MOORE MEMORIES

USS BELL ASSOCIATION (DD587)

DECEMBER, 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:

Ø NEWPORT REUNION – OCTOBER 16-20, 2001

Ø MEMORY LANE

Ø LOCATING LOST SHIPMATES

Ø DESTROYERS LOST DURING WWII

Ø MAILBAG

Ø SHIP’S STORE

Ø REFLECTIONS

NEWPORT REUNION – OCTOBER 16-20, 2001

The reunions just keep getting better. What a great time we had in Newport. Wish everyone could have been there. Our thanks to Richard and Barbara Daniels for such a great job. They ordered good weather and sure enough it was. Our schedule of events was so well coordinated. Registration on the 16^th brought together members and family members for an evening of meeting, greeting, eating and celebrating the attendance of some of the new shipmates. On Wednesday, we toured Newport and visited “The Breakers” mansion. Called a “summer cottage”, it consists of 70 rooms and is a National Historic Landmark. It was built for Cornelius Vanderbilt II in 1895. It sits on 13-acre estate overlooking a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean. For just a “summer cottage” it was something to see. Afterwards, everyone scattered to find the “best lunch”. On Thursday, we traveled to Battleship Cove in Fall River. Our memorial service was held on the USS Kennedy DD850. The service began with an Introduction and Prayer, followed with the Pledge of Allegiance. Then, a moment of silence to honor the deceased shipmates, their families, and those lost in the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Pennsylvania terrorist attacks. Afterwards, the reading of the roll of deceased shipmates as a bell tolled. The service closed with The Ceremony of the Wreath. Lunch was served in the wardroom of the USS Massachusetts. Friday was a free day to do as we pleased. A brief business meeting was held in the morning. Everyone was welcomed especially the family members that had accompanied the shipmates. If we were giving a prize for the largest family group, the Capitanio’s would have surely won. There were fourteen family members in attendance. It was nice to see the Jimmy Faith family there for their first reunion. Mr. & Mrs. Faith were accompanied by their four daughters. Attending for the first time was George Adams along with his granddaughter Michele, Edwin Klenka and Jack and Rose Ogden. There was a discussion for next reunion site. Two locations were up for bid, New York and Baton Rouge. The purpose for Baton Rouge was to return to the home of the USS Kidd, where the Bell has a locker for storing archives. A vote was taken and Baton Rouge will be the host site for the reunion next year. Plans are already underway and information should be available by the printing of the next newsletter. Mike DiVeronica read the list of prior reunions to thank the hosts for giving everyone such great memories. Past reunions were held in Warren, Ohio hosted by Wally Moore; Sarasota, Florida hosted by Rex Gilliam and Connie Theis; Minneapolis, MN hosted by Doug Wetherby; Tulsa, OK hosted by Randy Clark; Sacramento, CA hosted by Kenneth Lamb; Nashville, TN hosted by Ed Glenn; Baton Rouge, LA hosted by Mike DiVeronica and Doug Wetherby; Syracuse, NY hosted by Tony Calabria; Cleveland, OH hosted by Mario Capitanio; Atlanta, GA hosted by Glen Sanders; Charleston, SC hosted by John Pike; Myrtle Beach hosted by William Cavanaugh and Newport, RI hosted by Richard Daniels. The fun part of the meeting was the raffle for the gifts and we also placed some items up for auction. Dues are still $10.00 per year. (What a bargain.) Friday evening we made our way to the farewell banquet at the Newport Naval Base Officers Club. We had a very nice dinner and the surprise entertainment was wonderful. The Harpoon Harmonizers from Fairhaven, Mass entertained us with many old favorites along with patriotic songs. It was a fun evening. And of course there was the 50-50 raffle. Saturday was departure day. Some members got up early to get on the road and some stayed for a while in the hospitality room enjoying coffee and donuts and final good-byes. It truly was a memorable time. Thanks to my two friends, Jean and Barbara for coming along and giving me so much help in the hospitality room and our heartfelt thanks to Richard and Barbara for all their hard work.

