Kodiak Military History, Guestbook
Kodiak Island Alaska
Military History
Send messages to Joe Stevens
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[Editor's comments in brackets.]
261
11/22/2018, 7:57 AM
I'm sending this on behalf of my father, Mike Taillefer who was stationed on
Kodiak with the Marine Corps from late 1960 to early 1962. He is very
interested in any pictures from Marines stationed there during this time
period. He also has quite a few pictures along with the names of several of
the Marines in the pictures. I will work on prepping these and forwarding
them to you. He is particularly interested in locating a fellow Marine by the
name of John Cox who he believes was a LCpl during this time period.
Anyone with information may contact him directly at h.taillefer@yahoo.com or
(863)581-2657.
Thanks, Jessica Taillefer
260
From: Gene - TDS gene at tds dot net
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:30:25 -0700
Joe,
We have no idea who Bill Maur is.
I thought I'd give you 2 things my mom and me reminisced about today.
First, my father ended up transferring to the Navy Reserve after WWII, as
Kodiak had no Army post in Kodiak and he needed to serve 3 years reserve after
the war. He was their electronic tech for the base. He talked the base into
setting up and training them for an Amateur Radio station. His call was KL7NR
(which I guess the trainees used as well). I'm not sure how that worked, but
the call was registered to him but the NR was for Navy Reserve.
The second is a funny one. We lived on Wilson St. Next door to us was Helen
and Skeezix Panamaroff. Skeezix was out fishing and one night during a huge
windstorm our antenna blew down and wrapped over the top of the Panamaroff's
house. Helen heard the big crash and looked out the window. All she could see
in the dark was the antenna elements dangling in front of the window. She
thought aliens had landed on her roof and was petrified the rest of the night
until it got light and she saw what it really was. She wasn't too happy with
my dad for that one!
I'll dig some pictures out in the next week or so and maybe it will be stuff
you can use somewhere.
Regards,
Gene Criss
[See news article.]
259
From: Gene - TDS
Message-ID:
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2018 05:37:34 -0700
Joe,
I'm not a ham, so no call for me.
While I appreciate Tony writing about early Amateur Radio in Kodiak, I think
it's only fair to people like my father to be factually correct and give
credit where credit is due.
Talking with my mom yesterday about this, we were reminiscing about old time
ham radio in Kodiak. Being as my father (who passed years ago) was likely the
first ham in Kodiak, and was the single person responsible for getting a group
of important residents of Kodiak to not only find something interesting to do,
but my father realized that on a remote island having communication locally
and globally could be critical at times. That being said, I find it surprising
that his name is not even mentioned on the page and his call is listed as the
wrong person.
I would think a corrections amendment somewhere on the page would be a good
thing.
If you ever decide to to a corrections addition I can give more details on my
father's contributions to Amateur Radio in Kodiak. He was a really interesting
man! One thing separate from ham, but related, is my father was the original
person that got AFRTS started. He thought Kodiak needed some entertainment, so
he built a small (unlicensed) broadcasting station in his radio shop in the
back of the old Variety Store my grandmother owned and played records for a
few hours a day. He got a visit from some Navy brass about his station and
thought he was in big trouble. Turns out they liked the station, but it wasn't
powerful enough to hear good at the base and asked him if he would build a
transmitter for them. Visiting Navy brass saw it, liked it, and thought it was
a good idea to add more at different bases. That was the start of AFRTS.
Regards,
Gene Criss
258
From: Gene - TDS gene at tds dot net
Subject: Amateur Radio
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2018 04:50:16 -0700
Joe,
On the page:
http://www.kadiak.org/kl7af/kl7af10.html
You show Bill Maur as KL7ML. Actually my father William (Bill) Criss (owner of
Island Electronics) was KL7ML. My mother Patricia (Pat) Criss was KL7BRX.
Two points to maybe update your page on Amateur Radio.
1. My father Bill was probably one of the most influential Amateur Radio
people in early Kodiak. Most, if not all, of the early Hams got into Amateur
Radio as a result of my father's influences.
2. I believe my father was the first communication from Kodiak following the
1964 earthquake, being as we had a generator in our home. I remember the
conversation after he fired up the generator the next day and got on his ham
radio that he had a hard time convincing whoever he was talking to, that he
was really in Kodiak - as the first reports in the lower 48 were that Kodiak
was "gone off the map".
Regards,
Gene Criss
257
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2018 14:09:29 -0500
From: Ann Hackworth avhack at aol dot com
Subject: Kodiak history
Dear Mr. Stevens,
I was happy to find your website and guest book this afternoon. My late father,
Dr. Claude Atkins (mentioned in the guest book by DRWOOLLEY1@aol.com), was a
surgeon at the hospital in the mid-1960s, and our family lived in quarters on
base (the Kantors were our wonderful neighbors). I attended kindergarten nearby
in our second and final year in Kodiak.
Ann Hackworth
256
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2016 23:45:53 +0000 (UTC)
From: Lee Horton leehor at bellsouth dot net
Subject: Jackson Horton Navy
My Name is Jackson Horton I was stationed at Kodiak naval base from 1963-1964 I
was the master at the gallery I was also on the naval boxing team I was there
during the earthquake
Looking for old friends from Chicago and New York
Thanks please contact me at leehor at bellsouth dot net
255
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2016 09:02:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Tom Line - tline at iglou dot com>
Subject: Kodiak History
Really enjoy the Kodiak history page. I'm looking for WWII info about my aunt
who worked for the navy in WWII. Her name was Dorothy Iske, and all I know was
that she was transfered to Alaska from San Francisco, and then died in an
avalanche at some later date during the war.
I have some photos to scan and will try to send them to you.
Tom Line
Hamilton, Ohio
254
Date: October 12, 2015
From: Michael Newman, cincinnatimik at hotmail dot com
Subject: my days at kodiak
Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:58:45 -0400
I was stationed there from october 1962 through about april 1963... I was a
ph2... don't recall the building number or name where I worked, but was on an
upper floor, 2nd or 3rd floor, and believe the photo lab was the only thing on
that floor...
Noted the pics of the airplane crash of January 10, 1963... I was the
photographer that went to take pics of that crash... was flown in a coast guard
helicopter to take basic locating pictures, then trudged up the hill with the
preliminary investigating team, taking pics as they directed...
this was a plane from a squadron that was just flying in to relieve another
squadron in the area, as i recall... it had been raining and the pilot
apparently was not satisfied with his approach and was going to circle around
for another approach... apparently he turned the wrong direction (left?) and
crashed into the hill...
i believe there were about 11 people aboard, four of whom were killed in the
crash... (this is really testing my memory, after 54 years)... i recall that a
couple of months later i had to take pics of of a re-enlistment... it was one of
the survivors of that crash... i was really amazed at the time that someone who
had just survived a crash like that would re-enlist...
the communications station message center was in the lower (1st floor?) part of
the building and i had become friends with a chief radioman, fred horne ,as i
recall his name... he is the guy that convinced me to change rates... there was
a program available, SCORE, (Selective COnversion and REtention, or something
like that) for people in certain dead-end rates to convert to other open-end
rates... i had been a ph2 for almost 5 years and was going nowhere... the
radioman rate was wide open...
i applied and was accepted... chief horne taught me morse code, with several
sound patterns for learning some of the letters, such as "hitting the hips" (di-
di-di-dit = h), "to hell with it" (di-dah-di-dit = l), "to the fairest" (di-di-
dah-dit = f)... he also gave me a book on basic electricity.... i had glanced
through a navy training book on basic electronics back in 1959 and determined
that if this was "basic" there was no way that i could learn it... but he told
me that you need basic electricity before you get into basic electronics... that
made all the difference in the world...
we lived just outside of town in a nondescript civilian housing area... i drove
a 1947 mercury which needed some work done on it... i had no garage, but chief
horn lived just down the street and he had a garage... i was able to use his
garage to work on my car during the winter....
i left kodiak in april 1963 and successfully completed radioman "a" school in
san diego... i retired in 1975 as a chief warrant officer...
chief horne and his wife on the left, me and my wife, nina, on the right....
//michael newman//
253
Date: October 12, 2015
[edited from hard copy received with the album]
I am sending my father, William James Rader's photo album detailing his tour in
Kodiak during the Korean War in the US Navy. He passed away in 1997 at 79 years
of age from lung cancer.
Prior to this, my dad was in the OSS during WWII under the command of John Ford,
the Hollywood film director's unit. Dad participated in many actions in the
Mediterranean Theater, receiving a Bronze Star for the invasion of Florence,
Italy. Those memories we will send to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
He was activated along with my uncle Charles Balague' (pictured in the album)
who served in the US Army in the Pacific and participated in the invasion of
Okinawa. Dad was a professional photographer who did work as a photographer for
major movie studios and pulbicity magazines of the period before his induction.
When he was recalled to active duty during the korean conflict, my mother was
pregnant with me. My parents lived in Hollywood, California, where I was born.
I am still living in Los Angeles.
Every post and station has a morale office of which Dad appeared to be assigned
to as Photographers Mate First Class. From what I understand, Dad worked in the
"public relations" sector and at the base newspaper, THE KODIAK BEAR. Dad is
credited as Editor Photographer and/or Staff Photographer. There are copies of
the newspapers during his time included iin the album along with other
newspapers like THE MIDNIGHT SUN, which promoted theatricals Dad was part of.
[see the museum's newspaper collection]
He was befriended by Lucille Nixon and her husband who owned a record store in
Kodiak. They became great friends and are in some of the photos. Also there
are descriptions or amusing comments on the back of many photos. [Included as
captions on the web album.] There are photos of plays that Dad and his
colleagues appeared in presented at the Kodiak Community Theater, as well as the
playbill.
Linda Rader Overman
http://lindaraderoverman.com
252
Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2015 18:28:02 -0800
Subject: The rock
From: Daniel Martin magicmoose dot martin1 at gmail dot com
I just recently found your web page. Brings back quite a few good memories. I
was there 73-74 as SNRM/RM3 on the Confidence. Explored a lot of the back roads
and bunkers on an old Kawasaki dirt bike. Spent as much time as we could out at
Saltery bay, fishing, etc. After spending 3 years at Airsta North Bend in
Oregon, was given 3 choices of duty stations if I re-uped. Portsmouth Va, San
Juan Pr, or Kodiak. Kodiak it was, spent 78-79 at the receiver site. Lived in
the rehabbed barracks on the base. It was always an adventure commuting from the
base to the beach. That tour I had my 4WD dodge, and my co-workers and I
explored a lot more. Always had a good time harvesting the abundant king crabs
in Womens bay. Participated in the Buskin river raft race back when they had
mandatory beer stops. Surprised no on got hurt or died in that operation. Any
way, thanks for the memories. Your web page is great.
Dan Martin, USCG, RM1 retired, and still living in Alaska, all be it, SE.
251
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 22:12:11 -0600
From: shaneluck67 at gmail dot com
Joe,
Thanks so much for your website and the updates on Spruce Cape. It was my first
duty station from June 1987 through December 1988. Fascinating interview with
the construction engineer and updated info. I have been everywhere since, got
out of the USCG active in 1994, stayed in USCG Reserves, went to college, joined
Army ROTC and have four years in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan - and am getting
ready to retire after 28 years of total service.
As I get near to retirement, I have been thinking of my first assignment at
Spruce Cape as a LORAN watch stander - and the memories are as thick as water.
It was great! I long to return and bring my boys to Kodiak to see it again - and
the changes...and catch some fish with them as well.
Thanks again for refreshing my memories and the research and website.
Shane Lucker
250
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:30:30 +0000 (UTC)
From: jeff.nelson4 at comcast.net
Subject: Ft Abercrombie
It was in the summer of 1965 or possibly 1966. My bother and I drove our Vespa
to the fort and were exploring the old ruins. I happened to notice that there
was a slight change of grade on one of the roads, so we pushed our way thru the
brush along the road, and found another road. It had not been used in decades,
as there were trees growing up thru the road bed. We maneuvered the little
Vespa along the old road between the trees until we came to a flat graded area.
Under the brush we found a concrete bunker that was nearly hidden. The door
was intact and still locked. Our curiosity got the better of our common sense
so we went home and got some tools and .22 rifles and returned. After a
combination of banging on the lock with tools and shooting thru the door, the
wood eventually gave way, enabled us to remove the lock. Then we had to dig
the debris away from the front of the door to pull it open, it opened only a
foot or so, but enough for us to squeeze inside. The air in there was acrid
with an ammonia like smell There were stacks of boxes to the ceiling, many
stacks, rows of stacks. In some places the stacks had fallen over, spilling
their contents. It looked like cardboard cylinders, such as the tube from a
roll of paper towels. I picked one up and it fell apart in my hand, leaving a
clear greasy substance on my hand. I recognized what it was then, and also saw
the labels on the boxes at the same time. It said "DuPont Dynamite".
We abandoned the bunker quickly and drove home, and debated what to do. My
brother wanted to keep silent about it, but I thought that if it blew up,
concrete could come down all over that area of the island. I couldn't help but
wonder why our .22 bullets had not set it off as they passed thru the door. We
were lucky to be alive.
I decked to report it alone. I went to the office of the State Trooper, his
name, I think was Church. I asked him if I could have immunity from
prosecution if I broke into an abandoned building, but found something very
dangerous that needed to be reported. He was hesitant and asked what I had
found. I showed him a DuPont label that I had taken from one of the fallen
boxes. He turned white when I told him how many boxes there were. "Tons and
tons of it" I said. He picked up the phone and made some calls, then some
time later an explosive ordinance team arrived from the navy base. We drove
back to the site and I showed them were it was. The Navy went to work and
cleaned it out, don't know what happened to the old dynamite, but the bunker
is now empty.
The next morning the Kodiak Mirror had a headline: "Kodiak Almost Had Another
Earthquake" or something to that effect. I was kept anonymous and never
prosecuted, Church was true to his word. This story is true. It would be fun
to have a copy of that Kodiak Mirror edition, for old times sake.
Jeff Nelson
249
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 16:06:16 +0000 (UTC)
From: sdstockwell at comcast dot net
Subject: former soldier stationed Kodiak WW2
Joe,
My name is Steven Stockwell and I am not sure if I am doing or contacting the
right person concerning this but this is about my father who was stationed on
Kodiak island in the costal artillery at the beginning of WW2 in 1941. First off
I happened to pull up the website www.kadiak.org and then was going through the
photos submitted by Vernon Wilson, 250th Coast Artillery WWII. While going
through those photos seen the photos of the autographs in some sort of album and
came across my dad's name on the page that is dated June 4, 1941. My dad's name
is Reuben L. Stockwell from Sherman S.D. on that page. I guess my concern is if
there is still someone left alive from that time that would remember my dad. My
dad though has now been passed away since 1990 but it would be great to know
that there is still someone yet living out there that knew my dad. My dad's wife
and my mother is still living at the ripe old age of 90 and I would think that
it would be great if I could tell her that I happened to come across someone who
was stationed at Kodiak during the same time that remembers my dad. So it would
be greatly appreciated if by chance you could possibly be in contact with anyone
from that time period that would have known my dad and then to let me know who
that person is and maybe hear and swap some stories with them. Will be waiting
to hear back from you on this and you can email me back at this address if you
come across anything.
Thanks
Steven Stockwell
[I referred him to Walt Dangel. Joe]
248
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2014 12:14:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Bob Blevins thebulldogblevins at yahoo dot com
Subject: Kodiak
.....I was stationed at Kodiak from 1964-1966 Lived outside the Base with my
Wife at Greenridge Apts. I was a young Corporal assigned to Search and
Rescue. The CO was Major Wilson. My neighbor was Nova T. Vickers. His
Daughter and my Son were born on the Island in March of 1965.
SEMPER FI AND CARRY ON
"The Bulldog"
247
From: Joe Hacker jhacker2 earthlink net
Subject: Kodiak Pictures
Date: Thu, 9 May 2013 15:50:50 -0700
Thought you might like to have these for your NAS KODIAK history site. Town
picture was taken from 92000, R5D, M.C. Blythe ALC/AP at the controls. Christmas
card is for the control tower, 1958. Remaining two were in the tower. Historical
note: Replica of Sheb Wolley's "One-eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple Eater"
occupies the top center of the console.
Joe Hacker
246
From: Donald Robbins DRobbins.4 at cox.net
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:47:16 -0800
My name is Donald L. Robbins and I was stationed at Kodiak, at the USMC
barracks. Guard duty from Dec.1960 to Dec.1961. I been trying to locate
marines stationed in Kodiak at the same time I was. Does anyone remember the
O4O4? How about the Island of Afognak where 15 - 20 marines went with 3
officers and they killed three Kodiak bears? I remember the 8 to 9 foot Kodiak
bear stuffed at the entrance of the town. I worked at the Gate Security at the
compound and my last duty was driver for the Military Police Truck. My call
sign was Renegade.
If anyone has pictures or remember any of this events, please contact me at my
email above.
Sincerely,
Don
"Semper Fi"
245
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:32:51 +0000 (UTC)
From: gfinklea at comcast. net
Subject: Pictures
Hi; This is Glen Finklea. George Winslow and I visited the museum there June 11-17, 2011.
Had a great time. David interviewed us on the 17th.
Here are some pictures of the Marines who were there in 1965.
001 was our new panel truck we used to take us to the AUW compound.
009 was a VW bus that belonged to the Navy special services. We could use it for recreation.
013 was the 3rd relief guards.
015 A bunker near the base.
018 This was our desk at the end of the barracks. We used it for writing letters home ECT.
Stuck top of crash way was at the end of the PNA airport runway. there was only one runway. [sic.]
Theater. This is the same one that is there now.
The picture of the runway was the Navy runway [sic.]looking from where the mess hall is now to Old Woman Mt.[sic.]
I have more pictures and I also have some 8mm movies I can put on DVD and mail
them to you. I will need a Mailing address.
I have a friend who was there building Army buildings and such during WW2. He is
90 and has a real sharp mind. He told me some very interesting stories. I could
video him and send them to you if you like.
Thank you very much for the tour.
Thanks.
Glen M. Finklea CPL. USMC
gfinklea at comcast. net
251-344-9920
5521 Central Blvd.
Mobile AL, 36618
244
From: Ron Cigna cigna at cox.net
Subject: Wow! I'm in that 1961 Picture!
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2011 10:12:19 -0500
Good morning,
I was a Navy musician, stationed in Kodiak from October of 1960 to January of
1962. We were the 17th Naval District Band, attached to the Kodiak command,
unless we traveled. Then we were transferred to the 17th Naval District, under
the Admiral, until we returned. My 12 month tour of duty turned into 14 ½
months.
I recently stumbled across your www.kadiak.org website and discovered the
picture at: http://www.kadiak.org/navy/b_3_3.jpg, dated March ‘61. At first I
didn’t pay much attention to it, but then I went back to it and realized that
the people in the background are my band mates and me. We played in all kinds
of venues, all over Alaska, including the chow halls, quite frequently. While I
was stationed there, we played for Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Army, Air Force,
and civilians, in Anchorage, Adak and Kodiak. We went wherever the Admiral
wanted us to go.
Besides playing in all of the Kodak Island Navy, Marine, Coast Guard and
Civilian clubs, Loran Stations, chow halls, working parties, special events,
parades, etc., I remember the many long flights to Adak, in our R5D, to play in
the military and civilian clubs there, as well as the chow hall and a few other
places.
We also flew to Anchorage to play for the Navy Ball, despite the fact that there
were no Navy personnel stationed in Anchorage.
In addition, we played for Army and Air Force retirement ceremonies/parties in
Anchorage. Most of these were done as part of a joint parade band with the Army
and Air Force, but there were times when only a small group of Navy played.
Last, but not least, we played the Marine Corp birthday, in the Marine club, as
well as playing there during other times of the year. At that time, I believe
that the only Navy personnel that were allowed in the Kodiak Marine Club were
CBs (They built it.) and musicians (We were the only band available to them.).
I am the drummer (far right). That picture was taken over 60 years ago. I had
just turned 19 years old, less than 2 months before.
I can identify the other people in that photo, but I don’t know if that would be
appropriate, since they wouldn’t be given a chance to “opt out”.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to think back and enjoy some good memories
and remember some very bad weather. J I can still feel how cold and windy it
was in the winter when we worked on the docks to unload and backload the MSTS
Tatalina. Everyone wanted to work in the cold storage reefers because they were
warmer and there was no wind. To this day, people think I am exaggerating when
I talk about the wind. They say that it is impossible for it to be as bad as I
describe it, but we who have experienced it will never forget. It was brutal.
I enjoyed my stay in Kodiak and wanted to finish out my enlistment there, but
Uncle Sam thought otherwise and transferred me to San Diego. / Ron
Ronald Cigna
243
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:52:58 -0400
From: Mark Braunstein WA4KFZ wa4kfz at cox.net
Subject: photos on Kodiak Military History page
I was poking around the web and came across your web page on Kodiak history. I
was stationed at the USCG Communications Station (Holiday Beach Receiver Site)
from December 1977 to June 1979.
The person pictured on this web page (seated, reading a paper) was my roommate
TT3 James Renne (he eventually made TT2):
http://www.kadiak.org/radios/supvr_posit_noj.jpg
Jim worked at both Tech Control and the Receiver Site, maintaining the Model 28
teletype machines and related equipment.
I was glad to see a picture of my old friend SNET Lee Confrey at the Transmitter
Site as well: http://www.kadiak.org/noj/jack-cook/index.html
242
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:40:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: DAVID STERN psidavid at yahoo.com
Subject: greetings and unusual image for your site
Greetings:
Here is the image I promised about the Douglas SC-54A transport modified
supposedly into an Elint bird that flew the bering Sea or perhaps near the
Kamchatka Peninsula that's Russia-land by the way.
The SC was apparently based out of Kodiak Island and flew Elint or perhaps
Sigint flights while the AF was also flying reconn and elint out of Eielson AFB
and Elmendorf and Shemya Island as well. The photo is form the late 1950s-
1960s era. The pilot or at least one pilot or PIC was Lt Commander John
Garland. His daughter lives in Anchorage, Alaska and contributed through a
mutual friend of ours some of his photo collection, and the SC-545A is one of
them. I'm unable to locate any data on any SC-54A if indeed, that is the
designation, so if anybody can help...especially pertaining to it when based at
Kodiak it would be greatly appreciated.
Please do share the image on your historical site.
Also, is there any way of working up something in the way of higher dpi images
of some of the aircraft in the kadiak site?
If there is something needed for the Kadiak site concerning generic aircraft or
perhaps several articles I wrote about Alaska aviation history WW II and later,
perhaps we can work something out.
241
Date: Mon, 30 May 2011 10:51:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joseph Brady dabigv88 at yahoo.com
Subject: History NS Kodiak
I was stationed at Naval Station Kodiak from 1970 - 1972 where I flew as an
aircrewman on the Three station aircraft. 2 C-54's buno's 56525 & 56486 and an
HU-16 albatross. I have lost all of my photos of this period and was looking for
any photos of these three aircraft as well as the buno for the Albatross. I
would be willing to pay for any copies of these photos particularly in color or
at the very least I would be glad to make a donation to the museum. If you can
help me me in this matter please contact me via e-mail and I will send you my
address if you find or can send copies of the requested photo's. Thank you for
any assistance you may render in this matter
[The museum has no photos. If you have one, please contact Mr. Brady.]
240
From: s-slewis at att.net
Subject: info on whatzzit??
You had these pics on your website and asked whatzzzit.. Wellper it is a triplex
water pump made by Rumsey who worked for gould pump company in New York...left
and formed his own co. The pump was made in approx. 1870's - 1880's.
I was interested in it because it was usually associated with mining, pumping
water from the shafts. I am a mining historian who used to live in Kodiak.
I graduated Kodiak High in 1969 and went to work for ITT & RCA in 1972 on white
alice, dew line and AC&w sites in Alaska, Was with them when we put in new earth
stations.
anywazzz....
Any info on Mining??? I've got a book in the works about Kodiak.
Hope to hear back from You..
73's
KE7NEQ
Glen S. Lewis
239
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:36:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rick Olsson ole1942 at yahoo.com
Subject: Kodiak Island
Hi Joe,
My name is Rick Olsson. I looked up Kodiak Alaska on the internet because I was
stationed there as a radioman at the fleet weather station September 1961 to
October 1962. At the time I was there, there was a female commanding officer
for the weather station. I do not remember too many of the people I worked with
but there was one weather man named Tolzin. He was a second class petty officer
at the time. I was a RMSN. I also played basketball for the weather station.
There was another guy named Pressler. I thought that you would like to hear
from someone that was there during that time. I would love to hear from anyone
who was there. I live in Penn. Thanks a lot
Rick.
238
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 14:51:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kimi Ivey kimi.ivey at yahoo.com
Subject: Donation to Museum
Dear Mr. Stevens:
My name is Kimi Ivey, and my father, Grantland Gordon King, Jr. served in the
Navy in WWII in Kodiak with the Seabees. I grew up with stories of how cold it
was and the Salmon and the giant Kodiak bears, but had no idea about what really
happened up there until I saw a History Chanel special on Kodiak. I was so
shocked, and proud. My father was actually a part of that. I became highly
interested in going to Alaska someday, but figured that would never happen; but
it has and I and my husband will be coming on a Holland America Cruise,
arriving in Kodiak on June 9. I have already arranged a city tour that will
come by Fort Abercrombie Park. My father died back in 1975, when I was just 17,
after a long illness. Later, my mother gave away most of his stuff. My brother
in California got a scrapbook my father kept while he was in Kodiak-one I
remember well. The only item that I have is a handkerchief with my father's name
and the names of all of the men in his unit. If at all possible, I would like
to donate that, along with a picture of my father to the museum. I would much
rather it be in a place to be enjoyed rather than hidden in a drawer somewhere.
I found your website on Kodiak and hoped to find my father's picture among what
was there, but apparently his unit was not there for that long. His was the
45th Battalion, Co. B Platoon 1. I did not find any pictures of him. I would
like to bring this with me and possibly meet someone at the museum and give it
to them at that time. I know this is not much, but I would like to do this to
honor my father, even if he did not do that much-not many can say their father
was there. By the way-I am really lucky about that- we found out my father in
law was actually at D-Day and we were able to get him to go to France this past
year and be honored as one of the survivors. We accidentally found out after we
arranged for him to go to Washington to the WWII Veterans memorial. He actually
talked about what he did when he came back from the trip. Prior to that, we had
no idea what he had actually done in the war. He had never talked about it and
had no pictures from it. It was a great surprise to know that he was a real
hero. But-enough of this long tale-I would like to hear from you whenever you
can respond and please let me know if you are interested and I can donate this
bit of history to you. Hear from you when you can.
Kimi Ivey
Tyrone, Georgia
237
Subject: Navcommsta Kodiak 1959-1962
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:04:33 -0500
From: chuckdee39 at aol.com
My name is Chuck DeLaney, I ended being a 21 year Navy Veteran. I was stationed
at Holiday Beach from 1959-1962. After making RM2, I was transferred to the
Crypto Center on the main base. Spent one year there. Tried to extend for
another year or so, but was told 3 years was the limit. My first child was born
in Kodiak.
I hope very much to be able to visit Kodiak within the next year or 2. Hope to
hear from some of the RMs who were there during the time I spent there. If you
didnt know, an RM from 1963 is in the process of making a movie about Holiday
Beach. Look up Holiday Beach - the movie. Hope to hear from somebody. Am
currently in touch with Tom Lawson. Tom was an RM2 stationed there in 1959. I
was fortunate enough to have seen the Bob Hope Christmas show on base in either
59 or 60.
Regards,
Chuck DeLaney
USN RET
P.S; I am currently living in Salina, KS.
chuckdee39 at aol.com
236
From: Pamela Fisher pam at prosafesolutions dot com
Subject: Naval Base Construction
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 10:05:05 -0500
Hello,
I am writing this for my father, who was with his father and grandfather
during the naval base construction. They lived in temporary barracks, one of
which was at Women's Bay. We have one photo of where his grandparents lived
and I am attaching it to this email.
We are very interested in additional information about the construction
workers who lived on Kodiak and details about how and when the women and
children were evacuated. My father remembers leaving with his mother and
grandmother on a ship.
I also have a photo taken of my grandparents at a café/restaurant/bar that
had a mural on the wall. I will have to send that in a separate email due to
photo size.
I would love to hear from anyone who has additional information about the
construction period and/or photos to share.
I can be reached at:
pam at prosafesolutions dot com
Love your site,
Pamela Fisher
[more from subsequent emails:]
We are not sure if this photo is from a café in Kodiak or Anchorage. My Dad
thought it might be Kodiak as he remembers going their often with his
parents. This is my Grandparents. Dad remembers the murals on the wall.
This one is my great grandmother. It is taken in either Anchorage or Kodiak. We
are not sure because Dad remembers they stayed briefly in Anchorage before going
to Kodiak. [The power pole doesn't look like Kodiak during that era. Joe.]
Same thing, we think it is Kodiak, possible Anchorage but looks similar to
other construction photos. Dad, (being a construction guy) pointed out the
framing is closer together in Alaska buildings than in Washington where we
are from.
235
From: Wilson, John wilson.john at solute.us
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 14:40:53 +0000
Subject: KTU 400E LINE CARD
Joe,
I was station on Kodiak July 71 thru July 72 when the Navy still had the comm
station up there (NHB). It was my first tour as a US Navy Tech Controller. I had
my first family up there with me. We had a great time and were really
disappointed when the Navy decided to decomm the station and turn it all over to
the Coasties. There was a First Class Radioman named Gene Smyth who was
stationed up there during the Tsunami in 1964. I think it was his second or
third tour. Gene and his family went back up to Kodiak after he retired from the
Navy and I heard that he drowned while hunting on Afognak Island. He and he
oldest son apparently got caught in a storm while moving from one place to
another.
I think the first thing I did after I arrived was go fishing in the Buskin River
near the old transmitter site. Caught my first salmon in there and a mess of
Dolly Vardon trout. I just had a great time up there. A friend of mine and I
bowled in the King Crab Tournament at the down town bowling alley in 1972 and
won the doubles part of the tournament. I had some really nice pictures and
video of our stay on the Island but lost everything during Hurricane Katrina
down here on the MS gulf coast in 2005.
You have a great web site Joe and the Kodiak stuff brings back some great
memories. My wife and I are planning an Alaskan trip next year for our 25th
wedding anniversary and I’m planning on spending a couple of days on Kodiak,
maybe drive around see what remains of the old memories.
Thanks again.
J.R. Wilson
2120 Robertsdale Rd
Gautier, MS 39553
234
From: Casey Kimball cmkimball at live.com
Subject: Walter J. Kimball
Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 22:29:19 -0600
My name is Casey Kimball, and I am a history enthusiast just like yourself. My
grandfather, Walter Jerome Kimball, was a staff sergeant in the 215th coastal
artillery division on Kodiak during World War II. I was just wondering if you
had any information or pictures involving him? I know it is kind of a shot in
the dark, but I just thought I'd see what I could come up with. Thank you for
your time and I hope to hear back from you.
Sincerely,
Casey Kimball
233
From: Skins48 at aol.com
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:58:07 EDT
Subject: Chiniak
Hello Joe,
My name is Mike Malette, I lived and worked at KODI during the late 60's, my
family lived down the hill in the old Chris Berg camp Quonsets. I used to spend
a lot of time down by the lake and on that lake was a "island" [Isadore Island]
I scouted it for a while on foot when we first moved there and found a road
about a foot or so below the water that I could drive my 53 Ford pickup across
to the big bunker that was there. I would back in to the bunker and close the
big steel doors and camp out for a while on occasion. I was really surprised
that the doors swung closed with such ease. It was very dark in there and I
could not even penetrate the dark with my coleman lantern so did not go to far
back. It was quiet tho and I spent a lot of time there, it was my place to go
when things were rough and to sort things out. When we were in school in Kodiak
we used to party a lot at Abercrombie, hope you guys made money turning in all
the empty beer cans that we left there. Sorry now about the mess we left. The
cops used to chase us but they would see my truck hauling ass and would just
wait for me in my driveway, hard to get away on an island. Chief was named
Reines [Jack Rhines] as I recall, spelling might be off tho. City manager was
Ray Burt and we got with him to help us build a teen center for us kids to go.
Had us a band called the Magnums, another band had the White brothers, can't
remember the band name tho. Had some good times Playing at the Armory. Hope the
teen center is still there as there wasn't much for us to do there except go to
the arcade at the time. Hope all is well with you and thank you for all the hard
work you are doing for the history of Kodiak.
Mike Malette
232
From: STEVEN MCARTHUR ssmcarthur at msn.com
Subject: ted mcarthur
Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2009 22:34:53 +0000
Joe, I was reading your website. Were you stationed in Kodiak during 1945? My
grandpa Theodore (Ted) McArthur was the fire chief for the town and the naval
base, since at that time Alaska was just a territory. Do you have any info on
him or where I can find some? thanks
[I have no info.]
Steve McArthur 971 388 6399
231
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 23:04:56 -0800 (PST)
From: Kristin Higgins zesty_krstn at yahoo.com
Subject: Jan. 1963 Navy crash
Just wanted to say thanks for the information you posted about the January
1963 U.S. Navy plane crash. My husband's grandfather, John Anthony Cole, was
killed in the plane crash and we had no idea it happened in Alaska! His
grandmother and mother, who was 2 or 3 at the time, lived in Florida at the
time and we just assumed he died around there. Now we know a little bit more.
Kristin Higgins
230
Message deleted at sender's request.
229
From: ntrs at dixie-net.com
Subject: St Mihiel
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:13:45 -0500
Pardon me if I misspelled Her. I would not slight her for any reason.
I did some family history. The ship was used to ship the body of my great uncle's brother back from France.
Homer Beasley was a Mississippi plowboy born in 1896 left the Mississippi mule for the army.
He carried the flag in France toward a bunch of Germans who threw a grenade at him fragmenting his face.
He was buried at Sennocourt France. His daddy wanted his body back. It was dug up 1921, shipped thru Verdun
France to Antwerp Belgium on the USAT ST.Mihiel QMC and then on to Hoboken NJ then on a train to
Atlanta, Birmingham thru New Albany MS on the Frisco to Hickory Flat where Homer Beasley arrived
11:50 PM at the Hickory Flat Mississippi depot. He was buried on the hilltop in McKay Cemetary
January 1st 1922. So now you know Your Alaska transport brought Mississippi boys back from WWI.
Robin Clayton WLRC Gospel Radio Walnut Mississippi
228
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2008 12:00:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Bryan Fisher mariner719 at yahoo.com
Subject: Error in your STORIS photo collection
Dear Joe,
As an ex-Coastie radioman (CW lives!) and a veteran of many a trip to Kodiak
and the 'vicinity' (5 AlPats), I wanted to compliment you on your fine web
page.
However, I also wanted to let you know that you've been duped by someone
('someone' keeps passing this photo around in error) that the picture you
have posted as 85066_03.jpg is STORIS. It is NOT. This is a frame from a
film of USCGC CITRUS when she was attempting to stop a drug runner off the
northern California coast back in the 1980s. I spent a lot of time on
boarding teams and we watched this film several times as part of our
training. During the film, CITRUS was attempting to force the drug runner to
heave to, without success, while running alongside. The drug runner first
set themselves on fire and then turned hard aport and rammed CITRUS
amidships. You'll notice the smoke from the fire, and you'll also notice the
spar-colored stack, the ship's name painted across the sterm rather than on
her quarters, and the lack of STORIS's distinctive 01-level deckhouse. This
is CITRUS...painted white and redesignated WMEC 300, it's true, but this is
NOT STORIS.
By the way, the shots of STORIS are really beautiful, especially when she's
hauled out and her hull is repainted. She looks brand-new! My brother (MK3,
in STORIS 1974-1976) will enjoy looking at them.
Semper Paratus & 73s
Bryan Fisher
ex-RMC, USCG
NXFN / NRUO / NMW43 / NMC / NLVS / NYCQ / NBTM / NRV / NMEL / NHWR
227
From: Rodger Schwind Oldfolkhom at aol.com
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 01:20:05 EDT
Subject: Kodiak Military History website...
Joe...
Thoroughly enjoyed your website. It brought back some interesting memories.
I was stationed there as an ET3 in 1954-55 at the new transmitter station at
Buskin Lake. When I arrived there we were just beginning the set up of the
station and were still using the old station just across the river. Some of
the fellows that were there at the time were (last names) Handy, Cronister,
Barry, Chief Pitt, and CWO Skarda. We lived in the old station and walked
daily to do our installation work in the new station. We started with a
bare, huge concrete building and filled it with the latest in transmitting
equipment including a 250kw RCA transmitter that was attached to a 600 foot
antenna out in our antenna field surrounding the lake. I had charge of the
supplies and parts for the building of the transmitters and had my office in
the basement of the building. I can remember having to make daily runs to
the base for our supplies and mail. Quite a trip! The CBs came in during
that time and completed our road that connected with the base road leading to
Kodiak. I read a letter listed in your guest book from May 1999 sent by a
fellow who was a young Marine at the time. He told of having problems with
the CB unit. Well let me tell you first hand why they had such a problem.
The Marines on the base were required to be sticklers for doing their duty.
They would actually arrest the CBs way out in our area for exceeding the
base's 25 mph speed limit! The harrassment went on all the time the CBs were
there. That last night before the CBs were to ship out, we were at the EM
club and the some of the CBs who had a bit much decided to go down to the
marine barracks and clean it out which they did. By 4AM that morning the
were all on their ship and headed out. I had a jeep while I was there and we
had a great time driving out to Cape Chiniak as well as anywhere else we
could go. There was an abandoned airfield on the road out to Chiniak made
out of metal matting. Several of the old Army barracks were still in our
area although totally unusable. We did a lot of skiing at the Chalet just up
the road from the lake and really had a great time overall. Have a great
deal of sea stories to tell but there just isn't the space. Unfortunately at
74 my memory's getting a little hazy but I'd love to go back and visit the
place again. By the way I have a TON of photos (slides) just rusting away if
you need any for the website.
Rodger Schwind
oldfolkhom@aol.com
112 Clark St.
Walnut, IL 61376
815 379-2172
226
From: Ed2par at frontier.com [new email 18oct10]
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 22:42:15 EDT
Subject: Bagaduce
I was stationed on board the USS Bagaduce ATA 194 from 1952-1953. We were
the ones who towed the Mahopac in after it ran aground. We also towed the
Coast Guard Cutter the Storis in. We brought the Bagaduce to Seattle where
we decommisioned her in July of 1953. I spent 17 months on board her.
Later
Ed Merritt
Quartermaster
225
From: Clayton crzeller at westriv.com
Subject: Kodiak Island
Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 21:36:20 -0600
Hi Joe,
My grandfather Leslie Anderson was stationed on Kodiak from 12-28-1944 to
1-18-1946 He was a marine. I was wondering if any of his fellow marines
or others whom he may have served with have stories or pictures. I followed
in his footsteps and became a marine 1976-1982. Thanks for the wonderful
site & keep up the good work.
