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Issue 308, August 2020
OUR CREED:
“To Perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds and
supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of
America and its Constitution.”
Hello Shipmates, As your Blueback Base Commander for the past 3 1/2 years, I have mostly enjoyed this position. As my time as Base Commander is quickly winding down, I want to take this time to reach out and remind everyone that the Blueback Base is currently accepting nominations for Base Commander as well as Base Treasurer. Voting commences for these two vital positions after the base meeting is concluded on 10 October 2020 and runs through 14 November 2020. The ballots will be counted and the selectees announced at the 14 November 2020 Base meeting. I want to thank Blueback Base Founder and Past Base Commander Bob Wonsley and all the other countless Shipmates that have served in the positions within the Blueback Base over the last 28 years. My intention is not to try to scare you, but we have to be realistic. Without both of these positions being permanently filled by 31 December 2020, the Base will have no option but to surrender the Base charter and disband as a USSVI Base (see the last article in this month's issue of the Sanitary). We need to keep this base alive; too many bases have been disbanded for this exact same reason. At the time of this writing, there have not been any nominations submitted to the Nominations Committee. I, as well as the rest of your Shipmates, realize the challenges of holding an elected Officer position within the Blueback Base during this troubling time in our country's history, and for that, I would like to thank you for at least considering running for these positions. Our monthly online Zoom meetings are scheduled through the end of the year. Hopefully at some point we can resume our meetings in person. But until then, look for my emails reminding everyone about our Zoom meetings.
Fraternally, William Long Base Commander
FORWARD BATTERY
BASE COMMANDER
Bill Long
503.939.4134
VICE COMMANDER
Jay Agler
503.771.1774
SECRETARY
Randy Weston
503.779.5439
TREASURER
Dave Vrooman
503.466.0379
CHAPLAIN
Pat Dilley
503.539.2881
CHIEF OF THE BOAT
Arlo Gatchel
503.771.0540
WAYS & MEANS OFFICER
Steve Daniels
503.806.3790
SMALL STORES BOSS
Woody Turner
360.635.1319
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Dave Vrooman
503.466.0379
PAST BASE COMMANDER
George Hudson
503.241.8858
BYLAWS/NOMINATION
COMMITTEE CHAIR
George Hudson
503.241.8858
TRUSTEE
Jay Perry
503.397.5095
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Craig Porter
518.316.6836
HISTORIAN/ALL-AROUND
GOOD GUY
Bob Walters
503.284.8693
USS Bullhead (SS-332)
Class: BALAO Class
Launched: 16 Jul 1944
Commissioned: 4 Dec 1944
Builder: Electric Boat Co.,
Groton, Connecticut
Length: 311’ 9”
Beam: 27’ 3”
Lost on 6 August 1945
84 Men Lost
On 31 July 1945 Bullhead left Fremantle to commence her third
war patrol. Her orders were to patrol in a "wolfpack" with
Capitaine (SS-336) and Puffer (SS-268) in the Java Sea until 5
September and then head for Subic Bay in the Philippines.
Bullhead reported on 6 August that she had passed through
Lombok Strait. That was the last word received from Bullhead.
On 12 August Capitaine, planning to arrive on 13 August,
ordered Bullhead to take position the following day in a
scouting line with Capitaine and Puffer. Receiving no reply,
Capitaine reported on 15 August, "Have been unable to
contact Bullhead by any means since arriving in area."
Though it is difficult to determine precisely which of the many
Japanese anti-submarine attacks was the one that sank
Bullhead, one occurred on 6 August 1945 when an Imperial
Japanese Army Air Force Mitsubishi Ki-51 attacked with depth
charges. It claimed two direct hits, and for ten minutes
thereafter there was a great amount of gushing oil and air
bubbles rising in the water. Since the position given is very
near the Bali coast, it is presumed that the proximity of
mountain peaks shortened Bullhead's radar range and
prevented her receiving a warning of the plane's approach.
Bullhead received two Battle Stars for her World War II service.
USS Flier (SS-250)
Class: GATO Class
Launched: 11 Jul 1943
Commissioned: 18 Oct 1943
Builder: Electric Boat Co.,
Groton, Connecticut
Length: 311’ 9”
Beam: 27’ 3”
Lost on 13 August 1944
79 Men Lost
During her first war patrol on 13 June 1944, Flier attacked a
convoy of 11 ships, cargo carriers and tankers, guarded by at
least six escorts. The alert behavior of the escorts during the
attack resulted in a severe counterattack on Flier before she
could observe what damage she had done to the convoy.
