April 2016 Meeting Notes

We began the April meeting with Tolling the Boats lost in April, followed by birthday wishes for our members, officer reports, and introductions.

Old and New Business Base 
Activities Calendar – The 2016 USSVI Seattle Base Activities Calendar has been printed up and will be mailed out with the next newsletter. It is also posted on the blog with a link at the top of the page, right under the photo of the Bonefish.

Bangor Tour – Dick Gonzalez has organized a tour of Bangor submarine base, Trident Training Facility, and a submarine (based on submarine availability). The tour is planned for Thursday June 16, 2016, but screening information must be provided by May 18. The tour will be limited to around 30 people and there is a $12.00 for lunch. You can read more about the tour, requirements, and find a link to all the paperwork at this previous blog post.

April Program
The April program was a presentation on the submarine USS F-4 by Seattle Base Member Ric Hedman. F-4 was lost on March 25, 1915 off Honolulu Harbor. The boat was built at the Moran Shipyard in Seattle and launched in 1910. Ric showed some great photos of the construction and testing in Elliot Bay and off Port Townsend. He went on to talk about how F-4 had a reputation as a “hard luck” boat due to groundings and mechanical difficulties. He went on to talk about it service with the Navy in San Francisco and the transfer to Hawaii after World War I started. He went on to talk about the conditions in Hawaii at the time and the eventual loss, salvage, and disposal of F-4. But that wasn’t the whole story. In keeping with the USSVI creed to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates that gave their lives in the submarine service; Ric went on to give background stories about some of the men on F-4. He concentrated on the men with northwest connections, talking about where they came from and passing along details from their lives. We often hear about the boats and know those names, but it good to remember and get some background on the men on one of the lost boats.

Ric Hedman (on the right) answering some questions from his presentation.

Good of the Order
Salmon for Soldiers – The Salmon for Soldiers program is having a Beer tasting fundraiser on April 30 in Snohomish. They also planned their 2nd Annual Golf tournament for August 13 and their annual fishing event for September 17. This is a great organization that supports Veterans. Please check their website for more information about the organization and their events.

Binnacle List

• Base member Roy Burt is recovering from hip surgery. 
• Fran Gonzalez, wife of past Base Commander Dick Gonzalez, is recovering from hip surgery. 
• Lois Mezek is having shoulder surgery on May 5.