Clayton D. Zeller
224
From: darrold at americanusedequipment.com
Subject: Holiday Beach
Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 15:08:35 -0400
Hi,
I, along with Darrold, was stationed at Holiday Beach receiving station for
thirteen months, 1962 & 63. Forty five years ago and we're returning to
Kodiak for a look around. Sure it will be much different than when we were
there. We were somewhat stuck out at Holiday Beach and had limited access to
transportation so didn't get around much. Being eighteen at the time, we
probably didn't appreciate the natural beauty (looking for a different kind)
as much as we should have.
Being from Minnesota and North Dakota respectively, the weather didn't bother
us much. Kind of disappointed at the time it wasn't colder.
Did do some good fishing and ate our own smoked salmon.
Spent a lot of time at "RC" exchanging Morse code messages with ships.
The "Cuban Missile Crisis" was the biggest event while we were there. For
about a week we thought the world was going. They gave us M-1's to watch the
beach for incoming Russkies. Right, sure we would have made a difference.
If any of the old crew sees this, let Darrold or myself know, be nice to catch up.
Also, if anybody can point us to a good place to stay, drop a line. We'll be
getting in Kodiak on May 5th.
Gary Jenneke RM3
Darrold Glanville RM3
223
From: Glen Finklea gfinklea at comcast.net
Subject: Fw: kodiak
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2008 19:03:29 -0600
Hi Joe; Great web site. I have spent hours looking and riminissing. I have
many pictures if anyone is interested. I was stationed in Kodiak with the
Marines From 22 January 1965 to 21 January 1966. I stood guard duty at the
AUW compound in the tower and also gate guard duty. I remember the stairs to
and from the Marine Club when snow and ice covered it. Climbed Old Woman
Mountain and ice skated on the lake on top. I cut hair at the marine barracks
part time. I would like to hear from some of the marines who were stationed
there at the same time. Please contact me at gfinklea at comcast.net Thanks.
CPL. Glen M Finklea USMC
5521 Central Blvd.
Mobile AL 36618
Ph# 251-344-9920
Photo
222
From: Charles Donovan umnak4244 at msn.com
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:18:50 GMT
Joe, I am a former US Navy RM1/c,39 thru 45.
I was stationed at Chernofski Bay and USNAAS Otter Point,May 42 thru Dec 44.
Served aboard USS Spica AK 16, 1940 thru May 1942.
Chuck Donovan
221
From: Jack Cook jcook56050 at aol.com
Subject: Thanks for the memories
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:24:02 -0600
Dear Mr. Stevens,
I was stationed at U. S. Coast Guard Communications Station NOJ in Kodiak
for 17 months from 1977 to 1978.
My designator was that of Electronics Technician
Third Class. I was stationed at the Buskin River Transmitter Building
(the antenna farm) located about five miles from the base out toward
the lake.
We helped to maintain and electronically route about
35 major transmitters putting out about 40,000 watts each (if I recall
the numbers correctly). I think their designation was AN/FRT-40 (it's
been a long time, so correct me if I'm wrong).
Our branch served the needs of the main radio station
downrange on the other side of the base. As I recall, there was the
transmitter station, the central communications and administration
building, and the radio station. They were widely spaced apart to
prevent undue electromagnetic interference.
Our group served as a day crew, and supplemented the
Buskin site twenty four hours a day with one transmitter tech and one
assigned seaman in our transmitter building at all times. The techs
served 8 hours on, 8 hours off, 8 hours on, 8 hours off, and 8 hours
on. We then got two days off. The assigned seamen (and women) were
there for backup and safety, though mostly used as gophers.
In cooperation with the administrators and with
Lieutenant Terry Lott, the assistant commander of Com Sta Kodiak, I was
asked to design the patch and insignia for the Communications Station.
That image is the patch you have on your web site under the heading,
"Communications Station." I still have the first patch and cup issued
in my collection here at home.
I wish I had appreciated my stay in Alaska more than
I did. Being a single man and of a different mind set in those days, I
probably missed some things that I should have enjoyed while on the
island. I regret never having seen a Kodiak bear. However, I continue
to have fond memories of the friends I made both on base and in Kodiak.
And, I did manage to have some unusual adventures on the north and
south ends of the island.
I very much appreciated visiting your web pages. Brings back some great memories.
Here are some "Official Coast Guard" images that you
may find useful to your museum or web site. I have others if you are
interested.
Thank you.
Very sincerely,
Jack Cook, former U. S. Coast Guard Electronics Technician
Nashville, TN.
220
Subject: History Channel
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 08:38:00 -0500
From: Beaulieu, John john.beaulieu at rbcdain.com
Good Morning Joe
I was eating breakfast this morning, when a program came on the History
Channel that caught my interest. It was the story of the Japanese invasion
of Attu and Kiska Islands. When I saw what the program's topic was, I almost
spit out my eggs. You see, my father served aboard the submarine S-35
(SS-140) out of Dutch Harbor during all of WWII. His name was ENC (SS)
Stephen A. Beaulieu, Jr. and he was the Chief Engineman aboard S-35.
Unfortunately, I had to come to work, so I missed most of the program.
On the night of December 21, 1942 his submarine was on a surface patrol off
Amchitka during a giant storm. A wave crashed over the conning tower and
drove the Captain down through the tower, injuring him. A few hours later,
at 1830, an electrical fire broke out on board. Since my father was Chief of
the engine room, he could not leave his post. The crew battled the fire as
best they could, extinguishing all of their equipment. Later that night, the
electrical fire broke out again, filling S-35 with smoke. Because the
extinguishing equipment was empty, the best that could be done was to send
the crew topside and seal the boat, smothering the fire.
Imagine standing topside on a submarine in December, in the middle of a
storm, off the coast of Alaska. I certainly can't. True to his generation,
my father rarely spoke of his experience. However, he did carry a nasty
cough with him for the rest of his life. If you have never read an account
of this incident, please do so. It is one of bravery and courage beyond
imagination. There is plenty of information on the internet. If you go to
(navsource.org) you can navigate the site until you find the page for S-35
(SS-140) under the listing for diesel submarines. There are a few pictures I
have provided that you may find interesting.
I have contacted A&E and the History Channel to explore the possibility of
them doing a story about the fire aboard S-35, but so far I have heard
nothing from them. I would appreciate any further information you may have
about this incident, or any place where you can direct me.
Thank you for your efforts to preserve this most important chapter in WWII
history. The children of the Aleutian veterans are most grateful.
Best regards
John
John A. Beaulieu
219
From: Dick McCracken mccracken3 at cox.net
Subject: Kodiak Military History Museum Pictures
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:44:52 -0800
Joe,
Have enjoyed looking at the many pictures you show on the Fleet Air Wing 4
pages and the Commo. Leslie Gehres picture pages. My father is shown in many
of them. He was Reginald R McCracken and was on the HQ staff under Gehres.
On pix 0032 and 0033 McCracken is on Gehres right. The officer on Gehres
left is LCDR Jim (J.C) Pickens, their Communications Officer I believe. On
pix 0057, McCracken is with Gehres.
The two attached pictures show a Christmas card I have, with the
/WISHING YOU A/ the front of the card, and the Fleet Air Wing 4
and mountain on the inside. You have done a great job with all the pictures.
Sincerely
Richard McCracken
Chula Vista, CA
218
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:38:51 -0800
From: Gary Vincent gvincent at gte.net
Subject: USS Spica 1941 photo
Hi Joe,
I happened upon your website while looking for the USS Spica and there in one
of your photos is picture of my father in 1941!
The photo has a question mark for his first name and I can provide that info
for you. The 1941 picture, back row, is Ensign Robert E. Vincent. In
October dad joined on to the USS Colorado at Bremerton, WA and served on her
through most of WW2. Dad is now 90 years old, still very sharp and active
and lives with my mother in Palm Desert, CA.
Thanks,
Gary Vincent
Redmond, WA
217
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:33:14 -0900
From: jim and Molly RoganandLeahy roganleahy at gmail.com
Subject: Information about a book that mentioned a military crash in 1954
near Moses Point, near Koyuk, Alaska
Looking for a book that mentioned a military crash in 1954. Approximate
location was Moses Point, near Koyuk, Alaska. My older siblings remember
seeing the book in the late '60s-early '70s. My siblings said it mentioned
our last name (ROgan) but it was misspelled. My father was the school
teacher in Koyuk. The plane was a T-33 from one of these military bases by
Fairbanks. I have a copy of the accident report. One pilot survived but the
other one was never found.
[If anyone can answer this, please email Jim.]
Thanks.
j. rogan
216
From: Terry Wetch twetch at bis.midco.net
Subject: 215 CA AA Btry B
Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:08:36 -0600
Joe:
My father is in the picture you have posted on your web site on the 215 CA AA
Btry B for WWII. His name was Michael Wetch, he is in the third row on the
picture. I can't make him out with the web picture. Is the CD rom more clear
and can I buy one? Thank You [The site will no longer fit on a CD. ...j0e]
Merry Christmas
Terry Wetch
215
From: Richard Kivi kivi666 at charter.net
Subject: Photo identification [Cape Chiniak USAF Tracking Station]
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:13:42 -0500
Picture #11 on url: http://www.kadiak.org/chiniak/chiniak.html
That's not the CWO's hideaway. It is an abandoned cabin. We used it
one summer to board horses and one of the guys kept his pet raven
there. We also used it to dress out some deer we shot that had
wondered onto the antenna fields. . . which were also used by a local
rancher to graze cattle.
It really makes me sad to see the devastation of the site.
I'm in the process of scanning in all my old duty station pictures
having started with Sasebo, Japan. When I get to the Chiniak pix,
I'll send you some. . . but it'll be awhile. They're on slides and I
have not yet purchased a slide scanner.
Richard Kivi
CTR2
Stationed at Cape Chiniak 1956
214
From: reuben.burton at comcast.net
Date: Tue, 29 May 2007 15:37:52 +0000
Joe:
A few days ago I ran across comments related to Tokyo Rose. There were times
on Kodiak when I would hear her over one of the radios in our Quonset hut at
Miller Point. Everything she had to say was BS, however it was entertaining
to listen to the records played on her programs. Performers such as Benny
Goodman, Harry James, Kay Kyser, Tommy Dorsey, etc were enjoyable. One of our
best sources of information came from AM stations KSL in Salt Lake City and
KGO in San Francisco.
These comments on Tokyo Rose reminded me of Guam when I was there with the
301st Battalion. After the bombs were dropped on Japan, and they surrendered,
their war ships would stop off to be refueled by us. These ships were going
to the bypassed islands to pick up those Japaneese left behind as a result of
Mc Arthurs island hoping campaign.
It was an eye opener to observe Japaneese navy personnel. At that time most
of the sailors were comparitively young. Their clothing and shoes had seen
its best days.
One destroyer had a wooden out house set over the stern.
A huge submarine,one of five or six constructed by the Japaneese, stopped off
for refueling. This boat was in excess of 300 feet in length. Covered in
cement mortar and painted flat black. There was a large door on front of the
coning tower, similar to a bank vault door. Two rails extended from the
coning tower to the bow. They would open the door, move a sea plane out on to
the tracks, extend the wings, and catapult it over the rails. I believe one
of these boats had something to do with shells fired on Oregon during the
early days and set off forest fires.
Reuben Burton, D co. 43rd Seabees.
213
From: Donald F. Dorsey dondo1 at comcast.net
Subject: Bethel and Sparrevohn WACS
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 15:29:23 -0400
Hi Joe - My name is Donald Dorsey. I was referred to the internet site
regarding White Alice by Vic Bucci, a tech at my site (SPV)
I was at Bethel in 1958 when George Baer was supervisor and ol' buddy Lynn
Saupe was assistant supervisor. If you look at Lynn's pictures, I am the
bearded one standing next to a exciter. With me is Charley Young.
I took care of Lynn's boat when he took went on vacation. He was a good
friend as was Gretchen. She was at the Alaska Native Service hospital in
Bethel. A wonderful person. I still have some postcards from them from their
various jaunts.
I went to Sparrevohn in 1959 as a tech. I was assistant supervisor after a
few weeks and undertook the task of eliminating the noise we all knew was
coming from Sparrevohn. John Hand and I spent three months of the midnight
shift and routined (and repaired) all twelve receivers and all six exciters.
Mission accomplished! Noise level was down to -43 db, as I recall.
In November, 1959, Travis Sulzer departed for his California home. I was made
the supervisor at the site, probably because no one else would take it. The
site had a bad reputation and lots of personnel problems. There were just too
many people and too little abilities. We cut the site personnel down through
attrition transfers and by the spring, things were humming along. Get some
new techs and things settled down into the usual routine.
In July, 1959 came the shocker of FEC losing the contract to RCA. I left the
system in August and went to California on the GEEIA project. After that was
completed, I went to Europe with FEC in January, 1962. The company name was
changed for tax purposes to International Standard Engineering Inc (ISEI). I
was there for 3 1/2 years and left ITT for college. I graduated from Maryland
in 1968 awith an accounting major (there's a switch!)and worked for Arthur
Andersen until 1970 when I opened my own accounting practice. Sold the
practice in 2003 to my son and retired.
Doodling of the internet, i recall someone saying that Sparrevohn was off the
air for twenty minutes after I left. I don't know the exact times or whether
it was when FEC or RCA was in charge. In any case, the word was that the site
was poorly maintained and the previous staff did a poor job of maintenance.
To that I say BULL****!
I would like to set the record straight. Prior to turning over the site to
Larry Uline in August, 1959, every receiver and exciter was personally
checked by me overseeing the tech doing the monthly routines. Everything was
left in tip top shape. It irks me no end for someone to take a cheap shot
like that and blame someone else for their problems. Just for the record,
Sparrevohn was in perfect shape for the turnover.
While in Europe in 1965, months before leaving, Sven Hanson showed up on a
tour. You may remember Sven Hanson as the southern region manager. I asked
him about the reported problems at Sparrevohn and he said that blaming FEC
for every little gaff was commom and not related only to Sparrevohn. He said
I should forget about it. That's tough to do when you put some much of
yourself into the job. I would like to hear about anything you might have
heard concerning Sparrevohn.
I'm sorry if I'm coming off as bending your ear too much. I guess my pride
was hurt.
If you are in contact with Grethen, give her a hug (electronic or otherwise)
and pass along my email address. Best to you all.
Don Dorsey
PS moving to Florida in May. Don't know how long it will take to get back on
the internet. I'll contact you with new email address.
212
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:13:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Maurice Wadle moewadle at yahoo.com
Subject: update to guest log entry #169
Hello Joe and everyone. My name is Maurice "Moe" Wadle (wad-lee) and I was
stationed at Kodiak in the Navy from Feb 1963-Feb 1964. I went by the name
Mike Wadle at the time. I worked in the Aircraft Mainenance Dept. in the
Avionics Shop. Please see my extensive guest log entry #169 below for
details.
This entry is an update to my previous entry. Here are a few updates: #1
The man whom I referred to as "Weeber" in my original entry is really Gary
Weiber who now lives in Redmond, Washington. I was very pleasantly
surprised when he contacted me a few years ago because he found me by reading
my guest log entry. We have maintained contact since then. What a wonderful
renewal of an old friendship! #2 Also, Tony Daigle, whom I mentioned in my
first entry sent me an email a year or so ago. He had also found the web site
and contacted me. #3 Just last week the phone rang at home and yet ANOTHER
man with whom I had been stationed at Kodiak had phoned me. He is Robert
"Bob" Hisdahl of the Minneapolis area. He also found my original entry and
remembered my name and knew that he knew me. He was at Kodiak Naval Station
from Oct 1962-Oct 1963. #4 I have to report sad news that Mike Kelleigh,
mentioned in my previous entry, passed away in Yakima, Washington in 2004.
He was an AE2 at Kodiak while I was there.
I look forward to hearing from anyone who was at Kodiak during my time there
and please, also make an entry for the guest log here. I am sure Joe will
post my email address and my phone number is 319-354-7526. I live in Iowa.
Thanks, Moe
211
From: Charles Carroll ccarroll at usawide dot net
Subject: Naval Station Kodiak
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:59:48 -0600
From: C.E." Chuck" Carrroll ADRC U.S. Navy (Ret)
21177 County Road 1492
Mathis,TX 78368
361-547-7867
Hi Joe,
I discovered your website recently and I really enjoy it. I arrived in Kodiak
in August 1967 and left on 11 January 1971. I was the Naval Station Air
Terminal supervisor until mid 1968. I was running the air terminal when the
King of Nepal made his infamous trip to the island to hunt bear.One had to
have been there to understand what a snafu that was.
Another event that occurred during that time brings back a feeling of mixed
emotions. Several USAF C-141 aircraft returning from Vietnam with wounded
comrades and some with bodies of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
arrived at the Naval Base. They were diverted from Elmendorf AFB due to ice
fog.We were not equipped to refuel those large fuel guzzlers quickly. We did
our very best and received grateful thanks from all USAF personnel we came in
contact with.It was sad and rewarding at the same time.
In 1968 I was assigned as Career Counselor for the Naval Station. I also
conceived, developed and taught a Leadership School.I had officers and
enlisted naval and marine personnel plus an occasional coast guardsman.
During my 3 plus years at Kodiak I stayed very busy. I worked part time at
the CPO club on base. I also served as Scoutmaster and on many naval station
boards and committees. I also did a lot of hunting and fishing.
I truly enjoyed my time in Kodiak and had planned to retire and work on base.
The pending base closure took away the civil service job I had already
qualified for.
I would appreciate contact from any old shipmates or friends from Kodiak.
Best wishes and Happy Holidays to all.
Chuck Carroll
210
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:12:29 -0700
From: Robert A. Leonard kbob11 at juno.com
Subject: Eleven Years in Kodiak
Hello Joe,
Have enjoyed visiting your extensive web site. A big 'Well Done!'
Looking through it brought back lots of memories as I am sure many have
told you before.
My name is Bob Leonard. My wife and I arrived in Kodiak early in July of
1956. I was assigned to FWC Kodiak plus additional duties as an Ice
Recon Observer working TAD for the U.S. Hydro Office out of Washington
D.C. There were several of us at FWC who had been trained to do this
work. We flew in P2V-7's and our job was to help convey the DEW LINE
resupply ship convoy by giving data to the Ice Breaker skipper. The
flights were long and during the summer months we flew out of Ladd AFB in
Fairbanks. My wife worked at Kodiak Airways part of 56 and all of 57. I
had a private flying license and picked up a float plane rating in
Fairbanks the summer of 57. Bob Hall (owner of Kodiak Airways) offered
me a job after I got out of the Navy and had my Commercial flying
license. I used the GI Bill to finish my flight training and was back in
Kodiak in just a few months after my discharge (1958) Bad news for me
was that 58 was a very poor fishing season and Bob Hall couldn't use me.
Bob Acheson and Dick Berg hired me to work at the Donneley & Acheson
general store. This I did until I started flying at Kodiak Airways the
spring of 1961. While working at D&A, I got to know many of the
fishermen from around the island plus many of the Kodiak residents. Dick
Berg had moved on to Juneau to be the State Purchasing Officer and I took
over at D&A as the Office Manager. It was hard but I was able to get Bob
Acheson to allow me to leave D&A and start working at KAI for Bob Hall in
1961. The two 'Bob's' were good friends which didn't help in making the
move. I flew all the KAI aircraft over the next six years. During the
first tidal wave I saved one Grumman and Al Cratty saved the other...the
only two aircraft Bob Hall had left, after Good Friday's excitement.
After eleven years my wife's health wasn't doing too well so we made a
move to an island in the Caribbean where I continued to fly the Goose &
Widgeon in tropical waters. We returned to Kodiak for a visit in 1970 and
again in 1976. My aviation career took me on to South America and then
Africa so it was 2001 before I again visited Kodiak to find a bridge to
Near Island, a second boat harbor, a Safeway and a WalMart! It just
wasn't the 'old town' anymore. Now in retirement, I am writing mostly
short stories about aviation experiences. I am happy to attach my 'Good
Friday Earthquake' story as an example. Look forward to hearing back and
for any comments. Say hello to Mike Rostad if you see him. We traded a
few e-mails last year.
Cheers,
Bob Leonard
209
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:36:17 -0500 (CDT)
From: cmadcock at verizon.net
Subject: Kodiak web site
Joe,
Just found your web site and really enjoyed the notes from the different
people. I was stationed at Kodiak from Dec. 1960 until April 1962, attached
to Com17/Comalseafron Operations. We worked air-to-ground with the VP
Squadrons. (VP 1, VP2 and VP 17 ) I was a Rm2 and we were almost 100% Morse
Code. I remember times when the Northern Lights really played havoc with the
communications, played heck with our radio/teletype.
I saw a mention of the R5D 92000. I played on the base basketball team and
made a few trips on her. We called it TripZip. Also our coach was a LTJG
named Terrence T. Triplett and we called him Triple T (Trip T for short). Of
course, this was behind his back. He was a really nice officer and person,
got along well with the men. I believe he was also the transportation
officer. Also interesting was the pilot who flew us, a CPO, I think by the
name of Wells...had been an officer during WWll but went back to permanent
rank at war's end.
I found an old buddy a few years ago from Com 17, now living in Nashville,
TN, Bruce L. Roberts (he was also Rm2). We have attended a reunion of
Aleutian Island veterans a couple of times. Also a few days ago I found
Charlie W. Nelson (ATAN) from VP 17, retired and living in Florida.
For anyone interested, there is a national Aleutian Island Veterans' Group,
all ages, all services. They have several reunions throughout the year, in
PA, NV, ND, KS. Basically called (appropriately enough) The Williwaw group
or club, something like that - definitely "Williwaw". If interested in the
group, write to: Al King, P.O.Box 130327, Sunrise, FL 33313
Carrol Adcock
Pinckneyville, Illinois
208
[I found Darrel's web site and asked him about Kodiak.]
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 14:15:59 -0400
From: Darrel Daley kl7dn at sover.net
Subject: Kodiak Naval Base
Hi Joe,
I was stationed with the Kodiak Naval Air Station band as a trumpet player
from 1955 to 1957. I also met my current wife on Kodiak. Her name was Marion
Daley and she came to the "rock" as a new school teacher from Newark, NJ
That was back in the days of wooden sidewalks, 99 bars and one church
:-) ... Pre-quake days. I'm tossing in a couple more scanned shots of the
island in case they might be of use. I've got more if you're interested
It was a small band of 15-16 members. I can picture the faces, but am at a
loss for most of the names. Ben Ardinger, alto sax player, stayed on Kodiak
and sold furniture. If he's still around his memory is probably better than
mine. Scotty was the nickname of the piano player in the double exposure
picture. He went on, I heard, to make a career in the Navy.
Anyway, we played dance jobs at the officer's club, the chief's club and
enlisted men's club (no pay for these jobs). Many nights after finishing
those gigs we'd head for town and play at one of the bars there. For this we
were paid. I think that I went the whole 2 years on the rock without spending
a cent of my Navy pay.
We did the typical Navy musician things, like raising the colors in the
morning and lowering them at night. Many times just a bugler would go out and
do the proper call. Once a year we'd be flown over to Anchorage to play for
the Fur Rondy parade and once we went out to Palmer for the State Fair.
A humorous incident took place every time we played for the departure and
arrival of the Coast Guard cutter as it did it's bi-monthly (?) trip to check
out the villages on the Aleutian Chain. All the dependents would be at the
dock and, along with the standard marches, we'd toss in a chorus or two of
"Empty Saddles in the Old Corral". You're probably a youngster and I need to
explain that that was a song Gene Autry made famous.
When the cutter returned to Kodiak the dependents (wives/kids) would be there
to welcome Dad home and we'd sneak in a chorus of "I'm Back in the Saddle
Again", another Autry cowboy song. Everyone caught on and had a good laugh
out of it all.
Then the base got a CO that had no sense of humor and after he heard what we
were playing he issued a cease and desist order to the band director -
something to the effect that we will no longer be allowed to play
"suggestive" songs during the Coast Guard cutter arrivals/departures. Such is
life. There will always be killjoys amongst us.
For off time thrills we'd walk from the base into town to just hang out. We
also hiked up Pyramid Mountain, more than once. We spent a lot of time just
hanging out in the "band room", an upstairs area behind the stage with pull
down stairs. Not a lot of people knew that it was there.
That's about it, Joe. I ended up my stint on Kodiak in 1957 and was sent to
the Naval Training Center at San Diego. In 1957, while still in the Navy, I
married Marion Collani. I was honorably discharged 1958 and we moved to
Monrovia, CA. I ended up with a BA from California State University at Los
Angeles and we moved back to Alaska. The place was Chugiak.
I served as the band director and head of the music department there from
1962 - 1983. We're now retired to Putney, VT where we do a lot of volunteer
work. I'm very involved with Ham Radio as K1KU, mostly for VT Emergency
Management and the West River Radio Club. I'm also actively involved with the
W1 Incoming Bureau. We get back to AK every second year and visit friends in
the Chugiak area.
I got my first ticket there in 1978 - WL7ADU, then almost immediately got my
General and became KL7DN. I also got my Advanced at the Anchorage FCC office.
I got tired of signing KL7DN/1 in VT, so got the vanity call K1KU in 1998.
I hope this helps a little, Joe. I just turned 70 in June, so, fortunately,
you caught me while a few brain cells are still at work. If you have some
more questions shoot 'em off and I'll give it a try.
Cheers, Darrel
combo.jpg
mountain.jpg
pyramid_mt55.jpg
russian_orthodox_church55.jpg
village.jpg
207
Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 22:43:08 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
From: Grumpywright grumpywright at earthlink.net
Subject: Kodiak
Being stationed on Kodiak 1955-1957 was the best of duty with the beauty of
the island, its fishing and hunting. This was a time of my life when I felt
the most free. Even the duty did not deter my love of the island. I would
have made a third tour if they had allowed me, but facing a return to duty in
California. I chose to get out. I have often wished I might return, but a
friend on Kodiak told me that if I expected it to be the wilderness it was
then I would be disappointed. I look at a very large bearskin rug and feel
sorry that either of us ever left the island. Thank you for bringing a bit
of my past back to me. I was an AK3 attached to aviation supply.
Bill Wright
206
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 19:11:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: Wwlions67218 at aol dot com
Subject: Ex Kodiak navy man
Hello Joe, I have been searching your web site and found it very interesting.
I was stationed there in 1953 and 54 with the navy. My brother was also
stationed there. I worked in Navy Exchange gararge, my wife worked at the
Navy Supply building and my brother also worked there. My oldest son was born
at the base hospital, 25 September, 1954. After retiring from the navy my
brother had a real estate office there until the earthquake and he went to
Anchorage where he started a new business. His wife taught in the kindergarden
school. His name was George H. Cornelius. I was wondering how long you have
been in Kodiak and if by chance you knew him? I knew Walter Craft and Mr.
Clark very well. I would appreciate it if you could reply at your
convienience. I will try and send some information to your website later.
Thank you,
Robert L. Cornelius
2202 S Pershing
Wichita, Ks. 67218-5040
205
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:16:38 -0400
From: Daves, Fern, fern dot daves at itt.com
Subject: guest book
Hello Joe and friends.
I work for ITT Corporation in New York.
I am trying to find people who worked or visited
- the White Alice Communications System in Aniak, or.
- the DEW Line Site at Point Lonely.
Anyone who has stories to tell is welcome to call me at 914-641-2148 or email
fern dot daves at itt.com
Thank you and have a great day!
Fern
204
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 22:00:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: Botieffd at aol.com
Subject: Uncle in Coast Guard Beach Patrol
Great web site and lots of information. I had an Uncle stationed
some where in Alaska during World War II, my mother says he was
part of the mounted horse/beach patrol at either Kodiak or
Katchikan. Wonder if you have information on this very interesting
part of our history.
His name: John A. Nevarov, was part of the Coast Guard during the war.
Bill Botieff, Silverton, Oregon
N7CRF, will listen for you on 3933, thanks,
[Anybody know anything. I don't. ...j0e]
203
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:53:17 -0700
From: Bruce McKay bmckay06 at adelphia.net
Subject: Fleet Weather Central Kodiak.
I was a LT weather forcaster at Fleet Weather Central Kodiak from
June '58 to June '60.
I lived in Aleutian Homes and was in the second year of our
marriage.
I did a lot of fishing on the Buskin River mouth and had lots of
salmon. Hikes to Monashka Bay west of Kodiak lots of times. I did
a lot of Glass Ball hunting on the beaches at 5:00am out to
Chiniak and south of Chiniak. I took one trip with wife to
Anchorage for few days to have a scope put on my deer rife. Also
I took the week trip to the Karluk River Fish camp around and west
of Kodiak on the LST 161 or USS Kodiak.
I was on active duty for 6.5 years and the reserve for 31. School
teacher and principal in San Diego. Lots of NAS North Island duty.
Bruce McKay
202
Date: Mon, 29 May 2006 18:07:54 -0500
From: Karl Tabor karltabor (at) hotmail.com
Subject: Harry Tabor (WACS)
My father, Harry Tabor, was assistant site supervisor at Kalakaket
Creek in about 1957 - 58, when Bob Crutcher was supervisor. He is
the gunslinger pictured with Sven Engblom and Al Martin and would
like to know the whereabouts of any of the people stationed there
at this time. He had previously been at Palmer and Anchorage and
later went to Kotzebue. He was in class #1 - July 1956.
My dad plans to make a return trip to Alaska next summer, if
possible. He wonders about the photo shown - he remembers that
being taken in black and white and wonders if it was colorized. It
was also part of a series of pictures - a procession of a poker
game gone bad (Sven is about to pick up all the chips).
Later - my father returned to Alaska with RCA to work in Clear on
the BMEWS (Ballistic Missile Early Warning System) - from 1961 to
1963. He was a married man that time - and came up with a wife and
son. I was born in Fairbanks while they were up there.
Any old friends of his can contact me by email - or call my father
at his cell: 239-898-4330.
Karl Tabor
201
From: Debbie Zakrowski debzak_1 (at) msn.com
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 8:43 AM
Subject: NSG CAPE CHINIAK PATCH
Mr Stevens
While looking through the internet I found your name and am hoping
you can help me in my search. My husband Dan Zakrowski was in the
Navy from March 1959 to March 1975. He has a large collection of
Navvy patches but the one he doesn't have any longer that I would
like to replace is the one from Cape Chiniak. The patch says Naval
Security Group across the top and Cape Chiniak across the bottom.
The field of the patch is blue with an eagle and crest of feathers
and anchors behind it.
I would really like to replace this patch for my husband. If you
cannot help me please forward my email to someone who may be able
to. I would really like to surprise my husband with this.The
majority of Dan's collection is on display in several cases at the
Military Honor Park and Museum in South Bend In. He has not only
patches but guns pictures swords cannons bombs flags documents and
many memories.
I have been in touch with wmaude at netcommader.com and he sent me a
scanned copy of the patch and I have heard from inquire at nara.gov
but am willing to dig further just need some guidance. Your help
will be truly appreciated
Sincerely
Deb Zakrowski
200
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2006 15:56:44 -0500
From: jerry dietz jerrydietztx at lycos.com
Subject: crash crew hangar photo
Hi..I am searching for a photo of the old naval crash crew hangar
which was at the mouth of the buskin river.I served there for two
years 1961 and 1962..I left just a few months before the earthqake
and tidal wave that destroyed Kodiak. I came across a web site of kodiak
history and I found your page. My name is Jerry Dietz and I live in
Austin Texas. I love Kodiak and hope to visit there again. I wonder
if the old breaker bar in town is still there and there was a stuffed
bear in the heart of town. Wonderful days and great memories. I am
collecting photos of all the duty stations I served at. Any
information would be appreciated. Thanks.
Jerry Dietz
[see our page on buildings within the airport perimeter.]
199
message deleted
198
Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 10:42:58 -0800 (PST)
From: Rich Perez sailorich46 (at) yahoo.com
Subject: Holiday Beach Receivers
Hello Joe,
Your website was forwarded to me by Gary DeMerse ET2. My name is
Richard Perez RM3. we both spent my time at Holiday Beach. Me from
from Oct '66 to Apr '68. Chief Joe Pinter RMSC was our chief. While
reading some of the emails, I too recall going to the rendevous bar
out in the middle of nowhere. I was a California boy in the cold
but I got to enjoy my time in Kodiak. We shared the barracks with
the Coasties from NOJ Kodiak Radio. We had some good times. We
built the 4 man cubes in the barracks for some privacy. Stubby
(Stubblefield RM2) was and still is my friend. We keep in touch all
the time. To all the other Navy and Coasties who served with me
at the time, If you read this please send an email. Thank's and ZUJ
mates.
//DP//
Richard Perez RM3
Phoenix, AZ
adios from the cactus corral
197
From: rtduffey at verizon.net
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 10:41 AM
Subject: Request Form
Looking for any info on Navy 26th Seabee Batallion during WWII
Tom Duffey
3471 Saigon Dr.
Westerville OH USA 43081
196
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 07:55:56 -0500 (EST)
From: DJACOASTIE (at) aol.com
I am David Anderson (USCG RET CPO) Just found your site. It really
brings back memories! I was stationed on Sitkinak in 1963-64. I was
there during the earth quake in 64. I still have a copy of the
transmission showing the estimated cost of damage to the station.
I will have to read more of the emails that others have sent
in. Nice to see this info out there.
David J. Anderson
730 Germantown Circle, apt 613
East Ridge, TN 37412
195
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 17:11:24 -0800 (PST)
From: Aragon Bill bj_aragon (at) yahoo.com
Subject: message board
I'm interested in hearing from those I was fortunate to serve with
at Marine Barracks, Kodiak, Alaska. I was there in 66-67 and worked
patrol (call letters Artful Duke One and Two), the towers, and the
Brig. I also represented the barracks as a boxer at the Anchorage
Golden Gloves winning the 132# open division. I have many positive
memories of my duty there...coming down the hill after a night at
the Club in the snow, listening to Wolfman Jack out of LA while
working the Towers late at night, doing my roadwork along the water
in the early morning or evening hours, taking the prisoners to chow
"make way prisoners", or catching a ride into town for some cold
beer and King Crab. I especially remember fondly when I was
recognized by our CO, Major Wilson who designated me Marine of the
Month. The names of those that I served with are beyond my
recollection but I can still picture them in my mind. After
volunteering for Vietnam and serving with Golf Co., 2nd. Btn.
Fourth Marines (The Magnificent Bastards) where I was wounded 7
months into my tour and spent several months at the Naval Hospital
in Pa. My last duty station was the Marine Corps Supply Center in
Barstow, CA where I worked as a Brig Chaser, and Brig Sgt. I'd
like to hear from any one who served with me at Kodiak, in Vietnam,
or in Barstow. Semper Fi my brothers. BJ Aragon, Sgt. USMC.
194
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 15:17:45 -0700
From: Don DeCaria nf7r (at) mvdsl.com
Subject: Thank you
Joe,
I was stationed at Kodiak Jan 1970 thru Jan 1971...I have always
wanted to return!
I was a radioman at the HQ of COMALSEAFRON...it was my very first
duty station before going on to do 32 years in the Navy! HI!
I was WA7GQD at the time, and did a LOT of operating from KL7AWR
above the hanger where they kept the HU-16. Collins S-line as I recall.
I am currently working as a Comm Tech for a DOE contractor at
Nellis AFB...and live in Logandale, NV.
Thank you for the great web site and the museum...I would sure
like to get up there soon! It was my very first duty station, and
in retrospect, my best! Would like to show it to the XYL. While there,
I flew in the HU-16 to Nome (a story best told over a cold 807)
with the Admiral. Suffice it to say while the Admiral and staff were
at a convention in Nome, four young RMSN's were trying to drink the
town dry. We only succeeded in making the Albatross late for departure,
and destroying the head on the aircraft. Very lucky RADM Fairfax
had a sense of humor! Also went to Pt Barrow in a C-54 full of Naval
Post Graduate School Officers! As a young RM3 it was a miracle I
made it to CDR myself!
73,
Don DeCaria, NF7R
CDR, USN-ret
193
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 16:25:27 -0700
From: Murray Fisher murrayfw (at) charter.net
Subject: WWII Crypto
Hi,
I dunno if I am at the right site or not!! I am an ex radioman
sailor from a submarine in WW II. I worked in copying Katakana
codes mostly off of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. I am 84 years old.
Before, during and after the initial invasions, I copied katakana
by using a then top secret antenna that we "shot up" from the deck
of our sub as we lay on the bottom, so we would be as unobtrusive
as possible. I THINK the info we copied originated at Chichi Jima.
Everything is pretty vague after all these years. After that
time I became a ham radio operator (W7NSU). At the time I was in
the Navy I Knew little about the equipment we were using but
afterward from my RTTY experience in ham radio I believe it was the
model 15 TTY machine with a special type basket. I passed the info
I copied, on to a cryptanalyst who decoded it to plain language.
In later years in my ham radio hobby a friend in Wash.,DC who was
into crypto stuff, had two of the type baskets he though I was
using and offered toi send me one of them!! I turned him down
because I could not afford the shipping costs!! Darn. He said it
was for a Model 15. Our daughter is a writer and has written
an article about me that was published and also is writing a book.
I am most interested in helping her out in some of the details. All
of what we did was top secret and we were told that no records were
kept. Nothing shows in my Navy Records, except the fact that I was
in the Amphibs. Is any of the above familiar at all to you?
Murray Fisher
Walla Walla, WA 99362
192
Date: Mon, 09 May 2005 14:16:05 -0700
From: Randall Sherman shermlaw at msn.com
Subject: Re: Web-Site: March 17, 1945 PB Crash off Karluk, Alaska
Thanks for the response. You're right. The tug came from Kodiak.
Also the reunion was in 1988. I called my Mom and asked to check
the privately published autobiography of Ens. Fitzpatrick who's
mentioned in the crash report. He has a chapter devoted to it and
the reunion. His address is:
Charles Fitzpatrick
1355 North Rolling Road
Baltimore, MD 21228
[Update: Charles Fitzpatrick passed away on 2013 July 7.]
You may wish to contact him as he has photos from the few days
after the crash he might share.
The on-line report mentions Ens. Fitzpatrick, Lt. Tiernan, and Lt.
(jg) Sherman (my dad) along with the plane captain Morehead.
Moorehead was killed later in the war. The other three
participated in the reunion. Mr. Tiernan and my dad passed away in
1993. Mr. Zedepski also passed away in the early 90's
My dad shared these recollections with me before he died.
The report mentions my dad going out the door after the raft. He
was in charge of the raft in the aft part of the plane. When they
hit the water it bounced out and he flew out after it. He found it
and inflated it but worried about how to get in. He told me he put
the raft between his legs and then let it inflate around him. It
was the only raft that worked, a four man.
The report mentions one paddle. There were two. My dad had one and
the radio man had one. The radio man lost his.
The report mentions Mr. Tiernan (the co-pilot) being in the water
and illuminated by a Very Flare. He actually tried to swim toward
the lights of Karluk, and the others in the raft (6 in a four man
raft) thought he was dead. The flare in question was their last one
and it misfired before the pistol could be raised over head. It
flew out horizontally and exploded right above Mr. Tiernan. This
caused the villagers who were coming out to change course and they
literally bumped into him. After pulling him in the boat, they
rescued the others.
The flight boots together with the winter gear was a huge problem.
The Mae West's kept them upright, but it was impossible to get
horizontal in the water to swim.
Again, thank you for your kind assistance.