Members in Attendence:

George Adams, Robert (Bob) DeWolf, Jack Ogden, William (Bill) Cavanaugh, Edwin Klenka, Tom Gutierrez, Jack Forester, Mike DiVeronica, Maurice Moe, James Faith, Randy Clark, Russell Halberg, Mario Capitanio, Bud Geneste, Richard Daniels, Edward Flowers, Clement Hacunda

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MEMORY LANE

In the June 2001 Newsletter, I printed a few days of history from the ship’s deck logs. I hoped it would generate some remembrances from shipmates. Well, I have received a few memories of that occasion and others and will share them with you. If you have some special memories you would like to pass on, please send them to me.

…..Hi, Ann: Here is my 50-yard line view of the Ommaney Bay incident. I think it was several days later that we transferred the most critically injured survivors to a fleet oiler. Later on we heard that two of them didn’t make it. I was on watch in the Main battery Director when radar reported a high altitude bogey some distance out. The radar track showed the plane approaching on the wrong approach bearing and not showing IFF. Very shortly a ship in the task group reported visual contact and that the plane was a TBF. The assumption at this point was that the plane was damaged and unable to show IFF. Suddenly the plane went into a vertical dive and hit the Omaney Bay midships. Not a single round was fired by any ship because it would have meant shooting right into the center of the task group. We went to General Quarters and as port side anti aircraft control office took my position on the port side on the deck above the Bridge. After putting a boat in the water we went alongside the Oman Bay and took off a few crewmen on our foc’sle. The heat was intense and the skipper ordered the port side gun crews to take cover. I was afraid that the ready ammo locker for gun 42 was going to cook off so remained in the open trying to get the forward damage control party to flood the magazine. Word came over that the carrier torpedo warhead magazine was going to blow and we were ordered to disengage. On the first attempt our bridge was locked under the carrier flight deck and we couldn’t break off. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the carrier jump as the warhead magazine exploded and I managed to partially turn before the shock wave hit. I came to on the other side of the ship with my head sticking into the life line snaking. A quick check showed everything OK although my life jacket was shredded. The explosion disengaged us from the carrier. We were extremely lucky. All the shrapnel went high and aside from a torn up bridge we had line of small shrapnel holes high up on both stacks and the mainmast.

…..The June Newsletter also contained a newspaper report of our involvement a Balikpapan, Borneo. We were shore bombarding 24 hrs. a day and the short fire director was Charlie I. He was Australian and was giving us coordinates to fire on. After 2 days he was silent. Of course our concern was “did we hit him or did the Japanese capture him?” Some 40 years later we received a request from Graham Thorpe and his wife to attend the Bell reunion in Baton Rouge. I happened to be on hand when they arrived and Graham shook hands and said, “Hi, I’m Charlie I”. He explained that he was hiding out in an abandoned Control Tower, which the Japanese suddenly occupied to evacuate Balikpapan. Naturally he had to remain silent. Regards, Dick Daniels.

…..Mention of Balikpapan stirred up a few additional memories. When we went south to Borneo, we stopped first at Brunie Bay and then on to Balikpapan. To make these two ports we had to traverse Balababac Straits and Makassar Straits. This area had been heavily mined by both sides and the mines were beginning to break loose. We had cruisers and I think Jeep carriers with us so they had to be protected from an accidental collision with a mine. The strategy for this was brilliant – put a destroyer directly in front of them to run interference. It was an honor to be so chosen. We traversed the straits at night and I would guess 90% of the crew slept on deck. I remember navigator Shaff (pogey bait) Shaffner curled up around the port torpedo director. Shaff had prior duty on a destroyer that went down so he wasn’t taking any changes on being caught below decks. I was on the bridge when we traversed the straits and it was an eerie display of nature. The phosphorescence was outstanding and below were myriads of flashing creatures. Occasionally, an electric eel would discharge and light up the ocean over at least a 20-yard area. Dick Daniels

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LOCATING LOST SHIPMATES

Help! Help!

…..While at the reunion someone asked me if I had any information on a Charles Jordan. I did not have any information but said I would try to locate him. There must be a thousand Charles Jordan’s. If the person requesting this information knows a middle initial or the state he was from, it would really help and I would have a better change at locating him. Thanks.

