USS BELL
ASSOCIATION (DD587)
FEBRUARY, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE:
Ø MAILBAG
Reunion plans have
been finalized for our San Francisco adventure.
We were able to secure the dates to coincide with the Fleet Week
celebrated each year in San Francisco.
The selected hotel is the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at the San Francisco
International Airport. Because this time
of the year is the prime vacation time for San Francisco, hotel rates are
tremendously high in the downtown and wharf area. Rates came in up to as much as $475.00 per
night in the downtown area. Imagine
that. The Sheraton Gateway Hotel has
given us a rate of $120.00 per night plus tax, which is a little more than we
usually have, but with it being Fleet Week I believe it is a very good
rate. Our check-in date is Thursday
October 9th and check out will be Monday October 13th. Check-in time is 3:00 pm and check-out is
12:00 noon. Anyone arriving before
3:00pm will be checked in based upon availability of clean and vacant
rooms. Handicap rooms are available and should
be requested at time of registration. If
anyone is driving in you will be offered a discount rate of $6.00 per day in a
covered secured parking deck. The
cut-off date for making reservations is September 17, 2008. Reservation requests received after 4:00 pm
local time at the Hotel on the cut off date will be accepted on a space and
rate availability basis. The phone
number for the Central Reservations Department is (800) 325-3535 or the hotel
direct number is (650)340-8500. Be sure
to ask for the USS Bell Association rate of $120.00. The hotel is holding 25 rooms for the USS
Bell Association and will release any rooms not picked up by September 17, 2008. I would suggest that you make reservations as
quickly as possible in order to guarantee we get our rooms secured. You can always cancel if something comes up
and you can’t attend. You’re deposit
will always be refunded provided you cancel before 4:00pm on scheduled day of
arrival. Transportation is available to
and from the airport on the Sheraton Gateway Shuttle.
FLEET WEEK
Since 1981, San
Francisco Fleet Week has been an annual opportunity for Northern Californians
to honor the men and women serving in the United States Navy, Coast Guard and
Marines Corps. This year there will be
increased participation from the Coast Guard and the Canadian Navy. The schedule of events this year will
include the following:
On Thursday 10/9
from noon to 5pm – The Blue Angels will do their survey flights along the bay.
On Friday 10/10
from 1pm-3pm – Air Show Practice and 3pm-4pm Blue Angels practice.
On Saturday
10/11 from Noon to 1:00pm – Parade of Fleet Week Ships and Opening
Ceremony. From 1pm – 3pm Air Show – From
3pm-4pm – Blue Angels Show
On Sunday 10/12
– 10:00 – 4pm Ship Tours – From 1pm – 3pm – Air Show and from 3pm to 4pm – Blue
Angels.
There is also an
Italian Heritage Day Parade from 12:30pm to 3pm
In addition to the Parade of Ships and the Blue Angels performance, Team Oracle which is a group of acrobatic flyers and the Canadian Snowbirds will perform as well.
Reunion
activities are not complete as yet, but will be in the very near future and you
will be the first to know. So mark your
calendars for what looks like another exciting time with the BELL family.
…..Your name is
the last one I have for any USS BELL information. I wanted to share with you that my father,
John Chandler, died on December 25th. All of us were here with him and it made it a
very special Christmas. We were so glad
to be together and have time to say a proper goodbye. He loved his Navy days and we heard stories
of the BELL over and over! We have the
picture of the ship at our summer home, which was Dad’s favorite place. My mother Fay Chandler died in 2002. Best to the entire USS BELL legacy. Becky Cuthbert, 42 Woodward Point
Rd, Brunswick, ME 04011
….. Thank you so
much for sending the newsletters to Joe Bob Stuart. He enjoyed them and they brought back
memories – not all of the war, but of memories that he could laugh about such
as teasing the sailors on the cruisers, aircraft carriers, etc of having shore
duty. Joe Bob died in July 26, 2007 in
Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Sincerely, Bobbie
L. Stuart, 280 CR 2718, Mt. Pleasant, Texas 75455
….. Hello. My Grandfather was stationed on the BELL and I
was wondering how I could get a ships picture to hand beside the picture of the
ship I was on. I don’t know what
happened to his picture and am hoping you can help me along here. He was Harold Hughes, Sr. B/M1 if I remember
right. Any help you can provide me would
be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Harold Hughes, III, sstein1@bis.midco.net
…..Hi. I am Thomas Coleman’s granddaughter. I have been on the USS BELL web site many
times looking and reading. I saw on
there that you have found my Papa. I
wanted to let you know that he has passed away.
