September Meeting Notes

At the September meeting we started with the Tolling for the boats lost during the month, along with a tribute to Ted Taylor, who went on Eternal Patrol earlier in the month.

We also announced that Ralph Sterley has agreed to be the new Seattle Base COB. Please join us in welcoming Ralph to his new position with the base.

New Seattle Base COB Ralph Sterley

We were also reminded that renewal time for National and Base USSVI dues is coming up.Be sure to take care of this early. You don't want to be on the DINK list!

Base Raffle: Due to the success of our last raffle, we have decided to do another. We will once again raffle off a submarine cut-away plaque; the winner has their choice of submarine class (Gato, Balao, Tench, Sturgeon, or Lafayette) and it can be customized with the appropriate boat name.

Additionally, there will be a runner-up prize of a set of submarine coasters; the winner can choose a set of Fleet boat gauges or Dolphins.

The drawing will be held at the our Christmas Luncheon on December 17th, but you do not need to be present to win. Ticket are $5 each. If you would like to purchase tickets, contact Jim Harper (tel: 425-357-6485, e-mail: kh6cn@earthlink.net).

Upcoming Events:
Navy Birthday - VFW Post 2995 will be holding a Navy Birthday dinner on October the 13th. There will be a no-host bar from 1700-1800, dinner will be served from 1800-2000, with a cake cutting and birthday message after that. Cost is $12 per person and you can contact the Base officers or VFW Post for more information.

Auburn Veterans Day Parade - The parade is set for Saturday, November 5 at 11:00 AM (Note that this is not on the 12th as we originally announced). We are planning on marching in the parade with the base float, other submariners from the region, and the Silent Service Motorcycle Club.

Tahoma National Cemetery Veterans Day Program - This program will happen on Friday, November 11.

2011 Christmas Luncheon - We have reserved the Seattle Yacht Club on Saturday, December 17 for our luncheon.

September Program
This month's program was a short presentation about the titanium-hulled Soviet Alpha class submarine. The presentation covered the initial intelligence about the new sub class, some of the benefits and drawbacks of titanium alloy, and some of the other features that made the speedy Alpha class different from other submarine classes. We also talked about how deployment of the Alpha class drove the development of the Mk 48 ADCAP (Advanced Capability) torpedo. Members also shared a few stories about trailing various Soviet submarines.

Binnacle List:
Andrea Geisler - Andrea is still suffering from the effects of the eye infection.

Robbie Robertson - Robbie is still undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Bruce Fisher - Bruce is still undergoing treatment for diabetic neuropathy for his foot.

Bob Morris - Bob recently underwent successful prostate surgery.

Don Ulmer - Don had a pacemaker installed just before last month's Tolling ceremony.

Hometown Heroes Raffle

I wanted to pass along some information about the Hometown Heroes Raffle.

The Washington State Lottery and Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs have joined forces to present the Hometown Heroes Raffle.

The Hometown Heroes Raffle is all about supporting our returning veterans here in Washington State. Ticket proceeds go directly to the Washington State Veterans Innovations Program (VIP). The VIP helps National Guard, Reserve and Active Service Veterans—and their families. The brave men and women have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world.

Click here to learn more about the VIP. 

Each Hometown Heroes Raffle ticket costs $10 and you can get them at any Lottery retailer. Tickets are on sale through November 10, the drawing will be held on November 11. There are over 3,200 prizes in the raffle.

You can read more about the raffle and hear some stories from veterans that were helped by the VIP fund at this link.

Whether you usually buy Lottery tickets or not, please consider buying some Hometown Heroes Raffle tickets Also, Tell your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers about the Hometown Heroes Raffle and how they can support Washington’s Veterans by getting their ticket today!

You can also visit facebook.com/walottery to tell them why you support the cause.

September Meeting Announcement

The September USSVI Seattle Base meeting is this coming Wednesday, September21st, at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). We will have Social Time starting at 6 PM and the business meeting starts at 7 PM.

Don't forget to review the meeting minutes from the August meeting. You can see them here on the Seattle Base Blog or at the Seattle Base website.