Regards,
Randall Sherman
191
Date: Mon, 09 May 2005 06:55:44 -0700
From: Randall Sherman shermlaw at msn.com
Subject: Web-Site: March 17, 1945 PB Crash off Karluk, Alaska
Hello,
I happened upon your site while looking for information regarding
my father's WWII service with the Navy on Attu. I found the
official report of the above ditching. My father was the squadron
electronics officer and had hitched a ride on that plane to get
home. The crew was rescued by the villagers from Karluk and a
Baptist missionary from New Jersey, named Steven Zedepski. In 1991,
the surviving crew members and Mr. Zedepski met in New Jersey for a
reunion.
I would be interested to know if there are any residents of Karluk
who remember that event. My Dad recalled that the village boys
treated them like royalty and fought for the privilege of rowing
them out to the rescue tug which came several days later from Dutch
Harbor [actually Kodiak]. Any information or addresses you could
provide would be appreciated.
Regards on a nice and informative site.
Randall D. Sherman
PO Box 137
Mapaville, MO 63065
shermlaw at msn.com
rds at wegmannlaw.com
190
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2005 12:47:28 -0900
From: KL1IN kl1in (at) alaska.com
Subject: RE: Chiniak - Motley
Joe,
I have attached some of my memories of Chiniak, hope they are suitable
for your site. It was enjoyable to sit down and think back of those
times.
We lived in the trailer court near the creek near the airport. I
worked in the computer area and had a great time there. I looked at
your bit of a site and it is wonderful. I will put something
together and send it to you. We had family living there about 6
years ago and spent some time out at Chiniak, it is still so
beautiful. Thanks for taking the time to write. I can still see
many of the faces of those that were there when I was there, 1971 &
2 & 3 maybe but most names have gone away. Have you ever heard from
Barny Howard?
Miles
Valdez AK
KL1IN
189
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2005 14:18:01 -0800
Subject: Kodiak History
From: Maurice Gunderson mgunderson (at) nthpower.com>
Hello Joe,
It was a pleasure speaking with you yesterday. I really enjoy your web
site, and I hope I will be able to contribute some photographs and other
memorabilia to it. Here is a short history of our family's stay on Kodiak
Island.
My father, Maurice D. Gunderson, was a civil engineer working on
construction projects in the Southwest, such as Glen Canyon and Boulder
Dams, in the 1930s. In 1939 he applied for and got a job on the
construction of the Kodiak Naval Air Station. He moved to Kodiak in 1939.
He had to leave his wife (later my mother) Mary Marjorie Gunderson back home
in California. I believe there was a six-month waiting period before
dependents were allowed to be moved.
After the six months my mother and their dog moved to Kodiak to join him in
1939. She was a graduate of UCLA and had been teaching school in
California. She became the Principal of the Kodiak High School, and also
taught English, social studies, and was the yearbook advisor. She held this
job until 1952.
My mother and father remained in Kodiak after WWII. My father continued to
work for the Navy, and my mother remained at Kodiak High School. They were
very active in the local Elks Club.
I was born in 1951, and my brother was born in 1953, in Griffin Hospital.
Shortly after my brother was born we had to move to Seattle so that my
mother could get medical attention that wasn't available in Alaska. My
parents had intended to return to Kodiak, but one thing lead to another and
we ended up settling in Oregon.
My parents had built a house in the years just before they left Kodiak.
They finished it just at the time they needed to leave and never did move
in. They owned the house until my mother sold it sometime in the 1970s. I
have a copy of a newspaper that shows downtown Kodiak after the 1964
tsunami, with our house undamaged, just about 20 feet above the high water
line.
I believe my father only returned to Kodiak once for a brief business visit
in the 1960s. He passed away in 1972, and my mother passed away in 1992.
I've never been back since I was 3 years old. One day I would very much
like to visit again.
Best regards,
Maurice Gunderson
Mission Pilot - Angel Flight West
Base: Concord, CA - KCCR
188
From: Edward Yess edw121 (at) earthlink.net
Subject: Donating photos
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2004 11:44:33 -0500
You have a GREAT site. I was stationed at FWC Kodiak 1965-66 and have
several photos of the base as well as the town. Attached is an image of the
FWC Kodiak patch. You can see it is similar to the FWF Kodiak patch of 10
years later.
Ed Yess
187
From: Tom Wells tewells (at) centurytel.net
Subject: Coast Guard patch
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2005 16:42:42 -0800
Hi Joe,
Looking through some Kodiak web sites naturally I found yours. I served on
Airstation Kodiak from April 66 until October 67. I enjoyed my time on
Kodiak Island and always intended to go back. Originally I intended to go
back to live then as the years went by, thought at least I'd make it back
up that way to tour the island.
On your 'patches' page I don't see the patch we wore during that time
period. I've attached a photo. Hope it's of some use to you. I looked down
through your guest book hoping to see a name or two I'd recognize. No such
luck. A few names I recall are that Charlie Kelly intended to stay in
Kodiak upon his discharge. He was a survivor of the Coast Guard plane out
of Kodiak that crashed on St. Paul Island. That one killed one person and
badly injured the pilots. I've got one or two photos packed away somewhere.
Another person who served while I was there is Wayne Brokaw. He is now an
attorney in Spokane. I've talked to him a few times but that's been a few
years back too. I could think of a lot of names but chances are very slim
we'd ever make a connection to anyone we both knew. With the possible
exception of Charlie Kelly.
-Tom Wells
Reardan, WA
186
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 15:59:12 -0900
From: Katie Parker programs (at) baranov.us
Subject: Re: Kodiak Photos
Hi Joe,
Last month we received some correspondance in the mail with some memoirs
and about a half dozen photos taken around Kodiak during WWII. I was
hoping you could help us interpret these photos. I've attached two photos
here - 1 - 2 - Alice says they are of the "Ski Patrol" that operated here during
the war, a patrol that was at some point abandoned because ski travel
proved to be too dangerous. Do you have any information about a ski
patrol? I've only been able to find info about the ski chalet as
constructed for recreational purposes but these photos don't appear to be
of a leisure activity. I'd certainly appreciate any help you can give me.
The gentlemen who sent us the photos is named Robert Cook and he was in
Kodiak for a visit last year. The photos and memoirs are his fathers who
was stationed here between January 1941 and July 1944, so the photos
presumably date from those years. He served as "Regimental Executive
Officer, commanded the Second Battalion, commanded the First Battalion,
commanded the Regiment, organized and commanded the Third Battalion, was
Post Special Service Officer and was the Regimental Executive Officer in
that order."
Katie
Baranov Museum
[I replied with no information. Anybody?]
Katie included the following in a later message:
"On January 6, 1041 our regiment was called into active duty. After a
shakedown period of about two weeks we were sent to Camp Haan, California."
"In early June (1941) I was ordered to take a Composite Battalion of
Anti-aircraft Artillery to Alaska."
"We were quartered in newly constructed barracks about a mile from the Navy
area. Other troops that preceeded us by a few weeks were a battalion of
the 31st Infanty (Reg) and Battery C 250th California National Guard who
manned a long tom sea coast artillery battery. The balance of the regiment
followed us in increments, the last one including the Colonel came in late
September and I stepped back to being the regimental executive officer."
185
From: c.fredfield (at) comcast.net
Subject: Re: Sitkinak Lorsta
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 09:58:46 +0000
Thanks Joe....very interesting web site....I actually walked up to dome a
couple of times in 1971 to look at old Air Force site....It looked like it
was completed or very close to completed when abandoned..Much had fallen in
even then, however or been broken up by freeze and thaw over the years....I
just checked my e-mail before work today (4:30 start) at my vending
job....I too landed on the lake---shortest dimension as did the guy whose
story is on your site.....Thanks again!!
- Fred,
-
- Your message made me get out my copy of Wanda Marie Fields's book NOW IT CAN
- BE TOLD, STORIES OF ALASKAN PIONEER RANCHERS. She discusses ranchers on
- outlying islands re-using old military structures. A few shipwrecks are
- mentioned. The majority of the book deals with ranching but there are a few
- military things mentioned.
-
- Finding loran station history has been tough. I haven't found any records at
- all. Several vets have left messages on http://www.fredsplace.org/
-
- The site on the dome was a White Alice. There was AC&W site but it was never
- activated. Nothing on the dome was ever activated except a USCG VHF radio
- site still there.
-
- I don't know if Sitkinak was loran A or C. There was a mobile loran station
- at a point near Chiniak during 1945. I don't know the date Narrow Cape came
- on-line.
-
- There is a book in our museum on a Coast Guard operated Liberty ship that
- sailed the Pacific installing loran during ww2. The author later lived in
- Dutch Harbor but doesn't mention any lorans in Alaska.
-
- I bought a book called ALASKAN CRASH SITE LOCATOR but it didn't have nearly
- as many sites as I already had listed on my site. However it does have the
- following entry:
-
- 56 34N 154 10W 01-JUN-55 C-47 SKYTRAIN 15594 USAF, HIGHEST POINT ON
- SITKINAK ISLAND. 10 POB - UNRECOVERED.
- Wanda Marie Fields wfields at ptialaska.net 907-486-3949. The book is $80.
- There is only about one paragraph about Sitkinak military.
-
- ...j0e
-
- At 03:41 PM 11/19/04, you wrote:
- -I spent 8 months at Lorsta St Paul Fall 70 to Spring 1971 and finished out
- -4 months at Lorsta Sitkinak...Out of the blue I decided this week to see
- -if station was still in existence. I hoped that it was so that I could
- -possibly get a t-shirt or something with the station logo. I came across
- -you web sit and saw that it was put out of service in 1977 and bulll dozed
- -in 2002. This was quite interesting.
- -Do you know if Narrow Cape was its replacement and was this a logistics
- -decision due to difficulty in getting crew and supplies to Sitkinak?
- -Are there any sites you know of or books that would give more island
- -history such as info on plane crash wreckage on the dome and more info on
- -the abandoned radar site and ranch site?.
184
From: Chris at Check-Six.com chris (AT) check-six.com
Subject: Kodiak mishap - 1957
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 10:40:32 -0800
My name is Christopher Freeze, and I am doing research on a aviation mishap
that supposedly occurred at NAS Kodiak in autumn (September/October?) 1957.
It was supposedly an Air Force aircraft, that crashed into the bay, having
fell short of the runway. There were no survivors of the 8-9 person crew.
The aforementioned crash is not mentioned on your website, but the
gentleman I'm researching for is convinced it happened. He has very few
details and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the
clean-up effort.
Any assistance is appreciated...
Regards,
Christopher Freeze
www.Check-Six.com
183
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 17:05:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Gene Maggetti gmaggetti (at) yahoo.com
Subject: Thiokol Trackmaster
Mr Stevens, Hi, I wonder if you could help me gather
some information on a snow cat I'm trying to restore.
The unit is an Air Force marked, 1962 Thiokol
Trackmaster Model 4T10. I cant find any historical
information on this vehicle. I would like to find out
where this type of unit was used and for what purpose.
I would like to find some in service pictures of it
also. If you have any info on this, or know of anyone
who could help me, please e-mail me at
gmaggetti (at) yahoo.com thanks for your time,
Gene
Maggetti Dundee
Motorpool Museum,
Dundee, MI
182
From: Charles Maack maack1 (at) cox.net
Subject: Kodiak
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 19:08:19 -0500
Hey, Joe, nice to see a website about Kodiak Island. My name is Charles
(Chuck) Maack. Served under Capt. Cook Cleland 1963-1966, CO ONI, providing
Special Intelligence Communications to COMALSEAFRON (RADM Riera, RADM
White). I started what became the largest Judo program in the Navy while
stationed there (over 150 participating). Advanced to CTOC 8/64 (then CTOCS
8/67 & CTOCM 8/69). Extended because Kodiak turned out to be one of the
best duty stations of my 28 years active duty. Hope more of past shipmates
sign onto this website. I've been looking for a MCPO John Peters and family
of the Coast Guard/USCGC Storis ever since leaving there (fellow Judo Black
Belt instructor) and several others from that tour. Hope they sign in and
see my name and contact me at maack1 (at) cox.net
181
From: Seth Brandenberger sethman406 (at) earthlink.net
Subject: Quonset Huts
Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2003 21:35:20 -0700
Dear Mr. Stevens,
I was interested to read about your Quonset Hut restoration project on
Kodiak Island. My grandfather, Otto Brandenberger, is credited with coming
up with the original design for the building. Grandfather was a Swiss
imigrant (1918) who was trained in architecture in Switzerland and New York
City. Following his work at Quonset Point, RI, he worked to modify the
design for agricultural purposes. He died in 1969 after serving as the
State Architect for Colorado.
My father, Robert Brandenberger has historical information regarding the
Quonset Hut and it's invention. He attended high school in East Greenwich,
Rhode Island during those years. He was later trained as a Naval Aviator
for the war effort.
I am excited to read that this project is happening in Alaska. My twin
brother Ned and I spent many summers in Alaska working for the Department
of Fish and Game. Ned is very familiar with Kodak Island. We still have
many good friends in the state.
Seth Brandenberger
180
Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 10:56:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Leroy Hileman coldsabre56 (at) sbcglobal.net
Subject: sitkinak lorsta
My name is Leroy Hileman. I was stationed at Sitkinak from Dec 73-74. I was
glad to find your site on Sitkinak. I saw some faces I could remember and
some I couldn't. You are asking for pics of the base when it was up and
running. I have movies. While there I had bought a super 8 mm movie
system and I still have many of the movies that show life on the island
during that time. I would like to help the site out if I can. The pics take
are of much part gone but the movies I still have. Please use the following
e-mail adress for me: coldsabre56 (at) aol.com
Leroy Hileman
179
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 08:15:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Joe Kirk captjckirk (at) yahoo.com
Subject: USS ARD-22 & USS ARD-31
Dear Sir, From March 1951 thru Oct 1952 I was stationed at the USNS Kodiak
aboard the USS ARD-22, then the USS ARD-31. I have very fond memories of
that time in my life. The Kodiak folks were extremely generous to us
sailors, and treated us with great respect. I enjoyed the hunting and
fishing on the island, seeing the many Bald Eagles was spectacular. I
enjoyed visiting your Web Site, however, I was disappointed in not finding
anything about those two ships. I even helped with the repairs on Mr.
Madsens boat "The Kodiak Bear", when it was in our dock basin. He and his
wife were fun people to have known. She was a marvelous chef, and had the
sailors that worked on the "Bear" for a fabulous dinner the night before we
flooded down to let them out.
[This added 2003 Dec 4]
I was on the towing crew that brought the 31 from Long Beach Naval Shipyard
to Kodiak. We were towed by the Fleet Tug USS Tawasa, who then towed the
22 to Subic Bay and then the tug went on to Korea. I was at Kodiak when the
USS Mahopac, a tug, went aground. I have wondered how that affected the
skippers career. The Mahopac web shows several photos her aground off
Kodiak. The info that I have is that the ARD-22 was sold to Tiawan.
Thanks, Joseph C. Kirk, 4705 Cody Dr., West Des Moines, Iowa, 50265
178
From: Dewitt, Garrett Garrett.Dewitt (at) state.mn.us
Subject: Re: Grandfather's info
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 08:13:53 -0500
Dear Sir.
This is an excellent website. A lot of very good photos and history which
ties everything together.
In signing your guest book, I would also like to ask, "is there anyone out
there who worked with or knew an Electrician with the last name of DeWitt?"
This would have been during the early 1940's.
Thank You
Respectfully
Garrett DeWitt
177
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:10:55 -0600
Subject: 1964 Earthquake
From: Gary G Vair garyvair (at) juno.com
Joe
Thanks for a wonderful site. Lots of information there.
I was stationed at NAS Kodiak from September 1962 to September 1964. Like
Richard Clark, I was wondering if there's going to be any kind of
commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the quake in Kodiak next year and
if so, when. I'd like very much to come up for the 1st time since leaving
the island. Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated!
My son, John, was born in 1963 at the base hospital. He often states that
he would like to visit his birthplace. A good excuse for me to get back
and visit Kodiak to see what's changed. Your web site has excellent
pictures of the now Coast Guard base in 1999 and I see a lot of changes
there as well as in the city. There really is a McDonald's, Safeway and a
Wal-Mart? I remember the little Sears catalog order building which
supplied most of my needs as did Kraft & Sons and the base exchange.
I was there when the P2V crashed as well as during the 1964 Earthquake.
During most of my 2 years there I was the base Utilities Officer. I would
like to find out what happened to the NAS steam electrical power plant
after I left in 1964. If electricity ever became available from the City,
I assume that the NAS steam plant was shut down, except for station heat.
In 1964, the city was working on getting a hydroelectric plant built. Part
of their plan was to sell surplus power to the base. Did this come to be
in the Terror Lake Hydroelectric Project of the 70's and 80's?
I also noticed the Fort Greely/Swamp Acres/Army Diesel pictures. During
1962-1964 these two diesel generators were in excellent running order and
used often. Whenever the load on the NAS Base steam plant would come
close to capacity or when maintenance work took a generator down, the Army
Diesels were fired up and placed on line. They were the first source of
electric power we had on the base after the 64 earthquake other than some
small generators that were backup power at critical facilities.
The diesels were probably abandoned if electricity became available from
the city after 1964, or perhaps when the Coast Guard took over the base.
From the pictures, they certainly look as though they have been abandoned
for some time.
Gary Vair
176
From: Maxy5361 (at) aol.com
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 20:36:13 EDT
Subject: Hello joe
My name is Max Hellmueller. I was stationed at the base March 1967 until
March 1968. I was assigned to the Security police Div. I have a lot of
old pictures I took while stationed there. I thought you might want a copy
of some of the people stationed there. I met my wife there, she was the
daughter of CWO-4 Gunner Mealor. He retired there around 69 or so. We are
still married 34 years later, and live in Lexington Kentucky. I just
retired from the Lexington fire dept. as a Capt. I had 29 years on the
dept. My wife Barbara Mealor Hellmueller retired from Kroger company also.
We did go back up there for her 20th Class reunion. We both were amazed
how much it had changed. I was surfing the web when I saw your site. Barb
saw the earthquake pictures and said she remembers it just like yesterday.
When I left kodiak I went aboard the USS Hornet and served 3 more years on
her. My wife went back to Kodiak and had our son at the base hospital. I
was out picking up the first men on the moon apollo 11. I have a bunch of
stories to tell about the base and things that happened to me. If you would
like some just write me and give me an address, and I will send some stuff
to you. My e-mail Maxy5361 (at) aol.com Hope to hear from you.
175
From: Carrie Ann cuddlie001 (at) hotmail.com
Subject: Patsy (Pat) McGee 1950 or 1951
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 11:22:36 -0800
My father Patsy (Pat) McGee was a Seabee stationed in Kodiak in 1950 or
1951. I am hoping there is someone out there with some information about
him. I only know his DD214 says he was stationed there and that from 51-53
he was in Korea. If anyone knows of him please let me know.
Carrie Ann
174
Date: 9/27/2003 10:18:31 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: seabee_1 (at) cybertime.net
I was stationed on the great island of Kodiak from 1956-1957. I was with
the Seabees. We spent most of our time either unloading ships or pushing
snow lots of snow. I spent a lot of the time at night at the EM Club on the
hill as our barracks were right at the bottom. The Marines club next door
was much nicer than ours. They allowed us in their club but not the other
white hats. I don't remember the squadron that was there at the time but
they flew 24 hours a day. I remember one time they took all the guns off to
save fuel as it made the planes lighter. I picked up the pilots one night
and the plane had some bullet holes in it. The very next day all the guns
were put back. Even though there were many days the whole base was shut
down ( except for us and the marine MP's ) because of the snow I enjoyed my
time pulling Marines out on aviation hill and at the bottom where they
would slide off trying to make the turn. I was there a year to the day and
enjoyed every minute of it. HI to all the guy's out there from one ex-snow
pusher to another.
Bob Fister
173
From: Aknsg2 9at) aol.com
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 11:20:32 EDT
Subject: Maybe you could help
Charles Edwards, my grandfather was stationed at Ft Greely in Kodiak from
1442-44. He was in 201 infantry 2nd Battalion, Company H. He served as a
cook there, and had the nickname of "Lumb". He has enjoyed looking at all
the pic and of your entire website. He is now 82 and lives in Texas. He has
long lost contact with anyone he knew there and doubts if anyone he knew is
still surviving. but you never know, with the magic the internet can bring.
If anyone thinks they have any information please contact me at
aknsg2 (at) aol.com 903-482-5438 Gary Akins
172
From: George W. Reynolds Geowreynolds (at) worldnet.att.net
Subject: Long Island and Kodiak, AK...
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 22:07:43 -0500
Sirs:
In your article about Ft. Tidball on Long Island, you wrote,
Fort Tidball was active during World War II on Long Island, adjacent to the
city of Kodiak on Kodiak Island, Alaska, USA. All land on Long Island was
procured by the government on June 14, 1941. The island is now entirely
owned by Lesnoi Inc. and is only reachable by chartered boat from Kodiak.
It's about a half-hour trip. There are no facilities on the island. All of
these building have been abandoned since 1945 except for some informal
recreational use. The headquarters complex buildings are completely gone.
Just wanted to let you know that your information is in error... Long
Island was an active part of my duties at Kodiak from January, 1947 until
September, 1949. The 6" guns and turrets as well as the 4- 8" guns at
Miller's Point and Cape Chiniak were routinely maintained until they blew
up the 8" guns in November of 1948.. I have a few pictures of the remains
of the 8" weapons after they were destroyed... The majority of my pictures
of the weapons have been lost or destroyed along the years but I do have a
shot of the breech rings of one of the 8" guns after destruction and I
think I have a snapshot of an 8" gun and the old plywood weather covers
they were in for years after the war.. These were on the Miller's point
and Cape Chiniak guns.
For a couple of years or more before the weapons were destroyed (8" guns)
the breech blocks, mushroom heads or spindles and firing mechanisms were
removed from the weapons and were stored inside the ammunition
magazine.They simply placed them in a section of a cut off oil barrel and
covered them with cosmoline to keep the metal from rusting.. We checked
them on a regular basis when doing routines on the weapons..
The 6" guns were maintained until I left the islands in September, 1949 and
I would imagine for some time after that too... They had several hundred
rounds of ammunition in the bunker that we were working on to repaint and
restencil when I was sent back to the states...
I am going to try to send you 4 pictures and identification in separate
letters... ..
If I am ever lucky enough to find my lost pictures, I will try to get you
some copies forwarded, with identification, if they will be of benefit to
you. I tried this some years ago but could never make the scanner work
then... Now, with a new and different computer and scanner, maybe we will
have better luck..
George W. Reynolds
[See the pictures and more information
from George.]
171
From: Richard Clark beardhd (at) hotmail.com
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2003 2:23 PM
Subject: Kodiak, 1964 Marine Barracks USNS
Dear Joe,
I just happened across your Kodiak Military museum web site yesterday. I
found it extremely interesting for several reasons. First, we were both
born in 1944, (March 25th for me). Second, we are both ham operators. I'm
Dick (Richard) Clark, N6DHD. As of July 2000, I'm XE-2/N6DHD having
retired in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. (I get to watch the whale migration
from the other end, both coming and going. Third, and most importantly, I
Was stationed at Marine Barracks, USNS, Kodiak. I arrived about Feb. 19th
or 20th,1964 on a PNA Constellation. On the afternoon of Fri. 3/27, one of
my fellow marines, John Bywater and I were spending an off day in Solly's
bar on the waterfront in downtown Kodiak. Having been in Solly's for a
couple of hours, it took us a few seconds to figure out what was happening.
The incessant motion, the LOUD roaring sound, the breaking glass and
snapping lumber seemed to be coming from everywhere. When it finally
stopped we returned to our stools at the bar. We had no more than regained
our seats when it started all over again! Looking down the street and into
the woods it looked as if WAVES were traveling through the earth's surface
and those waves were 3 to 4 ft high! THAT was scary. It seemed like
everything that the wave traveled under was thrown into the air and/or
shattered. Again, everything settled back to relative normalcy---for
awhile. We had ordered another round of drinks when someone came into
Solly's and announced to everyone that the water was rising in the bay.
Sure enough, it wasn't over after all. We stood between the buildings and
watched the water slowly seep higher and farther up between the buildings.
I remember telling John that it wasn't at all a good sign and we'd better
haul ass. Where to go? Everyone seemed to automatically head for higher
ground. The high school on Pillar Mt. seemed to be the most popular
destination so that's where we went. It was a LOOOOONG night. Constant
aftershocks well over 7 on the richter and the recurring tsumnamis kept
everyone wired and scared. John and I had determined that the world, at
least OUR world was coming to an abrupt end so we may as well make the best
of it. In a gap between tsunamis we returned to town where the bars and
liquor stores stood. We grabbed 2 sealed but mud covered bottles out of
the ooze covering everything in town and ran back to the school. We
discovered we had grabbed a quart bottle of 7-up and a quart bottle of "Old
Everclear" 190 proof pure grain alcohol. We had never seen the stuff
before but knew we weren't going to return for a better selection and had
to "improvise, adapt, and overcome" as they taught us in the "Corps". Just
about that time, one of the people sitting in the dark in the hallway of
the school was listening to a "Zenith, Transoceanic" radio. We heard a
news broadcast out of Seattle sometime during the night that "the highest
point on Kodiak island is 32 feet under water". That's when we were
positive that we were history. We needed something to mix the 7-up and the
alcohol into. Back then, soda vending machines dispensed coke etc. into
paper cups with crushed ice. They didn't work with no electricity but we
were able to reach up inside and grab a couple of the cups. We mixed the
everclear and 7-up rather weak at first, then we realized that at that rate
we were rapidly running out of mixer so the proportions became more like
50-50. Needless to say it didn't take long for the "who hit John" to hit
us. The last thing I remember (clearly) was lying on my back on the school
steps with my head on the lap of a young native girl named Helen (I'm
pretty sure). The next morning our Marine buddies along with Major Jones,
our C.O. came into town and rescued Bywater and I from the evil clutches of
the Shore Patrol. It was never made clear to us EXACTLY what it was that
we had done to fall into their hands but there were more important things
to be seen to. It seems that john and I were the only Marines unaccounted
for during that night and we were high on Maj. Jones' list of priorities.
Jones drove us back to base in his own vehicle, a station wagon as I
recall. We were told to get some chow, change into utilities with MP gear,
rifle and bayonet and meet him back at his car in one hour. As soon as we
got into the car again the Major drove John and I straight back to town and
directly to the bank. He posted us there in the bank, to remain there
until the next morning with orders to shoot anyone who tried to enter the
bank without the password-which he promptly made up. It seems that the
vault door was open when the tsunamis hit. The power of the water had
"tweaked" the vault door just enough that it couldn't be closed, let alone
locked. All of the loose valuables in town had been rounded up and put
into that vault. Being EXTREMELY hung over, all we wanted at that time was
peace and quiet. That was just the right place for us to be.
These stories could go on for a long, long time but since this letter has
already become a novel I'll end it. To say that the experiences of that
day and the next few months were the most memorable of my life would be an
understatement. Recently I was watching a "Discovery channel" special on
the great quake. This one was very well done and mostly IN COLOR! Much to
my surprise they showed a black and white segment of just a few seconds
showing me with rifle, bayonet and MP gear standing guard in front of
Kraft's Dry Goods standing in the middle of the street. I didn't even know
that footage existed until 37 years later! As luck would have it, I was
taping the program as I have all of the others I've come across on the
subject, so I have a copy. Right now, I'd like to find out if there's going
to be any kind of commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the quake in
Kodiak next year and if so, when. I'd like very much to come up for the
1st time since leaving the island. Any info you can give me would be
greatly appreciated!
73's Joe!
Dick Clark beardhd (at) hotmail.com
P.S. on Easter Sunday 64' there was a full page photo of me standing next
to the Jr. high school overlooking the "Selief" in the gorge behind the
school, in the "LA Times". It showed me from the back but I remember the
photographer taking it. My uncle in Ventura, CA cut it out and forwarded
it to me.
170
From: Leslie Ray Richey lrrichey (at) worldnet.att.net
Subject: Living in Kodiak 1952-1956
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 18:09:05 -0500
I lived in Kodiak by Mill Bay - here is a picture of me and our dog in the
middle of the road. You come up the hill and go on to Ft Abercrombie
Maybe it is close to where you live now. [Yes, very close. Joe.]
==================
Ray and Diane Richey
lrrichey (at) att.net
drichey1 (at) juno.com
169
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 09:58:28 -0800 (PST)
From: Maurice Wadle moewadle (at) yahoo.com
Dear Joe: Here is the guest book entry I said I would send. I hope all
readers can forgive me if the entry seems too egocentric. I hope it has
some interest for readers. [This is great stuff, just what we want. Joe.]
I was in the Navy and had attended Aviation Electronics Technician "A"
school in late 1962 and then was sent to some related "C" schools in San
Diego which were schools on electronic gear I would need to be qualified on
at Naval Air Station Kodiak. I then was flown to Kodiak from San Diego. I
remember being flown by Pacific Northern Airlines (PNA) from Seattle to
Kodiak. (PNA was absorbed by Alaskan Airlines I believe.) The plane type I
flew in to, and out of, Kodiak was a civilian Lockheed Constellation, not a
Super Constellation.
I was assigned to the Aircraft Maintenance Dept.(AMD) which was housed in
one of the large Hangars. I think it was hangar #1. It was the furthermost
West and South of the hangars as I remember. It was easy walking distance
to go from the hangar to the administrative/barracks complex which were
generally SW of the hangar I believe. I remember the chow hall was in the
same building as the administrative offices and the Navy barracks.
Typically, in the Navy at that time we were fed a fish meal on Friday with
lemon pie for dessert. In Kodiak, with the fresh seafood available, this
was often a real feed. Once, at least, I remember we had a white fish,
possibly halibut, fried oysters, crab cakes, and scallops for chow. Imagine
that!
I got to Kodiak sometime in February, 1963, and remember it was just a
month after the P2V crash there which killed several Navy men. Also, about
the first day or so I was there I had a free day so went in to the town by
myself. I ended up down at the docks. I was looking out over the water and
backed up against something and as I stood leaning on it I felt something
moving on my shoulder. I turned around and was staring into this shoulder
high wooden tank of water filled with king crabs and one had a leg on my
shoulder trying to crawl up my neck. Made me jump needless to say.
I remember the barracks I was in faced generally East, as least the wing of
the barracks I was in. This East facing wing was directly below the hill
which had the Enlisted Club at the top of the hill. One could watch from
the barracks as men went up that rather steep climb on a fenced lane and
then wobbled down later under the influence. I turned 21 in December of 63
so was then legal to drink and did this myself a few times. I remember
vaguely the inside of the club with a big stone fireplace.
I was fortunate to be assigned to air crew status. I was a radio man. The
base had three planes assigned to it. There were two Douglas C-54
Skymasters(previous Navy designation was R5D) and one Grumman Albatross
amphibious plane. The planes were used for trips of various kinds and I
often did not know what. We did transport USO shows some. We would take
them out in the Aleutians, remain over night (RON) and then take them to
Elmendorf AFB at Anchorage. Since I was a radio man I was always privy to
the Control Tower instructions to our pilots. I remember once having to
wait on the runway at Elmendorf to take off because deer were on the
runway. I also remember many trips out to Adak and I was lucky enought to
take a USO show to Shemya and RON so I got to drink at the club in Shemya.
On July 4th we took Admiral Bakutis to festivities at Nome so I was able to
go to Nome and watch the parade downtown as I stood on board sidewalks. !
I am very proud of a little pin I was given which says, "I HAVE BEEN TO
NOME, ALASKA."
I was also very fortunate in that on October 1, 1963 for some reason we had
to fly to Barrow and used the Albatross. There were just the two pilots
and me. It seemed like it took forever to fly that trip one way. We got
to fly fairly close to Mt. McKinley and it was a joy to see it. We must
have arrived at Barrow around 3-4 PM. Anyway I viewed icebergs in the ocean
as we landed. We stayed a short time and left the plane engines running so
they would not stiffen up in the low temperature. We were only there about
an hour at most and flew back. Imagine my complete surprise when a couple
weeks later an 8 x 11 inch certificate signed by the Commanding Officer was
routed to me. It was a blue-nose certificate for having crossed the Arctic
Circle.(For your list of COs of the station note the CO was Capt. Roy P.
Gee at that time.)
Flying in Alaska, in retrospect, I now realize was somewhat dangerous. I
can't tell you how many times that Adak and sometimes, Kodiak, were socked
in with fog and we had to do GCAs, ground controlled approaches, in which
the control tower talked us down by radar in literal soupy fogs. Imagine
being in a flying airplane seeing only fog all around and nothing else and
then coming down out of it and not seeing the runway or anything else until
literally about 10 feet from touch down. Once I remember flying to Adak
and back. The head winds must have been bad going out because when we got
back the plane captain measured the fuel we had left. If we would have had
to take one wave-off we would have been out of fuel and landing in the bay.
Spare time was spent pretty quietly there. Liberty was not the best unless
you got into fishing and hunting and had a vehicle to take you to where the
hunting was. We fished often for Dolly Varden trout in the Buskin River
right on base. Then we would get a case of beer (Beer and soda were sold by
the case at the gas station on base directly South of the hangar area.) and
cook the fish on a little gas stove in the Aviation Electric shop and stuff
on fish and beer. One had to be 21 to drink legally in Alaska and prices
were very high so I did not go into the City much at all. After I turned
21 I went in to the bars a few times. They were open until about 5 AM if
they were outside the city limits. I think Solly's was. I still have a
little beer glass with a fish and the bar name painted on it from "SOLLY'S
KODIAK ALASKA."
I do know that once one of the AMD crew, Willy Eldridge from Texas, who had
a pick-up drove some of us out in the boondocks. I remember stopping at
the cabin of this old man who was straight out of a Jack London story. He
wore khaki pants and suspenders with a red-black plaid shirt and lived in a
log cabin miles out from the base. I still remember this giant pile of
empty Olympia beer cans outside his cabin. Also, that trip is when I think
we stopped at a bar-restaurant someplace out in that area. There was
nothing else there. I still remember the wall behind the bar was full of
firearms including a .410 pistol.
I remember camping out by a small river during the warm weather once when
the salmon were running. The river was perhaps a foot deep generally. The
salmon had humps and were so thick in the stream one could look across and
see humps sticking out of the water all over. The salmon were so thick
that one could have walked across the stream on them if they had been
rocks. I simply waded out in the stream to watch them and shot one (only
one) with my .22 revolver and then baked it in the fire. We found it
delicious. The next morning we had fresh trout for breakfast that one of
us had just caught.
I was in a summer bowling league and remember the bowling alley was
adjacent to Women's Bay and seeing the seals playing in the water when I
went to bowl. The days were so short in winter that the flag was not
raised until after I got to work at 7:45 AM but it was lowered before I got
off work at 4 PM. This shows how short the daylight hours were because
colors were at sunrise and sunset.
I still remember getting up one morning after an RON to Adak and went to
the plane as part of the crew to get ready to return with a USO show to
Elmendorf. Another crewman already there asked me who the President of the
US was and I told him Kennedy and he said, No, the president had been shot.
That, of course, was 11-22-63.
I was talking about not much to do in spare time at the base. I remember TV
programs consisted of programming broadcast by the Armed Forces TV
Network. I think there was only about 3 hours of TV an evening. One of
the programs we watched was old reruns of The Untouchables with Robert
Stack as Eliot Ness.
I remember sometime when there; it was in late fall or winter of late 63 or
early 64 that Kodiak had winds of 115 knots with gusts to 125 knots.
Terribly strong winds. An Air Force C-123 had sat out in this tied down as
there was no hangar space and I was told that the plane was ruined by the
stress that had been placed on its frame. It did not look damaged to the
untrained eye. It was very difficult to walk outside. There were some big
frozen puddles on the plane parking areas around the hangar and if one
stepped on a puddle one would just go skating on shoe soles from the force
of the wind.
I guess the last thing I want to do is to list some names of people I was
stationed with so their names will live in some type of perpetuity with the
history of Naval Air Station Kodiak. There was Mike Kelleigh, an AE2 with
whom I still stay in contact. He retired from the Navy in 1978. There was
Gary Wignall from Iowa who was a clerical person and, very coincidentally,
grew up about 7 miles from my home in Iowa and we are still friends. Then
there was AT Chief McDaniels who ran the electronic shop and was my boss.
There was an AT2 Tony Daigle from Lousiana. There was Weeber, an AT3 from
Lewiston area of Idaho I believe. There was AT2 Ronald Oya from Hawaii.
There were many more but I cannot remember their names. Last but certainly
not the least was Patrick Pankratz. I became friends with him, a guy from
Oregon. He gave me his sister's address and that sister and I became pen
pals. We were married years ! later although the marriage did not last I
have three wonderful adult children from that union. Sadly, Patrick passed
away in early 1999 from cancer. He was at Kodiak all through the quake and
remained there until he got out of the Navy in June 1964.
Oh, one other thing. One of the C-54s the base had was Bureau number 92000
and, of course, we called it "triple nuts."
If I think of anything else that I think might be interesting I will send
another email. Joe, I will check my photos and send you something for your
consideration to put on the web site.
In finishing, I want to say that when I first got to Kodiak I thought it
was a shitty place to be. In retrospect I realize that it was a neat
adventure and that a lot of people will never see even Alaska. I have
actually been to three far reaches of the State; Shemya, Nome, and Barrow.
I now consider myself lucky for the experience.
Oh, and by the way, Mike Kelleigh and I flew out of Kodiak together in late
February of 1964 and just missed, luckily, the big quake that came around 3
weeks later.
I would love to hear from anyone that was at the base when I was so note my
email address of moewadle (at) yahoo.com.
Thanks, Sincerely, Maurice "Moe" Wadle (prounounced wad-lee)
168
From: Ed Fedder efedder (at) hotmail.com
Subject: Guest Book entry: Kadiak.org
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 20:50:21 -0800
I really enjoyed the info on Kodiak. I was on Kodiak for a short period of
time in 1957 while on active duty in the Marine Corps. We spent two weeks
tearing up the beaches of Isthmus Bay, and the surrounding territory while
on Cold Weather training exercises (Operation Cool Dip). Our unit, 2ndBn,
7thMarines, of the 1st Marine Division slogged all over that area. What I
remember most was the black sand of the beaches, and the low hanging,
water ladened clouds. I wasn't dry for two weeks.
We pulled liberty one night at the Naval Station, Kodiak. I always thought
it was on Mother's Bay, but I guess it was Old Woman's Bay, or something
like that. Anyway, I don't remember there being a USMC enlisted club. I
recall walking up a long line of steps to the Navy "White Hat" club. I was
a buck sergeant then, on MP/Shore Patrol duty and I remember having to go
up to the club to pull a few Marines out of there, and back to the ship,
for being a little to rambuctious. As you may have heard, Marines and
sailors don't always get along. Anyway.....enjoyed your site. I've got a
half dozen or so photos of our stay on your fair island I'd be happy to
share if you're interested. Or your viewers can go to my webpage,
www.usmccollectibles.com, and look under Photos, 1st Marine Division, and
they can see them. Thanks, Good Luck and Semper Fi!