Recently Located Shipmates:

Angelo Antonelli – Deceased 3/10/70

William C. Altimari - Deceased 9/12/86

William F. Erickson – Deceased 9/20/86

James A. Sellers – 17503 Division Street, Kennett, MO 63857 Phone 573-888-4607

Paul G. Daniels – 423 Warford Street, Perry, IA 50220-1050

John Pavlakovic – 434 Raspberry Drive, Monroeville, PA 15146

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IN MEMORY

Celvin Keith Holser passed away August 16, 2001. Memorial service August 23, 2001 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Foley, Alabama. Mr. Holser was one of the recently located shipmates

The following poem was written by shipmate Donald Wall. He wrote it during the war.

“The G.I. Amputee”

In life I’ve gained some of the fondest memories

In anyone’s life can be found

But the one I hold most sacred happened in this little

Southern town

It was here I was waiting for the incoming train trying to

Forget parting from loved ones this thought to refrain.

The old depot was empty—just the depot agent and me,

The long benches in the waiting room from dust was far from free

Like all the servicemen ending this short furlough I was blue

I’d just finished a long tour of combat back in World War II.

It was then I heard from this wagon back then a familiar sound.

Wagon wheels grinding gravel bringing this family into town,

It was early in the morning the Sun had begun to rise,

This farmer pulled into the end of the depot

To welcome home their prize

I could see the anxiety in their faces as they gazed down this

Railroad track listening for the whistle of this train

Bringing their boy back.

I walked up to the wagon and began to talk to them

I learned their son was returning and they were meeting him.

I learned from their conversation they were ill at ease

Fearing the sight that would meet them from combat overseas.

The children all sat quietly down in the wagon bed,

Listening to our conversation of every word we said.

It was then we heard this faint whistle

The old mules picked up their ears,

And I saw this mother’s face was streaming down with tears.

They now walked out on the depot platform and somehow

You could sense the fear as the engineer applied the brakes

And the coach was drawing near.

I saw this young Marine waving through the window of the train,

And these young brothers and sisters recognizing him

From joy could not refrain.

Then the old colored porter from the coach he stepped down

Then I saw this young warrior with a cheerful grin.

But a face that was lined from combat and a body worn thin,

Standing straight gripping his crutches, throwing his shoulders

Wide apart I counted 3 stars in his campaign bars

Along with the Purple Heart

The kindly porter was steadying him not letting him take a chance

It was then I saw the pinned up leg of his uniform pants.

To the children it seemed an eternity before he touched the ground,

But just one foot one step at a time making sure it was sound.

Then this great rejoicing from a long absence began to blend

As they embraced each other, so close of blood and kin.

The train was now speeding onward and I was on my way,

But this great emotional scene had helped make my day.

This scene seem to haunt me as I listened to the clicking of the track,

And I wondered if I’d be lucky enough again to just make it back.

Or would I be altogether and free from bodily harm,

For I knew this young man was just like me the day he left the farm,

He never dreamed a part of him would be missing

As for months for home he yearned.

His days of combat were over and he had now returned,

Only God had known his suffering that befell him on that day

Through a semi-consciousness he learned his leg was blown away,

Things that had been his life before like following the old plow

Would be changed through rehabilitation and he’d make out somehow,

I thought of fallen comrades, to return would have been so nice.

Whose bodies were buried in the deep blue ocean

Making the extreme sacrifice,

I thought of those mangled bodies, their loved ones not there to weep.

As last rites were said for them and they were sent down through the deep,

So many young American men on battlefields were put to rest.

I thought Oh! God, why does this have to be?

But, Oh! God, You know best I thought of the resurrection morning

In the Bible has been said

When G.I.’s will be united together when the sea gives up the dead.

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DESTROYERS LOST DURING WWII (CONTINUED)

LAFFEY(DD-459) Sunk by Japanese battleship Hiyei during Battle of Guadalcanal 13^th November 1942. A violent explosion ripped her apart. 56 killed.

LANSDALE (DD-426) Torpedoed and sunk by German aircraft off Cap Bengut, Algeria, 20^th April 1944. 119 survivors. Sank at 2150.

LEARY (DD-158) Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-275 in North Atlantic, 24^th December 1943. Loss of 97 of crew.

LITTLE (DD-803) Hit by 4 Kamikaze planes off Okinawa and sunk, 3 May 1945, 60 killed.

