USS Connecticut sailed into its homeport of Bremerton on Tuesday, December 21, 2 1/2 months after a collision with an underwater mountain.
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| Connecticut sailing through Puget Sound (photo from the West Seattle Blog) |
Closer photos in the Kitsap Sun show the boat is missing some or all of the sonar dome on the bow of the boat.
You can read and see more in the article from the Kitsap Sun.
The next Seattle Base meeting is set for Tuesday, November 9 at VFW Post #2995 in Redmond (4330 148th Ave NE, Redmond WA 98052). The formal meeting starts at 7 PM, but we will open at 6 PM for social time.
We will talk about the Christmas luncheon, scheduled for December 11 at the Nile Golf and Country Club, and cover other on-going items.
We hope to see you there!
The 2021 Auburn Veterans Day parade is on Saturday, November 6. The Seattle Base USSVI and Bremerton Base USSVI will be participating in this year's parade.
We will meet near the junction of Main and K Street NE in Auburn. Please arrive between 10:00 and 10:30. The parade will start at 11:00. We will have room on the float for sitting. Be sure to dress warm.
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| Photo from the 2019 parade |
There is free parking in the Auburn transit center garage by the train depot (click on the image below for a larger view of the map). You can see more about other parade and Veterans Day events on the City of Auburn website.
There will not be any display stands and tents around this year, so them should be more parking available. Also there will be no bands.
We hope to see you there!
We are on for our October meeting this coming Tuesday, October 12th, at the VFW post 2995 in Redmond (4430 148th Ave NE, Redmond). The formal meeting starts at 7 PM, but we will open at 6 PM for social time. The VFW restaurant will be open for good pub food.
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| VFW Post 2995 |
We can’t wait to see everyone again.
Cold War Submariner, Holland Club and Seattle Base Member Tim Timothy Paul Floersch departed on Eternal Patrol on August 28, 2021.
Tim was born on February 8, 1944. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1965 and qualified in submarines aboard USS Redfish (AGSS-395) in 1966. He was a ETR-2(SS) when he left the service in 1970. He made a career with Korry Electronics in Seattle as a Quality Engineer.
Tim was an active member of the USSVI – Seattle Base and USS Thresher Chapter of the Silent Service Motorcycle Club (SSMC), acting as their Base Secretary. He was also active in the Lynnwood Hero’s Café Veteran’s Group and the Lynnwood Elks (FOE). Tim is survived by two daughters and five grandchildren.
Arrangements are being made through the Neptune Society of Lynnwood and Lynnwood Elks for an internment at Tahoma National Cemetery at a date to be announced later.
Shipmate, Rest your oar.
We want to remind you that the next Seattle Base USSVI meeting is planned for Tuesday, August 10th at the VFW Post #2995 in Redmond (4330 148th Ave NE, Redmond WA 98052). Social time starts at 6:30 and the business meeting starts at 7.
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| A nice snapshot from a previous meeting |
We will discuss a schedule for the rest of the year as well as events we wish to pursue and, best of all, get to see each other again.
We will not have food or beverages served in the hall, but you may order from the bar topside. You are required to wear a mask at the bar when ordering items and not seated. Anyone not vaccinated to should wear a mask at all times. Many of us will be wearing one to prevent the spread of virus variants.
We hope to see you there.
Greetings shipmates,
We are happy to announce that the next Seattle Base meeting is planned for Tuesday, August 10, 2021. We will meet at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052) in the large hall. Social time starts at 6:30 PM with business meeting at 7 PM.
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| Redmond VFW Post 2995 |
The executive board met June 24th and voted on the August meeting date to be held at the regular place in Redmond. We are hoping for a big turnout where we can discuss a schedule for the coming year as well as events we wish to pursue and, best of all, get to see each other again.
We hope to see you there. Please feel free to contact the base officers with any questions.
There are two memorial services are planned for Paul Christofferson.
The first is a more formal memorial service at Tahoma National Cemetery. It is scheduled for Thursday, July 22 at 12:30 PM. Please arrive 15 minutes early. Tahoma National Cemetery's address is 18600 SE 240th Street Kent, WA 98042-4868.
The second memorial will be at AMVETS Post 1 on Saturday July 24, 2021 at 11:00 AM. This event is less formal and more of a social gathering with music, finger food, no official ceremony. Paul's memorabilia will be on display and there will be time to share stories. The AMVETS Post address is 5717 S. Tyler Street Tacoma, WA, 98409.
Both services are open to all and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend to honor and remember Paul.
World War II veteran, Holland Club, and Bremerton Base member, Paul Algot Christofferson cast off his lines from the pier of life and sailed off on his final and Eternal Patrol on June 2, 2021.
Paul qualified in submarines aboard the USS Raton (SS-270) in 1944, completing 3 war patrols and earning a combat patrol pin. He was a MOMM3(SS) when he left the Navy in 1946.
Paul was active in SVWWII through it's dissolution, serving as Lockwood Chapter President, and also was a District Commander in USSVI. Paul was always a regular at the Auburn Veterans Day Parade and Seattle Base Tolling Ceremony.
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| Paul speaking at a Seattle Base Tolling Ceremony |
Sailor, Rest your oar.
As restrictions on gatherings are being lifted and we remember our fallen shipmates on Memorial Day, we wanted to pass along some information about ceremonies in the Seattle area.