Ed Fedder, Sgt. USMC 1956-62 usmccol (at) hotmail.com
167
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 21:00:24 -0600
From: charles roberts ccr (at) robertsarmory.com
Subject: James O'Hara
Joe:
I lived at Ft. Richardson from 1953-57 and sailed on the O'Hara from
Seattle to Alaska with a stop at Kodiak. The ship, I believe, is the
sister ship of the Funston. Attached is a photo.
Chuck Roberts
166
From: BBaltz4127 (at) aol.com
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 17:44:42 EST
Subject: Looking for info for a friend
I have a friend who served in the Navy ship repair on Kodiak from late 1942
to early 1945 I believe. He actually ended up in an entertainment group made
up of people from Navy, Army, etc. They went to the other islands also to do
shows. They formed a quartet called the "Willowas". My friend's name is Ray
Kaady. He has mentioned a Joe Denny.
My friend does not have a computer so if anyone has any info about this group
or remembers serving with him during that time frame, please email me at
BBaltz4127 (at) aol.com.
Thanks
Barb
165
Subject: AFRS-Kodiak FEB67-FEB68
From: Harry Lomas hlomas3 (at) excite.com
Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 21:21:20 -0500 (EST)
What a great site. I've barely scratched the surface.
After bootcamp, Jim Ruppert (NY), Larry O'brien and I (both from MA) were
stationed in Kodiak from FEB67 to FEB68. I started out in the Weapons Div.
I remember taking temperature readings in the magazines. In the spring, I
transferred to Exec. Div. and worked in the base Radio & TV station as a
DJ, cameraman and director. Chief Jess Veech (AZ) and JO3 Jim Westby (MA)
were the petty officers in charge, and I worked with Norm Holme (WA) and
Jim Huber (WI)
Many of my recollections coincided with those of Jerry Olk (guest 26), but
I'm sure both the TV and the radio were broadcast to the base and town.
The radio studio and record library was on the second floor as were our
living quarters. We broadcast radio shows live from Kodiak from 0700 to
1000 and 1600 to 1800. The rest of the day's programming came from
Elmendorf AFB.
The TV studio and control room were on the ground floor. We re! ceived
kinscopes of stateside programming, which we supplemented with locally
originated news and a kid's catoon/puppet program hosted by Chief Veech.
I have many fond recollections of Kodiak. It was a great way to start my
military experience.
I'll write more soon.
Best regards,
Harry (aka Boston Blackie) Lomas
164
From: Paul pmsteider (at) cox-internet.com
Subject: Emailing: KL7AWR, Over Nas Kodiak,1954
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 09:47:25 -0600
Hi,I'm Paul W0NMB in Bella Vista,AR
Really enjoyed your site as have many great memories of Kodiak.Was an AT2
in VP 22 and spent 6 months there in 1954.Had great times operating our
club station with BC 610 and huge V beam.Also spent many weekends camping
out on Cape Chiniak and catching Dollie Varden trout and silvers.
Been active ham for 53 years and am retired from AT&T,Long Lines.
73,Paul
KL7AWR.JPG
Over NAS Kodiak 1954.JPG
163
Subject: Judie Freeman
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 11:24:57 -0500
From: Doyle Fortney (Manager Guthrie) dfortney (at) ARCOK.ORG
Joe:
Great site! Many fond memories.
I served on Kodiak from 1952-1953. Was Chaplain's Assistant. Retired
after 30 years in 1981. Knew the Radinsky's. Remember Diane.
Thanks for the memories.
Reverend Doyle W. Fortney, Ph.D.
Commander, U.S. Navy (Retired)
162
From: Lawrence Swetz lswetz (at) satx.rr.com
Subject: 625th AC&W Squadron
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 22:26:39 -0500
Taking a chance that you may know something about the 625 th AC&W Sq. I am
asking for my brother who is interested in things that pertain to this Sq.
He was assigned to this unit in WW II and was stationed somewhere in the
islands in 1943 I think is what he said. I can get the specifics if you
think your organization has this type of information or if you could direct
me in some direction. He will be 77 tomorrow. I am his younger brother by
7 years and was in another war (Viet Nam). Any help you could give me
would be appreciated. His email address is seswetz (at) wctc.net and mine is
lcswetz (at) satx.rr.com thanks Larry Swetz
161
Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2002 17:23:42 -0700
From: Ken (at) teammiata.com
Subject: Web Site - Aircraft crashes
Hi
I came across your site and really enjoyed it.
On your crash site page you mention a memorial that isn't to any one crash.
I was stationed at Kodiak from '77 to '81 and helped set-up that memorial.
I was in charge of Public Affairs for the Coast Guard in Kodiak. It started
with the chaplains wanting to sent up a memorial of some sort. I can't
remember if they really had any particular event in mind at the time (I
seem to recall their learning of the P-2 crash on Old Woman, and that might
of been the spark). But I started to do research in to all the plane
crashes where the aircraft were either from Kodiak or heading to it at the
time of the crash. We were all amazed at all the crashes I came across. I
said, considering all the people that had died, that it really wasn't fair
to memorialize just one crash out of so many. The correct thing would have
been to list all the crashes, but we had a very small budget and to do the
complete list would have cost a lot more then we had. At the time we were
also working to place a memorial on Attu for all that had died out there as
well.
Thanks for keeping those crashes alive "sort to speak" so that they won't
be forgotten.
Ken Freeze
PACS, USCG (ret)
PS - my son has a web site dealing with plane crashes.
http://www.check-six.com
Ken
(925) 370-6485 Voice
(925) 370-8532 Fax
http://www.TeamMiata.com
http://www.AllRoadster.com
160
From: mg bbgordon (at) i-2000.com
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 21:40:38 -0400
Subject: Dad skied during the war
Hi,
I am searching for information about my father, Steve Stranko. My only
starting point is an older uncle who only remembers that dad was a
paratrooper stationed in Alaska and that he had to learn how to cross
country ski during the war. Does this ring a bell to anyone who might steer
me in a direction as to which unit he may have been in? For now, I don't
even have his social#.
Thanks much, Merrill Gordon
159
From: Dave Pickett dave (at) elexisnet.net
Subject: Thanks!
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 17:16:17 -0700
Hi Joe,
Thank you for the work that has been done to document so much of the history
of Kodiak and surrounding areas. Growing up in Alaska I have always had an
interest in the military history and significance of the state. Kodiak was
a real hub of activity for many years and is representative of similar works
throughout the Alaska.
I am far too young to have participated in any of the activities you
showcase. In fact, the closest link that I personally have is that one of
my friend's father was a commander in the Navy and stationed at Kodiak and
Anchorage in the '70's and '80's. His name is Commander C. Wayne Case. I
enjoyed immensely the stories he had to tell.
Again, thank you for placing this information in a forum that can be freely
accessed by so many. I enjoy sitting down with my son and sharing with him
the sacrifices that have been made over the years to ensure his freedom and
way of life. Keep up the good work!
Dave Pickett
158
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 15:28:33 -0700
From: John Bickelhaupt bickjh (at) pacbell.net
Subject: Concerning Commander I.A. Bickelhaupt
Dear Mr. Stevens,
I ran across references to my grandfather, Ivan A. Bickelhaupt, on your
website. I knew he was posted to the Aleutians for a period of time
during WWII but had no details. I am interested in finding out more
about his service. I know, for example, that he was also posted to
Ireland for a time, where he was involved in the construction of a
submarine base. Any additional information you have or any advice you
can offer about where to find more would be appreciated.
Thank you very much for your hard work in creating and maintaining this
site. It has provided me with an opportunity to find out more about my
family. I was not aware your resource existed until I happened onto it
during a web search. I have a nephew who is in the Coast Guard and whose
ship visits Kodiak Island periodically during patrols. I think he will
appreciate knowing about his family's earlier connections to Alaska.
Regards,
John Bickelhaupt
157
From: tbennett (at) jtcc.edu
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 16:52:39 -0400
Subject: Coast Guard Bittersweet
I am just trying to find an old friend. Stationed on the Bittersweet in
years ? 1956, 1957 I think. His name was John Thomas "Tommy" Potts. This
was his first assignment in the Coast Guard.
Thanks
Toni
156
From: CPeajay (at) aol.com
Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 02:29:46 EDT
Subject: nice site
I had to write and thank you for your site. I grew up in Kodiak while my dad
was stationed at the Naval Air Station in the late 60's ('67-70)
I could not believe all the memories that came flooding back ! I was only
about 7 or 8 when we first got there. I found your picture of the USA home
and it took my breath away. I could see where we lived, where the playground
was eventually built. Remembering all the "salmonberries" we picked.
Thanks for the memories and keep up the good work!
Carmel Pajita
Vallejo, California
155
From: Compie1953 (at) aol.com
Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 11:30:24 EDT
Subject: Fort Randall, Cold Bay in 1947
Hi Joe,
I am working on a father's day project and thought maybe you could help.my
father, Paul E. Comp was stationed at Fort Randall in Cold Bay, Aleutian
islands in 1947. As you know it was a refueling base at that time. I am
desperately trying to find any information, pictures, or old buddies from
that time and am having no luck. He loved Alaska and when he reminises about
those days he gets such a sparkle in his eye. I would love to be able to
print him info and make a booklet for him for father's day. I believe he
said at that time it was an army/airforce base. any information you have
would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Debra C. Funk
154
From: rltratz (at) mchsi.com
Subject: Chiniak Bunkers & Guns
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 21:25:08 -0500
Dear Joe,
Discovered your website a couple of years ago and occasionally check in to
see if anything new is posted in regards to the old NavSecGru site at
Chiniak. I was stationed there in 1963 and have quite a number of pictures.
One picture was taken with me standing on one of the gun emplacements with
the 8" gun lying behind it. Another was taken of two of us standing in
front of the doors of the large bunker near the gun emplacements. I had
several pictures that were taken inside that bunker but they didn't survive
as they stuck together in the album after having been stored in an area for
a long time where the humidity was high. Have you been in that particular
bunker and have you any pictures of it? Also, is the gun still lying next
to the emplacement? Just curious. Would like to return to that area some
summer. We had some great times there. Kind of sad to see pictures of the
cabin which is now rotting away. It was brand new when I was there. Your
pictures of the P2V plane that crashed into the mountain in January of 1963
caught my attention, too. We arrived on Kodiak the day after that plane
crashed. In fact, I still recall a wisp of smoke that was rising from the
crash site after we landed. Amazing that much of the wreckage is still
there after 40 years! Great website. Wish I had known all the military
history about the island when I was stationed there.
Bob Potratz
Cedar Falls, IA
153
From: Brad Elfers flyfishing (at) alaska.com
Subject: looking for my great uncle
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 17:43:48 -0800
Hello Joe, My great uncle, Otto Frohnmeyer, served on Attu during WWII. My
dad is pretty sure he was a Seabee but we don't know anything else. Any
suggestions on finding our which outfit he was in? I have a Japanese rifle
he brought back from Attu and any history that goes with it would be
fascinating. My dad and I have been reading books about the battle on Attu
but haven't run across his name. Any help or pointers would be appreciated.
Brad Elfers Juneau Alaska
152
From: Donald Simmons ROCPM1 (at) msn.com
Subject: Cape Chiniak History
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 13:05:50 -0400
Joe,
I have been introduced to your history of Kodiak and of particular interest
to me is the Cape Chiniak history. I was stationed with the Navy there from
October, 1961 until September 1962. LTJG Richard Loeder was the officer in
charge and I have read his e-mails in your guestbook. The highlight of my
time there was the building of the log cabin, as he mentions from falling
the trees, skinning the bark, cutting into logs and building the cabin. In
addition to being the OIC, he was quite a craftsman including laying the
stone for the chimney and fireplace. I read several e-mails that mentioned
"Jake" the trapper, he was a regular for meals at the base and we often had
meals at his cabin of king crab, salmon and sourdough bread. As I recall
there were only 2 folks that lived on the windy, dangerous road to the naval
station in Kodiak. During the time I was there we made the trip every day to
the naval station for mail and supplies, I recall only wrecking one vehicle.
I came there from sunny Florida (Pensacola) and my home state of Virginia
and vividly remember that small airstrip, "Ole Woman" and the trip in the
base ambulance from the Naval Station to Cape Chiniak on a chilly, dark
evening, thought for sure we were going to the end of the world. However,
the tour of duty was not so bad, but I can honestly say I was glad to get
orders from there to San Juan.
Thanks for bringing back a lot of memories, great site
Don Simmons
151
From: Kevin Jones lickinfrogz (at) msn.com
Subject: alaskan defense command
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 15:58:46 -0400
recently my grandmother gave me an insignia patch from the a.d.c. it is a
kodiak bear on a blue background with a gold star above the head.she told me
it was designed by my grand father who was stationed in alaska. his name is
Angelo Johnny Franco. i was hoping to find out more about his unit and
him. he passed nearly 20 yrs ago and any information you vould provide in
helping me find out more about him and his service to the country would be
greatly appreciated.
most thankful,
kevin jones
150
From: Diane M. T. North dmtnorth (at) erols.com
Subject: Signal Corps
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 19:47:05 -0500
Dear Sir:
Please give me some suggestions for tracking down a soldier who served with
the US Army Signal Corps in Alaska during World War II: James Coates. He
was my cousin's father. She never knew him because when he returned from
the war, her parents were divorced. Her mother refuses to talk about him.
Thanks. D. North dmtnorth (at) erols.com
149
From: Sandi Miller sandi (at) ado13.com
Subject: Great Memories
Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 19:31:09 -0800
Judie Freeman
What a great site! Judie Freeman's note prompted me to send this along
with the phone call I got last night from her sister, Jo telling me about
this site. Jo and I were best friends in junior high. I spent many hours
at their home above the Enlisted Men's Club. I remember Mr. and Mrs.
Radinsky fondly. Jo and I have kept in touch off and on throughout the
years. My family lived in Kodiak from 1958-1959 and from 1961-1964. My
Dad, AGCM Wayne Biter, was stationed at the Coast Guard station. I
graduated from Kodiak High School in 1964 and met my husband SH3 Larry
Miller there. We were there during the earthquake - an experience I'll
never forget. Will be going through my old pictures in the days to come.
I'm adding your website to my "favorites" and will return often. Thanks for
bringing back lots of great memories. Sandi Biter Miller
148
From: Krys fisher STARBRE2002 (at) hotmail.com
Subject: Daughter of a Vet
Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 18:09:22 -0600
Cam'i,
I am the daugter of a WWII vet. His last port of call was Kodiak, where he
met my mother. His name was Carl Sautner. He was in the Marines and
stationed at Pearl Harbor. I have almost all of his old photos and am
willing to share them with you in the future. I have to move first as they
are already relocated.
I am also always looking for family members. My Maternal last name is
Malutin.
Kodiak was my home from 1954 to 1957. I still have my own memories and have
recently made new ones.
Quyanna
CJ Fisher
littlealute (at) hotmail.com
147
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 18:17:08 -0600
From: Harry A Isom haisom (at) mpdr0.chicago.il.ameritech.net
Reply-To: haisom (at) ameritech.net
Subject: Re: 98th FA
Dear Joe,
My father left Ft Lewis, WA for APTO about 30 Sep 41 arrived at Sitka on
Oct 4. From there to Kodiak and that area until 17 Apr 44.
Rotated to USA, then to ETO 29 Nov 44. Assigned to the 7th Army, 20th
Armored Div. 413 FA. Was in Munich Germany May 45. Returned to USA Aug 45.
The 20th was in process of returning to Camp Cook, CA for the invasion of
Japan when the war ended.
Unfortunately, I have very little memorabilia of his time in Alaska and
even less there after. My father died in 1975. I have found the 20th
Division association and have been in contact with a few who remember my
dad. I have not located anybody in the 98th. Would like to.
I have attached two things that I found on the Web. One thing I do have
that my dad gave me is a photo of him, with 50 cal. bullets, taken on Dec
7, 1941. He always laughted at it. He said thank God they werent attacked
as that was all the ammo they had.
Take care,
Harry A Isom
146
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 20:42:13 -0600
From: Harry A Isom haisom (at) mpdr0.chicago.il.ameritech.net
Reply-To: haisom (at) ameritech.net
Subject: 98th FA
Dear Joe,
My father, Harry A Isom Sr. served in
the 98th FA Bat C on the island in
WWII. He arrived on the Grant. I have
attached the patch of his unit.
Sincerely Yours,
Harry A Isom Jr.
145
From: Judie Freeman JudieFreeman2001 (at) socal.rr.com
Subject: Memories
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 14:12:24 -0800
What a great site. My father, Jules Radinsky, managed the Civil Service
Club on the base from 1949 to 1953. We left Kodiak and moved to Anchorage
from 1954-1955 and moved back to Kodiak where he managed the Enlisted Men's
Club from 1956 to 1959. We (my family) lived in the apartment on top of the
EM Club. While looking through pictures, I saw my old home (Building 519).
My father passed away December 30, at almost 91 years old. My entire family
has always cherished the years we spent in Kodiak and although it's been 43
years, I still consider Kodiak my home.
144
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 14:47:55 -0600
From: John Bauer john.bauer (at) fnc.fujitsu.com
Organization: Fujitsu Network Services
Subject: Holiday Beach
I was looking for a topo map of Kodiak Island when I ran across you
site. I was stationed at Holiday Beach 1967-68. Was great seeing the
pictures of the old barracks.
143
Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 22:13:18 -0500
From: antonio.jones2 antonio.jones2 (at) verizon.net
Subject: Letters found
Last night I wrote a note of excitement about finding so much
information about Kodiak military operations during W.W.II. I searched
through letters from Alaska and to Alaska dated 1942. Apparently Dad
arrived on the Gorgas with West Virginia National Guard, although he
enlisted. His full identity follows:
PFC. George William Jones
A.S.N. 35204839
2nd Battalion
Company G, 201st Infantry
I would love to hear from anyone reading this note who knew this great
man who exuded with pride of his military career. He went on to marry
the Spanish girl to whom he was writing from Kodiak. They had two boys
and two girls. He had a brilliant mind but was not availed the
opportunity to go to college. His last job was draftsman for
construction of coal tipples, before CAD I might add. Until the end of
his life he beamed with a smile of pride when he talked of Kodiak.
Thank you,
Antonio Jones, Ph.D.
405 Beechwood Estates
Scott Depot, West Virginia 25560
142
Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2002 00:19:49 -0500
From: antonio.jones2 antonio.jones2 (at) verizon.net
Subject: My Dad at Kodiak
When I discovered the WWII site at Kodiak while surfing the net, it
indeed was an emotional experience; I wanted to consume it all at once
looking for anything about my Dad. He was in the Army during the entire
WWII and spent some time in Kodiak. I have pictures somewhere of he and
his buddies standing beside Kodiak bear skins. He was in the Infantry,
from West Virginia. I have a box of letters that may be disintegrating
which would contain the numbers which may help put a specific identity
relating to your site. I remember him talking about building barracks
or doing other carpenter work, as well as standing post. Dad died over
30 years ago at the young age of 51. That is my current age.
It is my hope to come to Alaska in a year or so. I would like to go fly
fishing on the streams my father helped assure would be free to do so
Thank you very much.
Antonio Jones
405 Beechwood Estates
Scott Depot, West Virginia 25560.
141
From: Michael Albert albert_30 (at) hotmail.com
Subject: Fort blackie?
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 10:44:13 -0500
I was told my father in law that he was stationed at Fort Blackie during
World War 2. He told me that he was on guard duty when a building
exploded...He thinks it was bombed by the japs. He woke up in the hospital
blind and unable to walk. He has regained his sight and can walk around but
still has a hard time doing so. I would like to find Fort Blackie. I think
it was a nickname. I have been in the Aleutians and I can see how the unit
would think it was a dark place. He also told me they arrived at the depot
by train and barge and the windows were blacked out. He has no knowledge of
were he was. He is still hunted by his past I would like to find more
information for him. He was one of three survivors that he knows of. Can
you please help me narrow the search area. I can find nothing relating to
Fort Blackie. Sincerely,Michael Albert
140
From: Frank Mellblom [new email 2012 March: frankmellblom at gmail dot com]
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 21:59:28 EST
Subject: NavCommSta Kodiak
Thank you for such a trip down memory lane! I was stationed at Nav Comm Sta
Kodiak from July 1970 to April '72, as a Storekeeper second class in the
Supply Department. I worked with good friends, Jerry Forester of FonduLac
Wisconsin, Mike Ferrara of New York City, Bob Faenrick(spelling?), Otis
Cheathams, and SKC R.R. Marley (who's name I typed countless times on the
requistion forms!) of College Station Texas,I believe. The numerous photos
on your web site are wonderful,and bring back the good times spent in the
great outdoors in Kodiak. I stayed in the Navy Reserves for many years, was
recalled to active duty in the Gulf War as an Optometrist in Fleet Hospital
Six,Bahrain. I retired as a Commander in Sept,2000 from the Navy Reserve.
Kodiak was truly a special place and time for me, and for obviously many
other servicemen and women. Appreciate your hard work to make this web site
so nice! Sincerely, Frank Mellblom O.D.
139
From: David & Ami Beck shorti26 (at) earthlink.net
Subject: WW2 Archives...
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 01:11:14 -0800
Hello sir,
I am SSgt David Beck with the USAF and am researching information regarding
specific missions my Grandfather was involved in. Specifically, an Alaska
demolition mission that involved the 2nd Battalion Corp of Engineers based
out of Ft. Lewis, WA., whose mission it was to destroy downed P51's in
Alaska in the fear that the Russians might derive confidential information
from them if found. This period dated 1943-1947. Any information would
be extremely helpful. Thank you so much for your time on this important
matter.
Sincerely,
David Beck
138
Date: Tue, 01 Jan 2002 22:13:31 -0800
From: Robert Hanna juggler (at) directcon.net
Subject: Cape Chiniak, Kodiak
Joe,
I have just read your web pages on the Cape and wanted to just say hello
and to thank you for your description of the base, the black sandy
beaches, glass floats that some ship lost and most of all just bringing
back memories of what the Cape was once and I suppose still is.
I was sent there as a relief medic in '74 in April when it was part AF
Tracking Station and Ford Aerospace and a company from somewhere in
Sunnyvalle ,Ca. that was responsible for all the chow and maintenance. I
believe it was Emerald Maintenance and they did oil rigs and outward
site locations if I remember correctly.
I saw the Bald Eagles flying over me while I lay quietly on those clifts
above the pounding ocean. I remember the monthly catch at night for the
little fish that would come ashore in droves. I forgot what they were
called. I tried to climb the old wooden lookout tower until I was sure
I would die with it collapsing on me. I also remember the pine forests
that were dead from the moss that hung from their branches, a deadly
spanish moss mistletoe I would guess.
I once found a fishing net on the beach with hundreds of feet of rope
and glistening foot size glass balls still floating in the surf. No way
would they let me take them back on the plane. The plane had barely
enough room for the passengers and the freight that it carried.
The ride from the airport was a disaster at best and took forever. I
will never forget that dirt road. There was no running away to the
nearest town if you had an emergency. I was the surgeons hands by radio
during disasters. Thank god there were no disasters that needed my help.
Except for maybe the Piper that landed upside down in a tree instead of
the over grown temporary-permanent field nobody used. It was common
then to drink and then try to fly across to Kodiak for a fun night out
and then fly back and try to find the dark cape.
Thanks for the memories. Nobody else I have ever spoken with had even
heard of Cape Chiniak.
You have given credence to a time I never want to forget.
Thanks.
73's KG6FUF
Robert Hanna
Shingle Springs, CA.
137
From: David and Janet Honeywell djhoneywell (at) decaturnet.com
Subject: WHATISIT
Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2001 10:56:56 -0500
Hello Joe. I don't know if you'd remember who I am but my father and mother
we're Jay and Marcella Honeywell. We lived out at Chiniak for a period of
time. I was looking at the pictures in the WHATISIT section and I believe I
know what the top picture is of. I think it's a marker buoy that was dropped
from a PBY to show the location of an item in the water or to mark a
submarine. The wooden body kept it afloat and the fusing allowed it to be
jettisoned from the aircraft and activated before it hit the water. I could
be wrong but that is what I think it is.
I enjoyed your site and the pictures you have posted. After 23 years of
living there it brought back plenty of memories. Feel free to contact me at
anytime via e-mail.
David Honeywell
136
From: Ampula, Robert L SGM AMEDDCS
Robert.Ampula (at) CEN.AMEDD.ARMY.MIL
Subject: Request For Information
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 08:30:26 -0600
I am the Regimental Adjutant for the U.S. Army Medical Department Regiment
which is located at Fort Sam Houston, TX. I am working with Mr. Still, the
Army Medical Department Regimental Historian, on a research project on
Native Americans and Native Alaskans who served from World War One and all
other wars up to the present. The purpose is to develop a video that will
show our young officers and soldiers the significant contributions of this
ethnic group who have served their nation through their service in the
military.
I would greatly appreciate it if you would let me know if you have any
photographs, video footage, diaries or letters that I could review for
possible use in the video. Of special interest are individuals who have
received awards for heroism, such as the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy
Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, or the Silver Star. Also any individual
who would be willing to be interviewed on or off camera. I, or Mr. Still,
would be able to visit any location to review the material and absorb any
costs for reproduction. We will be contacting other museums and historical
societies in Alaska as additional Sources. Thank you in advance for any
assistance you may be able to provide us in this project.
SGM Robert L. Ampula
USAMEDD Regimental Adjutant
Phone: (210) 221-8455, DSN 471
Fax: (210) 221-8697
e-mail: robert.ampula (at) CEN.amedd.army.mil
homepage: http://ameddregiment.amedd.army.mil
Mail:
CDR, USAMEDD Regiment
ATTN: MCCS-GAR
BLDG 2840, Rm 104
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6100
135
From: Robert & Shirley De Lozier sarkd (at) esper.com
Subject: Duty at Naval Station, Kodiak
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 16:48:20 -0500
Hi Joe: Your web site gets better with age. I was lucky to have been
stationed at Kodiak two times with the Navy. I first came in May 1960
and left in June 1963. I was stationed with the Supply Dept. Bldg. 25
Aviation Supply Parts. My wife Shirley taught at the High School. My
second tour was June 1970-72. With the Operations Dept. Shirley taught
school in the High School and College at night. When the Coast Guard
came, I left the base in June l972 and went to NAS, Whidbey Island
with VA-128. I bought a house on Hillside and Shirley & I moved into
town. I went on leave to Tennessee and reported into NAS, Whidbey in
August. Shirley went on back to Kodiak. I took retirement on
November 30, 1972 and headed back to Kodiak, Worked with New England
Fish Co, at Gibson's Cove with my boss Boss Bob Eagan..Worked for Post
Office down town Kodiak from June l973 to June 1976. Harold Naughton
was my Boss, the best ever... Went to College at night. Sold my home
in Kodiak in May 1976 and moved back to my home in Sevierville,
Tennessee.. Worked for the Sevierville Post Office from June 1977
until July 1994..Retired and doing what we want to do. Have visit
back in Kodiak twice in the past few years and hope to come again next
year...A wonderful pace to live and visit. Regards to all ole dear
friends, and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Robert &
Shirley De Lozier - Sevierville, TN.
134
From: bostonshamrock (at) webtv.net (Top O The Mornin)
Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2001 12:15:59 -0600 (CST)
Subject: USNAAS Otter Point,Umnak
Joe this is for Leslie Gheres, PBY pilot there in the 40`s. Please
contact me at your convenience. Six of us,USN Radiomen set up weather
reporting stations there and Chernofski Bay.
CF (Chuck) Donovan Former Radioman 1c USN 39 thru 45.
133
From: bostonshamrock (at) webtv.net (Top O The Mornin)
Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 10:01:16 -0600 (CST)
Subject: WWII Umnak,Island 42 thru 44
Joe--I am a former US Navy RM 1c--I was stationed at USNAAS Otter Point
and Chernofski Bay. While at Umnak there was an Army unit,either 503rd
Coast Artillery or Engineers. Do you know of it,or can you find any
info? I was close friends with some of the men and have been trying for
years to locate them. Thanks Charles (Chuck) Donovan
[As of the date of this query we have no information on this unit. js]
132
From: Emma Magee roem (at) mindspring.com
Subject: Kodiak
Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 11:57:42 -0800
Hi Joe.
I just found your web site. It is one of the best on Kodiak. I was
stationed there from early 1950 to Jan 1951. I was at the Pers. Office and
later assigned to deliver inter-base mail. I would like to contact anyone
that was in the Pers Office at the same time. I married a young lady that
worked for the District Legal Officer. It is a great island and we wish we
could have stayed their. Bob Magee
131
From: Healing Wings healingwings11333 (at) home.com
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 00:53:04 -0700
Dear Joe:
My favorite thing we did in Kodiak was climb to the towers on Pillar
mountain and slide down the face on our butts, then go to the cannery (B and
B, the cannery, not bed and breakfast) and change our clothes and drink
lousy coffee and eat pink and white frosted animal cookies. I ripped the
seat out of my pants. From the top, it looked almost vertical. I thought we
were gonna die, but we didn't.
That for all these wimpie people on your first joke site that need
McDonald's and trams and stuff. We just scaled up on steep ice to get up to
the road the short way. It was the guys' idea. We actually had a day off,
and they were bored.
Dusty Mo
130
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 13:57:40 -0600 (CST)
From: gcl (at) mobiletel.com
Subject: Bobby Hebert
Dear Sir,
I came across your site and thought you might like to
know of an error. It's stated in Chapter Two that Bobby
Hebert lived there in 1958 (he graduated with my sister)
at age one with his father Sol Hebert.
Bobby Hebert, Jr. was born in 1960 and his father's name
is Bobby Hebert, Sr. He was a civil engineer with the
State of Louisiana. I believe he was attending LSU in
Baton Rouge in 1958. I know that because he's my
grandmother's first cousin and lives down the street
from me.
Skip Guidry
129
From: j-m-tracey-safe (at) webtv.net John Tracey
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 20:02:11 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Information:
During World War II - Pacific Theater - Invasion of Guam - Central
Marianas - The U.S.C.G. WOG-303 - Tupelo participated in the clearing of
channels and the setting of buoys in Apra Harbor. As part of the ships
complement we had a group of specialist aboard ship. They were from the
30lst. Seabee Batt. They did underwater demolition work. Do you have any
history of their work in the Pacific or their duties aboard the U.S.C.G.
Tupelo? Appreciate any info. on this matter. Thks. John Tracey
128
From: Jonathan K Erickson jage7 (at) juno.com
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 07:22:28 -0800
Subject: WWII
I'm looking for any information regarding civilian evacuations by ship from
Kodiak Island during WWII (1941-1942).
Name of ship, roster of passengers (specifically indicating families named
Olson and/or Erickson, possibly women and children only), date,
circumstances of evacuation (we believe it was because a Japanese ship had
been sighted offshore).
I would like to obtain this information for personal family history. As you
see, I have very little information available to me.
Any information you can provide would be appreciated.
127
From: Onebeavfl (at) aol.com
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 14:53:39 EST
Subject: Re: Marines in Kodiak 1947-48
Dear Joe;
My father's name was Herman C. Bruton and he was a staff sargent in Kodiak.
The photo I'm attaching was taken on April 8, 1947 and is of my parents and
all their friends at the club. My parents are marked (thanks to me as a
young brat). The only other couple I know is directly to our left of my
mother. That would be staff sargent Thomas Mackey. I visited with Mackey
earlier this year and even asked him what outfit he and dad were in. As
best as I could understand him, he said they were there unofficially, as in
"on loan". Those were his exact words. I'm sad to say that both Mackey and
my father were buried in May of this year. You asked which marine was my
father. He is in the 3rd picture to the right, and he's front & center, the
only one without a rifle. I hope to dig through my father's papers pretty
soon and hopefully will discover more about that time of his life. If I do,
I'd be honored to share it with you. In the next email I am going to send
you a "cut out" of the base's newsletter The Kodiak Gyrene and the name of
the particuliar column was Straight Scoop-Some guys never get the word. I
hope you enjoy this bit of trivia that I'm sending, and of course you may
use it in any way you'd like. I would love for another daughter or son out
there to be delightfully surprised the way I was....or even better, to have
one of them old leathernecks see that picture and spend the rest of the day
joyfully walking down memory lane. That would be great. Are there any
marines in Kodiak anymore? What is that base now? Is Griffin hospital
still in Kodiak?
In my father's memory:Semper Fi! Linda (Bruton) Beaver
126
From: eginblu (at) aol.com
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 21:46:07 EST
Subject: Former Coastie From Spruce Cape
Joe,
What a wonderful compilation of photos and info you all have! I joined the
CG in 1987 and my first tour of duty was Kodiak. I lived on base and was
stationed at Spruce Cape. My C.O. was CWO3 T.J. Dunnigan. We received the
very first naval special warfare group (NAVSPECWARGRU) types when the USN
requested to utilize the Spruce Cape LORMONSTA unused berthing quarters and
galley for winter warfare training. The winter of '88 broke the record for
cold dipping to -60 statute and -90 with the wind chill. The fuel, to the
generators, literally froze into a gel and we had to get a special "thawing"
solution flown to us from Elmendorf via a fighter jet. I don't remember the
name of the solution but it was a very big deal to get it quickly in order
to maintain vigilance over the LORAN world. That same day the SEALs went on
a field training exercise and failed to leave the faucets dripping.
Everything froze and burst; it was a nightmare, but I wouldn'! t trade my 18
months in Kodiak for anything in the world! 1988 was also the year a USAF
fighter crashed into Barometer. That was an awful situation. I'm sure you
were there when I was - and we probably crossed paths. An old buddy of mine
named Mike Smith "Smitty" should still live there on the island. I talked to
him a few years ago. He was an MK3 on base till '88 then went to work for
the city as a wastewater treatment plant operator. I plan to journey there
with my wife in the not-so-distant future and we will visit your museum. I
so terribly want to show my wife beautiful Kodiak, Alaska and she is anxious
to see. I went on to complete my second and final tour of duty at beautiful
station Destin, Florida, learning the ins and outs of search & rescue and
maritime law enforcement. In '91 I left uncle sam's confused group and honed
my rescue and law enforcement training in the streets of metropolitan
Atlanta, where I became a police officer in my home town of Riverdale,
Georgia. In '98 I graduated back to the department of transportation as a
security specialist and am again a proud employee of the federal government.
Take care and drop me a line...
Mark Wooddall
125
From: Wb6roh (at) aol.com
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2001 00:58:35 EST
Subject: Kodiak
I knew a HAM had to be behind the only Kodiak historical site! I was a Navy
brat at Women's Bay from 1955 through 1959. I loved spending time at the rec
camp on Afognak or our Quonset overlooking the American River. I used to
spend a lot of time at the MARS station and my schoolmate's dad was KL7BMZ.
I got my first ticket in 1962 in high school in El Cajon, CA.
73
Doug - WB6ROH
124
Date: Sat, 03 Nov 2001 17:49:24 -0900
TIMTHEGRUNT (at) aol.com wrote:
I am a former Marine stationed at Marine Barracks Kodiak. I'd love any
information you have. A picture would be nice. I was there in 1961 and 62.
I just love your island and think it's the nicestplace in the world.
Tim Gallagher
41 Evergreen Drive
Taunton,Mass 02780
123
Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2001 20:08:13 -0600
From: Claude D. Birkhead cdb (at) icsi.net
Subject: Kodiak History
Joe-
I was stationed at Marine Barracks, Naval Operating Base, Kodiak from March,
1947 until January, 1949. Please note that during that time, the base was a
Naval Operating Base.
The pictures of the Marines was taken in 1948. That is also the year that
we finished construction of the Marine Enlisted Mens Club. I was also the
Club Manager. My primary job was NCOinC of the Main Gate. The rules were a
lot different in those days.
Claude
122
From: Onebeavfl (at) aol.com
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 07:13:20 EST
Subject: Marines in Kodiak 1947-48
I was born in Kodiak 7 December 1947 in Griffin Hospital. My father was
stationed in Kodiak 1947-1948. Imagine my shock when I found your website and
when I clicked on Marines in Kodiak, and then on the third picture on the
right to see my beloved hero sitting front and center! I have attached an
aerial view picture of Kodiak from 47-48 you are welcome to have for your
website if you want it. With some research, if it would be helpful, I can
find out what unit my father was with in Kodiak. I also have a group photo of
the marines in Kodiak at the club one night sitting around a big table with
their wives.
My father used to tell me quite a few stories about life on Kodiak, and the
bears.....
Angel Linda Beaver
121
Sun, 21 Oct 2001 13:11:45 -0500 you wrote:
From: jay hannah dj1h (at) swbell.net
Subject: Looking for information
During WWII my uncle served on the USS Besboro (AG 66) operating out of
Kodiak. Do you have suggestions on link where I can find information on
this ship?
Jay Hannah
120
From: John Lewis johnlewis1 at centurytel.net
Subject: 1968-72
Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 17:33:51 -0700
Hi, Joe.
Just stumbled across your fine and appreciated website with its entries from
a few old friends.
I first saw Kodiak in 1967 when my crew & I brought a VP-28 P-3 in from Adak
on a deployment mission. Trees! Looked great. Volunteered for a tour there.
Served as COMALSEAFRON air ops officer under Radms White & Fairfax, 1968-70.
When due for orders, was honored to be invited by Capt. Acker to volunteer
for another tour as NAVSTA baseops. Upon higher authority approval from wife
Teri and son Mark, accepted & completed a most pleasant total of 4 yrs
there, ending with base turnover to USCG and last tour as VIP transport
pilot at NAF Wash. D.C. with Navy retirement in 1974. Aleutian flying in the
C-54 and HU-16 made those last 2 yrs a snap. Fondly recall several
zero-dark-thirty stork races to the Elmendorf AFB hospital when Kodiak
dependents came down with birth complications during obstetrician shortages.
We won them all.
Enjoyed another 20 yrs in general aviation, now happily retired and welcome
hearing from shipmates.
Jack Lewis
--- John Lewis, Cdr USN Ret, KK7TD
119
From: gramstuck (at) webtv.net (Joyce Stuck)
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 18:08:21 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Dr. Robert G. Stuck
I am looking for someone who might have had a relative stationed around
the Aleutians with the 45th battalion navy seabees in summer of 43'. I
have pictures taken of Dr. Stuck on the shores of Tanaga, Alaska in June
of that year.
thank you, Joyce P. Stuck
118
From: KEArnce(at)aol.com
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 11:39:27 EDT
Subject: NAS Kodiak
Good day to you, and thank you for this web page. I was stationed there in
1970 as a cook. Enjoyed my tour and made a promise to myself that I would go
back, an unfulfilled promise. It was a happier time in my life even though
Viet Nam was raging, and seeing these pages helped me relive those
times....Thanks
Ken Arnce
117
From: DRWOOLLEY1(at)aol.com
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 16:41:33 EDT
Subject: Kodiak Memories
Joe:
I came across your website this afternoon and couldn't be more pleased that I
did. I can't tell you what a flood of memories have been stirred up.
I was at the Marine Barracks, Kodiak, from April 1964 to August 1966.
Actually received my orders to go there on March 26, 1964, the day our first
son was born at Base Hospital, MCB, Twentynine Palms, CA, and the day that
the great earthquake of 64 hit Alaska. Arrived there a few weeks later,
after shipping the wife and new son home to Pennsylvania to await my call.
