Thanks To Tom Young for all that he does for us.

Stan Cook

Hello Wahoo Shipmates,

Well the reunion is complete and I believe it was a  huge success.  Let me give you a run down of the entire reunion.  We started Thursday with a golf tournament at the Navy Marine golf course with 8 shipmates playing, fun for all.

Thursday evening was our welcome aboard party with 92 in attendance.

we were served an outstanding buffet dinner.  In addition I had arranged for a trio and Hula girls to entertain us.  They were well received.  We also held a raffle giving away a set of hand carved dolphins, 2 USS Wahoo sign boards, a Wahoo Plaque and a submarine watch.  Thanks to Al Weiss for bringing the dolphins and the submarine watch.  Thanks to our lovely sales ladies, Carol Ploeckelmann and Darlene La Vanier who managed to collect $630 of which half goes to the Submarine veterans Scholarship fund and the other half in the Wahoo bank account.

Friday offered up tours of the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Honolulu Police museum.   This was followed by our Memorial Service conducted at the Bowfin Museum.  The museum allowed us to use the original bell from the first Wahoo.  The Submarine Force Chaplain Commander David Bynum presided over the ceremony and did an outstanding job.

Saturday Bud Atkins had arranged a tour of the subase and 2 boats.  This went really well and everyone who attended had a great time with many saying how impressed they were with the sailors and the boats.

Saturday evening we had a no host informal cocktail party with Hors D oeuvres provided, a fun time for all.

On Sunday we held our closing banquet with 84 in attendance.  Our guest speaker was Captain James Ransom Chief of Staff ComSubPac.

What a great speech and what a lot of fun everyone had.

As a side note 5 of us attended the enlisted Submarine Birthday ball and what a great time with 1400 plus young submarine sailors, shipmates our relief’s are doing well and our boats are in good hands.

Now some Wahoo business:

As pointed out we had 92 for the welcome aboard party and 84 for the closing banquet.  While these are good numbers it did not meet our requirement of guaranteeing 100 for each function and pay for 100.  This was all based on the numbers that indicated they were coming.  It was unfortunate that several had to cancel the trip for many different reasons.  It is our hope that those who canceled due to health problems are now well on the way to a full recovery.

The good news due to having money in our fund and sales of hats, glasses, raffles and other donations we are still in good shape with $2700 in our fund.   We have hats and glasses for sale as well as many other items via our web page.

Next Reunion Branson MO  2011.   So start the planning process and save your money for another great Wahoo reunion.

It was great seeing all of you in Hawaii

Best regards to all.

Tom

Shipmates,

Well I did spend time checking out places and things to do during our reunion in April of 2009.  Most of you may think this is a bit far in advance but believe me we will need to start making reservations in March of 2008.  I have not locked on to a hotel just yet but hopefully I’ll get a deal shortly.  I know that Stan has told everyone over and over to save your money for this trip and he is right on target.

When I do get a hotel to block rooms I am thinking based on the prices I already know about that we will be paying in the $130 to $140 per night.

I can tell you that the military hotel is not cheap anymore, I paid this time $113 which included parking the car.  They quoted be prices for 2008 at $122 without parking and said add about 10% for 2009.  It would be very hard to block rooms there as they will only take retired folks and a lot of our folks are not retired.

As far as places to hold the welcome aboard party and dinner we can use many places plus the military hotel as well as the Bowfin Memorial park would work.
I also had a chance to meet with ComSubPac and asked him if he would be our guest speaker and he said yes if he is still there.  I also made contact with their Staff Executive Officer and can use him for any tours that we want to arrange.

Now what I want to know is there anything special that you want to do in Hawaii.  Please let me know.

In addition I just want to be clear on this, once we block a hotel you are going to have sign up.  This will mean a year in advance so it will be a commitment on your part.

Regards,

Tom

Good Day Wahoo Shipmates,

I have just returned from the Wahoo Ceremony and I must say it was the best Memorial Service I have ever attended. The guest speaker was Rear Admiral Joseph Walsh ComSubPac. He did an outstanding job. Those in attendance included the 3 living crew members who had just gotten off the boat before her final patrol. The Navy band played for the ceremony and there was a 21 gun salute on board the the USS Bowfin. I will have Stan post a couple of pictures from the ceremony. I did present two painting to the families of the 238, one of both Wahoos’s and one of the 238 from the crew of the 565. I also let them know that there will be a Memorial bench being made for both boats that will be in Charleston.

During the ceremony they had the tolling of the bell for all those lost on the boat. This was done by family members. I had a chance to meet Doug Morton the son of Mush Morton the Wahoo’s Captain. His sister and the rest of the family were also in attendance.

There were about 200 people at this ceremony. I think I will talk about our upcoming reunion in a separate writeup.

Below are a couple of pictures.

Regards,

Tom

Jim Allen on the left and Carl Hood on the right in 1st pic
Tom Young, Carl Hood, Mr Logue sitting, his
brother went down with the Wahoo in 2nd pic.

click picture to see full size

Hi Shipmates,

Well it has been several months since I last wrote and there is some news, but not a great deal.   I have been contacted by a couple of people about their fathers who served on the Wahoo.  The first was about Eric v Anderson who was aboard in the 50’s.  He has passed away but his son is sending me some pictures and other things.  I’m sure some of you remember him.  The second shipmate was part of the commissioning crew.  His name was E.R. Barcewski ENC(SS). He also passed away but his son is looking for any info he can get, so if any of the commissioning crew remembers anything about him please let me know.

On the Subvets cruise to Alaska in September Bob(Spider) Spides ashs were buried at sea off the cruise ship.

Also an update on our Memorial bench, it should be completed some time within the next month.  Bud Atkins, Joe Birkle and I plan on flying down for the dedication.  I will send email  out when I know the exact dates.   I hope some of  you will be able to attend.

Now I will be leaving next Tuesday the 9th of October to attend the Memorial Service for the first Wahoo in Pearl.  I am hoping some of the local Wahoo shipmates plan on attending as well.  I have a print that is framed of the first Wahoo and another of both Wahoo’s.  I plan on either presenting them to the Bowfin Museum or the family of Mush Morton, which ever turns out to be the right thing to do.  They will be donated in the name of shipmates from the 565.

While in Pearl I plan on checking out the sites for our reunion in April of 2009.

Shipmates if you want a newsletter more often you need to send me information on what you are doing.

Oh last thing, we just had another shipmate find us. Michael Beatty Engineman in 1966.   Who knows him.

Regards,

Tom