March 2019 Meeting Notes

Editor’s Note: Check the full Seattle Base Meeting Minutes for complete details on the items below.

We started off the March meeting with Tolling the Boats lost in March, followed by birthday wishes for our members. We followed that up with the Officer Reports and introductions.

After our introductions, Maureen B. (representing the Kirkland Independence Day parade), asked if our own World War 2 vet Ralph S. would be Grand Marshall for the parade. He graciously agreed to the request.

Old Business
Kaps for Kids Update - Kerry followed up last month’s Kaps for Kids report with some more research. He found that Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital of Tacoma was very receptive to this activity by our Base. Kerry covered the requirements that participating members would have to conform with, and a motion was made to continue the process of obtaining the necessary items (hats and certificates) for a visit.
However, during the discussion several members brought up the subject of the potential of liability to our base and wondered if this was worth the risk. During further discussion a motion was made that Seattle base no longer participate in the Kaps for Kids program. The motion was tabled for this meeting so that everyone has tome to think about if we should participate in Kaps for Kids. The issue will be raised again for discussion at our next meeting. We are asking all members to consider whether we, as Seattle USSVI Base, want to participate in Kaps for Kids and be ready to discuss and vote on the issue. Feel free to contact any of the Base Officers if you would like more information about what was discussed or to pass along your thoughts.

March Program

Ric shows a photo of Protector under-construction

The March program was a presentation by Ric on the submarine Protector, built by Simon Lake in 1901-02. Ric gave a brief history of Simon Lake submarines. He also covered the differences in construction and operation between the submarines built by Simon Lake and John Holland. Then he talked about the design and construction of the submarine. Protector had some interesting and innovative features, including a gun turret, a diver lock-out chamber, and the first periscope (called an omni-scope by Lake). The submarine drew the interest of the Russian and Japanese navies (which were at war at the time). Protector was purchased by the Russians and shipped to Vladivostok. The Russians eventually bought six more submarines from Lake, making him the Father of the Russian submarine force. It was an interesting look at early submarine history.

Binnacle List:
We were told that Junior Vice Commander Earl G. is recovering well from his heart surgery, is now driving and should be back at meetings soon.

Good of the order:
Submarine book author Rick Campbell, a retired submariner, sent the base a signed copy of his book Blackmail. We have added the book to the base library and you can contact Dave S. if you would like to borrow the book. Also, Rick Campbell will be at the Kitsap Mall Barnes and Noble to sign copies of his latest submarine book Treason on Saturday, March 30. The signing will be followed by a release party at the Yacht Club Broiler. You can see more about Rick's books and the signing on his website.

The U.S. Naval Undersea Museum at Keyport WA will hold a National Vietnam War Veterans Day Commemoration on Friday, March 29, at noon (you can also see more about this event on this Facebook Event page).

Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of duty location, are invited to attend and be recognized. RSVP by e-mailing NUM_Operations@navy.mil or calling 360-396-5548. This event is open to the public. The museum invites regional Sailors and the public to join the event and to say "thank you" to our Vietnam Veterans.

We have been invited to a memorial event in Graham, WA on May 18th, 2019 at 6pm. The group honors those who have served and passed away during war, from old age, or other circumstances. They make crosses for these individuals and currently have 452 crosses. This year they are making a cross to remember the loss of USS Thresher and will be honoring those lost on the sub during their program. The crosses will be left up all week long through Memorial Day. This is a community event, is free to the public, and dinner is provided at the event.
The event will happen at:
Graham Emmanuel Baptist Church
22316 106th Ave E
Graham WA 98338

March 2019 Meeting Reminder

The next Seattle Base meeting is this coming Wednesday, March 20, 2019. We will meet at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). Social hour starts at 6PM with business meeting at 7PM.

We will have our normal business meeting first, followed by a program on Simon Lake's submarine Protector.

Protector submarine (from commons.wikimedia.org)

In addition to the monthly meeting, we want to remind you of a couple other upcoming events in the area.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day Commemoration

At the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum on Friday, March 29, at noon (you can also see more about this event on this Facebook Event page)

Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of duty location, are invited to attend and be recognized. RSVP by e-mailing NUM_Operations@navy.mil or calling 360-396-5548.

Following the veteran recognition, Naval History & Heritage Command Historian John Sherwood, author of "War in the Shallows: U.S. Navy Coastal and Riverine Warfare in Vietnam, 1965-1968," will provide an overview of the Navy's operations and activities during the Vietnam War. He will also delve into the operations of the Navy's three inshore task forces from 1965-68, focusing on such themes as basing, technology, tactics, and command and control. Throughout his talk, he will pay homage to the humanity behind the hardware – the Sailors who served on the rivers and coasts of Vietnam.

Vietnam Veteran Norman Johnson will follow Mr. Sherwood with a talk about his participation in the war as a Green Beret in Laos up to 1962. His talk will include insight into the "Operation White Star" mission, which he played a role in during the war.