On 22 June, she began a long chase after another large
convoy, scoring four hits for six torpedoes fired at two cargo ships that day, and three hits for four torpedoes launched
against another cargo ship of the same convoy the next day.
Flier put in to Fremantle, Australia to refit between 5 July and 2
August 1944, then sailed on her second war patrol, bound for
the coast of Indochina. At about 2200 on 13 August while
transiting Balabac Strait on the surface, she struck a mine. Flier
sank in a matter of minutes, yet 14 officers and men were able
to clamber out. Eight of the 14 reached the beach at
Mantangula Island after 17 hours in the water. Friendly natives
guided them to a coast-watcher who arranged for them to be
picked up by submarine, and on the night of 30–31 August,
they were taken on board USS Redfin.
Flier received one battle star for World War II service. In her
single war patrol she is credited with having sunk 10,380 tons of
Japanese shipping.
USS S-39 (SS-144)
Class: S Class
Launched: 2 Jul 1919
Commissioned: 14 Sep 1923
Builder: Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Corp., San Francisco, California
Length: 219’ 3”
Beam: 20’ 9”
Lost on 13 August 1942
No Loss of Life
S-39’s fifth war patrol, delayed twice by mechanical failures
and once by the necessity of hospitalizing her executive
officer, began on 10 August 1942. Assigned station off New
Ireland, she made her way across the Coral Sea to the
Louisiades. On the night of 13 August, S-39 grounded on
submerged rocks off Rossel Island and took on a 35° port list.
S-39 immediately blew ballast tanks dry and jettisoned fuel to
lighten the ship, then ordered a back emergency bell, but to
no avail. Heavy seas pounded her and pushed her farther up
on the rocks.
Throughout the day on 14 August, 15–20 foot breakers crashed
over the submarine but the crew maintained its fight to refloat
the ship, including jettisoning more fuel and firing four
deactivated torpedoes. By 15 August, the list had increased
to 60°. The heavy seas had not abated; S-39 continued to be
pounded against the rocks, and a call for help brought word
that the Australian minesweeper HMAS Katoomba was
coming. Efforts were begun to rescue the crew. Lieutenant
C.N.G. Hendrix and Chief Petty Officer W. L. Schoenrock swam
ashore, secured mooring lines to a torpedo which had lodged
in the reef for use as riding lines, and assisted other crew
members to safety. By noon, 32 men had reached shore.
Shortly thereafter, Katoomba arrived and by noon the
following day had taken all of the crew of S-39 on board.
S-39 was left on the rocks as her commanding officer was
satisfied she would continue breaking up. Her crew was taken
to Townsville and reassigned to other submarines.
(See “Boats Lost in the Month of August,” Page 3)
(Continued From Page 2)
USS Harder (SS-257)
Class: GATO Class
Launched: 19 Aug 1942
Commissioned: 2 Dec 1942
Builder: Electric Boat Co.,
Groton, Connecticut
Length: 311’ 9”
Beam: 27’ 3”
Lost on 24 August 1944
79 Men Lost
Harder, accompanied by USS Hake (SS-256) and USS
Haddo (SS-255), departed Fremantle on 5 August 1944 for her
sixth and final war patrol. Assigned to the South China Sea off
Luzon, the wolf pack headed northward. On 21 August Harder
and Haddo joined Ray (SS-271), Guitarro (SS-363), and
Raton (SS-270) in a coordinated attack against a convoy off
Palawan Bay, Mindoro. The Japanese lost four passenger-
cargo marus, one credited to Harder.
Early the next day, Harder and Haddo attacked and destroyed
three coastal defense vessels off Bataan, Harder sinking frigates
Matsuwa and Hiburi; then, joined by Hake that night, they
headed for Caiman Point, Luzon. At dawn on 23 August
Haddo attacked and fatally damaged Asakaze off Cape
Bolinao. Enemy trawlers towed the stricken destroyer to Dasol
Bay and Haddo, her torpedoes expended, informed Harder
and Hake of the attack and left the wolf-pack for
replenishment at Biak.