On the agenda for September, we will have a short remembrance of Ted Taylor and an announcement about our new COB. Also, we will be providing some information about our new Base Raffle and the Auburn Veterans Day Parade. At our past meetings we inadvertently gave out the wrong date for the parade; the parade is set for 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 5 (not the 12th as originally announced).

September's presentation will be about the Soviet titanium-hulled submarines, known better by their NATO designation the Alpha class. We will learn a little more about the design, operations, and final disposition of these Cold War submarines.

We hope to see you at the meeting!

2011 Joint National USSVI and Submarine Veterans WWII Convention Wrap-Up and Awards

Here is a short report on the convention and a list of the 2011 award winners. Special thanks to Jim Fox for providing the recap.

The combined USSVI-SVWWII convention was very enjoyable. There were around 500-600 attendees and the shared sense of camaraderie was very good.

The Holland Club breakfast, chaired by Frank Lister, started and closed with the klaxon sound from the donated USS Archerfish (AGSS 311) diving alarm. The diving alarm was also used at the Annual Business Meeting.

The SVWWII group passed the Presidential gavel from Bud Burchell to Walter 'Gus' Krause. They reaffirmed their plan for a formal organizational closure in 2012 at the Norfolk convention. Local chapters will continue to function so long as there is local interest in doing so.

The Tolling Ceremony was very well done and well attended, with music and a piper. It also made the local evening news, which you can see by clicking this link.

Many attendees visited the shows and attractions in Branson and were not disappointed.

The Annual Business Meeting was well attended, with approximately 200 members in attendance. Reports were made and organizational business conducted in a fraternal atmosphere.

The Awards presented at the Farewell and Awards Banquet on Saturday evening are as follows:

USSVI Awards:

Joe Negri “Shipmate of the Year” Award
This is the top award in USSVI and is presented to the member who, by his personal individual efforts and participation during the preceding year contributed most to the advancement and embodiment of the USSVI creed and purpose.
Dick Kanning - Tarheel Base

Robert Link Awards:
This award is the National Commander’s Letter of Commendation.
Edwin 'Bud' Atkins - Groton Base
Edward A Feury - Escolar Base
John 'Jack' Jeffries - Carolina Piedmont Base
Barry Katz - Base 51
Kenneth Lee - South Florida Base
Wayne Standerfer - Dallas Base
John Stanford - Lockwood Internet Base
William Whelan - Tarheel Base
A base award was also presented to Carolina Piedmont Base.

Meritorious Award:
This award is presented to the member or Base that most exemplifies the motto, 'Pride Runs Deep' as demonstrated by their participation in local veteran affairs, parades and school activities.
Base Award: USS Chicago Base
Individual Award: Robert A Gerle - Rocky Mountain Base

District Commander of the Year Award:
The winner is selected from the top district commanders in each region. The winner also sits as a voting member on the Board of Directors until the next convention.
George Petershagen - Western District Five

The Ben Bastura Award:
This award is given to the person who has demonstrated their understanding and commitment to our creed in perpetuating the memory of submariners and submarines by gathering, creating, or in other ways preserving a significant amount of submarine history.
John Wynn - Groton Base

Golden Anchor Award:
This award is a base award, presented to the base that has demonstrated a leading role in developing and promoting creative membership renewals, including development of successful recruiting tools.
Class One (large-sized) Base: Snug Harbor Base
Class Two (medium-sized) Base: Carolina Piedmont Base
Class Three (small-sized) Base: Olympic Peninsula Base

Silver Anchor Award:
This award is presented to a member in recognition of his support of meetings, projects and events including recruiting and retention in the base.
Leonard W Heislett - Scamp Base

Newsletter of the Year Awards
Class One - Large Bases:
Winner: All Clear - Tarheel Base
First Runner Up: The Midwatch - Perch Base
Second Runner Up: Puget Soundings - Bremerton Base

Class Two - Medium Bases:
Winner: Piedmont Periscope - Carolina Piedmont Base
First Runner Up: Central Florida Base Periscope - Central Florida Base
Second Runner Up: Gooney News - USS Parche Base

Class Three - Small Bases:
Winner: Scuttlebutt - SLO Subvets Base
First Runner Up: Dive Dive! – South Florida Base
Second Runner Up: Toledo - Toledo Base

Congratulations to all the winners!

You can see all the award descriptions and a list of previous winners on the USSVI National Website.