LONGSHAW (DD-559) Ran aground off Naha, Okinawa, and destroyed by U.S. ships 18^th May, 1945. Loss of 56 of crew. Sank to keep from falling into Japanese hands.

LUCE (DD-522) Hit by 2 Kamikaze planes off Okinawa and sunk, 3^rd May 1945. Loss of 126 of crew. Sank approximately 0740.

MADDOX (DD-622) Bombed and sunk off Gela, Sicily, 10^th July 1943. Only 74 survivors. Sank in two minutes.

MAHAN (DD-364) Hit by 3 Kamikaze planes off Ormoc, Leyte and sunk 7^th December 1944. Sank by USS Walke an hour later. 5 killed and 13 wounded.

MANNERT L. ABELE (DD-733) Sunk by Kamikaze and glider bomb attack off Okinawa 12^th April 1945. Hit by a piloted rocket powdered glider at 1446. 2600 lb. Warhead. Only ship sank by the Baka Bomb. 82 killed and 37 wounded.

MEREDITH (DD-434) Sunk by Japanese aircraft south of Guadalcanal 15^th October 1942. Only 63 survivors.

MEREDITH (DD-726) Damaged by mine and later sunk by German aircraft off Normandy, 9^th June 1944. Loss of crew members, 50 wounded. August 5, 1960 the hulk was raised and scrapped.

MONAGHAN (DD-354) Foundered in typhoon off Luzon 18^th December, 1944. Only 6 survivors.

MONSSEN (DD-436)) Sunk by gunfire of Japanese warships during Battle of Guadalcanal 13^th November, 1942. Loss of over half of crew.

MORRISON (DD-560) Hit by 4 Kamikaze planes off Okinawa and sunk 4^th May 1945. Los of 152 crew members. 1957 hull was donated along with 26 other ships sank, to the Ryukyus Islands.

O’BRIEN (DD-415) Torpedoed by Japanese submarine north of Espiritu Santo, 15^th September and foundered off Samoa en route to base, 19^th October 1942. Sank at 0800 after steaming 3000 miles after being torpedoed.

PARROTT (DD-218) Irreparably damaged in collision with SS John Norton at Norfolk, Va. 2^nd May 1944 and scrapped, 5^th April 1947.

PERRY (DD-226) Sunk by Japanese aircraft at Port Darwin, Australia, 19^th February 1942. Loss of 80 crew members, 13 wounded, sank at 1045.

PERKINS (DD-377) Sunk in collision with m.v. Duntroon off Buna, New Guinea 29^th November 1943. Loss of 4 crew members. Sank at 0200.

PILLSBURY (DD-277) Sunk by Japanese warships south of Java, 1^st March, 1942. Loss of all hands. Japanese left and picked up no survivors.

POPE (DD-356) Sunk by Japanese aircraft in Java Sea 1^st March, 1942. 31 killed and 8 wounded.

PORTER (DD-356) Torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-21. Sank by the USS Shaw to keep it from falling into Japanese hands. 15 killed and 8 wounded.

PRESTON (DD-379) Sunk by Japanese cruiser Nagara during Battle of Guadalcanal 14^th November, 1942. Loss of 16 crew members. Sank at 2346.

PRINGLE (DD-477) Sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa, 16^th April 1945. Only 258 survivors.

REID (DD-369) Hit by 2 kamikaze planes off Ormoc, Leyte and sunk 11^th December 1944. Only 150 of her crew survived.

REUBEN JAMES (DD-245) Torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-562 600 miles southwest of Iceland 31sst October 1942. Loss of 115 of her crew. She was the first U.S. Navy ship sank by hostile action in WWII. Sank at 0525.

ROWAN (DD-405) Torpedoed and sunk by German m.t.b. off Salerno 10^th September 1943. Loss of 202 crew members.

SIMS (DD-409) Sunk by Japanese aircraft during Battle of the Coral Sea 7^th May 1942. Only 16 survived.

SPENCE (DD-512) Capsized in typhoon off Luzon 18^th December, 1944. Sank at 1100. Only 24 survivors.

