, California 31 May 1946, and
sold for scrapping on 1 August 1973.
The WWII Ships: Two ships in the United States Navy have been given
their name in honor of Bartlett Laffey. USS Laffey (DD-459) was a Benson-class destroyer of the United States Navy during World
War II. She was the first destroyer named for Bartlett Laffey.
Laffey was laid down on 13 January 1941 by Bethlehem Ship-
building Company, San Francisco, California; launched 30 Octo-
ber 1941; sponsored by Miss Eleanor G. Forgerty, granddaughter
of Seaman Laffey; and commissioned on 31 March 1942, Lieu-tenant Commander William E. Hank in command.
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was just about to begin
when the Japanese force, a group of two battleships, one light
cruiser, and 14 destroyers, under Vice Admiral Hiroaki Abe, ap-
peared on the horizon. Laffey lashed out at the enemy with gun-
fire and torpedoes. At the height of the violent battle, the battle-ship Hiei came through the darkness and both ships headed at
full speed for the same spot. They missed colliding by 20 feet. Laffey unleashed her torpedoes and, using
all her firepower, raked the battleship's bridge, wounding Admiral Abe, and killing his chief of staff. Admi-
ral Abe was thereafter limited in his ability to direct his ships for the rest of the battle. With a battleship
on her stern, a second on her port beam, and two destroyers on her port bow, Laffey fought the Japanese
ships with the three remaining main battery guns in a no-quarter duel at point-blank range. She was hit by
a 14-inch shell from Hiei. Then, a torpedo in her fantail put Laffey out of action. As the order to abandon
ship was passed, a violent explosion ripped the destroyer apart and she sank immediately with heavy loss of life. This action earned her the Presidential Unit Citation. Of the 247 crew members aboard, 59 were
killed, including the commanding officer, William E. Hank. The wounded in the engagement numbered 116.
The second ship was USS Laffey (DD-724),
an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer which was laid down less than a year after the loss of the first Laffey
and named for that ship as much as for Seaman Laf-
fey. Launched in 1943, and commissioned in Febru-
ary 1944, the ship earned the nickname "The Ship
That Would Not Die" for her exploits during the D-
Day invasion and the battle of Okinawa when she successfully withstood a determined assault by con-
ventional bombers and the most unrelenting kamika-ze air attacks in history. Laffey received the Presi-
dential Unit Citation and five battle stars for World
War II service, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation
and two battle stars for Korean War service, the Mer-
itorious Unit Commendation during the Cold War, and the Battle "E" during all three conflicts. Today, Laffey is a U.S. National Historic Landmark and is pre-
served as a museum ship at Patriots Point, outside Charleston, S.C.
Here is a photo of USS Stoddard that some may not have seen before.
I picked this up a number of years ago while visiting the museum ship USS Turner Joy, DD 951, in Bremerton, WA. Stoddard had operated with Turner Joy in Vietnam, and I found this photo posted on a bulletin board by their ship’s store….so I photo-graphed it and cleaned it up a bit.
Dale Haskin—RD1 1958
Our anxiety has increased. Our sense of nor-
mal has changed and we are unsure of our next step
as the Pandemic carries on. I would like to tell you a true story of what has remained one of the most im-
portant stories of my life and hopefully will give you
courage and faith. After I left the USS Stoddard, I
went to Corpsman school at Balboa Naval Hospital in
San Diego, CA. I use to seek sanctuary from the loud
music and chaotic noise of the barracks by going to the small chapel on the hospital grounds so I could
read my book in quiet. As I was reading in the chapel
one afternoon a light began to appear in the front up-
per left-hand corner of the room, up close to ceiling.
As the light grew, an Orb, in a warm intensity to the size of a basketball, I felt an all-consuming calm and
peace. I was suspended in time as the light moved
from the upper corner of the room to where the front
altar met the floor. The light was brilliant, not dis-
turbing but soothing. The only thought in my head
was, “no matter what happens, even if you are killed, you will be alright. All of this took place surrounded
by a feeling of love. When I returned to Vietnam for
the Tet Offensive of 68, I flew MediEvac missions into
Hue, the bloodiest battle for the Marine Corps during
the Vietnam war. I brought out bodies stacked like a cord wood in a helicopter with fresh bullet holes. The
experience of the light brought me comfort then and
now. I know we will be alright. I wish you all Peace
and Love and light. May we all grow in Wisdom and
Understanding from what we are experiencing..
Al MME3 65-66
I hope each of you and your family is safe
and well and adapting to our new normal.
During the next months, as we work
through this disruption, we will try to keep in
touch. If we have your email address, or if you wish to share your email address, we will keep up
with the news from our members.
You may check to see if your email address
has changed in the last year – some are being re-
turned. Please send any information regarding
your email address to [email protected]. Our next newsletter will be in February
2021 with all the news about our 32nd Reunion in
Jacksonville, FL. Bill & Ulla have graciously
agreed to host the reunion next year. The hotel
has agreed to honor all prices, etc. for next year. The 32nd Stoddard Reunion is September