Binnacle List: Tom Rice

Tom at the 2010 Tolling Ceremony

Tom Rice, Seattle Base's longest qualified member, has been in the hospital. His condition recently improved enough to allow him to move to a nursing home and we are all hoping this trend continues so that he can return home soon.

Tom entered the Navy in 1934 as an E-1 and retired as an Lt Commander (O-4) in 1965. He qualified in 1935 on the USS S-23 (SS-128) and served on eight other submarines.

Please keep Tom in your thoughts and prayers. He can use your good wishes. If you would like to send him a get well card, you can reach Tom at :

        Tom Rice
C/O Anderson House
        17127 15th Ave NE, Room # 21
        Shoreline, WA 98155

February Meeting Notes

We started the February meeting with the Tolling of the Boats for February, followed by birthday wishes for our members and introductions.

After introduction our new Sr. Vice-Commander, Art Thompson, was sworn into office.

Art Thompson after being sworn in by Pat Householder

Art's first duty was to present outgoing Base Commander Keith Watson with a plaque and mug in appreciation of his work as commander for the Seattle Base.

Art presents Keith with the plaque and mug

Then it was on to our normal business. Here is the important information that was shared at the meeting.

Holiday Luncheon Survey - We are trying to get some feedback from our members on the Holiday Luncheon. We came up with a few questions and have planned several ways for you to the questions. You should have already received an e-mail with survey questions and can respond that way. Alternately, you can respond to the survey online, just click here to go to the survey website. Finally, the survey questions will be published in the next issue of the Dolphin Brotherhood. Your opinions are important in determining what we should do for this year's luncheon. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Base Float Work - Jim Harper and Karl 'Dutch' Krompholz gave us a report on the work they've been doing on the Base float. After removing the submarine from its cradles and surveying the trailer, a decision was made to look for a new trailer that can better handle the load. The current trailer is being refurbished and sold, with the money going toward the purchase of a new trailer. We are looking for a trailer that is around 18 feet long. If you have any ideas about where to get a new trailer or are interested in purchasing the old trailer, contact Jim Harper by email (kh6cn@earthlink.net) or phone (425) 357-6485.

VFW Honor Guard - The Honor Guard at VFW Post #2995 is looking for a new member. The Honor Guard helps out with funerals and ceremonies at Tahoma National Cemetery (usually the second Wednesday of the month) and other locations. If you are interested, let one of the Base officers know and they will put you in touch with the right people.

American Submariner Magazine - The electronic version of the American Submariner is available online at this link (you'll need to log in to the USSVI website to see the entire issue). Hardcopy versions of the magazine should be arriving in mailboxes soon.

Calendar Recycling - Karl 'Dutch' Krompholz asked members to bring any old submarine calendars to him at future meetings, so that the pictures can be 'recycled' for other purposes.

Upcoming Events
Bremerton Armed Forces Day Parade - The 64th annual Bremerton Armed Forces Day parade will be held on Saturday, May 19. Seattle Base is planning on participating in the parade with our float. Be sure to mark the date on your calendar.

Smokey Point Rest Stop Event - This year the Base drew July 9 and 10, a mid-week timeslot, for manning the coffee booth at the Smokey Point rest stop. Once again, Steve Shelton will be heading up the effort to man the booth. He will have more information and a sign-up sheet at future meetings.

February Program
February's presentation was "Deep Dives, Dives, and Angles that were not on the Plan of the Day." We were treated to the stories when six boats found themselves in unexpected situations. The stories involved: NR-1 on a deep dive, USS Wahoo (SS-565) with shorted motors, USS Chopper (SS-342)with large down and up angles, USS Pompon (SS-267) with conning tower flooding in enemy waters, USS Seawolf (SSN-575) getting stuck while on a special operation, and the collision between USS Nautilus (SSN-571) and the carrier USS Essex (CV-9) during an ASW exercise. All the stories were interesting, including Keith Watson's remembrance of the event on Wahoo. It was a good reminder of the dangers we all faced during out time on the boats.

The Nautilus after colliding with USS Essex

February Meeting Reminder

Hi Shipmates,

We will be having the next Seattle Base meeting this coming Wednesday, February 15th, at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). Social hour starts at 6PM with business meeting at 7PM. Don't forget to review the previous meeting minutes, you can find them here on the blog or on the Seattle Base website, just click the Minutes button on the left.

As a Valentine present to your honey; bring her to the meeting!

New Base Commander Doug Abramson is away this month and will be officiating at the next meeting in March.

We missed doing the "Deep Dives, Dives, and Angles that were not on the Plan of the Day" presentation at the last meeting, so that's what we will see this time.

One last item. We are trying to get some feedback from our members on the Holiday Luncheon. You should have already received an e-mail with questions. We also set up a survey website that you can use instead of responding by e-mail. Click here to take the survey online. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

We hope to see you at the meeting.

Keith Watson
Outgoing Commander Seattle Base USSVI

Western District 4 and National USSVI Awards

Editor's Note: This is a message from Western District 4 Commander John Mansfield about the annual USSVI Awards Program. I've posted the information about the awards and submitting nominations below John's message, along with a link to the Awards Manual.