Harder and Hake remained off Dasol Bay, searching for new
targets. Before dawn on 24 August they identified what they
thought was a Japanese minesweeper and the three-stack
Siamese destroyer Phra Ruang. As Hake closed to attack, the
destroyer turned away toward Dasol Bay. Hake broke off her
approach, turned northward, and sighted Harder's periscope
about 600–700 yards (550–640 m) dead ahead. Swinging
southward, Hake then sighted the CD-22 about 2,000 yards
(1,800 m) off her port quarter swinging toward them. To escape
the charging escort, Hake started deep and rigged for silent
running. At 0728 she heard 15 rapid depth charges explode in
the distance astern. She continued evasive action that
morning, then returned to the general area of the attack shortly
after noon. She swept the area at periscope depth but found
only a ring of marker buoys covering a radius of one-half mile.
The vigorous depth charge attack had ended the career of
Harder with all hands. The Japanese report of the attack
concluded that "much oil, wood chips, and cork floated in the
vicinity."
Dubbed "Hit 'Em Again, Harder," she had wreaked havoc
among Japanese shipping. Her record of aggressive and
daring exploits became almost legendary.
Harder received six battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation
for her World War II service.
USS Cochino (SS-345)
Class: BALAO Class
Launched: 20 Apr 1945
Commissioned: 25 Aug 1945
Builder: Electric Boat Co.,
Groton, Connecticut
Length: 311’ 9”
Beam: 27’ 3”
Lost on 26 August 1949
7 Men Lost
Cochino joined the U.S Atlantic Fleet, cruising East Coast and
Caribbean Sea waters from her home port of Key West, Florida.
On 18 July 1949, she put to sea for a cruise to Britain and Arctic
operations. Her group ran through a violent polar gale off
Norway and the jolting received by Cochino due to the heavy
sea state wreaked havoc, causing an electrical fire and
battery explosion on 25 August followed by the generation of
both hydrogen and chlorine gases.
Defying the most unfavorable weather conditions possible,
Rear Admiral (then Captain) Rafael Benítez (1917–1999),
commander of Cochino, and his men fought for 14 hours to
save the submarine, displaying extraordinary seamanship and
courage. But a second battery explosion on 26 August
necessitated orders to abandon ship and Cochino sank quickly
thereafter. The crew of USS Tusk, operating in company with
Cochino, rescued all of Cochino’s men except for Robert
Wellington Philo, a civilian engineer. In addition, six crew
members assigned to Tusk were lost during the rescue.
Cochino is one of four United States Navy submarines to be lost
since the end of World War II.
August 7 ............................................................................................................................................. National Purple Heart Day
August 8 .......................................................................................... Virtual Base Meeting (Zoom link to be shared via email)
September 2 .................................................................................. VJ Day -- 75nd Anniversary of Japanese Surrender, WWII
September 7 ................................................................................................................................................................. Labor Day
September 11 ................................................................................. Patriot Day/National Day of Service and Remembrance
September 12 ................................................................................. Virtual Base Meeting (Zoom link to be shared via email)
September 18 ................................................................................................................... National POW/MIA Recognition Day
September 27 .......................................................................................................... Gold Star Mothers’ Day and Families' Day
October 10 ...................................................................................... Virtual Base Meeting (Zoom link to be shared via email)
October 12 ............................................................................................................................................................. Columbus Day
October 13 ...................................................................................................... 245th Birthday of the United States Navy (1775)
October 31 .................................................................................................................................................................... Halloween
BLUEBACK BASE MEETING MINUTES
11 July 2020
1400 -- Blueback Base virtual meeting called to order by Base Commander Bill Long Invocation: Arlo Gatchel Pledge of Allegiance: All Reading of USSVI Purpose and Creed by: Base Commander Bill Long Tolling of the Boats: Bill Long Introductions: All (See Sailing List) Commander Report: Commander Bill Long – We are still in lockdown in Multnomah County and expecting to be in Phase 1 by next week. Even at phase 1, we will be limited to 25-person meetings. It will also be up to the Elks Lodge as to what their requirements will be. Probably will not get to actually meet until Phase2. Oregon Health suggested meetings no more than 10. Governor Brown will probably direct as such. E Board put forth a vote to cancel the picnic. We do not want to jeopardize anyone’s health. Hopefully we can get together soon. We also need to induct the Holland Club guys. Treasurer Report: Dave Vrooman Secretary Report: Bill moved to accept the Minutes from the May meeting as published in the Sanitary. The motion was seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Old Business: George Hudson - We are going to have elections this fall and need to get volunteers for the position of Base Cammander and Treasuer. USS Oregon Report: Arlo Gatchel - The boat is in the water! The CO is on the Captains list. He will be putting it on within the next several months. We are still looking for money for the commissioning. New Business: The National website for voting is up and running for the 2020 ballots. Make your selections on line for the different positions and the amendments to the guidelines. If you send in a paper ballot please get them mailed to National. Gary Webb- We were in the process of getting quilts of valor. We will be moving that event to the Christmas Party. For the Good of the Order: Gary Webb - The float is still in good shape and free of bees.
