Seattle USSVI Base: 2012 Tolling the Boats Ceremony, Part 1

Seattle USSVI Base held our annual Tolling the Boats Ceremony on August 18. We were expecting a warm (maybe even hot) sunny day for this year's ceremony, but it was a cloudy, cool (some would say a little too cool) day. There was a good turnout for the ceremony and pre-ceremony picnic. We also had a number of people at the park stop by the float to ask questions and a few stayed for part of the ceremony.

We have a bunch of pictures from the picnic and the Tolling Ceremony, so I've split them up into two blog entries. In this entry, I'm including pictures from the Tolling Ceremony. You can click on a picture to get a larger view of it.

Seattle Base float with lots of submarine photos and information.

The Tolling the Boats is a memorial service to honor our lost submarine brothers who made the supreme sacrifice while performing their duties with valor, integrity, and courage. This ceremony is a fundamental part our creed as members of U.S. Submarine Veterans, "To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in pursuit of their duties while serving their country."

The Honor Guard from VFW Post 2995 was on hand to 'Present the Colors' and provide some other honors for the ceremony.

VFW Honor Guard posting the colors

Our World War II veterans were piped aboard and escorted to their seats.

World War II SubVets Ralph Sterley, Fred Ensslin, and Robbie Robertson

Seattle Base Chaplin Andrea Geisler provided the invocation for the ceremony.

Base Chaplin, Andrea Geisler delivers the Invocation

After the invocation, Master of Ceremonies Bob Opple provided some opening remarks, talking about the challenges faced by submariners during World War II, and then he showed our appreciation to Maureen and Kathy, the ladies that organize the veteran portion of the Kirkland Independence Day parade, by presenting them with corsages.

MoC Bob Opple delivering his opening remarks

Corsages being presented to Kathy and Maureen

Ric Hedman then read a poem by Fletcher Pratt about the subs built at Mare Island, while Steve Shelton rang the bell for the submarine names in the poem.

Steve Shelton rings the bell while Ric Hedman reads the Fletcher Pratt poem

I've included the poem below and you can find it on Ric's website:

“There is a poetry in ships' names. It can still be heard in the quiet watches of the night..., when mist obscures the waterfront and foghorns call mournfully through the darkness. Out across the bay, blinking lights mark the channel down which Navy ships have sailed for a hundred years, and bells sound a knell for those that never came back. There is no quiet Arlington for ships; their bones rust in unknown lands beneath the sea. The names that entered history in minutes filled with fire and thunder are soon forgotten, except in long hours of the night when the bells call the roll of missing ships —Seawolf …

There are honored names, and the ships that wore them carried them well. Some were old and some were new, but sweat and skill and steel of Mare Island was a part of each of them to the end —Pickerel ...

There are historic names, old in the naval list. Though the logs in the archives fade, their memories will live so long as the bells still toll —These are fighting names, and these were fighting ships —Wahoo, Swordfish, Tang, Trigger, Tullibee, Gudgeon, Pompano …

Such were the ships that Mare Island built, and such were the ships that made history."

We were then provided with a superb rendition of ‘Proud to be an American’ by Kami Trieder.

Kami Trieder

This year's Tolling readers were Bill Giese and Larry Abbott with Jim Harper ringing the bell. Before reading the lost boats, Keith Watson explained the significance and origins of the ceremony.

Keith Watson explains the significance of the Tolling the Boats

Jim Harper tolls the bell while Bill Giese reads the lost boat names

Larry Abbott reads the lost boat names

When the reading of the lost boats was complete, Loma Taylor placed the memorial wreath to honor the lost submariners, then VFW Honor Guard provided the gun-salute and Taps presentation.