Shipmates,

I hope you all had a great entry into the New Year and are ready to move forward in 2012.

Within our organization there are members who give tirelessly of their time, talents and often, own funds, to create interesting, fruitful and memorable activities that will benefit everyone at the National, District and Base levels. One of the ways we can recognize those efforts is through the award program.

We had nice awards for a Base and a few Newsletters last year in District 4 but I know the potential is out there for more.

One of the most significant ways to honor those who help with these successes is by making recommendations and submitting nominations for awards in a timely manner.

There is an Awards Manual on the www.ussvi.org website (from the main page, click Awards and then Manuals), giving details on each award, suggested criteria for them and lists of those who've won them in the past.

Every member has the right to submit a nomination for any award. I'd like to encourage everyone, especially Base Commanders, to take the time necessary to 'bone up' on the award process and submit recommendations for those who are doing exemplary work within your district or base. Remember,

•  Award nominations are due by April 30th, 2012.

• Newsletter of the Year submissions are due by May 15th, 2012.

Contact information for whom and where to submit nominations is also on the website.

I will be submitting nominations for a few awards concerned with Bases and Base Commanders, but You know who does what within your Base better than I.

So, make the effort and give recognition where it is deserved. Let's get a few more awards for our District and the Western region.

I have had the honor to judge award competitions in the past and know for a fact that there are members in District 4 that could easily have beaten out those who received them last year. Make your voice heard and at the same time honor those who sacrifice time with their families and other activities to make meetings productive, enjoyable and worthy of their time.

Fraternally,
John Mansfield
Western District 4 Commander
johnss377@yahoo.com

USSVI 2012 Awards Guidelines

Any USSVI member in good standing can nominate another member in good standing (or entity such as a Base, where appropriate and stated in the award description). Nominations are submitted using the following guidelines:

• All award nominations shall be typewritten and shall be a maximum of two pages.
• Clearly state the specific award for which nomination is being made, along with the member’s name, title, and home base.
• Each entry shall be for the nomination of a single award. Do not include more than one base or member on the same nomination.
• Do not include any photographs or endorsements. Additional nominations or separate endorsements for a nominated member or base are encouraged.

USSVI members can make nominations for the Joe Negri Award, Robert Link National Commander’s Award, Ben Bastura Historical Achievement Award, Meritorious Award, and Silver Anchor Award. All the awards are described below. Note the other USSVI awards (District Commander of the Year, Golden Anchor, and Newsletter of the Year) have a different nomination process.

The Joe Negri ‘Shipmate of the Year’ Award
The late Joe Negri is considered the primary founder of USSVI. The Joe Negri Award is given to the member who, by his personal individual efforts and participation during the preceding years, contributed the most to the advancement and embodiment of the USSVI creed and agenda, and by his dedicated service and support to our USSVI organization and his fellow submarine veteran brothers exemplifies the meaning and spirit of the word, “Shipmate.”

Eligibility for this Award requires Membership in United States Submarine Veterans, Inc.

All nominations should be submitted to National Awards Chairman.The Selection Committee will consist of five previous Joe Negri Award recipients.

The Robert Link National Commander’s Award
Robert Link was the first National Commander of USSVI. This award is the USSVI version of a “Letter of Commendation” from the National Commander. The nominations can be for a member, a group, or a base.

The criteria for selection and presentation of this award are at the sole discretion of the National Commander. Nominations for this award can be sent to the National Awards Chairman or directly to the USSVI National Commander (nc@ussvi.org)

Meritorious Award
This award is presented to the member, base, or group that most exemplifies the motto, “Pride Runs Deep,” through efforts and involvement in local veterans affairs, parades, school activities, and presentations to civic, legislative, veterans, patriotic and other organizations.

Some examples may be library displays, community bulletin boards, schools, and items that appear in print and/or electronic media, press releases, public/community service announcements, etc, which promote the concept of Honor, Duty, Pride, and the history and lore of the US Navy Submarine Force to the general public and community at large.

All nominations should be submitted to National Awards Chairman. Selection is made by the District Commander's.

The Silver Anchor Award
The Silver Anchor Award is presented to an individual member in recognition of his efforts to support one of the primary objectives of our creed: “to provide a way for all submariners to gather for their mutual benefit and enjoyment.”

This award recognizes the member’s volunteer support for meetings, projects and events, including work to recruit new members and to retain the current membership of the base. This award is only presented to individual members.

All nominations should be submitted to National Awards Chairman. Selection is made by the District Commander's.

The Ben Bastura Historical Achievement Award
The Ben Bastura Historical Achievement Award is given to the person(s) who have 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.

The award is given to the person(s) in the submarine community who has shown a broad and encompassing discipline of gathering submarine history. That person should have demonstrated that they are an expert in the many aspects of gathering and preserving submarine history, its artifacts and/or documents.

All nominations should be submitted to National Awards Chairman. Selection is made by the District Commander's.

Submitting Nominations
Award nominations can be submitted starting now through April 30, 2012. All Award nominations must be received by John Stanford, National Awards Chairman, by that time. E-mail nominations to JStan131@Comcast.net or mail them to:

USSVI Awards Program
John Stanford, Chairman
3026 Cesery Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32277-3527