Eternal Patrol: Ted Taylor

Seattle Base Chief of the Boat Theodore "Ted" C. Taylor departed on eternal patrol Sept 4, 2011, at home under Hospice Care with his family at his side.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 10 at 11 AM, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 816 Field Avenue NE, Renton, WA 98056.

Graveside services will be held 1:15 PM, Monday Sept. 12, 2011 at Tahoma National Cemetery with the U.S. Navy providing the Honor Guard. The American Legion Post # 19 Honor Guard, will be in charge of the service.

Ted was born March 25, 1929 in Springfield, Ohio. He has been retired since June 1991 from the Rainer Brewing Co. and the International Union of Operating Engineers. In 1966, he retired from the U.S. Navy Submarine Service as a Senior Chief Petty Officer, after 20 years of military service. After leaving the Navy, he was employed by the Weyerhaeuser Company for 10 years, before working for Rainer Brewing.

Ted was a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam Conflicts. He qualified on USS Carbonero (SS-337) in 1948 and served on nine other submarines and two surface ships. Ted was the past Commander of the American Legion Fred Hancock Post #19 of Renton, and was still active in the American Legion Honor Guard at Tahoma National Cemetery. He was also a member of the Fleet Reserve Association, Seattle Branch # 1; Past Washington State Commander U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II; Life member of the U.S. Submarine Veterans. Inc; Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Frank R. Vaise Post # 1263 of Renton, and Past Wagon Master of the Jet-A-Bout Travel Club of Burien ELKS Lodge #2143, of which he was a member for over 30 years.

Ted was a member of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cadets before joining the Navy and a Major with CAP for eight years after returning to civilian life. He was Washington Wing Operations Officer and a Search Pilot on many Search and Rescue missions. He held a Commercial Pilots License with instrument, multi-engine and float plane endorsement, and was a Certified Flight Instructor. He had over one thousand hours of flying time.

Ted met his wife, E. Loma (Sloper) Smith in Phoenix, Arizona and was married in Prescott, Arizona in 1968. He is survived by his wife and her son Richard L. Smith, (wife Rosie), of Kingman, Arizona and her daughter Kathleen Raye (Smith) Keiser, (John), three Grandchildren, five Great Grandchildren and two Great-Great Grandchildren, a nephew, Johnny Taylor and niece, Linda (Russ) Butler.

Memorials may be made to the American Legion, Fred Hancock Post # 19, P.O. Box 503 Renton, WA 98057, or to the U.S. Submarine Veterans, Inc., Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 6404, Silverdale, WA 98315-6404.

Sailor, Rest Your Oar

September - October Dolphin Brotherhood Posted

The September – October 2011 issue of The Dolphin Brotherhood. has been posted on the Seattle Base website.

This issue has photos from the Kirkland Independence Day Parade and Seattle Base Tolling of the Boats Ceremony, and information about a new raffle for the base, along with the usual base news, upcoming events, and other submarine related articles.

Hardcopies should go out in the mail today. I hope you all enjoy it.

Don't forget to check back with the blog for base news updates and other articles of interest. You can find old issues of the newsletter at: Dolphin Brotherhood Archives, which is also a link on the right-side of the blog.

I also want to remind everyone about the Black Diamond Labor Day Parade on Monday September 5th. Keith will have the Seattle Base submarine float there. If you are interested in participating in the parade, we will meet at the Black Diamond Bakery around 9 AM. Note that Highway 169 closes at 9 AM, so come early to get a good parking spot!

The parade starts at 10 AM, but the day starts with a pancake breakfast at the Masonic Lodge (7 AM - 10 AM). There are additional events throughout the day, such as – booths & inflatable on school playfield (10 - 3), the Black Diamond Eagles Bar-B-Q (11 - 1), a Classic Car Show at Eagles (8 - 4), Horseshoe Tournament at Eagles (sign-up at noon), live music by No Identity, live entertainment at the playfield (12 - 4), museum tours (toot the locomotive whistle; ring the bell) (10 - 4), and sporting events (egg toss, 3-legged race, shoe kicking, wheelbarrow races, etc.) at the school playfield (12 - 4 ).

Dave Schueler
USSVI Seattle Base Newsletter Editor