George Hudson -- How are the folks at the Veteran’s home? The Veteran’s home in The Dalles is doing well. The Lebanon Home is doing well since the original onslaught of COVID. Bob Walters’ wife had knee surgery and has to do rehab. Any ideas as to how to get better participation in this meeting? You have to have a laptop to do this. Benediction by: Pat Dilley 1445 – Meeting Adjourned Sailing List: Bill Long, Randy Weston, Dave Vroom, Ron Bell, Les Savage, Glen Anderson, Bill Bryant, Pat Dilley, George Hudson, Dennis Smith, John Augustine, Woody Turner, Ron Harkus, Alan Brodie, Jay Perry, Arlo Gatchel, Steve Daniels, Ron Shumacher, Darrel Stump, John Allan, Gary Webb, Bill and Sandy Musa, Chris Stafford, Raymond Lough, Bob Walters, Don Cook, Alan Nolan, Scotty Duncan, Henry Lines, John Cook, Bob Wonsley E Board Meeting Called to order at 1330. Bill – Do we continue to have the meetings on Zoom? General consensus - yes, we do. The picnic is cancelled. The National ballot is online at this time and you can go ahead and vote. The next event on the schedule is Veteran’s Day. Any other ideas as to what we should be doing? Arlo – What are other bases doing? Bremerton is having a podcast kind of thing. Any other nominations? George – No we don’t. Do we want to change the time of the E Board meeting? Consensus – No Meeting adjourned.
USS New Mexico Welcomes New Commanding Officer 31 July 2020 – Navy.mil Press Office (link to article)
The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS New
Mexico (SSN 779) conducted a change of command at
Naval Station Norfolk, July 31.
Cmdr. Jared Smith relieved Cmdr. Jim Morrow as
commanding officer of New Mexico.
Capt. Jeffrey Juergens, commander, Submarine
Squadron 6, said Morrow demonstrated exceptional
leadership in guiding his shipyard crew into a combat-
ready team of submarine warriors.
“After 27 months in the shipyard, Cmdr. Morrow
returned New Mexico to the operational fleet fully fit
and ready to fight,” Juergens said. “Jim led New
Mexico through one of the most successful change of
homeports and preparations for deployment I have
ever seen. He set New Mexico up for years of future
success.”
Morrow expressed pride for the crew and excitement
for New Mexico’s future after an extensive
modernization and overhaul period.
"I am extremely proud of the way the New Mexico
team worked to bring the submarine back to life
coming out of an arduous shipyard period,” Morrow
said. “They worked tirelessly to ready themselves and
the ship to return to the tip of the spear, and in doing
so achieved sweeping success at sea and outstanding
results when evaluated against their brothers and
sisters across the Submarine Force. I am humbled to
have led the team, and truly excited for the future of
the ship and the crew.”
His next assignment is at Commander, Submarine
Force Atlantic, in Norfolk, Virginia, where he will serve
as the combat readiness evaluation team senior
member.
Smith said he is proud of the crew and looks forward
to leading them in future operations.
“I look forward to the opportunity of working with such
fine Sailors,” Smith said. “I appreciate all the hard
work the crew has put in transitioning from shipyard to
at-sea operations in preparation for future
deployments."
Smith graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in
2002, and later earned a Master of Science in
Engineering Management from Catholic University of
America and an Executive Master of Business
Administration from the University of Memphis. At sea,
he served aboard three attack and nuclear-armed
submarines. His most recent shore assignment was as
the Submarine Enlisted Community Manager.