This event is open to the public. The museum invites regional Sailors and the public to join the event and to say "thank you" to our Vietnam Veterans.

Treason Book Release Party

Submarine book author Rick Campbell, a retired submariner, will be at the Kitsap Mall Barnes and Noble to sign copies of his latest submarine book Treason on Saturday, March 30 starting at noon. The signing will be followed by a release party at the Yacht Club Broiler.

Click here to learn more about the signing and release party.

You can see more about Rick's books on his website.

March - April 2019 Dolphin Brotherhood Posted

The March - April 2019 issue of the Dolphin Brotherhood has been posted and is ready to view and download.

Click for a larger view and read more about this design in the newsletter

This issue has photos from the February meeting Show & Tell, information on the 2019 USSVI national convention, an article on a Cold War submarine aircraft carrier design, and the usual submarine related articles.

Hardcopies will be mailed out shortly. I hope you all enjoy the newsletter.

Dave Schueler
Seattle USSVI Base Newsletter Editor

February Meeting Notes

Editor’s Note: Check the full Seattle Base Meeting Minutes for complete details on the items below.

We started off the February meeting with Tolling the Boats lost in February, followed by birthday wishes for our members. We followed that up with the Officer Reports and introductions.

Old and New Business
Base Updates – Reminder that we are still looking for someone to fill the Base Secretary position. Please contact any of the Base officers if you are interested in being the Secretary. We also got an update on Earl G (Jr Vice Commander), who is recovering from triple-bypass surgery.

Base Float Update - We were informed that the Base Float survived the recent Winter storms thanks to replacing the roof on it’s shelter. However, we were informed that we need to find a new place to store the supporting equipment (flags, bunting, signs, etc.). Some suggestion will be offered at our next base meeting, but feel free to contact the base officers with your ideas.

Kaps for Kids Update - Kerry gave us a preliminary report on our Kap for Kids program saying that Seattle Children’s Orthopedic Hospital has instituted some new policies that limits what charitable organizations, such as ours, can do with their patients. However, we did discuss options which included, but not limited to, purchasing caps with the dolphin logo and certificates of Honorary Submariners or special comfort blankets (different sizes for the various recipient ages), etc. Kerry is doing a little more research on our options. Also he indicated that he would check with other children care centers (hospitals) to see if they had similar policies as Seattle Children’s Orthopedic Hospital.

USSVI National Awards - We were reminded that nominations for USSVI National awards opened in February and that members should take the time look into this. It was recommended that we should consider nominating Base Commander Ric for the Ben Bastura Historical Achievement award for his work on the Pig Boats website. You can download a copy of the Awards Manual, with information on the nomination process on the USSVI website.

February Program
The program for the evening was Show and Tell by the membership.

Don U brought to our attention to a special bottle of wine. The wine was presented to his old Skipper to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a rescue at sea during World War II by one of the airman that was rescued. The skipper was not really a drinker, so the bottle was subsequently passed onto Don for safe-keeping.

Don shows off the wine bottle

Dick G spoke about a recent presentation he did for some Cub Scouts and showed the Thank You card they gave him. He also talked about the involvement by the Seattle Base with the Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts presentation when he was Base Commander.

Dick telling us how smart the Cub Scouts are

Larry A showed pictures of his boat the USS Salmon (SSR-573) and told of his being transferred to it from sub school, going thru the Panama Canal, and what he was charged with when becoming a Shellback as the boat crossed the equator.

Larry and hie boat photos

Bill L talked about how he became a member of the base because he wrote the book “Beneath the Surface” about submarines that were built in Seattle. We have a copy of the book in the Base Library and you can still purchase a copy online.

Bill with a copy of his book

Doug A told a story about when Redfish pulled into Acapulco and they did a "celebrity cruise" with Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, and Jimmy Dean. Doug shared how Jimmy Dean came back to maneuvering to sit with the crew and told them all how he wanted to shoot a torpedo.

Doug talking about meeting Jimmy Dean

Ric H showed the us his original qualification card from the Flasher and went through the various sections on learning the boat. He also showed a copy of qualification guide book that was given to him after he had qualified, which was very different than his qualification card.

Ric and his original qualification card

We all had a good time hearing stories about the various show and tell items.

Good of the order:
Submarine book author Rick Campbell, a retired submariner, will be at the Kitsap Mall Barnes and Noble to sign copies of his latest submarine book “Treason” on Saturday, March 30. The signing will be followed by a release party at the Yacht Club Broiler. You can see more about Risk's books on his website.

We were reminded that the United State Submarine Service is celebrating it’s 119 birthday in 2019. We were asked to think about doing a celebration of some kind. We talk about this again at the next meeting, so bring your ideas!

We added a new book to the Base Library (you can see the full list at the link) - The book, Operation Drumbeat, covers the German submarine offensive on the east coast at the start of 1942.