Memorial Day 2020

Even with restrictions on gatherings we are still remembering our fallen shipmates and commemorating the service of all veterans with a few photos of submarine memorials.

US National Submarine Memorial East, Groton CT

US National Submarine Memorial East Wall of Honor, Groton CT

US National Submarine Memorial West, Seal Beach CA

USSVI memorial plaque -Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent WA

USS Grayling Memorial, Denver CO

USS Tang plaque - Liberty Station Submarine Memorial, San Diego CA

Memorial plaque - US Navy Memorial, Washington DC

Submariner's Walk Heritage Trail, Brisbane Australia

Hopefully, you'll have a safe Memorial Day and that this post gives you some ideas for places to visit in the future. For a list of other submarine memorials, see the Memorials page on the USSVI website.

May - June 2020 Dolphin Brotherhood Posted

The May-June 2020 issue of the Seattle Base newsletter, The Dolphin Brotherhood has been posted and is ready to view and download. You can get to it by clicking the link or clicking the top link under Seattle Base Links to the right. (Note: The newsletter is stored on Dropbox, but you do not need to sign-up for a Dropbox account to view and download the newsletter; you can just close the window asking you to create or sign-in to your account.)

Nordenfelt I steam submarine during testing in 1884

We haven't had a lot of Seattle Base news to include in the newsletter. However, this issue has an article on early (1880s) steam submarines, along with submarine articles and news from around the world.

I'm working on getting hardcopies printed and mailed out later this week.

As always, remember to check back here for base updates and other articles of interest.

Dave Schueler
Seattle USSVI Base Newsletter Editor

Eternal Patrol: Jim Marr

Seattle Base and Holland Club member Jim Marr departed on eternal patrol on April 13 after battling cancer and lung disease for a number of years.

Jim led an amazing life, knowing from an early age the value of hard work: at nine years old he was working in the field topping onions at 14 cents a bushel! He played football in high school and college, and served on the ski patrol at Estes Park, Colorado. He was the first man accepted into the Naval Nuclear program from Colorado, qualified in submarines in 1959 aboard USS Razorback, and also served on USS Scamp. He was a patriot, and very proud of his service to his country. He was a man of action, and loved fishing, hunting, rafting, and mountain climbing. You name it, he did it! If someone needed help, he was always the first one there. He was so proud of his family. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Roberta; his brother, William (Judy) Marr; his five children - Jeffrey (Tracy), Jason (Lori), Julie, Jon (Kristi), and Joel (Staci); as well as his 12 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. Nothing brought him more joy than being in their presence. Thankfully, because of video conferencing, he was able to have contact at the end with all his family. There will be a memorial service at a later date.

Sailor, Rest your oar. 

Happy 120th Birthday, U.S. Navy Submarine Force

Naval History and Heritage Command posted a birthday message for the U.S. Submarine Force with some links to some interesting submarine history.

DASO off Cape Kennedy, FL. An A-3 Polaris fired from USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624) on 15 October 1969, with USS Lowery (DD-770) and USS Observation Island (AG-154) in background. Painting, oil on canvas by James E. Mitchell; 1970

On April 11, 1900, the U.S. Navy officially joined the undersea world when it purchased the submarine Holland. The boat, designed by John P. Holland, proved valuable for experimental purposes during her 10-year career.

American submarines did not play a large role in World War I, but they played a huge role during World War II. Assessments indicated that U.S. submarines sank 540,192 tons of Japanese naval vessels and 4,779,902 tons of merchant shipping during the course of the war, accounting for 54.6 percent of all Japanese vessel losses.

USS Nautilus—developed by Hyman G. Rickover—was the first nuclear-powered submarine and the first submarine to cross the North Pole under the Arctic polar ice pack. USS George Washington made history on July 20, 1960, when she successfully launched the first Polaris from a submerged submarine. The Tomahawk land-attack missile was later developed and was first used by submarines in combat during Desert Storm by USS Louisville and USS Pittsburgh.

Happy birthday, U.S. Navy submarine force.

General Updates

Since we missed our March meeting, we wanted to pass along some USSVI news from the last month. I'll be making more regular posts to the blog over the coming weeks.

Remember, you can find contact information for the Seattle Base officers in the Dolphin Brotherhood. (Note: The newsletter is stored on Dropbox, but you do not need to sign-up for a Dropbox account to view and download the newsletter; you can just close the window asking you to create or sign-in to your account.)

USSVI National Office Contact
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the USSVI National Office staff is staying home. Most of the staff can work remotely from home. So, if you need to contact the office with question, please e-mail ussvi@telebyte.net and we will respond.

2020 USSVI Award Nominations

The National Awards nomination period started on February 1st. Please read the individual award requirements and submission procedures described in the 2020 USSVI Awards Manual and take the steps to recognize the accomplishments of your Shipmates, Bases and Newsletters.

The nomination period for all awards, except for newsletter of the year, is April 30, 2020. The last report said there had only been 10 nominations so far. We are sure there are many more nominations out there, so please take the time to read through the manual and submit your nominations.

The Awards Manual can be found at this link: 2020 USSVI Awards Manual

If you have questions or are ready to submit nominations, contact the National Awards Chairman, Harold W (Bill) Scott II at: hscottss242@gmail.com or by mail through the address shown in the manual.

New Charitable Foundation Website

The new USSV Charitable Foundation website is up and running at www.ussvcf.org.

Every USSVI member is encouraged to visit this new website and see what is currently available as well as to mark it as a place to visit periodically. We encourage everyone to support their Charitable Foundation in any amount that feels comfortable to them, either as a one-time investment or a recurring one. Making a small, recurring donation is an excellent way to support their Charitable Foundation in a painless and easy way.

We encourage regular visits to see the website as it has additional features added over the upcoming weeks and months.

March 2020 Meeting Cancelled

Shipmates,

Due to concerns around the COVAD-19 virus, we are taking the path of safety and cancelling the March Seattle Base USSVI meeting.

Hopefully we will you at the April meeting.

Be sure to watch the blog, email, and Facebook for updates.

March - April 2020 Dolphin Brotherhood Posted

The March-April 2020 issue of the Seattle Base newsletter, The Dolphin Brotherhood has been posted and is ready to view and download. You can get to it by clicking the link or clicking the top link under Seattle Base Links to the right. (Note: The newsletter is stored on Dropbox, but you do not need to sign-up for a Dropbox account to view and download the newsletter; you can just close the window asking you to create or sign-in to your account.)

Photo of the forward section of USS Grayback’s tower. The USS Grayback sank in February 1944 after a
Japanese aircraft hit it with a 500-pound bomb. (Tim Taylor-Lost 52 Project)

This issue has a list of the new Seattle Base officers and a nice, if belated, article on the discovery of the USS Grayback - along with the usual submarine related articles.

Hardcopies will be mailed out later this week.

As always, remember to check back here for base updates and other articles of interest.

Dave Schueler
Seattle USSVI Base Newsletter Editor