He passed on January 19, 2003. He
was my best friend and I held his hand until the end. I have heard so many stories of the war and
of good times. He truly held the USS
BELL and his shipmates close to his heart.
He could even call them by their names.
The Navy truly made my Papa the hard working, honest man that he was. I truly do miss him dearly. I feel with having this web site I can have a
piece of him right at my fingers.
Knowing the people I see in the pictures or the people you talk about
they may have been apart of those stories that Papa used to tell me. Please email me back and let me know that you
got this and if you have anything on him I would love to know. Toni
Rogers – lacyandjake@yahoo.com
….. The reason I
have not attended the reunions, which I have always enjoyed, is that since
December 2001 I have had 13 operations.
Hope before long I can return.
Thanks for all you do for us. Charles
Calkins, 2 Loretta Circle, Little Rock, AR 72227
….. Just a short
note to let you know Larry passed away on November 2 after a short
illness. He was active until almost the
end and suffered no pain, so we have much to be grateful for. He always enjoyed receiving your news about
the U.S.S. BELL and former shipmates.
Have a nice holiday and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely. Claire Assip, 134 Woodloch Springs, Hawley,
PA 18428-9712
….. I must
apologize for being so errant in any correspondence to you. I have no excuse, but old age seems to bring
on such bad habits. We do enjoy
receiving your newsletters and learn about some of our former shipmates. After 27 years of active duty, our extensive
travel days are about over and that is why we have not made any of the recent
reunions. Mary Jane and I have recently
celebrated our 62nd. Wedding anniversary. We are both 85 years of age. We have been wondering how many of the
original planc owners are still alive.
Do you have any count of these early BELL shipmates? Again, thanks Ann for your continued efforts
to keep the BELL association alive.
Sincerely. Gordon W. Schley (former Radio Tech aboard
the BELL) 3400 Sarann Avenue E, Port Orchard, Washington 98366
Note – I have
gone through all the archive records that I have and can find no listing of the
original Planc owners. Maybe someone
might help me come up with a list of the original shipmates.
…..I am sad to
announce that on November 2, 2007, Lawrence J. Assip passed away. He was surrounded by his family at home. Ever since he attended the reunion of the USS
BELL in Kentucky he found a renewed sense of pride in having served his
country. He did not talk much about his
time over seas but through old photos we got to see a little of his life as a
sailor. If you need any further
information, please feel free to e-mail me at tcb101897@aol.com. Sincerely, his daughter, Tricia K. Balmes.
….. To Anna
Marie Boiarski Donahue. I am Ed
Flowers, and I was a torpedoman Striker on board the BELL when you’re Dad whom
we knew as Alphonse Boiarski was a 2nd class. I remember him as a BIG GUY who no one said
anything to contradict him but he was, to my knowledge liked by everyone. I do not know if you know of or heard the
names Hal Batten, Jason Jones or Cliff Ball.
These were a part of the Torpedo gang while he was on board. Sorry, I cannot say or write more but Al was
a little older than me (I was 17) at the time when I went on the ship in
Charleston, SC in 1943. Have a Blessed
and Merry Christmas.
….. You sent the
email (at the end of my message) to my cousin, David Boiarski, about my Dad,
Alphonse Boiarski. I want to thank you
for this. I can’t remember if daddy
indicated the names of his group or not, but I do remember all the Navy
stories. My Dad was so proud of the
Torpedoman 2nd Class designation and of his service in the
Navy. We heard so much about the USS
BELL (it was in the mothball fleet near where I live here in California) and of
his Navy friends and experiences.
Whenever Dad would send a letter, it was always signed “Love, your Dad,
Alphonse S. Boiarski, Torpedoman 2nd Class”. The story goes that Dad joined the Navy to
end the war. He was in his 30’s when he
and his buddies from the bar he frequented decided to set the world
straight. I too remember my Dad as a
“big man” who was liked by all. My Dad
had a big heart too. We had many family
members living with us – Uncles, Grandparents, and Cousins. He would help anyone and everyone. So thank you, Mr. Flowers, for the
information about my Dad. I wish you a
wonderful, happy and healthy 2008.
…..Dear Mr.
Flowers. Thank you so much for the email
that you sent my sister, Anna Donahue. I
am the middle child of Alphonse Boiarski.