Fast-attack submarines like New Mexico are multi-
mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy
maritime strategy core-capabilities - sea control, power
projection, forward presence, maritime security, and
deterrence. The submarine is designed to excel in anti-
submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare; strike warfare;
special operations; intelligence; surveillance and
reconnaissance; irregular warfare and mine warfare -
from open ocean anti-submarine warfare to
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, to
projecting power ashore with special operation forces
and Tomahawk cruise missiles in the prevention or
preparation of regional crises.
The Virginia-class submarine is 377 feet long and 34
feet wide, and weighs about 7,900 tons when
submerged. Underwater, it can reach speeds in excess
of 25 knots.
Harpoon V: New Version Of Famous Wargame Used By Navies 02 Aug 2020 – By H. I. Sutton for Forbes (link to article)
In July 1976 a young naval officer made the short walk
from his warship to a destroyer tender docked nearby.
Lieutenant (JG) Larry Bond returned to the USS
McKean with a precious copy of the NAVTAG wargame.
And because it was a Secret document, he promptly
signed it in to his ship’s classified material locker.
NAVTAG (Naval Tactical Game) was an official war
game used to train U.S. Navy officers how to fight with
their ships. It was a great training aid, but its classified
status created a bureaucratic barrier to playing it, so it
rarely came out of the safe. What Bond thought was
needed was a non-classified version which could be
played more easily. It was the beginning of the now
famous Harpoon wargame lineage.
The 5th iteration, Harpoon V, has just been
released by Larry Bond and Chris Carlson. The
Harpoon series has been a favorite of naval
academies, other professional militaries, and amateur
players alike since its inception.
Harpoon has stuck around because of its realism, and
constant evolution. Many games come and go but
Harpoon has stuck. And Harpoon V promises to be
every bit as relevant as the past versions, even 40
years after the first. So where did it come from and
what sets it apart?
Harpoon, An Illustrious Heritage
When Bond released the first version in April 1980 it
was an instant success, even winning the H.G. Wells
award in 1981. Bond knew all about wargames, being
an associate of Dave Arneson of Dungeons & Dragons
fame. Arneson’s company even publish the first two
editions. While it was popular with the civilian
audience, it was also a hit with professional war
fighters. It was easier to play than NAVTAG, and free
from classified material, but retained the realism
needed in a navy setting.
Arneson was not the only famous person associated
with the game. Upcoming author Tom Clancy bought a
copy of Harpoon and began corresponding with Larry
Bond. Clancy used the game during his research for
his first novel, The Hunt for Red October. His second
book, Red Storm Rising, was based on scenarios
tested out playing Harpoon. The bona fide wargaming
gave the book a level of realism and credibility which
sets it apart from many other Techno Thrillers. Bond
was also Clancy’s co-author on the book.
Red Storm Rising was essentially a Soviet Invasion of
Europe war game written as a story. It was a scenario
familiar to naval planners. So if you have ever
wondered why Russia’s Tu-22 Backfire bombers
featured so prominently, it was a real-world concern of
NATO navies. Armed with powerful supersonic
missiles, these could overwhelm all but the latest
warships. It was the threat that AEGIS and the F-14
Tomcat were primarily intended to counter.
But Red Storm Rising could not be a literal narration of
the wargames. To start with, the Soviets had to be
winning in the first part of the book, so Clancy had to
draw on his strategic genius to think up plot twists to
keep the story on track.
With the success of Red Storm Rising, computer game
companies queued up to create a digital version. In
the end Sid Meier, the creator of Civilization, made the
first Harpoon-based computer game. It was released
on the Commodore 64 in 1988. It was a great game,
but computer hardware of the time meant that it had
to be limited to submarine warfare. Bond was already
working on a more complete version however, which
was released the next year simply as Harpoon.
This was at a time when even the latest home
computers, 286s, were struggling to run the complex
models involved in a simulation like Harpoon. A
regiment of Backfires all launching their missiles was
still enough to strain the 1990s computer hardware
though. Smoke and mirrors could be used to simplify
the mechanics, but each missile needed to be
modeled separately to meet the Harpoon standards of
realism. Consequently accuracy was, to the extent
possible, maintained.
Why Navies Use Harpoon
Harpoon was a classic computer game of the 1990s.