Served under Major Dick Jones and Captain Gordon Johnson for a year. Our
barracks was across from the base PX and caddy-corner to the Admiral's
office. RADM Riera is the man I remember in that job. Dick Jones and Gordy
Johnson left in 65 and were replaced by Major Chuck Wilson and Captain Wes
Lokken. Captain Don Bell was there with us as well
I was the Guard and Brig Officer, coach of the Barracks basketball team (and
the likes of Sgt Autie Bradshaw and Sgt Bob Geary), coach of the Kodiak HS
wrestling team, and one very happy and content young man. I'll also never
forget the great rivalry between the teams from the hospital and from the
Barracks. Our annual Thanksgiving Day game of flag football was a real war,
and an awful lot of fun.
Our second son was born at the NAS Hospital, Kodiak on April 29, 1966, the
day before the start of Kodiak bear season that year. Father Jake Laboon,
Commander, USN, was the Catholic Chaplain and christened him a few weeks
later. Yes, my understanding wife agreed that I could go the next day, and
Chuck Wilson and Doyle Hensley and I spent the next week on a fishing boat
and scrambling up steep mountainsides and bagging two beautiful bears. Drs
Claude Atkins and Fred Cantor were the doctors in attendance on the 29th.
And Chuck Wilson's wife Nell and their daughters were my wife's and kid's
hosts while we were gone. They lived in the big four-plexes just a block or
so from the hospital.
I received my orders to Vietnam about the time my son was born, but was
granted an extension at Kodiak for three months until the child and mother
were stronger and able to make the trip home. Then, in August 1966, we took
the Pan Alaska flight to Seattle in the middle of the airlines strike. Only
essential military people could fly, and we were among the lucky few. In
September I arrived in DaNang, truly out of the refrigerator and in to the
fire.
Kodiak is home of some of the great times of our lives. Yes, I was there
when our esteemed Marine Club manager, who shall remain nameless, decided to
burn the place down to destroy the evidence of his thievery. He succeeded in
destroying the place, but not the evidence, resulting in a long rest in a
federal penitentiary for him.
For over two years we never bought meat or fish from the commissary. Our
freezer was full of elk, moose and deer, and salmon, crab, shrimp and
halibut. It was the best. At the same time, milk was always bought frozen
and we never drove any faster than 30 mph. We lived in the small housing
group that became known as American homes when they built the new, pre-fab
places in 64 and 65. It was so primitive and so beautiful. For the first
several months, in 1964, we lived in Aleutian Homes, in Kodiak town. That
was quite an experience, with the mud, rain, snow and thin walls. Getting on
base was a real blessing.
The town of Kodiak was still trying to come back from the ravages of the
earthquake and tsunami all the time we were there. Urban renewal was
effective in getting things cleaned up and rebuilt. A Navy officer friend of
ours left the Navy and took the job of chief engineer and designer for that
job, and stayed in Kodiak for a long time afterward. I was so enamored of
the place that I almost left the Marine Corps to take a teaching and coaching
job at one of the big Anchorage high schools. However, my bride suggested
that I learn to "write long letters" to her if I did, so history has unfolded
as it has.
I will never forget the good times and bad at Kodiak, and the great friends
we made up there. I hope to go back for a nice long visit with my second
son, the native Alaskan, some day. I know how much that would mean to him
and to me.
Dennis Woolley
(formerly) Captain, USMC
drwoolley1(at)aol.com
116
From: gfsullivan gfsullivan(at)msn.com
Subject: William F. Sullivan, Sr.
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 16:50:44 -0400
Glad to see that my brother got back to you. I got the website from Jeannie
Winters, and for that I am forever grateful. Bill may have gotten the
brains, but I got the good looks! I drive a truck for a living, and I
believe that Dad did the same while in the 79th. Anyway, the photos do
speak of the beauty that Dad told us about, and although I have never been
to Alaska, I should hope to go there some day. Anyway, all of us "79th
brats" owe a debt of gratitude to Jeannie Winters; she has provided us with
a great link to our past, especially those of us who lost our fathers at a
young age. Bill's memory may be a bit dimmed since Dad died in 1971, not
1972, but I forgive him this error, since I wish Dad was still with us. I
never even got to have a beer with him, but he was the best father a kid
could of had! I still think of him today, 30 years after his passing, and
boy do I miss his war stories.
With all gratitude, I remain:
Jerry Sullivan
115
From: FRED WENZEL bigyellow(at)penn.com
Subject: looking for information
Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2001 00:37:20 -0400
Dear Joe, I am looking for someone who might have known my dad, Lars O.
Larson, or as everyone in his hometown knew him as Johny Larson. He was in
Kodiak but I'm not sure what year. I think it was 1943 or 1944 or later.
Also, could you give me an idea as to where I could find out what company or
battallion he was in. Any information would greatly be appreciated. He
passed away in 1990 and would be 93 today. I know at one time he was in the
41st const batt. Thank you very much and I really enjoy all the sites about
the Seabees. Peggy Wenzel bigyellow(at)penn.com
114
From: Bill Sullivan sullivanb(at)draegermed.com
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 12:12:15 -0400
Subject: Photo five_servicemen_pose
Dear Joe,
Somebody sent me the URL of your web site. Of particular interest to me was
the section about the 79th Construction Batallion. My father, William F.
Sullivan, Sr., was stationed in Kodiak with the 79th. He often would tell
us about the beauty of Kodiak, and felt quite lucky to have been stationed
there.
Dad is in the picture five_servicemen_pose. He is the top right sailor in
the photo. I wish I had inherited his good looks. I had to settle for the
brains.
Dad passed away in 1972 due to complications during heart surgery. He was
47. I think he would have loved your web site. I sure do.
Thanks for posting the photo. It allowed me to see my father as a very
young man.
Sincerely,
William F. Sullivan, Jr.
113
From: bmac(at)eastex.net (William McArthur)
Subject: Sgt. Jes Stuart Mcarthur
Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 11:54:09 -0500
Looking for anyone who knew my brother Sgt. Jes Stuart Mcarthur,
tail gunner shot down over Kiska Is. April 15, 1943.
W.C Mcarthur
112
From: Edward R. Franklin edmarinc(at)san.rr.com
Subject: Re: The Kodiak Page
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2001 11:38:18 -0700
King Salmon was located at Naknek on Bristol Bay on a heading of approx 315
degrees @90 miles from Kodiak. It was a radar station and Direction Center
with a back-up to Elmendorf in a war crisis emergency. If you happen to
know anything about CIC Operations on board Navy ships, that is what the
AC&W sites performed. Electronic surveillance of the skies for bad guys,
launch of fighter aircraft to intercept, identify, and if necessary shoot
down. We spent many cold lonely nights guarding the USA; sometimes having
to pull guard duty outside at the base perimeter, the flight line and the
gated entrances. Much snow, cold, bears, and wolves - all looking for a
meal. It had a airport with tundra runways that were only useable May
(after tundra dry out) through March; but later on concrete was put in).
Fighter Aircraft of F-89s, F-90s, and F-102s were deployed there during my
time but later on there was F-106s, F-4s, F-15s until the site closed in the
very early 1990s. Initially, King Salmon was a remote site with only men
but sometine in the mid-1960s women were stationed there also (just my luck
too early). Quite a few things happened during my year tour involving our
adversary in the cold war. One was the locating of a surfaced sub that the
Commanding Officer (a Major) of Cape Newenham wanted to blow out of the
water but had to be given a direct order by the General for Elmendorf to
recall base defense (during this conversation that I was monitoring in radar
operations, a medical evac plane left Anchorage to remove the Major from the
site). All turned out well. Other things don't need to be discussed. King
Salmon radar is still active and automatically feeds Elmendorf and the base
is in caretaker status and used for training, living quarters for tours and
fishing expeditions, etc.
Other sites: Cape Newenham which is closed (I think) is now identified on
the map as Cape Newenham Wildlife Refuge. They were the ones who discovered
the sub which they saw from the 60 foot cliff above the water and heard
unintelligable talking in the wee-morning hours. At my site, we called
Kodiak Naval Air Station who scrambled a P2V to perform a search and
identification effort with the air controllers at Newenham.
Cape Romanzof which is closed (I think) was located in the area of Emmonak.
They were the first ones to detect the P2V being chased by the Migs.
Subsequently, the P2V went down to the deck of the Bering Sea and one of
the Migs auggered into the sea while chasing it and the other Mig went home.
There was a major hospital at Bethel with nurses where some of the troops
took R/R when they could get a flight out.
There were some other sites that were Gap filler radars but I don't remember
their locations. One thing you can do is to got to www.radomes.org and look
through all of the guestbook and photq information. Additionally, there is
www.togger.com which addresses the USAF's SAGE system which I was a part of
and it was ahead of it's time. Fantastic sites. You can also search for
Aircraft Control and Warning or AC&W to be led to other sites. Read some of
the entries by personnel who were there.
One of my close friends is a retired senior chief (ACCS) who spent a couple
of tours at Kodiak and has an Alaskan Brown Bear skin hanging on his wall.
Take care and have a nice day!
111
From: Edward R. Franklin edmarinc(at)san.rr.com
Subject: The Kodiak Page
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 16:46:58 -0700
I like your site. Lots of history.
I was USAF stationed 90 miles west of Kodiak at King Salmon Air Force
Station doing Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) 10/57 to 10/58. Great
outdoors, great fishing, great northern lights, great bears, and great
wolves. Worked with the P2Vs out of Kodiak whenever we found a skunk on the
scene. I remember in March of 1958 when the P2V was hurrying back to our
side of the international dateline with a large number of MIGs after it.
Watched the whole picture on radar and the plotting board. Those guys sure
had a lot of guts or elso no brains.
110
From: Larry Wilson larryw (at) foldacover.com
Subject: My time on Kodiak
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 15:45:29 -0400
Hi Joe! I was at NAVRADSTA(T) Buskin Lake from 11/63 to 3/66. Big quake in
'64 and everything. Buddy of mine got a Kodiak. Was a member of Solly's
Boozers. Had a wonderful time for the 2 years I was there. Did a lot of
fishing out by the transmitter site. If any of the guys that were up there
with me during that time see this, e-mail me at larryw(at)foldacover.com.
Grand Rapids, Mi. 1-800-322-0522 x-223. Alway wonder how things are up
there. I got photos of the quake damage. If I can find negatives, I will
send them. Thanks for the web site. Keep it up. Larry Wilson RM3 USN
109
From: Jay Carlson Jcarlson (at) geneva.com
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 10:44:02 -0600
Dear Sir:
Thanks for a great web site I enjoyed looking at it.
My father was at Kodiak in 1941 and 42 while in the U.S. Army. I'm thinking
from the information on your site he may have been at the army dock.
[One of the photos is Long Island.]
Attached are several photos from his album - hope you enjoy them.
Jay Carlson (WB7TCV)
Buildings.Jpg 155mm guns.jpg Rulon Carlson.Jpg
Joey Brown.JPG tents_snow.JPG
108
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 21:13:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Cape chiniak photos etc
Boy thats a quick turnaround. Surprised you havent had more hits from
Chiniakers on your site. The name of the facility was U,S, Naval
Security Group Activity Cape Chiniak. It was a seperate part of Naval
Communications Station Kodiak which was at the main base. Chiniak was a
40 man base under an OIC. We operated a direction finding station as a
part of a net surrounding the Pacific. The tour of duty there was one
year and I think most of us really loved it. We all loved especially
time spent with "Jake" the trapper who lived a few miles toward the main
base from us. He visited us frequently since we had good food and great
cooks. On those times when I was invited to dinner at the Commsta
C.O.s house I always brought Jake he was the life of the party and a
Kodiak legend. Those of us who he invited for breakfast at his cabin had
a real sourdough biscuit treat. We tried very hard to not notice his
hands that he kneeded the dough with since they were generally dripping
salmon guts,dog hair,and probably even more exotic stuff. While I was
there I operated KL7CYU.the base ham station . Lots of "outside"phone
patches. Gave up my license after I retired in 1971. Again really
pleased to hear from you and the update. Often wish I could hop up there
and see the place again but Im sure Id be dissapointed since it was so
pristine and beautiful then. 73s
Dick Loden
107
From: ro496molod (at) webtv.net (Richard Loden)
Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 18:39:18 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Cape chiniak photos etc
Really enjoy your site on Kodiak and Chiniak . Was quite interested in
"Pete Azzoles" cabin. As the architect, head logger,and chief
carpenter on that cabin, I think that probably "fisherman Azzole" was one
of the least contributing crew members to that project. Funny how I
remember constructing that thing right from falling the trees right
through the opening party as a blast since none of us were
loggers, builders, bricklayers or construction types. And to see it still
semi standing is something. R Loden OIC Cape Chiniak 61-62 now LCDR USN
Ret.
106
From: Msfelish2u (at) aol.com
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 11:25:13 EDT
Subject: Looking for Information
I am looking for information about a unit. My grandfather was
in the Air Force, he died in a C-124 aircraft accident on Mount Gannett
Alaska on Nov.22,1952. He was in the 625th AC&W Sq. 10th Air Div(Def),
Apo 942. Can you tell anything about the unit. I am doing a search
about his death and trying to get the Airforce to do a search and
recovery of this plane and it's remains. I know this going to be
hard, but I need to know what happend to him and the other 51 people
aboard this plane. If anyone can help I am greatful.
Thank you
Tonja Anderson
105
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2001 11:00:32 -0400
Subject: Duty in Kodiak
From: Gerry J Schaller insuranceman54 (at) juno.com
Great website just found it. I was with the Marine Barracks from
December 31, 1965 to October 1, 1967 and it was the greatest duty I ever
had. Seeing the pictures of all the places was real nice but not many
comments from Marines. I just visited with the Marine Club manager from
that period GySgt Landis and his wife, she ran the beauty parlor in the
PX. Would like to hear from anyone stationed at the same time. My
daughter was born in the base hospital so that along makes Kodiak very
special to us. e-mail gerry54 (at) juno.com
Thanks for all the time you have taken to put this together and keep it
up.
Gerry Schaller
Sgt. USMC
104
From: "Capt. Levi" pitzi (at) actcom.co.il
Subject: information about a ship
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 01:38:44 +0200
Sirs, 21 April 2001
Information about a ship enquiry
A Jugoslav ship named RADNIK sailed from Rijeka to Dubrovnik on june 1949 and
arrived Haifa Israel on 30 june 1949. I was a 2 years old baby on board this
ship and I’m very interested in detailed particulars such as: pictures, ship
plans, stories, fate, etc about this RADNIK.
I am almost sure that this ship is a 6566 GRT steam freighter built at 1908
in a Newport News VA. USA shipyard and named LURLINE, then renamed CHIRIKOF
at 1925, then renamed RADNIK at 1947.
Please help me or suggest where can I find the information.
Thanks,
Capt. Arie Levi
p.o.b 3183
Atlit 30300
ISRAEL
tel 972-4-9841376
fax 972-4-9840370
103
From: Dreams4us2000 (at) aol.com
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 00:45:37 EDT
Subject: Hi Joe!!
My Dad was in Alaska during W.W.II he was stationed by the Yukon River he
paned for gold dust for fun. He was a Sergeant I think because when everyone
was sent to leave for war he stayed back to train the men. Would u know
where I could find anyone who would have known him then......he was soooooo
young. He passed away 3 yrs.Nov. and he is missed so much by all of us
kids..........Robert Fay Hodge...#2 daughter Trisha...just thought I would
try!! I to went to Alaska in 1980 to work on the Vita seafood ships.......
102
From: "Charlene Savarino" charsav (at) astound.net
Subject: Kodiak 1944
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 21:50:36 -0700
Hi, You have a very interesting web site. My father in-law Charles Pellriti
went to Kodiak Island with company D 10th battalion 3rd regiment in 1944.
From there they went back to the states and were turned into the 535th
artillery battalion and were sent to Europe. Do you have any info on this or
where he might find some i.e reunions or surviving members. Any info would be
appreciated. Thank you, Paul Savarino Concord, Ca.
{Anybody? We don't have anything. Joe]
101
From: bostonshamrock (at) webtv.net (Charles Donovan)
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 11:19:59 -0500 (CDT)
To: joe (at) kadiak.org
Subject: Kodiak and the Aleutians
I was in the US Navy from 39 thru 45--1941 was stationed aboard USS
Spica AK 16 delivering cargo to Sitka,Kodiak,Dutch Harbor,etc. I
remember docking at what I think was the only dock at Kodiak and walking
quite a distance to get to town on a dirt road. The first building we
reached ( Town Hall ) had a ten or twelve foot black bear in the entry.
In May 42 six of us radiomen were put ashore at Kodiak, and had
breakfast of steak and eggs in a long mess hall up on a hill from the
dock. We were then sent to USNAAS Otter Point,Umnak Island and
Chernofski Bay to set up weather reporting stations . We stayed there
thru Dec 44. There was also a contingent of Seabees commanded by Ens
Gill and a contingent of the 503rd Coast Artillery and I became good
friends with S/Sgt Dick Conroy. I would be very pleased to hear from
anyone who was there or their survivors. Sincerely CF Donovan RM1c USN
100
From: leepaul (at) webtv.net
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 12:12:56 -0600 (CST)
Subject: White Alice Kodiak
While stationed for my second year on
Kodiak, my self and a friend help down
pillar mtn a guy who injured himself on
a fulltrack. Had to be winter of 71-72
Just wonder if he recovered ok.
100
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 01:33:34 -0500 (EST)
From: Debbie McCabe militaryregistry (at) usa.com
Subject: Joe Rodriguez
CARSON'S CALL!
Want to find friends of WWII vet Joe Rodriguez. He served with CBMU 510 at
Dutch Harbor/Cold Bay/Adak/Great Sitkin/Andrews Lagoon--and with CB 1059 and
144th NCB on Guam. Please contact CARSON'S CALL!
militaryregistry (at) usa.com
99
From: "Zwitterion" zwitterion (at) home.com
Subject: Spruce Cape LorMonSta
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 01:18:43 -0500
Dear Mr.Stevens,
I stumbled upon your website by accident. I was stunned someone
took the time to document Kodiak's military history.
I was an electronics technician (and plank owner) of the Loran Monitoring
Station at Spruce Cape. I was stationed there from Jan 81 to Feb 82 and
was present when it became operational.
Attached please find photos I dug up from my attic. The airborne view was
taken in Jan of 81 from a Coast Guard C130 overflight.
The other picture is the front page of the Support Center's newspaper
mentioning the Loran Monitoring station.
I have other photos I will send you by another email.
I believe I still have the technical manuals to the equipment we used. Let me
know if you are interested, or if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Brian K. Glass
98
From: JWinter588 (at) aol.com
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 23:16:43 EST
Subject: 79th Battalion Photos, Kodiak
Dear Mr. Stevens,
I happened to come across your website with the photos of the 79th
Battalion. My father was in the Headquarters Company, 79th Battalion Seabees
from its beginning through the tour on Kodiak and Saipan and Okinawa in World
War II. Mom and Dad were married while Dad was on Leave between Kodiak and
Saipan. I was absolutely thrilled to see the photos and wonder if you could
possibly put me in contact with the person who submitted the 79th photos to
you? I have a few of my father's original photos from Kodiak, but the
majority of the photos Dad brought back were taken of the 79th on Saipan and
Okinawa. My father passed away in 1996 at the age of 92 and I have a tribute
to him and his service in the 79 Battalion Seabees on the Internet. Here is
a link and the URL for it:
79th Battalion Seabees
http://members.aol.com/jwinter588/JWinter588/newpage3.htm
Sincerely,
Jeannie Winter (JWinter588 at AOL.com)
97
From: "Nick" nee26oxi (at) aug.com
Subject: Seabees
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 15:01:11 -0400
Was on Dutch Harbor 1944-46 with 26 CBU later to CBMU 635,
Still have pictures and info. of those times.Looking for info.
of pals Lou Lavoie and Tom Magliano.I hope some of these guys
are still around. E.mail nee26oxi at aug.com Your old pal Nick Latgis
96
From: Bob Douville mandouv (at) neosoft.com
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 20:34:48 -0500
Served at CGAD Kodiak as blackshoe in brownshoe world (YN3) in 1962. Was
then 17ND HQ and NavSta Kodiak. We were tenant command in half a hangar.
The salmon fishing was phenomenal that year! Bob Douville, CDR,USCG(Ret.)
95
From: Rudme (at) aol.com
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 09:54:04 EDT
Subject: Kodiak
I was with the 26th CB when we arrived on Kodiak in Sept of 44. We were later
broken up into the 635 CBMU. We left there in Feb 46. Do you have any info on
our outfit? Rudy Stefanic
94
From: "R (Sven) Engblom" sven (at) epix.net
To: Joe Stevens WL7AML (at) arrl.net
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 00:26:15 -0400
Subject: White Alice
Joe Stevens,
Visited your WACS Kodiak history site. Verrry good. I recognized Lynn
Saupe's name as well as Bill Ishimoto. I put in my OJT at Kodiak in August
of 57. Can't remember all the name there but I think Lynn was one of them.
Hah, I remember now! Lynn was sent to Kal Creek the same time I was. I
think he was part of my class. Anyway, he was holding on to a VOM while
Chuck Robinson was going to measure the Cathode voltage on the HPA.
WHAP! He took the 16K through a finger and out the heel of his foot. He
spent some time in the hospital at Fairbanks for his bit. Nothing happened
to Chuck other than being shook up about it. Happened on my evening shift
and I remember the sound. Took a chip out of the floor!
I remember Bill Ishimoto mostly when he became a Sector Mgr. The Site
Spvr played a mean harmonica - one of the Harmonicats if memory serves
me correctly. I sold my accordian to a married tech there but can't
remember the name. Left there for Kal Creek. I am forwarding a note that I
wrote to Bill Everly. Haven't heard back from him yet. With great effort I print
screened all the station designations and the various shots from the station.
It even triggered my memory on the Pedro Dome shots that I thought I would
never forget! My congratulations on the efforts you have made to preserve
some of the memories for us old goats.
Sven Engblom
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: R (Sven) Engblom sven (at) epix.net
To: b_everly (at) yahoo.com
Subject: White Alice
Date sent: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 23:31:38 -0400
Bill Everly,
I just visited your site and am very interested in your endevors. I spent 9 1/2
years working the White Alice from April 57 to Oct 66. I was in Federal
Electric's training class 5 - sent to Kodak for OJT then to Kal Creek. Dec 57
I transferred up to Cape Lisbourne for 6 months before going to Pedro Dome.
(Sure know about the tramway and have a couple of good stories about it!)
>From there I went to Kotzebue for 10 months during the change over from
FEC to RCA. By this time I was a Stn Spvr. Andy Cowen wanted me to
move to Necklason Lake but I wanted to go back to Pedro Dome. Chuck
Robinson had Pedro at that time and agreed to a swap because he was
married and wanted the local living. I ran Pedro until 66. By this time I was
married with 3 children. I took a Sector Mgr job running the SW sector but
that was a mistake. Liked stn life. So headed down the hwy and never
looked back. Have a large assortment of slides of a number of stations that I
worked at and visited. May be able to set something up for you. I still am in
contact with several guys that worked with at Pedro - some still in Alaska in
Fairbanks.
You can contact me at sven (at) epix.net, by phone at (717) 261-9118, and by
snail mail at 2420 Scotland Road, Chambersburg, PA 17201.
------- End of forwarded message -------
Sven
When you smile you brighten someone's day.
93
From: Douglas Lyons lyonsden99 (at) earthlink.net
Subject: Kodiak in the early '60's
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 20:40:38 -0700
Dear Joe,
I was searching various sites connected with Kodiak when I encountered
yours. I lived on Kodiak Naval Station as a dependent from Oct 1960 to Aug
1963. My dad was LCDR Robert Lyons(SC) and was on the staffs of RADM's
Caldwell and Bakutis. He retired a year later in Pensacola. As kids, we
used to play in the various gun emplacements near the housing areas. Our
favorite, looked up at the weather tower adjacent to the hospital. Not too
much happened while we were there. I remember warnings not to eat the snow
following the Soviet breaking of the atmospheric nuclear test ban. Not long
afterward, we got concerned with the Cuban Missile Crisis. A P2V Neptune
that was part of a squadron coming up from Whidbey aborted takeoff on the
slushy, main runway in Jan 1962, (I think) and banked LEFT instead of right
and careened into the side of Old Woman Mountain at about the 300 ft level,
killing immediately 7 of the 12 aboard. The tidal wave hit 7 months after
our departure but we followed the news intently. Your site will consume a
considerable amount of time in perusing. I returned to Kodiak in Aug 1979
while on leave from Midway Is. Two years later, I was back for a few days
during two port calls on NOAA vessels. The weather in Kodiak was
consistently the worst that I have ever experienced but I loved it when the
sun came out. I am planning a visit to Alaska in July and am contemplating
how to fit Kodiak in. Thank you very much for your site. Its excellent.
Looking at it will answer many of the questions that I've had all these
years.
Doug Lyons
92
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 19:05:13 -0400
From: John R. Fahey 71177.3652 (at) compuserve.com
Subject: Third try to get back to you.
Joe, I just checked the 3rd volume of THE FORGOTTEN WAR and on page 4
there is a picture of the USAT ST. MIHIEL in 1940.
The ST. MIHIEL in 1943 on our last trip went from Alaska to San
Francisco, to Hawaii ,back thru the Panama Canal to Cuba and from
there to Boston Navy Yard. She was decomissioned and the crew was all
sent to various stations for reassignment. This was in November and
December. After she was decomissioned I understand that she was made
into a Navy hospital ship. I do not know under what name she ran.
I will try and see what I can do about getting that picture copied
and I will keep you informed about it.
By the way, when Dutch Harbor was bombed we were just out of Kodiak
and were diverted to Kodiak. We were loaded with troops, bombs for
the Air Corps, and gasoline drums for aviation fuel all over the
decks. While we were along side the dock a couple of PBY's took off
looking for the Japanese carriers when a williwaw came up and one of
the planes crashed. Scared the heck out of us on the ship.
The St. Mihiel also was the ship that took the Japanese Zero back to
the United States that was shot down in the Dutch Harbor raid.
Enough for now.
Thanks for asking an old sailor for his memories.
John Fahey
Torrance, California
91
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 13:47:30 -0800
Subject: Chiniak History [USAF Tracking Station]
From: Gerald R. Brookman brookman (at) alaska.net
Dear Joe:
I enjoyed our telephone conversation this past week. I was sorry to hear
that Tony Smaker has gone to the great beyond. I've really enjoyed the
parts of his book I've read, and plan to read the rest, in the near future.
Regarding the names of personnel listed in Chapter 2: After 40 years or
so, your brain cells start to die off, and the names of some folks that you
can almost visualize no longer come to mind immediately. I was in the first
crew that manned up the site in September of 1958 (it could have been early
October), and left just about two years later, after they were able to snag
the first DISCOVERER payload (if I'm not mistaken, that was Discoverer 13!).
I will list, below, the names of some of the crew I recall. A * will
indicate members of the first crew - some of them left after the first year
or so, and so Tony may not have known them. (FN ?) will indicate I can't
recall the person's first name, (LN?) will indicate I can't recall his last
name.
PHILCO: Jim Swarthout*; Dick Sewell*; Jim Warren*; Don Jacob (or Jacobs)*;
George Bauer*; Floyd R. Smith*; Jake Schmidt*; John ("Brown Bear") Price*;
Bill Munn; Stan Shoup; Joe Gasko; Wes Fuller; (FN?) Merril; and Ray (LN?).
There were a few others, but their names escape me right now.
BUDSON: Karl Armstrong; Bill Byers; Bill Hunt; Barney Herbrig; Tony (LN?).
LOCKHEED: Joe Scott.
While I'm on the subject of names, I'd like to pass on for the record,
what I believe are the correct spellings of some of the names of people Tony
lists. I could be wrong, and he could have been right, but this will be the
way I remember them. These corrections will no doubt seem like nit-picking
to some folks, but for the benefit of any future historians, I'll give you
my version, for whatever it may be worth. Saul (not Sol) Hebert; Alfred
Biermanski (not Romanski); Dick Proenneke (not Prentki); George Borsody (not
Borsidy). Also, Ray Vest, Herman's cousin, worked in the mess hall for a
fairly short time. George, as I recall, had been a captain in the Hungarian
army and has escaped in the short-lived Hungarian revolt of late 1956. I'm
not sure of Dick Proenneke's present whereabouts, he would be getting up in
years now (as we all are!), but for quite a few years he lived by himself
in a remote location on the west side of Cook Inlet; I believe it is in what
is now Lake Clark National Park. As of a couple of years or so ago, I
understand that he was still there, and I haven't seen histed in the
obituaries so hope he is still enjoying life, either there or where ever he
may be! He wrote a book, which I believe is entitled ONE MAN'S WILDERNESS.
I just want to make one comment on some of the entries in this site's
guest book that I've read. One of the folks who made an entry, was the
service contract manager (or supervisor) a few years after I left. He made
a statement to the fact that he had to terminate Herb Long, and to the best
of my recollection, I believe he inferred it had to do with Herb's heavy
drinking. A later entry defended Herb. I, myself, thought very highly of
Herb, and still do. He was a perfect gentleman, and extremely competent, in
my opinion. What may have happened after I left the site I have no way of
knowing, but I don't recall ever have seen Herb take a drink. He may have
drunk in moderation while I was there, but he certainly wasn't a heavy
drinker, of which we had several!, and I don't recall ever having seen him
in one of the bars in Kodiak on the weekends. Herb would probably be well
up into his 80s if he's still living; I did run into him once, in Anchorage,
in the early or mid 60s, but have no idea of what may have happened to him
since then. If anyone may have any information on the matter, I would
certainly appreciate hearing from them.
I have forgotten quite a bit about the technical details of the equipment
we used, I worked in the Telemetry Van the first year and the second year
was supervisor of the Instrumentation Van. I will try to answer any
questions that anyone may have on that aspect of the operations, etc., that
anyone may have but this will do it for now. i'd love to hear from anyone
with an interest in the subject, and particularly anyone who was there when
I was, in the first two years of the site's operation.
Best Regards,
Jerry Brookman (KL7CMN)
90
From: HALMSTEINER (at) email.msn.com
Subject: HOLIDAY BEACH RADSTA
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 16:03:24 -0700
HI JOE AND TOM, WAS READING YOUR WEB PAGE ON KODIAK AND IT BROUGHT BACK MANY
MEMORIES. I REMEMBER BOB FLECK, HE SHOWED ME HOW TO FISH FOR DOLLIE VARDENS
IN THE BUSKIN RIVER. HE TALKED ME INTO BUYING MY FIRST MITCHEL 300 FISHING
REEL. HOLIDAY BEACH WAS GREAT DUTY AND ALL THE GUYS WERE REAL CLOSE. I
REMEMBER A FIRST CLASS CORPSMAN THAT WE CALLED DOC HOLIDAY BECAUSE HE SHOT
HIM SELF TRYING T0 QUICK DRAW. BACK IN THOSE DAYS I WAS A GOOD RADIOMAN BUT
A LOUSY SAILOR, WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO BELIVE THAT I STAYED FOR 20 YEARS. I
REMEMBER BOB FLECK MAKING ME HAUL TOP SOIL TO THE FRONT OF THE RADIO SITE
AND PLANT GRASS ON THAT VOLCANIC LAVA ROCK. I REMEMBER WALKING ALL THE WAY
TO THE RONDESVOUS BAR AT THE BOTTOM OF MIDDLE BAY ( ABOUT 5 MILES) JUST TO
GET A BEER. I SPENT TWO YEARS AT HOLIDAY BEACH AND LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
THANKS FOR LETTING ME SHARE THE MEMORIES WITH YOU. FRANK HALMSTEINER
89
April 11, 2000: [Received phone call from Gerry Brookman,
KL7CMN,
who was at Cape Chiniak Tracking Station from September 1958 to September 1960.
He now lives in Kenai Alaska and retired from FAA.]
89
From: kherman (at) mindspring.com
Subject: Kodiak Naval \ Little Red School House
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 14:53:54 -0400
Hey Joe,
Love your site... I was surprised when I came across the photos of the
little red school house I lived next to when from 1958-1960.. The photo
with the 1956 Lincoln Premier is my dad's car, LCDR Louis D Herman. It was
pink with a white top. It was parked on the side of our house next to the
little red school house when the photo was taken. What a surprise to see our
old car and the tree that never grew on your site.... Brought back many
memories seeing (Old Woman and Barometer) in the background......The Only
thing wrong about the photos is that the negitives must have been backwards
in all three photos... Our house\car and street to access the base ball
field and rear of the houses was on the right of the school house, you may
want to put the black number tabs on the left instead of the right. Keep up
the great work and THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES........ [photos corrected. j0e]
PS: By the way my dad was a (Black Cat) pilot in the south Pacific.
Louis D Herman JR.
88
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 13:02:58 -0900
From: cheitman (at) ptialaska.net
Subject: Puffin Island
Mr. Stevens,
Something of interest concerning Puffin Island, is that it was owned by
August Henry Heitman Jr.(my husband's Dad) until the Navy or DOD
confiscated it from him during World War II against his consent
(although he was given a small check as compensation, which he never
cashed). He inherited the island from his aunt. There used to be a
house and vegetable garden on the island because his aunt lived on it.
Also, before the war, there was a 50ft. high hill on the island. The
Navy blasted it down.
My husband has a copy of the original Deed to Puffin Island. A copy of
the Heitman land title is also in the local museum. There are Archive
records of the property in the Kodiak Court House, which states that
Puffin Island belongs to August Heitman Jr. and his heirs.
My husband and his family have tried over the years to have the property
returned to their family, since the government took it without consent,
and do to the fact that the island has not been needed by the military
since the war. Letters have been written to the Federal Government
attempting to locate information on when the island was confiscated.
Puffin Island is part of the Heitman family's ancestry and they would
like to have it returned to them. The Heitman family are the only ones
who have the Deed to the property.
Thought that you would find this information interesting.
Carolyn Heitman
87
From Donald E. Warner strd32 (at) aol.com
Date: February 21, 2000
(received via snail mail)
My wife and I were on Kodiak from May 1957 until May 1959 when I was
attached to the Fleet Weather Central there. I see many notes to you
calling it the Weather Center but it was Central or FWC as
there were others around the world too.
Our first son was born there in the base hospital and many of our slides are
of him. We lived in five different places in town, some were so bad we only
stayed a month.
I worked at what was known as the "Radar Palace" on a hill above the hangar
area where we sent up four balloons a day, two for visual "Pibals" and two
large ones for "Radiosondes" with a instrument package attached. I am sure
the National Weather Service still does this today but from a different
site.
I loved to hunt and fish, and did a lot of both. We also went out to
Ft.Abercrombie often for picnics and to shoot our guns. We reloaded our own
ammo back then at the Radar Palace using lead from the old Coast Guard bouy
batteries. Lots of good times.
When Russia sent the Sputnik up they would shut all the lights on the base
out at night to view it as it passed over us. We in turn sent up numerous
balloons with small lights attached and got a big kick out of it until the
admiral called our skipper and put an end to it, no sense of humor I guess.
See Don's pictures.
86
From: BubbaSip (at) aol.com
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 20:40:41 EST
Subject: 1964 Earthquake.
I just found out this web existed and am excited to share that night of the
big Kodiak Earth Quake party, some good, some tragic.
I am in the process of writing a book about my nine years in Kodiak. I just
found the Tony Smaker book who I worked with several years with.
I' m trying to contact him with tons of pictures and goofy true stories I
have.
I have done things there and have movies no one has. I was the only one at
the Tracking Station to shoot a Kodiak Bear and a Polar Bear. I had a
picture taken of me and the Polar Bear in front of the Welcome to AirForce
Satellite Control Kodiak Tracking Station.(SIGN) This was accomplished the
last year the Polar Bears went on the Extinct Species list, around 1964 or
65. I jumped it 150 miles north of Point Barrow on the ice. That town is a
trip and half
I was station ay the Chiniak Tracking Station June 1 1963 thru June 1 1972
working for Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. I was in town for a party and
bar hoping. Oh what an afternoon and night it was. A frigging marine damn
near shot me. I was in town that night up by the police station and help. I
have or hop I have that is still good, a mm color of the town a few days
later. I remember the 96' fishing boat the seeliff setting up by the red
school house.
If your interested or anyone is interested I would be interested CO authoring
material I have 60 good chapter of material and am interest in making a book
and possibly a movie. Money is good. Let me know what's cooking and maybe
I can add some flavoring BOB
85
From: BubbaSip (at) aol.com
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 18:19:46 EST
Subject: Tons of Chiniak, Kodiak, and Alaska Material
HI. My name is Bob Siptrott and was stationed at the Chiniak Tracking Station
Kodiak Island Alaska from June 1, 1963 through June 1, 1972
I have all sorts of photos and stories to tell. If interested I will make
an overview of what I have. I was in the Midst of writing a book myself and
thought with the leg work that has already been done that maybe I could CO
author the second book.
Let me tell you the first book was mild compared to the incidents I used to
get into.
I knew Tony Smaker very well and he did a real excellent job on the first
book. During the period mentioned the Tracking Station and the town was one
big family.
My big dream is to have a movie made out of a book that is comparable to
MASH incidents. I have enough material to write about sixty pants wetting
chapters.
Dreamin Bob
84
From: "Ian Casey" ian (at) mccaslan.com
Subject: Kodiak Alaska, 1919-1920
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 02:19:17 -0800
Hi;
I'm looking for any information I can find pertaining to either, or both, of
my grand parents who met and married in Alaska in abt 1921. He was Captain
William McCaslan Scaife of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. She was Mildred
Leone Bozorth, a teacher at an "Indian School" in Kodiak. Captain W.M.
Scaife's diary, dated 1919-1920, relates his time surveying "within site of
Kodiak on a clear day". It is published on the net by NOAA, the modern version
of the C&GS. This diary can be found at
http://www.lib.noaa.gov/edocs/scaife1.html. It certainly shows an interesting
side of the Kodiak area during that time. I would greatly appriciate any help
or information you might be able to provide about my Grand Mother, and the
school she taught at, or my Grand Father and his work. Also anxious to locate
a map that will show the areas around Kodiak that are identified in his diary,
any pictures pertaining to either. etc etc.
Thank you.
Ian Casey
ian (at) mccaslan.com
Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
83
From: Charles_Price (at) ap.org
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 07:44:08 -0800
Love your Kadiak web site. Funny thing, my brother was probably one of
the last people on the S.S. Grant which ran aground on a reef off New
Guinea at full speed. He was a typewriter and optics specialist (Specialist
Artificer Instrument 1st) and he borded the ship as it was breaking up on
the reef. He was stationed on New Guinea. I have a bilge sounds note book
with a typewritten note in the back cover by my brother telling of his
three days aboard. Also have the keys to the captains quarters and had a
blanket.
Charlie
82
From: MIDWOOD165 (at) aol.com
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 07:49:12 EST
Subject: Re: 16th Communication Sq, AACS
I'm glad to make a contact. During 1943 I was stationed in Whitehorse,
Yukon, as a telegraph operator. We were sending air planes to the USSR under
the lend lease program. They were C-47s, P39s, later P63s. Also some medium
bombers, A20s, B25s, and B26s. My job was to transmit flight plans from
Buffalo, NY to Fairbanks. The Soviets, then would take over the aircraft's at
Fairbanks and go to Siberia, with refuel stopovers at Glenia and Nome.