STRONG (DD-467) Torpedoed and sunk in destroyer action off Bairoko, Solomon Islands 5^th July 1943. Loss of 46 crew members.

STURTEVANT (DD-240) Sunk by mine off Marquesas Key, Florida 26^th April, 1942. Loss of 15 crew members.

TRUXTON (DD-229)) Wrecked in gale, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland 18^th February, 1942. Loss of 110 crew members. She broke up immediately after grounding.

TUCKER (DD-374) Sunk by mine off Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides 4^th August 1942. Loss of 6 crew members. Sank at 0445.

TURNER (DD-648) Sunk by explosion off Ambrose Light, NY 3^rd January, 1944. Loss of 138 crew members. Sank at 0829. She was the first ship to receive a helicopter in saving life. Flew 2 cases of blood plasma to the ship.

TWIGGS (DD-591) Sunk by Kamikaze and aerial torpedo off Okinawa 16^th June 1945. Loss of 192 crew members.

WALKE (DD-416) Sunk by torpedoes and gunfire during the Battle of Guadalcanal 14^th November, 1942. Loss of 76 crew members.

WARRINGTON (DD-383) Foundered in hurricane off the Bahama Islands 13^th September, 1944. Loss of 248 crew members, 73 survived. Sank at 1250.

WILLIAM D. PORTER (DD-579) Sunk by Kamikaze attack off Okinawa 10^th June 1945. Hit at 0815. Sank at 1127. No fatal injuries.

WORDEN (DD-352) Wrecked on Amchitka Island, Aleutians, 12^th January 1943. Loss of 14 crew members.

In addition to the Destroyers other ships were lost:

Battleships (4) Fleet Tugs (10)

Aircraft Carriers (5) Miscellaneous Auxiliaries (7)

Escort Carriers (6) Transports (7)

Cruisers (10) High Speed Transports (11)

Destroyers (70) Minelayers (3)

Destroyer Escort (11) High Speed Minesweepers (6)

Submarines (50) Minesweepers (15)

Patrol Vessels (8) Submarine Tenders & Rescue Vessels (3)

Seaplane Tenders (3) LST’s (40)

Oilers (7) LSM’s (6)

Cargo Vessels (6) PC’s (5)

SC’s (13) PGM’s (3)

VMA’a (20) CG’s (3)

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MAILBAG

…..Enclosed are a couple of photos that Russell took at the reunion. We had a wonderful time in Newport. Thanks for all the time and work to get it all ready. Hoping to see you at the next reunion in Baton Rouge.

…..Meryl A. Russell

…..Thank you for sending me the USS Bell DD587 news. I enjoy hearing from you and about my shipmates. May God bless and protect all of you.

…..Harold & Mavis Hughes

…..I am writing this for Jim. He sure appreciated hearing from you. My niece made copies from her computer and gave them to him. He has pictures we will have copied and send them later. Jim is a retired farmer and I am a retired nurse. We live in a small town of 11,000 people.

…..Mrs. Jim (Chris) Sellers

…..My name is Paul G. Daniels. I was on the Bell from early 1945 til June 1945. Went aboard when the ship was in dry dock at Bremerton, Washington. Fireman 1^st class was my rank. My job on board was operating the distillers making fresh water from seawater.

…..Paul Daniels

…..Thank you for the new hats. They are great. I also read the news letters several times. Great news. I have a newspaper that the Bell printed on board. I am sending a copy I had made. The original copy is old and yellow but the words, as you will see brought joy and happiness at the news. (Japanese surrendered). There was a note in the newsletter last time that Wesley Warren’s son wanted information on him. I was a loader on the 40-Mg and he was the one who passed me the ammo. He was always there. We called him Pop. He took my place as loader when I was transferred to help the sick bay, Dr. McGovern and Chief Olson and Gordon.