When I told people that I was writing an article more
than one seasoned sailor told me that playing
Harpoon was what got them into the Navy. But
although multiple navies have used the computer
game, it has not proven as popular as the underlying
miniatures game, such as the latest Harpoon V.
I asked Larry Bond why this might be. The computer
version was real time, as a single player might expect,
but the table-top versions are turn-based. This gives
the players time to think, which it turns out is
important to navies. Bond told me that the ‘black box’
of computer game engines dulled the training
experience. In a computer game if you miss a target,
you move on. In the military setting, you want the
players to understand why they missed and how they
can increase the chances of success when they fire
again. They need to understand how it works under
the hood.
This translates across all of Bond’s wargames, not just
naval scenarios. Persian Incursion, released in 2010,
simulates an Israeli air strike on the Natanz nuclear
site in Iran. It was played by various government
departments. Another factor which Persian Incursion
amply demonstrates is that Harpoon is not ‘balanced’
in the way that most real-time-strategy (RTS) games
are. The two sides may not be equivalent. Instead it
offers realistic outcomes. It is a simulation which is
also a game, rather than a game which pretends to be
simulation.
Harpoon V promises to be a faithful continuation of
the series, with many refinements over the earlier
versions. It is still a tabletop game which is what naval
training institutions will like about it. I asked Bond
whether there were plans for a new computer game
based on the series. It’s an idea that the creators are
open to and have plenty of ideas. Bond and Carlson
tell me that with advances in AI the computer players
could have more personality and act less predictably.
Unfortunately, there is no current project in that
space. Let us see where the future takes this classic
wargame series.
Venting Sanitary Inboard Page 9
On June 25th USS Oregon (SSN-793) was put in the water. Picture shows water from Crater Lake being
poured on her, by the crew, to become "the first water to touch her hull". This is the water that Sean
Waite hiked down to Crater Lake and collected for us. Sean is the son of Clive Waite, a retired Career
Submarine Sailor who is on Eternal Patrol. The Oregon State flag was flown over the Capitol and
presented to the crew during one of their visits to Oregon.
A Base without Leadership Becomes a Base without a Charter
Don’t Let This Become Our Obituary!
On Eternal Patrol:
USSVI BLUEBACK BASE
1992 - 2020
The United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) Blueback Base died suddenly and unexpectedly, succumbing to a lingering infection of indifference and apathy. The Blueback Base was founded by Bob Wonsley, Past USSVI National Secretary and National Commander, and Tudor Davis, Past Commander of the United States Submarine Veterans of WWII who shared a mutual dream of starting a United States Submarine Veterans base in Portland, Oregon. The first official meeting to form the Base was held on December 9, 1992, and the Blueback Base was awarded its official charter on June 1, 1993.
Over the years, the Blueback Base grew from its initial 47 founding members, known as “Plankowners,” to its current membership of more than 125 Regular and Associate members from Oregon, Southwest Washington, and all across the United States. Instrumental in the design and construction of the USS Albacore (SS-218) Submarine Memorial located in Veterans Memorial Park in Beaverton, the Blueback Base was also a driving force behind bringing the USS Blueback (SS-581) to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry as a permanent museum exhibit. Over the years, Base members participated in countless Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and 4th of July parades, spent many hundreds of hours preserving and performing maintenance on board the USS Blueback, and provided much-needed community and financial support to residents of the Oregon Veterans Home.
But sadly, we mourn the loss of the Blueback Base today because her members have either grown too old or too tired or too busy or too unconcerned to worry about her legacy any longer. True, her members were always extremely proud – and justifiably so – of their submarine heritage, and they certainly relished the special camaraderie they shared with their friends and shipmates at gatherings of the organization. Despite this, however, the simple fact that no one cared enough to step up and assume the critical leadership roles of Base Commander and Treasurer had the unintended but tragic consequence of allowing what began as a minor illness to go ignored and untreated, only to migrate into what would ultimately become a fatal disease.
At the request of the outgoing Base Commander, there will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, please consider nominating a worthy shipmate to serve as Base Commander (only Regular Members qualify) or Base Treasurer (both Regular and Associate Members may serve). Self-nominations are not only permissible but are strongly encouraged as well.
Contact Your Nominations Committee
George Hudson, 971.241.8858
Alan Brodie, 360.369.6400