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| Memorial Day flags at Tahoma National Cemetery |
Tahoma National Cemetery will be open for visitors during Memorial Day Weekend, but will not be holding a public ceremony for Memorial Day 2021. They will post pictures of the wreath laying next week.
The Avenue of Flags and individual gravesite flags will be on display during the weekend. There will be staff available on site and additional public restrooms during the weekend.
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| Garden of Remembrance in Seattle |
The ceremony will beheld at Benaroya Hall’s Garden of Remembrance on Monday, May 31, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.
This annual event is held in honor of Washington State Service members who fell in service to their country since Memorial Day of the prior year. The names of the fallen are engraved on the granite walls of the Garden of Remembrance.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala.
On Saturday, Indonesia's Navy changed the status of its missing submarine from sub-miss to sub-sank, as the Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff, Yudo Margono, presented debris believed to be from the vessel at a news conference.
Authorities now expect to carry out an evacuation process to recover the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine and its crew when they pinpoint its exact location. The latest update came as hopes faded for the 53 crew members, who were expected to have run out of oxygen early on Saturday. So far, no sign of them has been found, Yudo said.
Six pieces of debris believed to be from the submarine were presented to journalists at the news conference. The items were found about two miles from the spot where the submarine started to dive before it went missing, Yudo said, and included a bottle of grease, part of a torpedo launcher, part of a metal tube, prayer mats and fuel.
Nanggala was a German-built Type 209/1300 class submarine. The sub was conducting a torpedo drill when it went missing.
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| KRI Nanggala in the Java Sea 2015 (Wikipedia) |
We offer our sincerest condolences to Indonesia and the family and friends of the crew.
Happy 121st Birthday to the U.S. Navy submarine force on #nationalsubmarineday.
Here are some video celebrations from the U.S. Navy, ComSubLAnt, and ComSubPac
U.S. Navy video and message
The U.S. Navy submarine force is celebrating 121 years of undersea mastery and heritage, which have created, forged, and honed the nation’s most effective military advantage. The submarine force was born on April 11, 1900, when the U.S. Navy purchased John Holland’s revolutionary submarine. Today’s submarine force provides a ready force to the nation to deter war, defeat terrorists, provide relief during disasters, and win if called upon.
SubLant video
SubPac video Facebook link
https://www.facebook.com/SUBPAC/videos/2193538610945140/If you haven't been the the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport WA in a while (or ever), now is a good time to go on a video tour or to try out their new virtual tour.
Here is the video tour.
For the virtual tour, just click here > Naval Undersea Museum Virtual Tour
You can also find the link to the virtual tour on the Naval Undersea Museum's website.
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| USS George Washington SSBN-598 |
This March the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum will be featuring the Navy’s Strategic Deterrence program. In the Submarine Force this translates to the Ballistic Missile Submarines – or “Boomers”. As part of this story, they want to tell the families’ experiences while their loved one was out on a deterrence patrol.
If you would like to tell your story, please send an email to the museum telling them about your experiences. Children can participate too! (the museum does ask that the story be sent in by the parent or guardian if the child is not yet 18 years old). The museum will post these stories in the last two weeks of March 2021. We hope that you will share your families’ experiences with the Strategic Deterrence mission.
You can email your story to NAUTILUSEVENTS@NAVY.MIL or through Facebook Messenger (use USNSubforceMuseum in the To line). Please have all submissions in by March 1, 2021 – this will give the museum enough to time set thing up on their end and post your stories!
The museum is looking forward to reading your amazing stories and sharing with the world!
See the Naval History & Heritage Command or U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum Facebook pages for more information.
Holland Club and Seattle Base member William "Bill" A. Van Vleet Jr. departed on Eternal Patrol on January 15, 2021.
Bill was born in El Paso Texas to William Axtell Van Vleet Sr. and Martha Blankenship Van Vleet and grew up in Southern California. Bill joined the Navy in 1956 and qualified in submarines on USS Bluegill (SS-242) in 1958. He was a EN2(SS) when he left the Navy in 1962. He moved to Rupert Idaho with his family in the 70's where he was a successful Dairy farmer. After farming he returned to California to work for the State Department of Agriculture. Upon retiring he moved to Everson, WA in 1996.
Bill is survived by his beautiful wife of 62 years, Judy Van Vleet his daughter, Shaun Marie and son-in-law, Roger Souve; his grandsons, William Van Vleet, Chris Souve; granddaughters, Heather Souve, Rachel Souve, Karlee Souve; his great-grandsons, Parker and Kayden Van Vleet, Logan and Hudson Souve.
William was a Life member of the Elks and Masons, and a life and Holland Club member of USSVI Seattle Base.
Sailor, Rest your oar.
Seattle Base and Holland Club member Bob Opple departed on Eternal Patrol on January 10, 2021.
Bob qualified on USS Razorback (SS-394) in 1960 and also served USS Archerfish (SS-311).
Bob was an active USSVI member, a founding member of the Silent Service Motorcycle Club, and instrumental in the return Razorback as a museum ship in Little Rock, AR.
Bob was a proud submariner. He was always quick with a smile and ready to tell a sea story. We will miss him.
Please keep Bob’s family in your thoughts and prayers.
Sailor, Rest Your Oar