…..James Henson

…..I’d like to add my thanks to those who’ve already expressed appreciation for the USS Bell Association’s newsletter and activities. My dad, Robert T. Baker, has greatly enjoyed being a member of the association and having access to the newsletter. He’s shared the letters and some remembrances of his time aboard the Bell with me. For this I, too, am grateful. I especially appreciated the memory lane log entries of Commander Gabbert. I laughed as I pictured the little PT boat delivering mail on one side of the ship as it fired its guns on the other side in support of the Australian troops. I was somber as I realized that my dad could have been one of the 95 men who lost their lives on board the USS Ommaney Bay. But most importantly I became ever more aware of just what men and women endured and contributed on my behalf and the behalf of everyone in this country to secure our freedom. I’ll share a couple of dad’s remembrances of his time aboard the Bell and then say good-bye and thanks again! Dad remembered being in a fierce storm, lying in his bunk and listening to depth charges that had become unsecured rolling back and forth across the deck of the ship. Didn’t make for a great night’s sleep! He also said they were long at sea without anything green to eat when a crate of celery was unloaded on the ship. Though he’d never been a celery fan before, he became one that day and is till this day!

…..Pat Southard (Proud daughter of Robert T. Baker, “The Salt Water King

…..My name is Rick Pavlakovic. My father John served on the Bell in WWII. He was on the Bell from February 1944 to June 1944 as an Electricians Mate Second Class (EM-2). He served in the Marshall Islands, Guam and Truk. After serving on the Bell, he was transferred to the aircraft carrier Shangri-la CV-38, and served until the end of the war. I ran across tour page in Military.com while browsing for other info. I understand that there is a reunion on October 16-20 of this month. After talking to my dad today, he hopes that quite a few men will attend this reunion. Maybe next year my father will attend if this reunion is still being held. One question my father has is if anyone knows how many service stars the Bell received during its duty tours and the final disposition of her after the war. Any answers you have will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for now.

…..Rick Pavlakovic

…..Please accept my apology for taking so long to reply to your letter which you sent to my sister-in-law, Catherine Altimari, and which she forwarded to me. My father, William C. Altimari, did indeed serve aboard the Bell in 1943. He was a signalman striker and a loader on a 20mm gun and served on the Bell on her shakedown cruise to Cuba. Afterward, he was transferred off, but I don’t know the reason for that. He had shore duty until early 1945, when he volunteered to serve aboard the USS Mississippi, BB-41, in the Pacific with the Seventh Fleet. As a Boatswain’s Mate and gun captain on a 5in gun on the starboard boat deck, he served in the Philippines and at the Battle of Okinawa and was present at the surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. He frequently told me he preferred his service on the Bell because it was smaller and more like a family. He died of lung cancer September 12, 1986 at the age of 62. Thank you for your interest in my father. I know he would be very touched.

…..Bill Altimari, Jr.

…..Because I was born just five years after WWII, my father’s war service was still fresh in his mind when I was growing up. One other thing I remember his telling me is that his bunk on the Bell was right near the ship’s magazine – above it, I believe and that if the Bell ever took a hit when he was sleeping, he would have just disappeared. Several years before he died, I made him a model of a Fletcher Class destroyer, and rarely had I seen him so touched. He did not express his emotions easily, but that was one time when he truly did. Like so many men of that generation, he saw his war service as simply a job that had to be done. I’m sure he would be stunned and speechless to know you had been trying to track him down. When the war was over, he never bragged about his service, though the Mississippi earned many battle stars, took two kamikaze hits (one when he was aboard off Okinawa), and lost many men in battle. He and his shipmates were training in the Phillippines for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped. He was grateful to Harry Truman forever. Please know that my father will be there with you in spirit. Thank you again.

…..Bill Altimari, Jr.

…..Hi – I am Florence Bishop – wife of Walter Bishop. I am responding to your letter of Feb 8^th regarding locating shipmates of the USS Bell. I am not sure you have the right person, as my husband’s middle name is Francis. But he did serve in the Navy during WWII and was in the Pacific. I am not sure of the ship’s name but he served on LSM246. I am also curious as to how you located him. He is in a nursing home now as he has Alzheimer’s Disease. We have been married for 52 years and have three grown children and six grandchildren. I am anxious to hear from you and it would be wonderful to think that this was his ship. I think if I mentioned some shipmate names he would probably recognize them as he has long-term memory sometimes. Hoping to hear from you, I am sincerely, Florence Bishop.