I still have his Torpedo notebook and a few clippings of his adventures
at sea. My Dad died in 1986. It was very difficult for all of us. One thing I always remembered how he would
tear up at Christmas Time when he thought about his shipmates. He mentioned that many of them were so much
younger and were homesick. Blessings to
you and your family. Sister Luke
Boiarski (Alphonse’s daughter)
John Chandler,
Jr. 87, of Brunswick and Small Point died Tuesday December 25, 2007, in the
home of his daughter, Becky Cuthbert, following many years with Alzheimer’s
disease. He was born on Oct. 18, 1920,
in Sterling, Massachusetts. There he
grew up on the family farm, Meadowbrook Orchards. He graduated from Groton School in 1938 and
Yale University in 1942. He married Fay
Cowgill on September 19, 1942 and passed away December 26, 2002. He served both the North Atlantic and South
Pacific theaters during WWII as a U.S. Navy officer aboard the USS BELL. Following WWII, he spent two years as an
assistant dean of Yale University before becoming headmaster of Grosse Pointe
University where he worked for 14 years.
He closed his career in education as the vice president of the National
Association of Independent Schools in Boston, MA. As an avid athlete and boater, he rowed crew
at both Groton and Yale. He was a life
member of the Union Boat Club in Boston and participated in many Head of the
Charles regattas, rowing an Alden shell.
For several years, he also hosted the New Meadows River Cruise Regatta
for Alden shells in Bath. Mr. Chandler is survived by five children, 12
grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
We extend our
sympathy and remembrance to Ed & Rosemary Flowers
on the passing of Rosemary’s sister.
Mrs. Ward was such a fun person and attended and enjoyed several of the
reunions with Ed & Rosemary.
ADLERHORST –
“Eagle’s Eyrie” – Hitler’s secret command post on the Western Front.
BARBAROSSA –
Code name for Hitler’s plan to occupy Russia and destroy the Red Army.
CASE YELLOW –
Code name for the German invasion of France and the Low Countries
DEGAUSSING –
Process for counteracting the magnetic field of a ship with electrical coils to
protect it from magnetic mines.
ECLIPSE – Allied
code name for their plans for the occupation of Germany after V-E Day.
FESTUNG EUROPA –
Hitler called German-controlled Europe his invincible “Fortress Europe.”
GENERAL WINTER –
Russia’s dependable ally—her fierce winter weather. Known as “General Winter,” it effectively
stopped the Germans.
“ONCE I
WAS A NAVYMAN”
I like the
Navy. I like standing on the deck on a
long voyage with the spray of the sea in my face and the ocean winds whipping
in from everywhere. And the feel of a giant steel ship beneath me. Its engines driving against the sea.
I like the
Navy. I like the noises of the
Navy. The clang of steel, the ringing
bells, the foghorns and the strong laughter of Navymen at work. I like the ships of the Navy. The nervous darting destroyers, the sleek
silent submarines, the plodding heavy cruisers, the majestic battleships and
the steady, solid carriers. I like the
names of Navy ships: Hornet, Ranger,
Enterprise, Iwo Jima, Wasp, Intrepid, Shangri-La, and Constitution. Majestic names for majestic ships of the
line.
I like the
bounce of Navy music and the tempo of a Navy band, and “Liberty Whites”, and
the spice of a foreign port. I like the
Shipmates I sail with, the kid from the Iowa cornfield, a pal from the East
Side of New York, the Irishmen from Boston and a drawling, friendly Texan.
From all parts
of the land they come, from the farms of the Midwest, the small towns of New
England, the cities, the mountains and the prairies. All are Americans. All are comrades in arms. All are men of the sea.
I like the
adventure in my heart when my ship puts out to sea and I like the electric
thrill of sailing home again, with waving hands of welcome from family and
friends on the waiting shore. The work
is hard, the going tough at times. But
there’s the companionship of robust Navy laughter, the devil-may-care
philosophy of the sea.
And, after a day
of hard duty, there is the serenity of the dusk at sea with the whitecaps
dancing on the ocean waves and the mystery of the ocean night. I like the lights of the Navy in the
darkness. The masthead lights, the red-green
sidelights and the stern lights.
They cut through
the night and look like a mirror of stars in the blackness. There are the quiet nights and the quiet of
the Mid-Watch when ghost of all the Sailors of the world stand with you in the
night, and there is the aroma of fresh coffee from the galley.
I like the
legends of the Navy and the men who made them.
I like the proud names of Navy heroes: Halsey, Nimitz, Perry, Farragut
and John Paul Jones. A man can find much
in the Navy, Comrades in Arms, and Pride in Country. A man can find himself.
In the years to
come, when a Sailor is home from the sea, He will still recall with fondness
the ocean spray on his face when the sea is angry and there will always be the
faint aroma of fresh paint in his nostrils and the echo of hearty laughter of
seafaring men who were once his close companions, and locked on land, he will
grow wistful for his Navy days when the seas belonged to him and always just
over the horizon was a new port of call.
Remembering
this, he will stand a little taller and say to himself, “ONCE, I WAS A
NAVYMAN”.