I am now living in Florida during the winter months, and the summers in
Brooklyn. NY
Get back to you later.
Phil Spandorf
West Palm Beach, FL
81
From: dfcassedy (at) att.net
Subject: Sitkinak Island
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 21:55:40 +0000
TO Joe Stevens:
I found your Sitkinak Island website today and it was a
fun surprise. I visited that island in 1983 during an
archaeological survey for the Coast Guard. They were in
the processing of planning to divest themselves of the
property and had to sponsor various environmental
studies. We chartered a plane out of Kodiak and flew
into the gravel strip. The LORAN tower was still
standing, and a guy was living in the buildings. He was
the caretaker for somebody who was raising cattle on the
island. We were there for three days and found a 500
year old Eskimo archaeological site on the beach across
the ridge from the station.
I now live in Raleigh, NC and haven't been back to
Alaska since 1983. I still remember the flight into
Kodiak airport (seeing that mountain loom up at the end
of the runway!)
Dan Cassedy
80
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 19:37:37 -0600
From: Paul Severson pseversn (at) prairie.lakes.com
Subject: 215th
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your reply, I'm very interested in the maps you mentioned.
How do I make arrangements to obtain them? Dad would enjoy seeing them,
he's not been well, especially over the past year.
Here's some of what I know of his unit. He joined the local National
Guard unit in 1932, at age 15. His brother belonged to the same unit,
which was an infantry company in St. Peter, MN. Dad said this unit was
changed from infantry to Coastal Artillery in about 1940-41, before
the war.
According to information put out by the Minnesota National Guard:
"Due to the war situation in 1940 the nations entire National Guard
was mobilized for one year of active duty in late August. Once war
was declared, the 12 month mobilization became extended "for the
duration."
(As I understand it the 215th was composed of 13 units from
Southwestern Minnesota).
Minnesota's 215th and 216th Coastal Artillary (AA) Battalions
were sent into active Federal service on January 6, 1941. They
were sent to Camp Haan, California, for training on
anti-aircraft guns. The 215th was assigned in the summer
to man the guns defending the new naval base on Kodiak Island."
Dad's unit was Battery B/215th Coast Artillary, They manned guns at
Cliff Point on Kodiak. The guns were 3 WWI Guns and I understand
they may still be there, and that Cliff Point is now a park?
[ Cliff Point is not a park, there is no evidence of artillery
there. Miller Point, Ft. Abercrombie, is a state park. ]
From Camp Haan they were sent by train through Portland, Oregon to a
National Guard camp adjacent to Ft Lewis in Washington State in July.
In September they left by ship, through port at Seattle for for
Kodiak. While still within sight of land they were required to
stay below decks, probably a security precaution.
He has mentioned that Armed Forces had it's start on Kodiak
during the war, I think I have an article pertaining to that
somewhere. He also told me about various celebrities who
visited the troops there; Edgar Bergen, Peggy Lee and
Joe E. Brown who he has a picture of.
His duties during the time at Kodiak was a cook at the
Officers Mess. There are some souviners but unfortunatly
his uniform is gone. I know we have some Sea Lion Tusks
found on the beach and several copies of the Fort newspaper.
I'm a veteran myself and try to keep what information I
can because I know nobody else in the family will, and
I don't want everything lost.
Talk to you again sometime, let me know how I can order
the maps. I take it you're a ham, my call is N0CJH. 73's
Paul M. Severson
27078 N. Lake RD
Sleepy Eye, MN 56085
79
Date: Sat, 09 Oct 1999 09:52:28 -0600
From: Paul Severson pseversn (at) prairie.lakes.com
Subject: Kodiak
Hi Joe, I enjoyed your site and reading the messages, what a wealth of
history. My dad Paul L. Severson was stationed on Kodiak with the 215th
CA, as was his brother "Bing". They started out with the Minnesota
National Guard in St. Peter, MN, and were federalized for the war. I
have always enjoyed their stories about their time there. One of the
things they talk most about is in the beginning, having to haul
everything up a hill from the beach to their site on a point, including
a big gun. I hope some day to visit Kodiak and see whats left of
buildings, etc.
Paul M. Severson
78
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 17:37:25 -0400
From: Harry Taubin harryt3(at)prodigy.net
Subject: Kodiak
Hi Joe.....All I have is high lights of my time in Alaska and
Aleutians..so here goes. Took inland passage up and then the open sea to
Kodiak. The freighter was something else ..got seasick and I can still
feel it. There was a dead pilot floating around and ship stopped to get
his dog tags and it was my first experiece of war. Probably no one
thinks of him except me and now you.
We were only about twenty guys on the boat in the 716th. We didnt do
much in Kodiak but then they sent us out to Umnak to set up a radar
station. We put up three quonsets and the radar unit and stayed for
about three months. I managed to scan one plane and we radiod back to
Kodiak the position of it. Then to Alitak and stayed there a short time
not doing much..
We were only this small group of guys that I remember and they seemed to
keep us together From the above we went to Adak for 2 years where were
deep into Aircraft Warning. I managed to wind up relaying teletype
messages to two other places and I dont know where they were. and
remember playing lots of handball in my off hours at a facility called
the Tundarena. Anybody out there remember the Tundarena?
Guess the above isnt too romantic but thats how it was.
Hey Joe what is Alitak and Umnak like today?. Umnak was just plain
desolate And Alitak was just a fishing village in my day..Have a picture
of me on a dry docked fishing boat named the Sykes.
As a P.S. on Umnak when my friend and I took that long walk to the
abondened out post we stayed at a Yakutat hut which apparently preceded
quonsets. and wish I had pictures of that adventure.
Thanks for your efforts for all you are doing Joe.......Harry
77
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1999 13:10:03 -0500
From: oldham oldham (at) pagosasprings.net
To: Odonnod (at) aol.com, WL7AML (at) arrl.net
Subject: NavCommSta Kodiak
Hello,
Saw your posting on the Kodiak Military History page, it
sounds very familiar.
I was a Chief Radioman and NAVRADSTA(R) Holiday Beach October
1961 to October 1963. I lived at MEMQ 38EB (across the street
from the Fleet Weather Center). I went from Holiday Beach to
Fleet Weather Center when FWC Communications was transferred
to NAVCOMMSTA, I was only there a couple of months to get some
equipment set up and functioning. My last 6 months there (on
that tour) I was Chief in Charge of the Relay Center just
below Circuit Control - across the passage way from Personnel.
I left Kodiak and went to USN&MCRTC Santa Monica California
for 3 years the the USS Saratoga CVA 60 for 2 years then back
to KODIAK in 1968 and lived on the corner across the street
from the hospital and the Little Red School House as an RMCS,
I was Chief in Charge NAVRADSTA(R) Holiday Beach, that was
when the Holiday Beach beach house was built, I forget the
chief's name that was in charge of building that but he done a
fine job with all that second hand material.
After about a year and a half, we had an E9 who the CO did not
want as Chief Master at Arms, so he transfered me in as Chief
in Charge of the Mesage Center at COM17 Headquarters and made
me NCS Chief Master at Arms.
I also worked as night manager of the CPO club for a while,
never will forget beefeaters and bingo - a great time was had
by all.
R. L. Oldham RMCS USN Retired
oldham (at) pagosasprings.net (Colorado)
76
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 16:44:27 -0400
From: Harry Taubin harryt3 (at) prodigy.net
Subject: Hello
Hi Joe...found your page and gotta give you an "A" cause you made my
day.(it rhymes) Spent two months in Kodiak about March of 1943 in a unit
called the 716th AWC. Then to Umnak and Alitak for a few more months and
then on to Adak for two years. Wonder if you know anything about the
716th cause I would like to find some of guys that were in it with me. My
call is W2GCW and I am in Harrisonburg, Va. PS... I am jealous...
cause my dream of bliss is being able to make a web page one hundreth as
good as yours. Regards...Harry
75
From: FHolmes101 (at) aol.com
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 11:36:52 EDT
Subject: Re: VS48-1
CC: liveoak (at) linkonline.net [Bill Alberts]
Greetings Joe,
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the VS48 detachment at Kodiak and
my memory being what it is I can't even remember any of their names. The
picture which I have titled VS48-1(attached) is of VS48 detachment personnel
at Dutch Harbor. Officers names I have but only 1 enlisted(in watch caps)
can I recall for certain.
With the help of my flight log book I can recount an incident that occurred
at Kodiak on Jan 25,1945 as follows:
I was a passenger in a PBY-5A under the command of Patrol Plane Commander
(PPC) Charles J. Hellie inbound to Kodiak from Dutch Harbor (for whatever
reason I don't know - probably a boondoggle of some kind). The weather was
so bad and nearly everybody aboard was air sick. We made 4-5 unsuccessful
attempts to find the runway. Through the skill of our PPC and a great radar
operator we located Lake Chiniak and made an open water landing there - the
PBY-5A was an amphibian, you know. We stayed there overnite and when the
weather cleared the next day we took off for the airstrip. A HARROWING
EXPERIENCE !!!!!!!!!!! which I shall always remember as one of the several
brushes with the grim reaper that I have experienced.
Best regards,
Frank Holmes
28625 Trailriders Dr
Ranch Palos Verdes, CA 90275-3050
310-541-9644
74
From: Norman Glover glover (at) aegis-institute.org
Date: Tuesday, August 10, 1999 1:11 PM
Subject: USCG Loran Transmitting Station, Spruce Cape
I believe that Ft Abercrombie State Park is the site of LorSta Spruce Cape.
I was OICC for this station in 1951-2. I had previously been with the ARC
in the Valdez-Glenallen District but returned to active duty for the Korean
War.
Highway Engineer with the ARC was my first job after graduating from
Columbia Univ. I arrived with tweed jacket, grey flannels and penny loafer
as an immigrant from the Ivy League (Reruns of "Northern Exposure are not
half as funny.)
I have (somewhere) stacks of photos of our hurried conversion of Ft.
Abercrombie to a much needed unit of the service.I visited with its 1st
C.O. CAPT (then LTJG) Herbert J. Lynch, USCG Ret, in Oakland about three
years. When the war started, Alaska was protected by a battalion of
infantry at Anchorage and 36 obsolescent plane at Elmendorf. Kodiak was
the center of our presumed defense with two (2) old CG PBYs,(oh yes,
also one old Grumman prop fighter for the skipper of the Naval Station
to play with.) two (2) old 180 ft "buoysnatchers" SEDGE and BITTERSWEET
and a navy tug named BAGADUCE. (I attended the BITTERSWEET's 50th
Anniversary in Woods Hole MA, five years ago they retired her and
sold/gave her to Estonia the year after.)
Since I left Kodiak, I have lived and worked on 6 continents but never
forgot the island and the things I learned there and my real "growing up".
will try to return to Alaska for the first time, later this summer. I shall
bring along my younger son. I think he can probably still wear the
Pendleton shirt, I bought at the general store on the dock (D&A it was
called, I think) for $18. IN 1951.
Sincerely,
Norman J. Glover, PE, RA
73
From: StArY8902 (at) aol.com
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 21:06:52 EDT
Subject: Born in Kodiak, Naval Air Station 23 March, 1960
My Dad, Paul R Andrews, retired Navy CPO, was stationed at Kodiak, Ak. I was
born there and have always wanted to return.
My parents have home movies (old 8mm) that shows the old commisary burning
down.
Is there any directories of people that were stationed in Kodiak?
If anyone knows please let us know.
Thanks,
Toni Andrews
72
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 22:04:43 -0700
From: Walter Dangel cannon (at) ptialaska.net [ KL7BUS Walt ]
Subject: ww2
Joe:
Just reviewing your fine web page and found my old searchlight
featured. Bald Hill at Cape Chiniak. Just for a laugh, when the
contractor built our sectional building. There are four men on a
searchlight so a 16x16 building was constructed. Then they asked how
many men would be stationed there as they were going to build an out
house for us, we said four. Then appeared a four seater crapper that
was actually larger than our House. Hope you didn't find the hole the
hard way Joe. Have many pictures taken of the kodiak area in
1941---1944 and 1978 and 1988. Plan to rv to Kodiak next year
maybe June or there abouts and would like to meet you.
Best, Walter Dangel
71
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 20:42:28 -0700
From: Walter Dangel cannon (at) ptialaska.net
Subject: Re: 2nd Bn 250th Coast Artillery, California National Guard
Dear Joe:
Thank you for the information on Kodiak, I was stationed there
from October 1941 to March 1944. Was in on the startup of Fort
Abercrombe and also out at Cape
Chiniak, Fort Smith. Was in Battery G [searchlight] of the 250th C.A.
Corporal in communications and searchlight commander at Fort Smith. My
old concrete control station and searchlight shelter are still standing
but my sectional living quarters was torn down when they cleaned up the
old Quonset huts several years ago. It is located where the large
lagoon narrows down about half way in its length.
The 250th sent a Battalion to Sitka, Kodiak and to Dutch Harbor.
I was in Sitka June to October 1941. Smaller units were in Seward and
Anchorage. We were all returned to the U.S. for retraining the Summer
of 1944 and trained for Field Artillery. Three Battalions were formed
from the Regiment, which was oversized, the 529th, 534th and the 535th
Field Artillery Battalions. We were armed with 8" Howitzers and the
535th was sent to Germany and saw action during the battle of the Rose
Pocket, [Rohr] I was in the 535th as a radio operator in the
Headquarters Battery. The other two Battalions went to Italy.
Be happy to answer any questions Joe, any time.
Sincerely, Walter Dangel
70
From: FShull (at) aol.com
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 13:28:38 EDT
Subject: Kodiak, WWII
I have been reading you Kodiak information.
My father was stationed on Kodiak at the Naval Air Station from
1941 to 1943. He was a photographer with the US Navy . My
mother, sister and I went to Kodiak in October of 1941 and lived
in the navy housing there. We enjoyed our time there. When Japan
attacked Pearl Harbor they made plans to evacuate us. While
waiting to be evacuated we had to be prepared for possible attack
by the Japanese, by keeping a supply of food ready and white
sheets to line down in the snow and hide.
We were evacuated later that month on the US Grant, an army
transport, with 750 women and children. It was a stormy trip and
we were chased by a Japanese sub and had to take refuge in the
Inside Passage for a while. We arrived in Seattle on Christmas
eve. My father remained in Kodiak and as he was a photographer
we have a lot of photos taken during his time there.
I enjoyed reading your site.
Frances Mansfield Shull
69
From: Odonnod (at) aol.com
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 14:28:07 EDT
Subject: NAVCOMMSTA KODIAK 62-65
I was a Chief Radioman in charge of Circuit Control at the Navcommsta
from Sep 62 to Sept 65 when I was transferred to Navcommsta Guam for
my third tour there.
Our Excutive Officer was LT Jack Durham who when he retired built a
cabin out on the Chiniak road and bought a fishing boat. There was an
old trapper out that way named Jake. Don Timmons. Tom Bigart (both
chiefs) and Jim Senn (a doctor) and I used to go hunting and fishing
over in Afognak and down on the Karlark (spelling ??)\\river. [Karluk]
We were there during the earthquake in March of 64 and the Navcommsta
received the Navy Unit Commendation medal for their work in restoring
communications to the Navy facilities. I see Chief Les Campbell another
radioman who was at the Weather Center there at a Fleet Reserve Assn
convention each year.
Also Chief Osvetics who used to run the message center at the admin
building lives close by. Had a great time in Kodiak and the family
loved it. Jerry Schumacher a Chief Cook who was the CPO Manager was an
old friend of mine.
The food up there was great. Roast Moose, Raindeer sausage,elk burgers,
king crab,salmon etc etc just great
BILL O'DONNELL now living in Annapolis MD.
68
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 10:45:20 -0400
From: Andrew_Patrick (at) nps.gov (Andrew Patrick)
Subject: Kodiak Military History
Hi Joe,
My name is Andrew Patrick and I'm a National Park Service historian
who has been newly assigned to a project pertaining to the Kodiak
military base. The details of which I've been informed are as
follows: the Coast Guard has recently been granted funds for the
documentation of several World War Two era buildings on the base and I
am here, with another historian and an architect (who have not arrived
in Anchorage yet) to create historic sign posts for the buildings,
Kodiak's role in the North Pacific Campaign, etc. Your web site has
been a tremendous help in getting me started and the stories contained
in the guestbook are great. I guess I'm mainly wondering if you would
be willing to answer a question or two and get me going in the right
direction. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Andrew
67
From: "Bob Whitman" petermoss (at) sprintmail.com
To: "Jim Richardson" weddingwonders (at) iolt.com,
"Joe Stevens"
Subject: RE: 37th Inf., 2d bn
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 23:19:53 -0500
Thanks, Jim. I really like the update and have a few
questions. Maybe someone has answers. Did any of the
37th go to Attu besides Co H? And does anyone know
whether there was a group of Rangers who trained on
Kodiak or in that area? Dad always told us about one
legged knee bends, for skiing(???) or for competing
with the Rangers?(who weren't any better than the
Infantry). Does anyone know the names of other
personnel, the C.O. of Co H, other C.O.'s, or other
personnel in Co H? Dad lost his best friend on Attu,
last name Taylor. Dad boxed, supposedly was pretty
good, any names of former contenders?
From Dad's Army record, what's left of it anyway.
The dates match, exactly. Dad was part of Co D,
20th Inf.. He also drove a truck or was qualified
as a driver(which is what he was doing when he joined
(8/31/40)). Dad's record jumps from page 7 to 15,
are the pages missing or are those pages inserted only
if required? He (from page 14) "was under hostile air
attacks while stationed on Amchitka, Alaska on the
following dates: January 24, 25, 27 and 31.
February 1 (twice), 4, 13, 15, and 18, 1943.
" Some of the entries are backwards where the paper
was touching and got wet, you can see these names,
Charles V. Wilson, ????, 37th Inf., and Lester S.
Johnson, 1st Lt., 37th Inf., but I can't read enough
of the entry( imprinted backwards over entries on the
page).
Please, keep in touch. Bob
66
From: "Jim Richardson" jimdrich (at) hotmail.com
Cc: "petermoss" petermoss (at) sprintmail.com
Subject: 37th Inf, 2d bn
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 21:03:16 -0500
Hi Joe, and Bob(cc'd)
I'm writing this on behalf of my father, Charles A. Richardson,
who read the e-mail I showed him from petermoss (at) sprintmail.com .
He was in the 37th inf, 2d bn, during these years. He explained
to me that the 2d Bn was composed of companies E-H, with H Co.
being a 'heavy weapons' company.
He furnishes this information; The 37th Infantry, 2 bn Bn was
formed from cadre furnished by the 20th Infantry Regt. at Fort
Francis E. Warren, Wyoming. He was assigned to Co E., under,
(then) Capt Howard F. Mcmanus, CO.
Early March 1941: The 37th Inf, 2nd Bn, was organized and
assigned to Camp Clatsop, Oregon. The Bn was Commanded by
Major Philip R. Dwyer.
July 15, 1941: 37th Inf, 2d Bn, boarded the ship President
Cleveland at Astoria, Oregon, for Kodiak, Alaska - via -
Seattle, Washington.
July 23, 1941: President Cleveland arrived at Kodiak Island,
Alaska.
Nov 29, 1942: 37th Inf, 2d Bn, Boarded the ship President
Fillmore, at Kodiak.
Dec 6, 1942: 37th Inf, 2d Bn, arrived at Adak Island, via,
Dutch Harbor.
Jan 9, 1943: 37th Inf, 2d Bn, boarded the USNS Middleton at
Adak.
Jan 12, 1943: Landed on Amchitka Island
Mar 7, 1944: 37th Inf, 2d bn, boarded the ship USS Cherecough
Mar 18, 1944: 37th Inf, 2d Bn, arrived at Seattle, Washington,
and on to Camp White, Oregon for leaves and further
assignments, etc.
He believes the APO 986 went to the Aleutians (probably Kodiak)
then dispersed to wherever the specific units and individuals were.
The extended stay (he was ready to get leave when Pearl Harbor
was bombed) postponed his marriage. Finally on April 1, 1944,
(wouldn't wait just one more day--April fools and all) he
married my mother Mollie Caplinger, and Aug 14, 1945 (a good
day for the 'Japs' to surrender!) I was born. :)
I can be reached at jimdrich at hotmail.com
Thanks for letting us 'share',
Jim Richardson
65
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 22:06:09 -0700
From: Charles Caldwell cbc (at) cts.com
Subject: Kodiak
I was deployed to Kodiak several times with VP-1 in the 60s and spent three
great years at Kodiak as the Operational Plans Officer on the Staff,
COMALSEAFRON/COMFAIRALASKA from '68 - to its disestablishment in June 1971.
Flew the C-54 and HU-16 all over Alaska. Took home a beautiful Kodiak bear
rug and a very large moose rack. Fishing was world class and my family
really enjoyed our tour.
Fair skies . . . Chuck.
64
From: Rafenow (at) aol.com
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 19:35:40 EDT
Subject: Re: Kodiak Alaska Military History
Gosh, what a surprise to get your note. It led me to the web page which I
enjoyed immensely. Will continue to visit as time permits.
I revisited Kodiak in August 1984 (40 years after leaving.) Had a great time
revisiting places which looked familiar, although the earthquake and tsunami
certainly changed the face of the places I knew. I brought some pictures of
my service time during the war and gave them to the city museum for their
collection.
I arrived at Kodiak Sept. 6, 1943 and spent the next three weeks in the base
hospital with pneumonia; not an auspicious introduction to Alaska.
Fortunately, there was a good supply of the new wonder drug, sulfa, and I
recovered. My unit was the 120th Army Airways Communications System squadron,
attached to the 401st air-base squadron of the Army Air Corps until they got
shipped out. (No U.S. Air Force at that time, we were in the U.S. ARMY).
Then our AACS detachment was assigned to an artillery outfit for rations and
quarters and we got a whole two-story barracks to ourselves.
In the summer of 1944, the Kodiak AACS station was deactivated and I was
shipped off to Elmendorf at Anchorage with the few remaining radio men and
cryptographer, after taking care of the last-minute security details.
Those war years at Kodiak were not an especially happy time, but, in
retrospect, it beat almost any alternative.
I have revisited your Kodiak site several times and continue to find it
interesting. Our unit was very small ... only 30 or so guys ... so it would
be a surprise to come across any familiar names; but, who knows, it could
happen.
Thanks for calling my attention to the site.
R. F. Nowakowski
Richland, WA
63
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 15:31:55 -1200
From: vincecappelletti vincecappelletti (at) cwix.com
Subject: Re: Chiniak aka KODI
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the response. Now I do have a reason to go up there in the
storage area, and pull out those photo albums.
Not sure I "captioned" all of the photos, it would be great if I did.
I'll be passing word to George Cauthern (He's Ex-Lockheed) about the
web-page. George worked in the FM-Ground station (If my memory serves
me correctly. Had a Cessna-172 that he used to fly back and forth
between the site and the strip. I did it once with him when I was going
into town for hardware for that "Avenger" Car I built down in the
little-navy garage area. Wonder who it was that I bought the
rolled-over-VW from that I used for the chassis. I'm sure it was NOT
"Woody', as famous as he was for demolishing
VW's.
Would you happen to know if "Rocky Shiraki" is still with us?, his
name just came to mind as I was sitting here and one of the Philippine
Kitchen staff (Johnnie) and memories of lots of 4/5/6 Games, and the
Philipino workers, were always into them as well.
I'm sure as I dig into the old albums things will start coming back.
Good 'ole T.C. Hall sure made an impression, I was there when he
arrived, and witnessed some of his efforts. There has got to be a
million stories to be told about Chiniak, I have a few of my own.
Thanks for being there, and taking up the mantle.
I'll surely be in touch.
Vince Cappelletti
62
From: "Lloyd L. Johnson" lloydl (at) charter.net
Subject: Hello
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 10:27:08 -0700
Joe: Just this past week I was contacted by a Leonard "Bucky" Stein who
was stationed at Chiniak with me '45-'46. He will be visiting Kodiak in about
two weeks. His duty at Chiniak was HF DF operator and he might have more
info about that equipment that would interest you. In particular he told me
that he has photos of the Dab equipment which might make a nice addition
to you web page (USCG Chiniak DF). I have misplaced your phone number.
If you would send it to me I will pass it on to him and perhaps he can contact
you for a get-together when he arrives in Kodiak. Geees, how I would like
to be in on that.
Also Joe, has anything come from the launch-site that was being talked
about sometime ago? Is it still in the mill or has it been constructed and
if so, what is the location.
Keep up the good work------LLoyd
61
Date: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 10:54:54 -1200
From: vincecappelletti vincecappelletti (at) cwix.com
Subject: Chiniak aka KODI
Dear ? ( not sure who I should address this too !)
Yesterday afternoon I had a msg from a former Philco-WDL &
Lockheed buddy, Dal Leyva who now resides in Louisiana. Dal
alerted me to the web-page featuring Tony Smaker's book, and I
spent a couple of hours renewing a lot of old memories, and was
delighted.
It brought back a lot of old memories, some good and some not-so-
good, but mostly great!
The only thing that raised the hair on my neck was the bad-
mouthing of Herb Long by his former employer, (justified in his
mind or not) I believe it was unnecessary.
When you read through the chapters by Tony, I believe he
confirmed that. Herb may have been a bear at times, but he was at
heart, a kind bear. Having spent time at BOTH Chiniak, and
Donnely Flats (near fort Greeley) when Herb was handling the base
support contractors role, I think the demeaning statements were
uncalled for, and served no purpose other than to reveal the
nature and character of the writer. I have no idea where Herb is
at this writing, and have no idea whether or not he is still with
us, but I'm sure he'll be judged appropiately when his time
comes.
I spent considerable time there at Chiniak, (granted, not as long
as Tony and some of the others) first as an Installation Team
Leader from Philco-WDL (Later Philco-Ford, then Aeronutronic,
then Ford Aerospace) installing a number of ECP's (Engineering
Change Proposals) and later a stint as the station DCM (Data
Configuration Manager) where we tried to confirm and record all
of those ECP's that were installed over the years. The latter was
from August of '65 through August '68. When I departed and headed
for INDI to take up the same task there.
Going through the chapter on the naming of the various portions
of the road, I felt slighted as no mention was made of the
sweeping Cappelletti-Curve, where I rolled a near-new '67 Blue
Mustang-GT-Fastback Coupe. It was on a high bluff not too far
from the base, and I managed to total that lovely car on a bright
sun-shiny morning when I hit a patch of gravel, going a bit too
fast and it just "went over the edge" and kept on rolling.
Fortunately we rolled off the in-land side of the road, and not
towards the beach/ocean and it was a pretty smooth roll. Though
we landed on the roof, we were both wearing the latest 3-point
seat belts and there we were suspended up-side down. I was
married at the time, and my then-spouse was with me.
She worked for Herb in his Supply/Logistics section. We were
occupying a "Shack" behind the "Rendezvous" at Middle Bay, and
made the run to/from the base every day, rain or shine, sleet or
snow. I believe one winter, must have been February of '66 or so,
when the ice was so prevalent on the road, I was indeed running
chains on all-four wheels, just to maintain steering capability,
and I still managed to slide off the edge of the road. When that
happened, and it happened to a lot of us, we merely got on the
Chiniak CB-net, and let the Comm-center know where we were, and
the condition of the road. Herb always made sure that the mail
truck or the road grader would come and pull us back on the road
so we could make it to work.
I know I've got a scrap-book upstairs in storage with some
photos, and would be pleased to send them along to whoever is
maintaining some sort of scrapbook of like at Chinak during that
period. Just let me know when to send them, and who to address
the package too.
Also, where can I purchase a copy of Tony's book?
With thanks and warmest regards,
Vince Cappelletti
28521 Highgate Drive
Bonita Springs, FL. 34135-6806
[Note: There never was a published book. It exists only as
xeroxes of the manuscript. There is interest in converting the
on-line version (created with OCR from the manuscript) into a
form suitable for printing. A volunteer with PDF capability
would be welcome.]
60
From: "Reuben Burton,Jr." rb4rrk (at) erols.com
Subject: Exhibt No.41B for site 16
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 17:32:45 -0400
Joe:
There are a number of items on this plan which did not exist when
we moved away in nov. or so in '43. The rifles were not in place,
the items just below and left of the north point were not there
and the roads appear to be on a different location. The garage was
there. In my first report to you I stated that we went to work on
a foundation right after we finished pouring the roof. The
foundation has to be the base for the radar control building shown
as a P in a circle. I was quartered in a hut north of the shower
and laundry. For the life of me I don't recall the mess hall.
The concrete mixer had to be located under "to Kodiak" on the
extreme left of the drawing. Looking at the contour lines at this
point, the land drops from a 90 elev. abruptly to 70. This location
gave us an excellent point to feed the mixer from the high el. and
park the truck under the mixer for loading. Our road to Kodiak
followed along the water line in this area.
On page 8 of the Road System Guide this quonset hut has to be the
one I dwelled in . The lay of the land says a lot.
I have a picture similar to the one of the Mecca Bar on page 11.
I have often wondered if the "slice" on the hill was a consequence
of an earthquake. Do you know?
I'll continuue to look over the other items and get back to you.
Reuben
59
From: "Reuben Burton,Jr." rb4rrk (at) erols.com
Subject: maps
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1999 22:08:32 -0400
[Note: I sent Ruben a modern Kodiak street map, the 1944
Harbor Defense map, a modern topo map of Miller Point and
Kodiak, and a book The Road System Guide to Kodiak Island
World War II Sites, as well as some Ft. Abercrombie
1944 maps.]
Joe:
After many views of the brochures and maps you sent I amazed at the
developement which has occured on kodiak island. Who would have ever
thought that streets and houses would find a place sw of the bunker.
That area was the location of ponds created by beavers . It seems
that the road to Kodiak is on a different location, partially.
The washout of the road occured on the beach north of the pond
seen just west of Spruce Cape and below "rocks"in Mill Bay.The road
ran between the pond and the bay.See the picture of 3 of us. I am
looking at the map composed by the Interior Dept.Geological survey.
Is bells flats on this map?
The night before we left for Sand Point we were loading the Grant
with our supplies which included cases of dynamite. The cargo net
developed a tear and on one lift a box of this dynamite fell in
into the hole of the ship. The damn stuff scattered in all
directions. Needless to say it was too green because it never went
off. But I can tell you that I knew of of some sea bees who could
qualify for the 100 yard dash in the Olympics.
The morning we left for Sand Point the ship proceeded around the
north end of the island and ran west between the island and the
mainland. A beautiful calm day. Around midday we were in the mess
hall for lunch when this ship began to roll from side to side and
all of a sudden it shuddered from a heavy blow. Water poured thru
the port hole, the table and benches collasped, they were made
to collapse for storage, I was on my hands and knees trying to get
my balance, the ship heaved to the other side and me and the
benches and tables piled up on the other side of the galley.
I got out and found a fire in the stoves being extinguished by
the cooks. The steel deck literally tore from the blow. When all
settled down we were tolded we had encountered a Williwaw.
Several weeks later we met up with another one at Sand Point.
Those things got our attention. I shall to continue to look at
the material you sent. It certainly shakes your memory.
Did the young lady in your office let you know I called on the
telephone.
I'll be in touch subsequently.
Reuben
58
From: TLyon91299 (at) aol.com
Date: Sun, 27 Jun 1999 15:37:13 EDT
Subject: The schoolhouse at Little Navy, Chiniak
I atteneded the school at Little Navy, in Chiniak, (pictures #7-8b of your
ChiniTak map section) The first year it was used for that purpose, 1967-68.
At that time Fred Zharoff was the teacher but we always called him simply
"Teacher", not "Mr. Zharoff.". My cousin, James Hicks and I were the second
grade. There were 13 kids that went to school there that year. Most of them
related to me. Our Dad's worked at the Tracking Station Which was known to
everybody as "The Site". There is a small creek less than one hundred yards
away that had dolly varden trout in it. In you photos, #15-18 is the log
cabin were I graduated the 8th grade along with Eugene Gentis and Steve
Anderson. It was a big deal and all of Chiniak came. At the time , the
cabin was large and really nice. One of the finest buildings in all of
Chiniak. The lake where the water was pumped from has a small island on it
with a bunker complex. In 1974 while camping there with Eugene Gentis and my
brother, David Lyon, we got rained on and our sleeping bags got wet. we
went into the bunker and built a fire to dry our gear but the vents were
clogged and smoke forced us back out into the cold rain. I was fourteen at
the time and that was the most misirable night I had ever spent outside.
Hunting was good in Chiniak with lots of game...snowshoe rabbits, deer,
ptarmigan. I never saw a racoon there. Didn't know there were any on the
island.
Thomas L. Lyon Tatum Texas
57
From: "Dan Vesper" DANVESPER (at) ARGOHOUSTON.COM
Subject: Additional picture info
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 13:17:51 -0500
Joe:
The picture of the dayroom (Shack) was taken from the road that ran
from the Headquarters area to the Battery on Deer Point. Across the
rad from the dayroom were a series of wooden steps that went up the
hill to the base of the Radar Tower. I don't remember just how high
these steps went. As I mentioned in one of my previous letters, the
distance from our Quonset/Dayroom locale was about 1t0 yards from the
Batter area (mess hall, showers, etc.) The men in my crew were quite
ambitious. They built the Hitching Rail to give the appearance of a
western motif. I believe that one of the men even tried to plant some
flowers around the area. I don't remember if he was successful or not.
The fuel oil barrel can be seen on the left side of the shack. The
barrel on the right side of the picture was from trash. It was emptied
every so often by Batter personnel.
When we 'requisitioned' this dayroom, it contained a white enamel cook
stove. One corner of the shack was walled off to provide a 'food
preporating' room. It had cabinets and counter. One of the men went
into town and came back with a package cake mix and proceeded to bake
us a cake. If I remember right, it didn't last very long.
The two men in the picture appear to be drinking beer. Again, if my
memory serves me right, we were allowed to buy a case of beer once a
month.
The area where we found our dayroom was on the road that went to the
SCR-296(?) Radar area. There were several quonset huts and other
buildings in this area.
If you ever have a chance to revisit this area, I would appreciate
seeing pictures of the areas that I inhabited those many years ago.
I am also forwarding a letter I received from a lady (Dolores L.
Padilla). She seems to know some of the history of Long Island.
Will write more later.
Dan
56
From: "Dan Vesper" DANVESPER (at) ARGOHOUSTON.COM
Subject: Additional personal stories
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 13:34:02 -0500
Joe:
I.ve taken too long to get back to you. Sorry.
The SCR-582 was in operation when I arrived on Long Island. I had no idea
as to how long it had been in operation. Several men that were operating
the radar were transferred to my crew, while the rest of them were being
sent elswhere. We were quartered in a quonset hut located well below the
road level. It was about 150 yards west of the 155 mm Battery headquarters
on Deer Point. I had 4 Operating crews (2 men per crew). Since we were
operating 24 hours a day, it meant that some of the men were trying to
sleep at any given time. The other men would try to keep as quiet as
possible, but it was difficult to get a peaceful sleep.
After a few days of this idscomfort, a couple ot the men discovered an
unused shack in the abandoned assembly of building that had been used by
the construction crew (I believe they were Sea-Bee's). The shack was about
20 ft square. It was built on 6" x 6" timbers. One of my men had
experience driving heavy machinery. He commanderred a bulldozer. With all
of us helping, we connected chains to the 'skids' and managed to pull the
shack along the road and managed to get it located on a level spot just
above our quonset. If my memory serves me right, I don't believe that we
received permission to move the shack, but since we needed a 'day-room',
we just 'requisitioned it for our use. We connected it to the power line
that fed our quonset, installed a heating oil fuel barrel for the heater,
and we were in business. We found furniture in the abandoned area and
helped ourselves. One of my men made a couple 'recliners' out of 3/4"
plywood and padded them with 'requisitioned' heavy comforters. They did
not 'recline' but were built in a reclining position. They were quite
comfortable. I made good use of them. We built some bookshelves along
one wall of the shack and stored the paper-back books that we got from
Special Services. We also got a table, about the size of a card table
and a few straight-backed chairs, on which we used to play chess,
checkers, and bridge. (No poker). One of the men had a short-wave radio
that we kept playing. I don't know how many stations we got, but we did
get the latest news. I remember hearing about D-Day one evening. I
managed to get a pair of earphones from somewhere and ran a pair of wires
from the radio down to my bed in the quonset so I could listed to the
radio from there. I installed a potentiometer in the line so I could
control the volumn. I used to go to sleep listening the the music. I
still keep a pillow speaker under my lpillow and listen to classical
music all night long. I'm a creature of habit.
One day, a couple of the men brought in a couple small raccoons. They
were cute little things, but had very sharp claws and teeth. We had to
handle them with heavy linemen's gloves. We decided to try to keep them
for pets. The first night we left them in the dayroom. We left a window
open. When we got up the next morning, we found the screen on the window
torn to shreds and the raccoons gone. We assume their mother came and
rescued them during the night. I'm going to send you a picture we took
of one of the little fellows. I'm also sending you a picture of our
dayroom. When you see the pictures, you'll notice that we installed
wooden plank walkways. The ground was often quite wet and muddy.
We were attached to the 155 mm Battery for all of our physical support,
such as food, laundry, showers, etc.. This meant that we had to walk 150
yards for our meals in all kind of weather. It could be quite miserable
at times. We didn't have much contact with the men in the Battery. I
think they thought we were Yankee Nerds. They didn't mistreat us in
anyway, but just avoided us as much as possible.
Incidently, I just upgraded my computer system. My old 486 was giving
me all sorts of trouble. I finally gave in and got a new system with a
360 megahertz processor with all the goodies. I am now using Windows 98.
It's really great. I've had to call on my Son-in-law and Grandson for
help in getting set up and running. I'm really getting too old for all
this new stuff though.
I'm going to try to send you a couple pictures under separate cover.
In case I fail, I don't want to lose all of this letter. Please let me
know if you receive them.
Thanks
Dan
55
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 17:03:55 -0700
From: Marti lassm (at) futureone.com
Subject: Can you help me find
I am looking for retired Army Sgt. Joseph P. Easler.....about 60 stationed
in Germany in early 60's and then Viet Nam.
Marti
54
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 00:47:15 -0700
From: samstokes samstokes (at) earthlink.net
Subject: NAS Kodiak
Joe:
Thanks for the Kodiak web site. It brings back some memories.
My first duty station out of CTO school was on the staff of ComAlSeaFron
from 29 March 1966 to 28 March 1967. It was considered to be sea duty!
We were in a vault in the Administration Building, and later, in a
secure space in the control tower behind Fleet Weather Central's crypto
spaces. We really didn't have a lot to do.
I originally had orders to the MAAG, Taipei, Taiwan. However, several
weeks before I was supposed to leave, my orders were changed to Kodiak,
Alaska. The good news was that I didn't need any additional shots.
