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

January Meeting Notes

After the delay due to the snow and ice storm that rolled through the area, we finally held our January meeting. We started out with the Tolling of the Boats for January and introductions, and then moved on to business. Here is the important information that was shared at the meeting.

Officer Reports:
Treasurer Jim Harper provided the year-end totals for the Base funds and let us know that we are pretty much breaking even on total receipts and expenses. He fielded a few questions from those at the meeting and wanted to make sure everyone knows that if they have any questions about base finances, they can contact him with the questions.

Base Storekeeper Bill Giese let us know that he still has a few 2012 USSVI calendars. However, if you want one contact him as soon as possible, since he is planning on returning any extras to the USSVI National office soon. On a related subject, 'Dutch' Krompholz asked members to bring any old submarine calendars to him, so that the pictures can be 'recycled' for other purposes.

He is also getting some of the new Holland Club rocker arm patches for adding to your Holland Club patch noting begin qualified for 55, 60, 65, 70, and 75 years.

Old and New Business:

Pat Householder (right) swear in the new Seattle Base Officers

Base Elections: The call was put out for nominations for officers and a vote was taken. The 2012 Seattle Base Officers are: Base Commander - Doug Abramson, Sr. Vice Commander - Art Thompson, Jr. Vice Commander - Tim Floersch, Secretary - Bill Giese, and Treasurer - Jim Harper.
We also want to thank outgoing Base Commander Keith Watson for all the work he has done for the base.

Pat thanks Keith for his work as Base Commander

Base Float: The trailer for the float needs a lot of refurbishing to get it ready for this year's parade season. Several places on the trailer and the cradles that hold the submarine have cracks that need to be repaired. Depending on the extent of the damage, we might need to purchase a new trailer. We will keep you informed on how things look and if we are going to have a float work-party.

Donation: Loma Taylor, Ted Taylor's widow, was at the meeting to present a donation in Ted's name of $1,000 to help out with the Base float. She also let us know that a family friend donated $5,000 to the USSVI Scholarship Fund for a scholarship in Ted's name. Scholarship applicants from the northwest will get first priority for the funds.

Outgoing Base Commander Keith Watson accepts the donation check from Loma Taylor

Because the business meeting went long, we decided to skip this month's program. It will be presented at a later meeting.

Binnacle List Update:
As many of you know, Base Chaplin Andrea Geisler has been struggling with an eye infection. She let us know that she finally had the damaged eye removed and had a false eye implanted. The false eye looks very natural and she said she is officially off the Binnacle list.

January Meeting Reminder, Second Try

Hi Shipmates,

Rain is better that snow and ice.

We will be holding our Seattle Base USSVI meeting on Wednesday, January 25 at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). We will have Social Time starting at 6 PM and the business meeting starts at 7 PM.

On the agenda - Election of Seattle Base Officers.

The January presentation is: "Deep Dives, Dives, and Angles that were not on the Plan Of The Day".

Come and enjoy the discussion, listen to a few stories from others and feel free to share some stories of your own about Deep Dives, Dives, and Angles that were not on the Plan of the Day.

We will also have the Submarine Research Center books from the base library, including their Steep Angles and Deep Dives book, at the meeting for you to look at or borrow.

See you on Wednesday!
Keith Watson
Commander Seattle Base USSVI

January Meeting Rescheduled

Shipmates,

Because the weather service is saying there is a 100 percent chance of snow on this coming Wednesday.

We are going to cancel this week's Seattle Base meeting and reschedule it for the following Wednesday, January 25th. Same time, same location!

This message is also being sent out by email. But if you know any Seattle Base members who do not have email service, and don't read the blog, please help us out by contacting them to let them know about the change.

Stay warm and safe!

Keith Watson
Commander Seattle Base USSVI

January Meeting Reminder

Shipmates,

We will be holding our next Seattle Base USSVI meeting on Wednesday, January 18 at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). We will have Social Time starting at 6 PM and the business meeting starts at 7 PM.

On the agenda - Election of Seattle Base Officers.

The January presentation is: "Deep Dives, Dives, and Angles that were not on the Plan Of The Day".

Come and enjoy the discussion, listen to a few stories from others and feel free to share some stories of your own about Deep Dives, Dives, and Angles that were not on the Plan of the Day.

We will also have the Submarine Research Center books from the base library, including their Steep Angles and Deep Dives book, at the meeting for you to look at or borrow.

Look forward to seeing you.
Keith Watson
Commander Seattle Base USSVI

Submarines in History - The Los Angeles Class

On January 8 1972 - The keel for the first Los Angeles class submarine was laid at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock, Company, Newport News, VA.

USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) on her last deployment in 2009 (U.S. Navy photo)

The Los Angeles class was designed almost exclusively for Carrier Battlegroup escort; they were fast, quiet, and could launch Mk48 torpedoes, Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles (no longer carried), and both land attack and anti-ship (no longer carried) Tomahawk cruise missiles. The submarines showed another step improvement in quieting and an increase in operating speed to allow them to support the CVBG. Escort duties included conducting ASW sweeps hundreds of miles ahead of the CVBG and conducting attacks against the SAG.

A total of 62 Los Angeles class submarines were built and 43 are still on active duty with the U.S. Navy. The class was divided into three groups: Group I (SSN 688 - 718) is the original design, Group II (SSN 719 - 750) added 12 vertical launch tubes for the Tomahawk cruise missile, and Group III (SSN 751 - 773), also known as 688I (I for Improved), are quieter, incorporate an advanced sonar suite combat system and are configured for under-ice operations (their forward diving planes have been moved from the sail structure to the bow and the sail has been strengthened for breaking through ice).

All submarines in the Los Angeles class, except for USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709), are named after U.S. cities, breaking a long-standing Navy tradition of naming attack submarines after sea creatures.

Also on January 8 2005, - the Los Angeles class submarine USS San Francisco (SSN-711) collided with an undersea mountain 350 miles south of Guam. The submarine experienced a rapid deceleration from approximately 35 knots, causing everything not attached to the submarine to go flying forward and a section of the bow to cave in.

MM2(SS) Joseph Ashley

Machinist Mate 2nd Class Joseph Allen Ashley, 24, of Akron, OH, died of injuries suffered in the accident, which occurred when the submarine was on a high speed run to Brisbane, Australia. Around 60 other sailors were also injured in the accident, some seriously. The submarine returned to Guam, where temporary repairs were completed, and then the submarine transited to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for permanent repairs by way of replacing the ship's forward compartment. San Francisco's captain, Commander Kevin Mooney, was later relieved of command after an investigation revealed that the ship was using inadequate voyage planning techniques.

Damage to USS San Francisco's bow (U.S. Navy photo)

On 10 October 2008, San Francisco undocked after a successful bow replacement at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The dry-docking project involved cutting more than one million pounds off the forward ballast tanks and sonar sphere of the former USS Honolulu (SSN-718) and attaching it to San Francisco. After the completion of repairs and sea trials in April 2009, San Francisco shifted homeport to Naval Base Point Loma, San Diego, California.