November 2015 Meeting Notes

We started the November meeting by Tolling the Boats lost in November and December followed by birthday wishes for our members, officer reports, and introductions.

Storekeeper Ralph Sterley let us know that 2016 calendars are available for $10.95. Be sure to get your copy soon.

Old and New Business:

Auburn Veterans Day Parade – We recapped the parade (you can see pictures here) and we were told that the USSVI Bases and SubVets of WW II that participated in the Auburn parade won the "Memorial Award to Harold Page - Best Veteran Service Organization Entry" award.

Award from the Auburn parade

This is the third highest award given by the city to parade entries. Congratulations on the award and thanks to Ric Hedman for organizing things for the parade.

Holiday Luncheon Update – The Holiday Luncheon is set for Saturday, December 5 at the Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club. You can find registration forms in the form in the latest newsletter and at this link. Don’t forget to get your registration form in as soon as possible and help get the word out to others.

Arizona Silent Service Memorial – USSVI Perch Base is working to establish a Silent Service Memorial on the grounds of the capital in Phoenix. To help raise money they are selling brick pavers for engraved messages. You can find out more about the project and how to buy a brick at the Arizona Silent Service Memorial web page. Seattle Base is donating $100 to the project.

Base Elections – Seattle Base elections will be this coming January. Our base needs members to stand for the positions necessary to keep the base running. Especially the Base Commander, Sr. Vice Commander, and Jr. Vice Commander positions. Even if you aren’t ready to be a Base Officer, you can still help out as one of the committee chairs or appointed officers for the base. Committee chairs and appointed officers are really needed to handle the necessary base functions that make our base valuable to us all. If you are interested in running for an officer position or chairing a committee, please contact one of the Base Officers for more information.

Reminder of National Dues Increase – If you are a year-to-year member, you should note that the USSVI National dues are increasing to $25 per year on January 1, 2016. However, if you renew before the end of the year the dues are still only $20. Note that Seattle Base dues are not increasing.

November Program:
For November’s program, base members Keith Watson and Bill Lightfoot put on a presentation on Bill’s book “Beneath the Surface: Submarines built in Seattle and Vancouver 1909 – 18” along with information from Ric Hedman’s Pigboats.com website.

They started with some brief information about each of the submarines built in Puget Sound area. They also talked about the Moran Brothers shipyard, which built most of the submarines. They showed photos of the construction process and initial testing. They also talked about how some of the boats were disassembled and crated off for shipment to Imperial Russia. Including a number that were later purchased by the U.S. Navy, and reassembled in Bremerton, after the fall of the Tsarist government. Keith provided more information about the boats purchased by the U.S., including the sad fate of USS F-4, which was rammed and sunk by it ‘s sister sub. They also talked about the submarines purchased by the government of British Columbia and later Canada in 1914, which established the Canadian submarine force.

Bill Lighfoot and Keith Watson during the program

The program was an interesting look at the little known early history of submarines in Puget Sound. If you are interested in reading Bill’s book, you can borrow the copy in the base library (just contact Newsletter Editor Dave Schueler) or you can still get copies on Amazon.com.

Good of the Order: 
Ric Hedman brought a copy of the new book “Seventeen Fathoms Deep” about the loss of USS S-4. It was a great looking book and is highly recommended.