In an odd coincidence, my father was a Lt.(JG) in the Civil Engineering
Corps and was with Company D, 43 MCB at Kodiak during World War II. He
was particularly interested in the power plant at NAS Kodiak and the
sewage treatment facility for the
base. So while others were taking photographs of the Kodiak bears and
other scenery, I was sending home photos of the sewer works.
I have posted a photograph of the officers of the 43rd taken at
Davisville, RI, in 1943 at
http://www.webcom.com/fortmac/43rd/Officers.html I am going through a
stack of V Mail letters that he sent my mother from Kodiak.
I wish I had been interested in harbor defenses when I was on Kodiak,
but, truthfully,
I didn't get around the island very much at all. I recall an attempt to
go to Cape Chiniak, but the car broke down along the way. We never got
there.
We had an emergency relocation site that we tried to use once. It was
definitely a WWII bunker of some sort, wing walls and steel doors, steel
shutters on the windows. I remember that we never actually got inside
because the Chief had a shoe box full of keys, but couldn't find one
that fit the lock. I haven't a clue where it was, but I recall a short
ride in a pickup truck from the Administration building. I think we
parked right in front of the place, along side a road.
While working in the control tower, I recall a P3 that was belly up from
one of the wind storms that came off Old Woman Mountain. We also had an
Aerographer's Mate fall off the landing on the control tower while
spinning a wet bulb thermometer.
He came crashing though a skylight and landed on a weather map being
prepared for the day. He was just shaken up a bit. They had somebody
else do the thermometer spinning after that.
We also had somebody throw a M-80 into the Marine Barracks late one
night, and all had a good laugh when they all turned out ready for
battle. We really had too much time on our hands.
We had a NIS agent named Hightower, who always backed his car into a
parking spot
so as to be ready for that high speed pursuit that happened so often on
Kodiak. Our barracks had parachute folding tables in the attic, and
since it was the staff barracks, it was never inspected in the year I
was there. The huge long table in the attic became a place to reload
ammunition, store car parts and all sorts of other interesting
activities. Hightower thought he had stumbled on the case of the
century when he was called by Public Works to inspected that attic space
because of all of the stuff they found up there. Thinking about it now,
it was a hugh fire hazard. There were people soaking car parts in
buckets of gasoline in that attic! I later went into law enforcement and
was told by an NIS agent in San Francisco that they let Hightower go in
the early 1970's. We still never got inspected.
We had an Executive Officer who kept running out of fuel in his private
plane. After the newspaper, the Kodiak Bear headlined his (I think)
third incident, he shut the paper
down for a short time. I think I have one of those papers around
somewhere. I was in line in the Commissary and listened to him berate
some poor dependent wife at the counter because there were no light
bulbs of whatever wattage he wanted at the time. One of the reasons I
had no desire to stay in the Navy.
We had two "Special Security Officers" one was a reserve, Ens.
Christopher Bolls Fink and the other, Lt. (JG) Lohman, was the son of
some obscure admiral somewhere in the Navy bureaucracy. Lohman seemed
to hate the Navy, and Ens. Fink was a well meaning, but bumbling high
school history teacher who's main claim to fame was that he could recite
all of the presidents in order. I may have this backwards, but in our
Naval Security Group spaces, Ens. Fink couldn't send a message unless it
was countersigned by Lt. (JG) Lohman, and in Flag Plot, Lt. (JG) Lohman
couldn't send a message unless it was countersigned by Ens. Fink. It
got so bad that they would call
to see if the other one was in the spaces before coming to work.
As I recall, the problem arose when Lt. Lohman plotted a Soviet Missile
Range Instrumentation ship incorrectly, putting it somewhere off the
coast of Washington, when it should have been off the coast of Kamchatka
Peninsula. These ships routinely
positioned themselves in the Northern Pacific when Russians were going
to test an ICBM. It was kind of an early indicator sort of thing. But
Lohman had them lined
up for an incoming shot toward Washington state. This was obviously
wrong, but caused no end of alarm and consternation to the Commander,
Alaska Sea Frontier, and the folks at Elemendorf Air Force Base. Gee,
just one little pin put in the wrong place on a map. It was probably the
biggest deal while I was stationed there.
I left for Guam in 1967.
Cheers
Samuel Eric Stokes
Fort MacArthur Museum
http://www.ftmac.org
53
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999 15:09:08 -0700
From: Dan Vesper danvesper (at) argohouston.com
Subject: SCR-582 Info Part #5
Joe:
The "A" Scope was located in a panel above the PPI Scope, on the
Operator's Console. It was similar to a current day Oscilloscope.
Black or gray background with a green foreground (electron beam). It
waS approx. 6" in diameter. A horizontal line accross the screen, near
the center of the scope, was an analog representation of the radial
sweep on the PPI screen. A target (ship) would appear as a vertical
spike on the scope at a relative distance from the left side of the
scope as the distance indicated on the PPI Scope. The "A" Scope gave a
much sharper indication of the target. If two ships were traveling
close together, they could appear as a single target on the PPI, but
could be distinguished as two targets on the "'a" Scope. The Operator
could also determine a more accurate direction to the target by using
the Manual Antenna Direction Control Dial by moving the direction of the
antenna back-and-forth across the target while watching the height of
the vertical spike on the "A" Scope. When the spike reached its maximum
height, the Operator would then note the direcdtion on the PPI Scope.
I'm having difficulty remembering what the three meters in the panel
above the "a" Scope panel (see picture). I'm quite sure that they were
used by the Operator and Maintenace to determine the operating
conditions of the Radar System.
I have seen the term "IFF' (Identification-Friend-or-Foe) in your
write-ups. This subject was not taught in the Radar School I
atttended. And I don't remember if my set was equipped with it or not.
It has been fun trying to remember details of things that occurred 55
years ago. I'm sure that I have made many blunders in my descriptions,
but I tried. I really appreciate your allowing me to be part of your
very interesting WW II History Museum.
Dan
52
From: "Reuben Burton, Jr." rb4rrk (at) erols.com
Subject: Millers' Pt.
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 23:13:42 -0400
Hi Joe: To continue on. We had 4 or 5 trucks to haul the sand from the
bay to the bunker. I drove a Ford dump truck with a 5 yard capacity
dump body. It had seen better days, but it served our purposes. You
had to be careful if not, you could pop a universal joint with the
slightest provication. One day I was hauling a load to the bunker,
over the ups and downs of the road and I spotted a Command wagon
headed my way. Both of us had to pull over to let each other by.
Well I was headed down hill and put on the brakes and they failed
So, I turned to the right, Went through some small trees and came
to a stop in a creek and the truck caught on fire. I jumped out in
the creek, raised the hood and tried to put out the fire with mud
and water. At the same time, the occupants of the command wagon
were in the water with me and one of them called for a fire
extinguisher. Well, they could'nt fine one on either vehicle.
Well, the water and mud was flying from all directions and this
man beside me was performaning a noble job and at the same time
laying down a good deal of profanity. In a few minutes we stopped
the fire and stepped back to see what we had accomplished. I turned
to this man beside me and recognised him as Errol Flynn. Now here
was a real sport. He aked about my fire extinguisher. I said, On
this truck? Who are you kidding? How about yours? We went to his
wagon and we found one up near the roof and behind something. He
had a great time kidding his fellow travelers
He had been at Millers Pt. as a representative of the U.S.O.
Later on we got the truck to the repair area, and the chief gave
me a beautiful Mackbuldog. A big truck with a tandem rear end.
I don't have the slightest idea of how much of that black sand we
hauled from that bay but I can tell you that a storm came thru there
one night with a lot of wind and the next morning when we arrived
on the beach to continue , the road on the bank adjacent to the beach
was washed away and the Northwest dragline we used to load the trucks
was lying on its side in the bay. Seems like Mother Nature wanted the
sand back.
I have a picture taken at that beach, and if you will send me your
mailng address I'll send a copy of it to you.
While all of this going on we started another structure located down
and away from the bunker by cutting away a bank to start the foundation.
I don't know whatever became of that venture.
By the time Sept. and Oct. rolled around things began to slow down at
millers Pt. and some us were sent to Cape Chiniak{spelling?]. One night
we were in our rec.hall, a place for movies and such 5 or 6 men came in
unannounced and sat down to " chew the fat". One was Stan Musial,the
others were Frankie Frisch{Hall of Fame}, Walker Cooper and Danny Litwiler.
I'm sure you recognize Musial. Frisch had made his name some time before
this meeting. The other two had been around a shade longer than Stan the
Man. Musial was truly first rate. Very congenial. Frisch was stuck on
himself. He made it a point to keep his beautiful World Series ring in
full view. It was large. Had a gree n field with gold lines inlaid to
represent the base lines and each base was a diamond. Cooper and Litwiler
were major leaguers. Nice guys.
Well, this just about finishes my recollections of our times on Kodiak.
Very enjoyal times. In the event you have any questions, get back to me
and I'll see what I can do.
Around Nov. we moved to Bells Flats, does the name remain, and in Dec.
we boarded ship and headed across the Gulf of Alaska to the top of the
Inside Passage, down to Ketichan, then to Seattle. From there it was to
then Camp Parks just east of Livermore, California. We immediately went
on a good leave for 30 days. Eventually I was detached from the good old
43rd and sent to Wesleyan Univ. In Middletown, Ct. I was there untill
Feb.45 and then sent back to Davisville,R.I. to join up with the 301st
Batt. This was the largest CB Battalion. Over 2000 men. A dredging and
diving group. We were spread from Guam to Pelileu to the Phillipines to
Okanawa. I was billeted on the dredge New Jersey. A large and powerful
machine. It dredged the harbor at Agana down to 40 feet.
The 43rd went to Maui after 3 to 4 mos. in California and then to Nagasaki
very shortly after the surrender. I believe the Batt. was disbaned in Nov.
or Dec. 45..I was discharged in Jan 46. Would I do it again? You betcha.
I hope this little bit of history will help you with your efforts at
Ambercrombie.
Best of luck
Reuben Burton, Jr.
51
From: "Reuben Burton, Jr." rb4rrk (at) erols.com
Subject: Millers Pt.
Date: Sun, 30 May 1999 16:43:27 -0400
Joe :
Continuing on since May 28.
The pouring time for this roof was 72 continous hours. Everyone in the group
was involved. We worked shifts of 4 hours and off 8 hours. The trucks brought
the concrete in a tub similar to an old style bath tub without an agitator.
The concrete was dumped into a large bucket and hoisted over the roof area to
be dumped by opening the bottom of the bucket. I was assigned to operate the
viabrator. For those who don't know a viabrator is a tube of 3 feet in length
and 3 to 4 inches in diameter. There is an eccentric in the tube which
operates at a high rate of speed. It is turned by a cable within a flexible
tube very much like a speedometer cable . As the concrete was poured in I
would drop the eccentic into the flowing concrete and make the concrete run
into all the nooks and cranies around the reinforcing steel rods. Droping this
gadget through the maze of steel and withdrawing it to be droped again in
another slot of steel would keep you on your toes and in time you developed
muscles you did'nt realize were there. You see I was 21 yrs. old in a group
of construction workers who averaged out at 37 years of age. These men had
worked in the Great Depression on any job they could find, so they were rugged
in more than one way. I can tell you I grew up fast. I was indeed fortunate to
be associated with these men.
The roof forms remained in place for some 3 to 4 weeks. All of this work was
performed in July and August which made the weather ideal for this time of year,
as you know. 3 to 4 mos. after we poured this roof you could see the heat rising
off it like a black top highway in August in Virginia. As the heat began to
dissapate we commenced to pour sand over structure for camaflouge. We went so far
as to plant shrubs in the sand, altough I don't think they ever took root.You see,
the sand came from the beach and was full of salt from the water.
When we were there was one road to Kodiak. It meandered through the forest and
at one point it ran adjacent a small bay. Not having a map I would say it was
south and west of Miller's Pt. More in the next mail including a reference to
Stan Musial and Errol Flynn.
50
From: "Reuben Burton, Jr." rb4rrk (at) erols.com
Subject: Millers Pt.
Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 22:17:18 -0400
Joe : I have your prompt response to my note dated .May
I'll not attempt to give you all I known about Millers Pt. at one
sitting. I'll get back to in seversl mails. By the way my ham call sign is
Wa4rrk. Occasionally I check into the Century Club on 7233.5. It runs each
evening from 7PM est. You would get many calls. Listen in.
The 43rd NCB was commissioned during Nov.'42 at Davisville, R.I.
facility after 3 weeks of boot camp. During the first week of Dec. we rode
a troop train to Port Hueneme north of Los Angeles.The day after Christmas
we boarded a train for Seattle and in two days we settled down on the
USS Wharton [P-7].
Formerly known as theSouthern Cross. Adm. Byrd used on
trips to the Antartic. We twiddled our thumbs for 9 days waiting for
another Batt. and clearence. In a few days we sailed out of Puget Sound
and into the meanest storm you would write home about. That mountain at
the harbor was white from top to bottom. That was hardly a welcome sign
for a group from generally Va. to Fla. and Texas. The next day our
company was ordered to Sand Pt. in the Shumagin group. We remained there
thru June. Built a good size pier and set poles of110' for an antenna, a
dipole. We were told the station would transmit a signal for aerial
navagation. On our return to Kodiak we settled in Miller's Pt. in Quonset
huts. Let's assume the bunker runs in an east west line. There was a road
running down hill inland from the west end for something like a hundred
or so yards. this was the area of the huts. Also in this area was the
concrete mixer lying on the side of a slope. The cement, sand and gravel
was dumped into the mixer from the high side of the slope,mixed in the
revolving barrel, a large one, and eventually dumped into the trucks to
be hauled to site of the bunker from the low side of the slope.
The concrete foundations for the artillery had been poured prior
to moving to Miller's Pt. I assume by Siems Drake of Puget Sound, the
private contractor. We never saw the guns. Anyway, we poured the floor ,
then commenced the job of forming the sides for the rooms and support
for the roof. The maze of timbers to support the pouring of the roof was
something else. I believe the roof is 7 feet thick. The network of
reinforcing steel in this roof is overbuilt according to the experts.
The bars near the bottom of the roof are square in cross section and one
inch and a half in width. They are reduced in thicknest to three eights
of inch at the top. More in my next e- mail
49
From: LTrakai2 (at) aol.com
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 20:09:00 EDT
Subject: NAVCOMSTA Kodiak
Just linked to your site and found photos of the galley at Holiday Beach. You
really put a lot of work into the web site and it shows. A terrific site to
visit.
I was stationed at Holiday Beach from January, 1959 to February, 1960 as a
RM2 and spent some time visiting Kodiak. Unfortunately, I did not take many
photos when I was there and those I did take are not very good.
I had a friend at Holiday Beach, Bob Fleck, RM1, (KL7COJ), who lived on the
base with his family. We spent hours on his ham radio and tried to get a
station going in the barracks at Holiday Beach. Don't know if it ever got up
and running. I lost contact with him and always wondered what became of him.
Thanks for the site....
Tom Lawson
Issaquah, Washington
email: LTrakai2 (at) aol.com
48
From: "Rudolph Wehner" janice7 (at) earthlink.net
Subject: NAS Kodiak
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 20:39:52 -0500
Hello Joe,
Thanks for the e-mail. Your sitelooks like it will be a lot of interesting
reading. I served on the rock from 3-53 through 9-54 and was really glad to
leave.....but as the years went by, I realized how much I loved Kodiak. I
dont think anyone really appreciates Kodiak until they grow older...It really
is a magical place. I went there right out of boot camp as a 17 yr old
airman apprentice from New Orleans,La. The weather conditions were shocking
to say the least.
It took almost a year before I progressed to AE-3 and was allowed to work
on planes.........before that, I worked on the end of a shovel doing
landscaping around the base hospital all over the base. I also served a tour
in hell working on the rock crusher facility, thanks to CPO Griggs of FASRON
114 who must have known me in a previous life and did not remember me favorably.
Finally I got to stay in the fasron hanger and worked on P2V Neptunes, JRF
Grumman Goose,and the C.O.'s F6F Hellcat. I also Maintained all of the APU's
and started all of the visiting planes over at the terminal in the USCG hanger.
I remember sitting in the "geedunk" drinking malts and watching the guys
from VP-49 bringing the PBM's out of the bay onto the seaplane ramp in some
pretty nasty weather...we had a small gym and a PX in the bldg right across
from the chow hall.......we also did a lot of fishing in what the maps call
"womans bay",we called it "old womans bay" and the mountain we called "old
womans mountain". We fished till midnight sometimes in the summer, because
the sun would shine through the barracks windows till about 2230.
I only remember one EM's club and one officers club, I dont remember a USMC
club, but it may have slipped my memory.....I remember one drunken sailor going
berserk and cutting a jarhead all over the buttocks with a knife....several
hundred stitches and the sailor spent ^ months in the brig...The marine brig!!!
I think they gave him a BCD
I used to drive one of our jeeps out to the Belle Flats area quite often....
there was nothing there but boondocks. I have seen letters on the kodiak page
that seems to indicate that Belle's Flats was eventually developed into a
residential area.
I was there 18 months and only went on liberty once in the town of Kodiak
.......the beer at the EM club was a lot cheaper, 10 cents a bottle. The EM
club had a big fire place on each end of the dance floor with a BIG Kodiak
bear on one end and a BIG polar bear on the other
Guess I better close for now as this is getting pretty long...hope someone
remembers some of this.
Rudy Wehner
47
From: NAdair449 (at) aol.com
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 12:20:21 EDT
Subject: Marine NCO Club Kodiak NAS
From: "Noel Adair"
Subject: Guestbook
Date: May 7 1999
I was station at Kodiak NAS in 1955-56 in 55 the MCB 11 come in to repair the
road into Kodiak & some buildings & huts on the base the Marines told them
they were not welcome at there club most of the Seabees were crusty old guys
from WW2 that went up through the islands in pacific saw a lot of combat they
went up to the Marine NCO club and cleaned it out i was told that the Marines
had to ask to get back into there on club the Marines were a beat up bunch
arms in slings knots on there heads some were thrown of the hill on the
runway side others down the stairs on the barracks side if i remember right
the runway side was a sheer bank.
Thanks Stevens this sight is great.
Noel Adair
46
From: "John Nelson" jmnelson (at) moon.jic.com
Subject: Re: Kodiak Alaska Military History
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 09:26:42 -0400
Thanks Joe, I'm enjoying the site. I'm a KHS graduate from 1972, My dad was
stationed in Kodiak from '70-'73 You may know him. Ted Nelson
(kl7jbt (at) hotmail.com) I was looking for some info for Capt. Frank Smith who
has written to you recently and is a friend of mine (actually I'm dating his
daughter)
Thanks a lot for the info
John Nelson
45
From: "adm1926" adm1926 (at) wans.net
Subject: KODIAK
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 16:29:40 -0400
ENJOYED THE SITE. STATIONED WITH AIR DEPARTMENT NAS KODIAK -1952-1954.
NAVY CHIEF. FLEW PBY'S -UF'S AND R4D'S . GREAT TOUR. MY NUMBER FOUR
DAUGHTER WAS FIRST BABY BORN ON THE ISLAND IN 1954. WOULD BE NICE TO
CONTACT OLD SHIPMATES. ONLY ONE CONTACT IN FORTY YEARS-CHIEF BOSUN LUCAS.
WE WERE NEIGHBORS AT FORT GREELEY. BELIEVE WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THE
OLD NEWS. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE MEMORIES.
44
From: "Ralph Williams" rwms (at) wcnet.net
Subject: Guest Book
Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 07:44:05 -0500
This does not have anything to do with Military History on Kodiak, but I
read the dutchman's entry to the Guest Book and couldn't help but comment.
I was a part-time bartender at the Marine EM Club for two years, and the
Dutchman is correct, Seabees were welcome to the club, normally. Other Navy
personel were strictly forbidden.
In the summer of 1961, we had a Marine Club Manager, a SSGT, I don't
remember his last name, (first name Harold) who was a true Korean War hero.
This guy had been everywhere and done everything and had the medals to prove
it. For some strange reason in the summer of '61, he decided that Seabees
were not welcome in the Marine Club. The Seabees had been on the Island for
about a week to do repairs to the NAS runway during the summer.
One night, after several Seabees had been turned away, despite tradition of
Seabees being welcome, a Caterpillar appeared on the hill and a cable was
placed around the Marine Club. A Seabee spokesman appeared and made the
announcement that Seabees WOULD be allowed in the Marine Club, or else the
club would be at the bottom of the hill. Needless to say, Seabees were once
again welcomed in the Marine Club.
SSGT. (Harold) refused to even answer the phone for the next 9 months he was
there. He always made someone of lesser rank answer all incoming calls.. :)
Ralph Williams
WCNet
http://www.wcnet.net
409-543-9111 or 800-569-3464
43
From: "Frank Smith" flers (at) erols.com
Subject: Re: Kodiak Alaska Military History
Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 17:50:58 -0400
Dear Joe:
Just received your e-mail concerning Kodiak. As I stated in my message I
arrived in Kodiak about Dec. 3l, 1942 or first week of January 1943. I was
stationed for a few weeks with the main body of the 43rd Seabees and later
detailed to Woody ISLAND with about fifty other Seabees to construct a
barracks with mess hall, water tower, water line, a pier, loop station, etc.
My wife and I are making tentative plans to re-visit Kodiak and Woody Island
sometime in July 1999. I have contacted the Coast Guard for quarters and
will communicate further with them within a few days. When I arrived in
Alaska, I was a Seaman Second Class; however, during my career I did manage
to advance to Captain (0-6). Any information which you think would be
helpful to us would be appreciated.
Frank L. Smith, Captain, USN(Ret)
[note: Frank and his wife visited our museum June 15, 2000]
42
Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 03:38:19 -0700
From: Dan Vesper danvesper (at) argohouston.com
Subject: SCR-582 Info #4
Joe:
The operator's Console you have shown in the picture is pretty much as I
remember it. Although individual details are not clear in the picture,
the general overall details are visable. If my memory serves me right,
I believe that we were told during our maintenance course that several
different versions (Models) of the SCR-582 had been produced. The one
obvious difference that I noted in the picture was the size of the PPI
)Plan position Indicator) Scope. I believe the ones that I serviced
were slightly larger in diameter. The one in the picture appears to be
about 6" in diameter while the ones that I worked on were about 9".
The PPI was the main feature used by the operator to obtain information
concerning seagoing vessels entering or leaving the waterways around
Kodiak. An amber rotatable disc was aattached to the front of the PPI.
An engraved radial line was etched or inscribed on the face of the amber
disc. When a target was observed, the operator could rotate the amber
disc until the etched line centered on the target. The actual azmuth or
dirrection to the target could then be read from an engraved or painted
scale, in degrees located around the outer edge of the PPI. The CRT
(Cathode-ray Tube) used in the PPI had a long persistant phosophorous
coating on the inside face. That is, when an object appeared on the
scren it would remain visable for some 5 to 10 seconds, gradually
getting dimmer during this time. A target would remain on the screen
during normal rotations of the antenna.
The directional rotation or position of the antenna was controled by
either the small motor in the Operator's Console or manually by the
Operator utilizing a small control dial, as may seen in the lower right
corner of the main indicator panel (See picture).A Selsyne-Amplidyne
system was incorporated to keep the antenna positioned in the same
direction as the radial sweep beam shown on the PPI. Normally, the
antenna rotated at about 10 to 15 times per minute. If desired, the
operator could cause concentric range markers to appear on the PPI to
assist in estimating the distance to the target. I believe that these
markers were 10,000 yards apart. I really don't remember the maximum
range of the SCR-582, but I believe it was about 60,000 yards.
More later,
Dan
41
From: AllAlaskan (at) aol.com
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 23:23:58 EDT
Subject: Re: Kodiak Alaska Military History
Thank you......I will look up your site and see if maybe I can be of
assistance in any way. I was born and raised on Woody Island, several miles
from Kodiak. I still have a home on Woody and return about 4 times a year.
It will always be home.
My mother is also a well-known author of the area..............in her 1st
and 2nd book, she wrote about the military history of Kodiak. I am very
familiar with the background after researching material for "Alaska's Konyag
Country."
Thanks for the email. I look forward to accessing your site. Let me know
how I can help.
Pat (Trisha) Chaffin
40
From: "petermoss" petermoss (at) sprintmail.com
Subject: 37th Infantry
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 22:46:00 -0500
Joe, I have a document promoting my step-father to Sergeant (Temporary) in
Company H, 37th Infantry on the twenty-fourth day of March one thousand nine
hundred and forty-three at A.P.O. #986, c/o Postmaster, Seattle, Washington
(which I think is Kodiak, or Ft Greely, TA). It is signed by Howard F.
McManus, Major, 37th Infantry, Commanding. So I think the 37th had a longer
presence in Kodiak than reported on your web page. Also, my step-father
fought on Attu as part of the invasion force, the how and why I am still
trying to learn (Dad died March 4 of this year). You are welcome to a
scanned copy of this and other documents and photos when I get my scanner,
hopefully later this month. Also, the 37th was in Camp Clatsop, Oregon on 8
July 1941, which is when my Dad was promoted to Corporal signed by Major
Philip R, Dwyer. But I am looking for the rest of the puzzle, so I will
visit again and probably often. Dad talked about training Rangers in cold
weather survival and skiing from time to time, but I have seen nothing about
this any where else. But I hope to find answers to this and other
mysteries. Thanks for the invite. Bob
39
From: Xas2man (at) aol.com
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 09:01:26 EDT
Subject: Re: Kodiak Alaska Military History
Thanks for the information John. I have very found memories of Kodiak
Alaska. I was a musician in the Navy, stationed there twice. My youngest
daughter was born there and was the New Years Baby for 1971-Jo-Ann Marnee'
Felder.
I will be checking this site more frequently.
Frank
38
From: "Ralph Williams" rwms (at) wcnet.net
Subject: RE: Kodiak Alaska Military History
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 09:06:16 -0500
Hi Joe,
I received your email and I'm sorry to say I have nothing to offer. I watch
your web site frequently, and enjoy all that's there.
I first came to Alaska in 1959 as a lcpl (Cpl at the time) to Marine
Barracks, Kodiak. I noticed that the Marines are not mentioned at all in
your presentation, but what the hey! Guard duty was pretty small potato(e)s
compared to WWII.
I lived in Kodiak from 1959 through 1969. I was at Marine Barracks from 1959
to 1962. During that time, I married a local girl, Lila Olsen, granddaughter
of Anton Larson of Anton Larson Bay. I had some insite to the local people,
but honestly, I spent most of my time at Town & County and the Ships Tavern.
Virgina Williams (owner of Town & County) and Harry Godishack (sp) were
famous to me.. They came to Alaska and started businesses in the Territory
days.. Great people. Karl Armstrong was a friend of mine, and Oscar Dyson
was a true rounder at the time. I understand he became quite establishment,
but I could tell stories about him. Peggy, although she may not remember me
now, was involved several times with my wild days after her boyfriend Ray
was burned up in an engine fire at Dutch Harbor, and before she married
Oscar.
There exists some pictures of the Marine Barracks people somewhere. I've
seen it somewhere on the Internet but I've lost several hard disks since
then, and all book marks.
Kodiak was a great place for me. I grew up there. I was 19 when I arrived
from a small (very small) place on the Texas Coastal Plains and after Marine
Boot Camp. I left when I was 29 after the EQ and Tidal Wave.. and all that
was in between. I helped build Mrs. Olsens house on Anton Larsons Island..
Gilnetted there and had all the experiences that any young man may remember
about Alaska. I worked for Kodiak Telephone Company before and after the
tidal wave. I remember Phil Anderson and me stringing miles of field wire
after the tidal wave. We had a 100 line Stromberg Carlson Emergency
Switchboard flown in and attached 1,000 lines to it.. 10 party lines making
close to 1,000 lines.. excluding police and fire which had single party
lines.
After that, I worked for Merrill Coon at Standard Oil, and we worked off
Pete Ramaglia's Union Oil Dock because the Standard Oil Dock was missing in
action. I then worked for Neil Southerland at Kodiak Commercial until he was
bought out by McMurtry who ruined the business and went bankrupt. After
that, I longshored, with many of the old timers like Johnny Morton and
others and finally I was a cop under Chief Jack Rhines.
My ex-wife, Lila.. now Schwantes is married to Tom Schwantes, Skipper of
the Trooper. My Daughter Brenda works for KANA doing something with grants.
Wish I had more to offer, but I don't. If you get a chance, visit my site at
http://www.wcnet.net
I offer dial-up accounts for over 5,000 people in this coastal plains area.
Best wishes.
Ralph Williams
WCNet
http://www.wcnet.net
409-543-9111 or 800-569-3464
37
From: "dutchman" dutchman (at) cybertime.net
Subject: Re: Kodiak Alaska Military History
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 08:17:43 -0700
I was stationed with the Seabees in Kodiak from Feb. 1956 to 1957. I don't
know if it was ever completed but right out side the back gate we started to
build a golf course for the officers use. Up on top of the hill right by our
barracks were two EM Clubs, one for white hats & one for Marines as Seabees
we could use either one. Call it lucky I don't know. At the time I was
stationed there it was a Naval Air Station. I have some pictures of the area
and also the gang that was in the motor pool at the time I was there that I
can scan and send to you if you would like.
Good luck on your web site & I will be checking in off and on to see your
progress.
Bob
36
From: Blank42 (at) aol.com
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 16:18:15 EDT
Subject: Chiniak,Alaska
Joe,
I composed this E mail partially on Hilton Head Island, S.C. and partially
near Tampa, FL. -- Marilyn and I have been away for about 4 weeks.
Did you receive my E mail 98-9-8? I will do my best not to be redunduny in my
E mail, correspondence, tapes and telephone communications. To be disciplined
in this effort I must maintain copies and take extensive notes.
This E mail is in response to your 99-1-25 E Mail---plus other comment of
interest. I sense from your last E Mail and other {Emily.R.McAalister (at) mw.com
99-4-3} references to the U.S.Army demolition project that there is some sense
of urgency re your project.
My son Jim has a better scanner than mine - he is presently improving
photographs of the installation of one of the two 8" coast artillery guns
installed at the Chiniak base and a picture of Bells Flats after it was
drained {another story}. Major Roper of Missouri was the commanding officer of
the coast artillery group at Chiniak (I cannot remember the size of his group
{at the peak I had 600 Seabees}. As well as the 2-8" guns the army's weaponry
included: 4-155mm cannons {with spoked wheels fitted to be drawn by
horses}; 2-90mm anti-aircraft guns {positioned to also fire at landing
craft} and one 3" harpon gun converted to a 3" projectile gun.
Besides my responsibility as Resident Officer in Charge of Construction
{ROinCC} with company C and later company D was added I was also battalion
ordnance officer. My chief petty officer for ordnance was stationed at Bells
Flats in Kodiak {more about our weaponry later} My counterpart at the Millers
Point fort was Lt{jg} Jerry Sherry {company B. I think}.
I understand that your high priorty interests are:
o technical subjects
o communication cables
o Antennas,etc-------------------plus
o Names and dates
o Concrete pouring
o Electrical re Chiniak plotting bunker
A little about the concrete--some very technical details are very hazy after
56 years-- I may be able to verify at the 43rd battalion annual reunion Oct
3-7,1999.
oCement -- (high strength) shipped from the U.S.
oGravel -- Taken from the shore next to the Chiniak - Pickd up by a
Northwest dragline - eyeballed for proper grade and then screened
oWater -- From ocean (I believe we checked for salt content re
retardation of curing.
(for long hauls--like round top--concrete was delivered in
round bottombelly trucks and water was warmed before
mixing)
oReinforcing bars--Manufactured in U.S. and colored for placement as
shown on the drawings.
oPouring --Pouring was done from georgia buggies that received
concrete from concrete mixing machine located near the gun
emplacements.
Concrete for the 3 control observation stations (center one at RoundTop) was
hoisted by use of a cable hoist (similar to a ski lift) powered by a double
drum hoist stolen from the army in Kodiak. That is another story that relates
to the "Bells Flats Saga"
Another story the "S.S. Yale"--but I am running out of time. As soon as I get
copies of construction pictures and Bells Flats I will forward by mail.
I am sorry for the delay in corresponding--my time is very crowded. Two trips
coming up in the near future--the last to Seattle and San Juans for a few
weeks in late june and early July.
Sincerely,
Bill Blank
35
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 07:54:24 -0700
From: Dan Vesper danvesper (at) argohouston.com
Subject: Re: SCR-582 Info #3
Joe:
The Transmitter and Power Supply Cabinet, located on the top floor of
the radar twoer was approx. 3 ft wide x 2-1/2 ft deep x 4 ft high. The
rigid coax tubing was fastened to the top of the cabinet, but extended
down to the actual transmitter equipment, which included the Magnetron
and Klystron. As mentioned earlier, the coax tubing was made of approx
3/4" copper tubing with a center conductor approx 1/8" in dia. The
center conductor was supported by donut shaped polystyrene spacers
.located at specific intervals along the length of the tubing. These
spacers had a small hole drilled thru them. A small air compressor
located in the cabinet pumped air through a 9"long x 2" dia clear
cylinder filled with silica gel. The intent was to dry the air and push
it through the coax all the way to the polystyrene ball located at the
focal point of the parabolic antenna. A small hole was drilled in the
end of this ball to allow the air to escape. I assume that the
designers of this equipment feared the air might condense inside the
coax and cause degradation of the signals. For the most part, I didn't
use this system. Mainly because we were not supplied with replacement
silica gel. As far I as knew, we were never bothered with condensation
in the coax.
About once a month, I would get permission to 'go off the air' so that I
could perform preventive maintenance. The manual that I had set forth
this procedure. I don't really remember too much about this procedure,
but one of the steps included 'tuning the resonent cavities'. This had
to do with getting into the transmitter cabinet with a screwdriver
amidst elements that carried 15,000 volts. Not much fun! I don't know
the actual theory behind these resonant cavities other than to say that
they were associated with the operations of the manetron to achieve the
correct operating frequency. The 18 weeks of school that I had did not
allow sufficient time to learn detailed theory, just practical
'hands-on' details. Another cavity was associated with the Klystron.
It was tunable with a control knob on the Operator's Console. It used a
small motor which rotated a small cam which in turn rested against the
side of a cavity chamber. The allowable movement of the adjustable side
was probably no more than 1/8". The operator could direct the radar
beam to a fixed known target, and by watching the hight of the spike on
the 'A' acope tune this cavity for maximum response (hight).
A very strong magnet was used with the Magnatron. It was shaped like a
'D' with about a 1-1/2" gap in the rounded portion. It was approx 9"
long with a 1" x 2" rectangular bar at the base. The arms of the magnet
were approx. 2" in dia. We were cautioned never to allow anything to
hit the magnet as it might lessen its magnetic force. When not in use,
such as the spare, a metal cylindrical keeper was placed in the opening
between the arms. It was really amazing just how strong these magnets
were. In order to remove the keeper, you gripped the magnet base in one
hand and circled the keeper with two fingers. then, by holding it
against your chest, you had to exert quite a bit of force to remove the
keeper. Trying to re-instal the keeper was another test. Holding the
magnet in one hand and the keeper between 2 fingers of the other, you
tried to slowly move them together. The problem was, the width of two
fingers was slightly wider than the opening. Consequently, you usually
pinched the flesh of at least one of your fingers when the two parts
grabbed together. Needless to say, I didn't do this very often.
If you have any questions concerning the transmitter, etc., please let
me know. I'll try to continue by description of the Operator's Console
later.
Dan
34
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 01:06:20 -0700
From: Dan Vesper danvesper (at) argohouston.com>
Subject: SCR-582 Part #2
Joe:
Before I continue with my general information write-up, I'll try to
answer the questions you posed in you letter of 4-9-99.
Re: Notes on the SCR-582. The Maintenance Manual consisted of
mimeographed text and a number of well prepared schematic diagrams. The
manual was about an inch and a half thick. The notes that I referred to
earlier were just addendums to the prepared text. Not really
expansive. The manual was taken from me when we shut down the defenses
of Kodiak in early August of 1944.
I have no knowledge as to the original intent of the windows around the
top floor of the Radar Tower. To an uninformed person, the tower could
have been taken for a fire-watch tower, similar to those seen in
National Forests. As I said, no one used this towere except my crew and
myself. We did not have any visitors, nor were we ever 'inspected' We
just did our job which appeared to be OK. The 155 mm Battery on Deer
Point only held two target practices during the 7 months I was there,
and no one used this 'upper' floor of the tower.
The range of the radar did not deteriorate during the time it was in
operations. The range was limited only to the line-of-sight to the
horizon. I believe that we were able pick up 'targets' (blips) at about
40 or 50 thousand years. Of course alot depended upon the size of the
ship. The taller it was, the sooner we were able to detect it. Rain or
snow did not affect the reception.
The entire Radar system was housed in the wooden tower decribed
earlier. The antenna on the roof, the transmitter/poer Supply on the
top floor and the Operators Console on the bottom floor. These floors
were approx 10 ft square. The top foor only contained the Transmitter
Cabinet. The Bottom floor had one corner walled of to provide a
darkened niche for the Control Cabinet.
I really can't remember just what the frequency was. I do remember that
the actual antenna was a bi-pole (half wave length). The center
conductor of the rigid coax described earlier was fastened to a small
rectangle piece of metal. Two tear-drop shaped members were fastened
into this rectangle piece, extending on opposing sides to form a "T"
with the coax. The tear-drop members were no more than 3/4" long. As
mentioned earlier, this di-pole was enclosed in a transparent
polystyrene ball located at the focal point of the parabolic reflector.
I do remember that we were told that this high frequency was made
possible only by the use of the Magnatron system.
The radar set was in operations 24 hours a day. A rotation was
established so that the men would have two days off every 6 or seven
days. They were free to do pretty much as they pleased. A small boat
(probably about 25 foot) made several trips a day to the mainland. I
have a picture of this boat that I intend to send you. This boat
carried both men and supplies to the island. I probably made only 3 or
4 visits during my stay on Long Island. There really wan't much to do
in town unless you liked to drink, which I did'nt. There was one movie
theater that I attended once or twice. We always had to return to the
island in the evening bacuse we didn't have any place to stay
overnight. All I remember doing on my trips to town was visit the drug
store for magazines and toilet articles, walk the streets and 'window'
shop. I did go into the Bank Building and saw that huge Kodiak Bear. I
have a post card fhowing this bear. And I probably ate a greasy
hamburger on occation, along with a thick chocolate malt. Since I was
the only maintenance man available, I didn't feel that I could be gone
too often. As far as off-duty hours..... I guess the usual things,
reaing, writing letters, shooting the bull, tramping the iland. I
really had no scheduled duties. As long at the set was working, I was
pretty juch free to do as I pleased. But I always managed to stay close
at hand just in case. The Special Services Organization furnished us
with some of the first paper-back books. These were mostly the
classics. I was an avid reader and made good use of this library.
I did not visit the SCR-296 installation. As a matter of fact, we were
never in contact with each other, and so, I cant tell you much about it
or them.
I hope this has helped answer some of your questions. Please feel free
to ask more and I'll do my best to answer them.
I'll continue with my SCR-t82 info later.
Dan
33
Date: Thu, 08 Apr 1999 17:18:25 -0700
From: Dan Vesper danvesper (at) argohouston.com
Subject: SCR-582
Joe:
Thanks for your letter of 4-7-99. It helps me to know just what info
you are looking for. Maybe the following will be of some use to you.