…..My name is George F. Jones and I reside in New Jersey. I am in receipt of your8/26 letter seeking information on George Forest Jones. Unfortunately, I cannot provide much assistance in this regard. I’ve surveyed the family but we have no relative with that particular name. Still, I did want to write and express my gratitude to the veterans who served on the USS Bell. As a student of history, particularly the Second World War, I am very aware of the awesome risk and sacrifice thrust on those who went forward into harm’s way in that critical time. Though this conflict ended just more than a decade before I was born, its successful resolution has certainly blessed my life by making the world a much better place. I hope you will extend my thanks and appreciation to those who risked more than could ever be adequately acknowledged. Their sacrifice and service are greatly appreciated. Good luck in your ongoing efforts to locate these special shipmates. Best Regards. George Jones

…..I received your letter in the mail yesterday regarding your search for missing members of the USS Bell. Unfortunately I’m not the Edward Hunt you are looking for. I was not living during WWII. My father’s name is Edwin and he didn’t serve in the war either. Good luck with your search and I wish all the war veteran’s the best of luck and health and thanks for all they have done for our country and benefactors like myself.

…..Edward Hunt

…..Just a few lines to tell you that Lupe and myself had a good time at the reunion. Mr. & Mrs. Daniels did a good job of putting it together. Also here are a few pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

…..Tom Gutierrez

…..My name is Paul G. Daniels. I was on the Bell from early 1945 til June 1945. Went aboard when the ship was in dry dock at Bremerton, Washington. Fireman 1^st Class was my rank. My job onboard was operating the distillers and making fresh water from seawater.

…..Paul Daniels

…..It pains me to tell you that my husband, Keith, passed away on August 16, this year. He was diagnosed with cancer on April 2, and went very quickly. I miss him so much. He was a good husband. May your reunion be a success. I have located Keith’s discharge papers from the U.S. Navy. It shows his rank and classification to be Fire Controlman 2c V6 USNR. It is kind of you to include Keith in your list of Bell shipmates. I know he would like that.

…..Doris Holser

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SHIP’S STORE

…..We now have caps and golf shirts available. Screen printed caps are $5.00 plus $1.50 postage. Embroidered caps are $10.00 plus $1.50 postage. The golf shirts are $25.00

plus $1.50 postage. The men’s shirts are pique and come in Large and Extra Large. The ladies shirts are smooth combed cotton and come in Large and Extra Large. They are very nice shirts.

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REFLECTIONS

THE ROSEMARY LEGEND

…..It is said that when the Holy Family fled to Egypt, they stopped to rest on a hillside beside a little stream, where Mary washed the baby’s clothes. She spread the tiny garments on a fragrant bush to dry in the sun. For its humble services the plant was named rosemary, and God rewarded it with delicate blossoms of the same heavenly blue as the Madonna’s robe. According to legend, rosemary decorating the altar at Christmas brings special blessings to the recipient

THE SAGA OF GUN 42

At the reunion in Newport, Mike DiVeronica and two or three of us recalled the time when Gun 42 shot down a kamikaze. Gun 42 was a twin mount 40-mm located forward on the port side. In this position it was almost constantly bathed in salt spray or sometimes green water. The business end of the gun stood this treatment very well but the electrical system became very unreliable. Gun 42 and further aft Gun 44 and all of the portside 20mm could be controlled by the main battery director, the Mk51 director which was situated amidships or manually by the pointer (who controlled the elevation) and the trainer (who controlled the horizontal angle.) On this occasion we were under attack by several kamikazes. The main battery started firing at a bandit on the port quarter about 5 miles out. Suddenly, a second bandit appeared on the port bow coming in low and fast. The Mk 51 started tracking but of course the electrics went out on gun 42 and the crew shifted to manual control. Mike DiVeronica was the trainer and the gun Captain took over as pointer. Gun 42 opened fire and after a few rounds I saw the canopy of the plane explode from a direct 40 mm hit. The pilotless plane glided harmlessly into the water. Thanks to Mike and all members of the Gun 42 crew, we made it through another engagement. I wish I could remember the name of the Gun42 Gun Captain. He bounced up and down between Seaman 1^st and Gunner’s Mate 2^nd frequently, but he really knew his ordnance. Dick Daniels

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HOLIDAY GREETINGS AND MANY WISHES FOR YOUR HAPPINESS IN THE NEW YEAR!