At the time, Jan. 1943, the word RADAR was not widely known. As a
matter of face, when I started school, we were not even told what we
were to be learning. The term 'Radio Detection' was used. If we knew
the word 'Radar', we were warned about disclosing it to anyone.
However, about 6 weeks into the schoool, the Collier magazine front page
touted the enclosed article 'RADAR - THE SUPER SLEUTH'. So much for
secrecy...
The first 8 weeks of the school was spent on basic electroics. The
remaining 10 weeks were dedicated specifically to the SCR-582. It was a
very accelerated course. I don't believe that there was ever a formal
TM written for the 582. We were given a book of memeographed pages,
held together with a metal clip. The only words on the cover page was
'CONFIDENTIAL' Each student was assigned a book and was told to guard
it with our lives. I kept mine with me all through my enlisted years.
Along with the prepared text, we were recommended to make our own notes
where required. It was a pretty tough course. There were 51 of us that
started the course, and only 9 of us graduated. The men that dropped
out went on to Radar Operators School.
The SCR-582 consisted of 3 basic units. (1) Control Cabinet, (2)
Transmitter/Power Supply Cabinet, and (3) Antenna. The site on Long
Island was located at the top of a wooden structure. I believe you have
said it was 42 feet tall. There were two levels plus the roof that was
used. The Antenna sat on the roof, covered by a pelxiglass dome, approx
6 feet in diameter. The antenna was a 42" dia. parabolic reflector.
The actual antenna was only about 1-1/2" long (1/2 wave-length) located
at the focal point of the parabulla. It was in a polystyrene ball about
the size of your fist. The electical connection was via rigid coax
pipe. Approx. 3/4 " O.D. copper tubing with a 1/8" center conductor
held in place with polystyrene spacers located at some multiple of the
wave-length of the transmitted signal.I believe we transmitted at 90
Mega Hz. If my memory serves me right, the SCR-286 used, what we call,
a bed-spring antenna and operated at a much lower frequency. The 286
was used for fire control while the 582 was for survelance only.
A pre-amp was located on the back of the reflector. It amplified the
received signals before sending them down to the control cabinet. These
signals, along with the rotational motor drive signals utilized a
commutator/arm system. The rigid coax use a slip-joint apparatus that
allowed the antenna to rotate while the connecting part remained
stationary (or so intended). The stationary section extended down thru
the roof and was physically/mechanically connected to the
Transmitter/Power Supply Cabinet located on the top floor of the tower.
The perfect alignment of the rotational and fixed portions of this coax
had to be perfect. Not the case here. The wooden sturcture settled and
moved, and the alignment deteriorated. Towards the later days of
operations, arching started to occur constantly at positions of the
antenna. We were still able to operate but were bothered by several
radial bright lines on the PPI scope. As much as I tried, there was no
way to regain the alignment of these components.
I might add that there was a trap door in the roof that allowed partial
entry into the Antenna dome cover for servicing the antenna equipment.
The top floor of the tower had glass windows all around. It might have
been intended to be used as a spotters locale for artillary fire
control. To my knowledge it was never used while I was there. As
mentioned above, the Transmitter/Power Supply Cabinet was located on
this floor. It had to be located exactly underneath the rotating
antenna for alignment purposes. The Magnatron, Klystron and 15,000 volt
power supply were in this cabinet. I wont go into details on any of
these items except to say, I kept one hand in my pocket when I was
working inside this cabinet.
Regards, Dan
32
Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 16:09:15 -0700
From: Dan Vesper danvesper (at) argohouston.com
Subject: Long Island Info
Joe:
I apoligize for not writing sooner. Since I received your letter of
3-7-99, I have mentally composed several letters to you, but that is as
far as I've gone. My problem is that I'm getting old (76) and my memory
is not as good as I would like. And, of course, while I was there, I
was not particularly interested in making mental notes of details of
where I was, or just what I was doing. I just wanted to serve my time
and get back home. I hope you can understand that.
Before I get started on my story, I want you to feel free to use any or
all of the information that I pass on to you.
The Coast Artillary unit that I was assigned to after graduating from
Radar Maintenance School was originally Florida National Guard, located
in the Keys. At the time I joined tham, they were located at Fort
Hancock, New Jersey, guarding the harbour of New York City. The SCR-582
that I was assigned to, was located above the cown of Highlands. It was
on a high bluff overlooking the harbour. I can't even remember our
Unit's designation. It was something like 286th CA Bn You might
have this info in your files since we kept the same designation when we
arrive in Kodiak.
In late 1943, we were told to pack up and get ready to head west. Along
with 10 officers and 14 other non-coms (I was a buck Sgt) were on the
advanced detail that preceeded the Bn. to Seattle. I remember that we
just west of Chicago on New Years Eve. After a week in Seattle, we
boarded ship and set sail for Kodiak. At that time, we didn't know our
destination. At lease I didn't. The ship we sailed on was not very
large. It held only about 150 troops plus the naval crew. Two holds,
each holding about 75 GI's crammed together. We set sail late one
evening. As the ship moved, lights on shore could be seen. After a
little bit, it appeared to me that I was seeing the same lights over and
over again. As it turned out, we were going around and around in Puget
Sound, because our rudder had stuck. The finally got it fixed around
dawn and we were on our way. About the third day out, we ran into one
heck of a storm. The sea swells were higher than the ship. As the ship
would crest a swell, the propeller would come out of the water and the
engine would speed up and then load down again when the ship dove down
the back side of the swell. There were only a handful of us that did
not get sea sick. A very memorable experience. I believe the trip took
us about 7 days. We landed at Kodiak and went directly to Fort
Greeley.
I don't remember the name of the ship we sailed on, but it was
definitely an Aleut name. It and a sister ship were originally German
Coast Guard ships that were seized after WW 1. You might have their
names in your files.
To be continued......
Dan
P.S. Several weeks ago, while scanning Kodiak Web Sites, I found a map
of Long Island. I printed it. Now, I'm trying to find the map again,
but with no sucess. Could you give me clue as to where it might be?
I've been in contact with a lady that lived in Kodiak from 1946 to
1972. She said she spent Summer Camps on Long Island in the 50's &
60's. Her name is Zelanna Copsey, her e-mail address is:
czcopsey (at) aol.com
I do have some lpictures that were taken on Long Island as well as
Kodiak. The are not very good. I might try to e-mail you a couple and
then send you the rest. You can return them when you are finished with
them. I am having difficulty in trying to identify just where the
pictures were taken.
31
From: Wayne Creasap WJCI (at) email.msn.com
Subject: USCG-USS ANNAPOLIS
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 21:25:03 -0500
During WWII my father (Owen D. Creasap) was in the USCG and served
aboard the USS Annapolis. AT wars end in 1945 the USS Annapolis was
to go to the Russians on Lend-Lease. Dad and half the crw got off
the ship in Washington. The other half the crew was sent on a training
mission up around Alaska and the USS Annapolis came to the resuce of
a ship that was on fire and helped rescue the crew. A photograph was
taken and it ran in the New York Times shortly after words. My grand
father (now deceased) had saved the newspaper article with the picture
and it was lost over the years.My father will be 76 this week and
would like to have a copy of the photograph if available. Can you be
of help.
Thanks;
Wayne J. Creasap
Marion, Ohio
30
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 15:15:58 -0500
From: FRED nnn0ppe (at) fls.infi.net
Organization: US Navy-Marine Corps MARS Afloat & Overseas Operations
Subject: Japanese Submarine
I am trying to locate information on the sinking (and USS Safeguard (ARS
50)salvage) of a Japanese 243' submarine in 80' water near Kiska during
WWII.
Any info or referral would be greatly appreciated.
Fred Chapman
Fredericksburg, VA
29
From: George W. Reynolds Geowreynolds (at) worldnet.att.net
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1999 23:04:07 -0600
Hi Joe,
Regarding the information you are looking for on Artillery Hill and Buskin Hill...
I may have some pictures here somewhere but don't know right now... I did take
some at Long Island and at the two 8" gun positions and I think they were the
bulk of those I took... I will get into them a little later and if you like will
try to get some of them duplicated and forward them to you. I have a friend in
Louisiana that was there with me for a while and he may have some other pictures
that might be interesting too. I will try to find out.. Also have a friend in
Comfort, TX. that was on Kodiak for a while too.. He was there after the guns
were destroyed so he may not be able to add too much information...
When I left the island in Aug of 1949, the 4 destroyed gun tubes were still at
Miller's Point and Cape Chiniak... In fact, we left tons of ammunition in the
magazines too... Don't know what they finally did with all of that. And
regarding the 155 mm weapons, all we ever found of their sites were the concrete
rings where they were positioned above Kodiak. The weapons had been removed
some time before I got there in Feb, 1947. The other weapons we did have at
that time were kept in one of the two hangers near the airstrip... If I remember
right, we had something like 52-Cal. .30 Brownings, 26-Cal. .50 Brownings,
several 40mm and 90mm AA weapons that had been removed from Puffin Island I
think it was... These were all in permanent storage and were not fired while
I was there...
At the time I was on the Island, we had one M-1 rifle... The MP's kept it all
the time.. The other weapons were mainly Springfields, M-1 Carbines and Thompson
SMGs... Add to that a few .45 Colts for the MPs and the brass....The few alerts
we had always brought them out and we had to run around with them until they
were over...
George
28
From: George W. Reynolds Geowreynolds (at) worldnet.att.net
Subject: A quick PS
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 21:17:12 -0600
Joseph,
I went back to your QSL information and in doing so, ran into
your web site... Outstanding!! Haven't looked everything over
but have marked it for further study...
Sorry to see that they blew up the two 6 inchers on Long Island...
I put a lost of sweat and toil into those two... If you ever
have the chance to visit the position again, check the two
turrents... At the bottom of the gun barrel openings on the
turrents, you will see that the shield has been modified by
cutting away the metal.. This was done with a torch and took
many hours to do it... The metal is very tough and our torch
operator, a Pvt John Webb, spent many an hour puddling up the
metal and blowing it out to make the modifications...
I noticed in your information that they didn't know when the
guns at Miller's point were destroyed... If my memory is correct,
it seems to me that they destroyed them sometime just before
Thanksgiving, 1948. The ones at Cape Chiniak were a little later...
Thanks again for the nice little visit away from home...I
intend to check out all of your notes and revive a lot of memories....
Sincerely,
George
27
From: George W. Reynolds Geowreynolds (at) worldnet.att.net
Subject: Just checking on Kodiak!!
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 20:54:34 -0600
Hi Joseph,
Ran into your E-Mail address while checking on the net for some Ham
Calls so I thought I would drop you a line and see how things are
going on Kodiak...
A lot of fond memories are still with me after my 32 month visit
to that beautiful place... I was stationed at the old Ft. Greely,
located near the Naval Air Station on Kodiak... At the time of my
visit there, I was assigned as a Heavy Artillery Mechanic to the
Coast Artillery group.. We had the responsibility of maintaining
the 2- 8" guns at Miller's point, the 2 at Cape Chiniak and the
two 6" guns on Long Island... The 4- 8 inchers were destroyed in
place in 1948 I think it was and then that left us just the 2-6"
out in the open to maintain...All of our anti-aircraft artillery
had already been removed and placed in the two Army hangers,
located behind Woman's mountain, near the foot of Mt Barometer.
If I remember the names properly, they called the outlying gun
positions Fort Abercrombe, Fort Tidball, and Fort John Smith..
I don't remember which was which anymore...I do however remember
the old metal landing strip at Cape Chiniak... We used to camp
nearby and watch the deer around the field...
From what I have read somewhere, I understand that they have
made parks out of the old gun locations. Do you know if that
is true or not? It would be interesting to visit them again
but I don't imagine at this time of my life I will ever make
it back up there...
I spent many an hour, while located on Long Island, listening
to an old Hallicrafter's S-20R I think it was... One of the
main stations I listened to at that time was KL7FC, Frank..
He was living on Woody Island at the FAA site if I remember
right.. I met him once, but can't remember what he looked
like... I understand he later came back to the states and
is in Washington or Oregon...
Anyway, I was dying to be a Ham at that time but never had
the get up and go to get everything in line...Money and a
few other factors got to me.. I did finally make it quite
a bit later. Was first licensed as a Tech, WA5TXB, in 1968
and then finally worked it up to Advanced...Blooming code
did me in most of the time..Am now licensed as W5TXB, with
a recent change in call..
At present, my Ham station is not in full operation.. The
wife and I are building ourselves a new home up in the
Hill Country of Texas, west of Kerrville, TX., and we
are trying to get up there as soon as possible.. In fact,
we are planning to make a trip up there this week end and
stay for a couple weeks and get some work done. The house
is finished outside but we still need to complete the
inside with plumbing and cabinets and so on.
With the limited space I have here in town, I haven't put
up my beam or even hooked up the linear amp because of
neighbor problems. I'm looking forward to getting it
all back on line when we make the move...Maybe after that,
we could hook up and pass the time of day, if the
conditions are right...
2 meters and a few contacts on 80 are about the extent of
it all now...Maybe some day soon, things will change a bit...
Well, I have taken up enough of your time and space...
Would love to hear from you if you have the time and are
inclined to use the E-Mail some of the time...
The best of all to you and yours..
George
W5TXB
26
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 19:56:08 -0600
From: Jerry Olk jolk (at) chicago.avenew.com
Subject: A F R T S
... About the tv station.
I beleive it was closed circuit on the base and in town. The radio
trans. was in the same building. We received about 80 hours of kinscope
and we would program to our hearts content. We had a transcription record
lib. that occuppied half the building. The radio stuff was on the second
floor where the living quarters were also. The bottom floor was a studio
and telecon with a console, rear projection 2 projectors a 35 projector
prism and a camera for notices and station ID. I ran a 10 to 12 disk
jockey show at nite. We would cut out the feed from Elmendorf AFRTS.
I have some pics of the time, but are with the Mom who is 88 in southern
Calif. Will try to see if she remembers were they are. Joe, Its been over
40 years, and it aint getting any easier. I will be glad to help you
out, but bear with. Had a great time in Kodiak. Never went home on
leave. Would work for the crabbers. More money. Started to take lessons for
pilots lice. Bush pilot killed himself hitting Mt. I was a jet Mech for
Navy. Got to Kodiak,no jets. Asked if I would like to work at TV
station. You bet. Am presently hitting 37 years at Encyclopedia Britannica
in Chicago. Made a lot of Industrial Motion Pictures over the years. Had
to be the Navy traing. Kidding. Navy was allright. Got out in 61 at right
time. Joe [I'm] not good at this but any thing else, give me a ring.
Later, Jerr Olk, Home E MAIL jolk(at)chicago(dot)avenew(dot)com
25
Date: Fri, 5 Feb 99 10:43:40
From: Jerry Olk jolk (at) eb.com
Subject: A.F.R.T.S.
HI JOE, My name is Jerry Olk, and was in charge of the Tv and Radio Station
across from Womans Mt. across the road from the fuel dump in the old 2 story
ww2 converted barracks. From July 59 to Sep 61. Came across your site by
mistake, But brings back a lot of memories. Will have to spend more time with
all your links. Take Care Jerry Olk jolk(at)eb.com OR jolk(at)chicago avenew.com
24
Date: Tue, 02 Feb 1999 19:48:04 -0600
From: alan lawrence mustang (at) midamer.net
Hello, When I was there there weren't any squadron's left. We had 2
DC6'S and the picture was taken from the other as we were flying over
the base. The planes were used for the Admiral Of The Alaskan Sea
Frontier. Wherever he wanted to go, we went. We had 2 flights to
Anchorage per week. Dependents could fly to Elmendorf to shop or what
ever. They were also supply flights. We had flights that went to Barrow.
We had one 2 engine sea plane the came in about 1000 foot short of the
runway there in a snow storm. A crew went up and patched it up and flew
it back. I worked on hydraulics on the planes when I was stationed
there. I have several pictures of the old base on the West side of the
[probably means east to Chiniak. joe.]
Island where there were underground bunkers and gun mounts facing toward
the West. They are all slides. I have pictures from all over the Island
where there was a road. There were 4 of use who ran around together and
I had a car there, so we spent many of our weekends drinking beer and
camping or fishing during the summer.out on the Island. Most of the
population was in town then. I am going to try to get a device that will
let me scan the slides to my computer. We use to go up on the mountain
top around midnight where the microwave site was and on a good night we
could pick up WLS from Chicago on the car radio. Was quit a treat.lol
The best I remember there were 14 bars and 16 churches there then. There
was a passenger ship that washed ashore during the earthquake and a
Woman from Vancouver had made a hotel, restaurant and bar out of it. I
think it was called the Beachcomber, It was the only ship I was on while
I was in the Navy and I spent quit a bit of time in the lounge on it.
There was around 4000 people there during the summer and less during the
winter. I will gather up some of the pictures and send them to you. I
looked at all of the one's on you site. Really enjoyed them. Thanks for
writing. Alan
23
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:52:11 -0600
From: alan lawrence mustang (at) midamer.net
Subject: Naval Station Kodiak
Hello, I was stationed Kodiak between 1968 and 1969. I was a AMH2 at the
2 Navy Hangers at that time. I have looked for someone on the web to get
some pic's of how it looks now. I have worked for GTE since I left the
Navy. Have worked on some of the equipment you talked about. Mostly step
switches. In 1985 we got our digital office. We had 28 people before we
cut. Today we have 5. Out switch is a GTD5 with 6 remotes and 53 mxu
sites working off it. I have 291/2 years with them now. In this day and
age that's a long time with one company.lol I'm going to attach a photo
I have, you may not have one like it. I live in Southern Illinois. Use
to be a
microwave site on top of the mountains that the phone calls left on. If
you can drop me a line and say hello. Alan Lawrence
mustang(at)midamer.net
22
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 16:34:47 -0800
From: Jack Farson jfarson (at) virtualhosts.net
To: "Joe Stevens, WL7AML"
CC: Ed Robinson edrob(at)ma.ultranet.com,
"kares(at)ptialaska.net" kares(at)ptialaska.net,
Troy Sanders ttsanders(at)webtv.net
Subject: Re: mansfield ridge
Joe: I am not familiar with Mansfield Ridge but I am familiar with Bells Flat.
That was an Army camp made up of quonset huts which were barracks, latrines,
mess halls, galley, etc. I had renovated one of these huts that set up on hill
overlooking that river or stream that flowed by. There was a creek just down
the hill from my hut and we used to put our sodas and beer in large mesh sacks
and the stream would keep our drinks ice cold. We would hunt deer in the hills
around this area and bring them back to my cabin where we would skin them out. I
had a friend who was a butcher and he would cut them up for us. We would
package the deer meat and store in home freezers. I gave away equivalent to
three deer when I left Kodiak. Also had to give deer away to make room in my
freezer for salmon during salmon season. We went to afognak (spelling probably
not correct) on R&R and I caught over 40 6-8 lb red sockeye salmon the spring
before I left there in April 1963. There was no salmon bag limit caught on
Afognak and we were usually allowed three deer per year, either sex. I smoked
and canned three cases (48 cans per case) and shipped it back to my home in
Missouri. Enjoyed that canned smoked salmon for many years after leaving
Kodiak. They had started to tear down those Army huts about a year before I
left Kodiak and they told me to put my name on my hut and they would't tear it
down. When I left Kodiak in April 1963, I turned my hut over to my neighbor who
was on a mixed couple bowling with my wife and I. We have many pleasant
memories of Kodiak and my wife and I still consider it the best assignment we
had in our 22 years in the Navy. Of course my wife wasn't in the service but
all service people consider they and their families are in the service. I don't
know if this is useful to your history, but you can always delete it. If I
think of more later, will let you know. Jack Farson
21
Cc: TTSanders (at) Webtv.net
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 15:44:11 -0800
Subject: Re: Kodiak History
From: edwinknapp (at) juno.com (Ed P Knapp)
Thanks Joe, I will be sending you more material regarding the station and
some of the incidents that took place there in the sixties. I started
work there in July 0f 1962 and left there in July of 1963. My family
and I lived in one of the Aleution Homes called the "Cardboard Jungle".
When the wind blew, the side walls would move in and out. I and my three
sons hunted Elk, Deer and Bear most of the time on Afognak Island. I had
a Cessna 175 and would chase the kids and animales off of the road and
land on the road which went into town. I have buzzed some of the big
Kodiak bears and was glad that I was going 150 MPH when I flew by them.
Most of the members of the church were Navy and so we had access to the
Navy Recreation buildings on the Island where the Elk herds were. I was
an ex-cow puncher and liked to visit the two cattle ranches on the
Island. Did you know Tony Reed, the electrician "Torch"? He was an ex
policeman in town for years. Well Joe, I will write more later
Regards Ed
20
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 1999 16:05:09 -0800
Subject: Re: Kodiak History
From: edwinknapp (at) juno.com (Ed P Knapp)
Joe, I just finished reading Tony Smaker's history of the Chiniak
Tracking Station history and he made a few errors in it. First one is
that it was BURTCO who got the contract in 1962, Burtonshaw was a big
restaurant owner in Bellingham Washington. He put up the money for the
bid. Jimmy Walker, an ex air force pilot on WW-2 was the Burtco agent.
Herb Long was his first Project Manager. Herb goofed up a few times in
1962 and I replaced him as the PM. He later came back in 64 and took
over the contract himself funded by some other Millionaire. Herb was a
chronic boozer and had a chronic hangover every day. Tony Reed was his
buddy and favored to follow him in authority but he was an ex police
officer in Kodiak and a mediocre electrician. I had to call in a Kodiak
electrician a few times to solve the air-conditioning system which was
vital to the telemetry department. Smaker never mentioned Bob Jaques
who was the PE for Lockheed Space and Missile. The technicians were
heavy drinkers and demanded special favors from me for extra food hours,
more vehicle time for trips to town and steaks, lobsters and special
desserts that exceeded our AF budget. When Herb Long was the PM, he had
a few "shutdowns" in the generator room which was a no-no when the
telemetry was activated. A shut down causes a furor in Sunnyvale and Air
Force officials are vicious with the contractor. As long as Herb stayed
out of the Generator room, everything went fine. More later Regards
Ed
19
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 12:00:12 -0800
Subject: Re: Kodiak History
From: edwinknapp (at) juno.com (Ed P Knapp)
Thanks for the message Joe. I misplaced your address and couldn't send
you a copy of my message to Steve. I will try to do that if I can get
this PC to do what I want it to do. I really enjoyed the time that I and
my family lived in Kodiak. Becky, Ed Jr., Larry and Jimmy, all attended
the schools there and loved every minute of it. I late wife, Betty
wanted to stay on the island and we had access to a plane which we flew
over every inch of the two Islands and the Chain. So we got to see the
giant Kodiak Bears in their habitat. They reminded me of a 1500 lb
Jersey bull. I buzzed one on Afognak and it stood up on his hind legs
and lunged at the plane as if he was the king of that area and we were
the invaders. We hunted and ate Elk and deer most of the time that we
were there. It was probably the best time of our lives with no worldly
things to distract us from enjoying the people and the environment.
Being the Project Manager at Chiniak AFB, and the Minister for the church
of Christ, I had the best of two worlds. Troy can verify the times that
we spent together and the fun we had hunting, fishing and picnicking
around the Island. I won't corner your time now but will talk more about
Kodiak and the Chiniak Station later if you want to. Take care and God
bless. Regards Doctor Ed Knapp Sr.
18
From: ttsanders (at) webtv.net (troy sanders)
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 10:37:30 -0500 (EST)
To: edwinknapp(at)juno.com, jfarson(at)virtualhosts.net,
chucklock3(at)juno.com, ttsanders(at)webtv.net
Subject: Alaska soudough
Joe:
Here is another story for your files:
During the early 1960's every military family arriving for duty at
Kodiak was introduced to sourdough. They were given a loaf of fresh
bread plus a starter and a typewritten story concerning the starter.
The story was about an old prospector back in 1910 who married a
beautiful Eskimo girl. They were caught in a snow storm. The girl did
not survive but before her final hour she gave her husband a sourdough
starter and told him to keep it alive and her memory would never die.
For several months my family and I believed the story. We would think of
the poor girl dying in the snow when we ate the sourdough bread my wife
baked. Later we learned that the story was concocted from a yeoman third
class stationed at Naval Communications Station. The starter originated
from a Fleishman yeast cake.
That's all for now, Troy
cc edwin knapp
cc jack farson
cc c locklair
17
From: Blank42(at)aol.com
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 21:05:21 EST
Cc: jimb(at)BIOLOGY.kent.edu
Subject: Re: Kodiak
Hi Joe,
Sorry I haven't replied to you sooner. As usual I have an excuse. First a
rather large nitrate pollution problem involvind 6K to 10K acreas plus three
other large projects that follow. Enough excuses. First "Yak".... to the best
of my memory itprobably refers to Yaketat (?sp} huts .They were square pre-
engineered buildings built in the early 40's along with quonset huts and used
in Alaska; I will research this further.
In past correspondence you referred to concrete footings on "round-top"
mountain as being a rader syation. I built a tower at this location in 1943.
It was the center triangulation[sp] observation stationfor the two 8"
battleship guns installed inthe foundations you found at the cliff near the
Chiniak River.The tower formed the center point of two connecting base lines
joined at an angle of 120 degrees(to the best of my memory}If you search at
two nearby hills you should find foundations for two more towers.
I have a lot of pictures..Iam sure that some of the veterans who served
alongside me also have pictures.I have a time constraint on scanning the
pictures.I will try to get the assistance of our son Dr. William F. Blank
Jr.MD and Jim our youngest son to help.
Regards,
Bill
16
To: Delta-S(at)world.net.att.net
Cc: TTSanders(at)Webtv.net
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 10:34:09 -0800
Subject: Kodiak History
From: edwinknapp(at)juno.com (Ed P Knapp)
I read your letter regarding the history of the Chiniak Tracking Station
and your desire to have anyone associated with the station to "fill in"
some of the blanks. I was the Project Manager for the logistics when
Burtonshaw had the contract. Lockheed Space and Missile had the
telemetry contract but many of the Philco members stayed on to work with
Lockheed. Bob Jacques was the Project Engineer for that contract. I
started working there in 1962 when Jimmy Walker and Pete Holmes were
handling the contract for Burtonshaw which was a concern out of
Bellingham, Washington. The site had over one hundred personnel plus an
Air Force CO. I started as a mechanic and took over as the Project
Manager in the first part of 1963. Before I left the site, I organized
the workers for a Local #302, Operating Engineers Union so as to prevent
underbidding by contractors from the South who were using cheap labor to
do the work at the base. Had the AF known that I was organizing the
workers, they would have probably lynched me. I was also a Minister for
the church of Christ in Kodiak and a WW-2 veteran pilot. I was asked to
photograph the Russion fleet which was secretly monitoring our telemetry
data by posing as a fishing processing plant. A Coast Guard photographer
took the pictures as I flew low over the fleet. Only one pass was
possible as the Russions would have shot us down for the over flight. We
got the pictures but the FAA agents were waiting at the airport when we
landed. The word from Russia and Washington DC about this invasion
traveled faster than my plane. I received a reprimand but petty officer
Turner got away with the photos posing as my civilian passenger. We were
tracking the Russion satellites at the time which was called a "Russion
Graveyard" by Lockheed. My job was to maintain the power plants, motor
pool, roads, air field, hire workers, payroll which amounted to $250,000
annually. In July of 1963 I left the job and a Navy Commander took over
the logistics project. All supplies came from the USAF in Anchorage with
an AF Colonel as the base CO. I have long since forgotten his name. I
have a great deal more to say about the year that I was there but will
leave it up to you if more is desired. Regards Doctor Edwin P. Knapp
Sr.
15
From: ttsanders(at)webtv.net (troy sanders)
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 16:10:21 -0500 (EST)
Subject: info.
Joe:
Here is a bit of personal history you requested.
Starting way back about the time Moses crossed the Jordan. My navy
career started in 1943. I served two years in the South Pacific during
WW-2. After the war the Santa Fe Railroad hired me as locomotive fireman
and junior engineer. It was a great job but steam gave way to diesel.
Engines no longer needed firemen. It put a lot of us out of work. The
navy called 1948. It was continuous service from that time to retrement
in 1966. The navy was a good career. Some men liked, some didn't. I
would do it all over again. From 1948 to my assignment to Kodiak I had
served aboard very good ships and air stations. It was my turn to sweat
on some forgotten outpost. I have no doubts that my orders to beautiful
Kodiak Island was a result of prayers. While we were at Kodiak we often
camped at Pasagshak. We also spent a lot of time hiking around Gibson's
Cove, Holiday Beach, and Fort Abercrombie.
Every Friday all the neighbors would get together and bring vittles and
fiddles, banjos and guitars. Edwin Knapp and his family were there
singing and pickin. Ed worked at Chiniak and preached at the Church of
Christ. My two daughters attended the school in town, they were in the
6th and 7th grades. We often patronized the stores in town - Krafts,
Clarks Super Market, Lyric Theater, Bank of Kodiak, Knutsons, Holmans
auto parts and my wife liked the new dress shop that opened shorty
before we were transferred. Charlie Locklair bought a new Dodge from
Clarks garage. -
Well, that's quite enough for now -
Troy
14
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 15:30:20 -0800
From: Jack Farson
Subject: Re: Kodiak Alaska
I am Jack Farson, Naval Station Legal Office, Kodiak Naval
Station. I was the senior enlisted person in the Naval Station Legal
Office from April 1960 thru April 1963. I was involved in all the
investigations that occurred during that period. We had a patrol plane
with 12 aboard hit Woman's mountain where 7 perished and the other 5
were thrown clear. I had a cabin in the old army camp just outside of
the Kodiak Naval Station and I made trips to Cape Chiniak with my young
daughter on salmon fishing trips. She was only 8-10 years old at that
time. I used to fish a lot in the buskin river which ran through the
base. Never got skunked in that river. Another friend and I took a
small 12 foot v boat and went around the cliffs of Kodiak fishing for
Black Bass. We managed to catch two seabags of fish in about a 4 hour
period. I had a four wheel drive 1951 Wyllis Jeep and toured most of
the Island in it on fishing and hunnting trips. Also camped on Afognak
Island at the Navy Recreation Center and enjoyed that very much. I am
also familiar with the Russian Sailor (Fishing Fleet) that was brought
into Kodiak for treatment at our Station Hospital that Troy Sanders
wrote to you about. Troy and I worked out of the same office in
Kodiak. He was attached to the 17th Naval District Legal Department
and I was attached to the Staff of the Naval Station. I went to Kodiak
as a Yeoman First Class and was promoted to Chief Yeoman during my tour
there. We spent lots of time hunting, fishing and bowling with not much
else to do. I went fishing in the beaver ponds up above our cabin out
in the old Army Camp and ran upon one of those large Kodiak Brown
Bears. I didn't bother him and he didn't bother me. Made us both
happy. Only had vcr type TV to watch. We had local Navy TV shows but
all the stateside shows were on tape and shipped in. Hope you can gleen
something out of this. When I think of more to write about, I'll send
it on. Jack Farson
13
From: ttsanders(at)webtv.net (troy sanders)
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 22:48:22 -0500 (EST)
To: jfarson(at)virtualhosts.net, ttsanders(at)webtv.net
Subject: some history
Joe,
There is no doubt you already have this story in your files. It happened
about early part of 1963.
An urgent message was received by NAS Kodiak. A sailor aboard a Russian
fishing boat needed immediate medical attention. The Coast Guard Air
Rescue Team was dispatched to the area and brought the sick seaman to
Naval Hospital, Kodiak. Communicating with the young fisherman was a
problem. Doctors had to know how he felt and where it hurt. Very few
people could speak Russian. The Priest from the Russian Church in Kodiak
volunteered to help, however the sailor would not cooperate with the
priest. Finally, they located a navy wife who had taken a short course
in Russian. The doctors performed surgery and the seaman was doing fine.
During the healing process from the operation he became the center of
attention and the talk of the town. People from all over the island
brought presents for the Russian. He was showered with watches, radios,
heavy parkas, boots, many cans of nuts, fruit and candy. No VIP ever had
it so good. Some folks were anxiousy sitting on the edge of their chairs
waitng for the young sailor to denounce his
Russian citizenship and deflect. Navy officials did not share that
sentiment. They wished him a speedy recovery and a quick trip back to
his fishing boat. About two weeks later the Navy brass got their wish.
It was over, or so they thought. Another urgent message was received
from the Russian fishing fleet asking for medical help for a man and
woman. The Coast Guard Air Rescue Team flew back to the area and brought
the man and woman to the Naval Hospital, Kodiak. This time very little
attention was given to the new patients. Peope were cold to a second
call. No watches, no radios, no parkas. It appered that the Russians
were taking advantage of our hospitality and kindness. What will they
ask for next? It might escalate and snowball into more free services and
supplies for their entire fishing fleet. We may be handing out free
food, fuel, spare parts, and haircuts. We have had enough. Through much
discussion and dipomatic communications it was decided that the
officials of the Russian fishing fleet would be notified that the U.S
Navy would no longer be available to serve them. A serious medical
problem would be taken care of by the Hospital in Kodiak. There would be
a charge.
Thats all - Troy
12
From: ttsanders(at)webtv.net (troy sanders)
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 18:59:55 -0500 (EST)
Subject: thanks
Joe:
Thanks for responding to my request to help Edwin. Telecomminucations is
new to me and I am the first to admit my ignorance and inexperience.
I have another candidate for your web page. He requested a copy, which I
sent. Maybe he did receive it. - He was stationed at NAS Kodiak about
that time. You can contact him at jfarson (at) virtualhosts.net - Jack was
a great fisherman and hunter - nobody could beat him at smoking and
canning salmon. I am sure he has interesting stories to tell you about
his experience at Kodiak.
My best friend, Charlie Locklair was also at Kodiak. He has e mail but
he cannot receive web pages. You can write to him at
chucklock3 (at) juno.com.
It is doubtful that we would recognize Kodiak now. I had thoughts of
retiring there. We didn't know how much we would miss it until we were
gone. - We landed in San Francisco at rush hour to face the traffic,
people and noise. It took us two hours to drive from the SF airport to
Alameda. with all the traffic, My daughter started to cry. She said, "I
want to go home, let's go back to Kodiak." My whole family felt the
same. - - Now, at my age I know I will never return. Sometimes it is a
chore just to make a trip to town. Thanks to you and all those
responsible for publishing web pages about Kodiak. It is the next best
thing to being there.
Please keep in contact.
Troy
11
From: ttsanders(at)webtv.net (troy sanders)
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 10:01:20 -0500 (EST)
Subject: your web page
Your historical page and photos of Kodiak were very interesting. I was
stationed there 1961-1963. I have been trying to send your page to a
friend of mine. He was an engineer at Chiniak at that time - His name is
Edwin Knapp. He can be reached by e-mail at - edwinknapp (at) juno.com - -
Can you help? I know he would appreciate it.
Thank you, Troy Sanders
10
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1998 12:40:37 -0500
From: "inracing" inracing(at)neo.rr.com
Subject: Alaska Radar
I have a friend that was stationed at Cape Lisburne AFS from 1952 to 1954
he is looking for old friends. Can you help?
His address is AbePfister(at)webtv.net
Thank you
9
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 11:20:46 -0600
From: Ed Robinson
Subject: Puffin Island
Joe,
After reviewing your photos of Puffin Island and looking through my copy of
the 1944 Annexes of the Kodiak Harbor Defense Project, I think your photos
labeled # 3 & 4 are of the Battery Commander's station for the 90MM battery
on the island. The map in the Annexes shows the BC to be between bldgs 11 &
16 where you have a ? mark on your map.
Incidentally, if you would like a copy of the Kodiak Annexes, I would be
happy to make a copy of them for you. I also have the Annexes for Sitka,
Seward and Dutch Harbor. These Annexes have a ton of information including
Fire Control Sites, Battery Sites, Gun Information, Datum Points, Lambert
Grid Coordinates, Maps of the Sites, etc.
Regards,
Ed
8
From: wiles(at)ici.net
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 17:59:04 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Kodiak Military History
Joe,
I work with the Harbor Defense Annexes, a fairly detailed and technical
document that the Army compiled for each harbor defense. They are a gold
mine of information. The Kodiak Annex is very detailed and includes a
complete schematic of the main telephone cables, two route maps, and a
circuit diagram. There are also maps of each site which indicate where each
fire control elements was located. With this document and a little
experience it's possible to tell pretty much what's going on in each harbor
defense.
You are correct, telephones were used to transmit data back to the gun
battery. Each base end station had a connection to the battery and, more
specifically, to the plotting room. Here, a plotting board was used to
track the target. Data derived from the plotting board was then sent on to
the guns via telephone. Undoubtedly you will find evidence of telephone
connections at these locations.
Here are some more comments on your photos. The gun shields at Battery 296
at Fort Tidball are fairly rare items. There are, at most, six others still
in existence in addition to the two at Battery 296, as far as I know. Two
are at Fort Columbia, Washington, on display at Battery 246, two at Fort
Pickens, Florida, at Battery 234, and it is assumed two remain at Battery
282 in Argentia, Newfoundland. The standing SCR-296 operating room is also
fairly rare. The only other two I recall seeing standing in the lower 48
are for Battery 202 in Portland, ME, and Battery Tolles "B" at Fort Worden
in Puget Sound.
I may take you up on your offer to tour the Kodiak area. Never having been
to the area I will need a contact to help "set things up" - particularily
with transportation to Fort Tidball on Long Island. I'll let you know when
my plans firm up.
Regards,
Chris
7
From: wiles(at)ici.net
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 07:54:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Kodiak Military History
Joe,
In a word, your page on Kodiak military history is exactly what I have been
looking for. A great job and great photos.
Having been to almost (stress almost) every SCR-296 site in the lower 48
states, I was particularily interested in your photos of the towers.
Nothing like that exists down this way. Also, as a ham myself, I have
always been interested in the technical specifications of the SCR-296 but
have been unable to locate anything so I found the specs you listed very
interesting. Incidently, I am told by a friend who recently visited Dutch
Harbor the SCR-296 antenna for Battery 402 at Fort Schwatka is still intact.
There is no tower (because of the height of the site) and the antenna is
mounted on a short (about 8 feet) wooden platform.
Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of information about the batteries,
guns, forts, fire control, and so on. I'll be happy to pass on any
information. Having exhausted just about every Coast Artillery site in the
lower 48 states I am due for a trip to Alaska for some fresh field work.
Your site has already helped me with the planning. Keep up the good work!
Regards,
Chris Wiles, WA1RGA
6
From: "Lloyd L. Johnson" lloydl (at) charter.net
Subject: Chiniak
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 13:19:21 -0500
Greetings from Illinois, Joe:
My compliments to you on your Chiniak webpage. You did an excellent job putting it together.
Also, I wanted to express my appreciation for the updates that you send me from time to time.
Your "Topo Map" (chinmap4.jpg) shows the Chiniak Area as I remember it in 1945.
The lagoon touchs the road at one point only. Just west of that point, between the edge
of the lagoon and the road, was where the 4 utility poles (set in a square) with 4 dipole
antennas strung between them, were located.
I just recently contacted (after 52 years) a fellow that was at Chiniak with me and was
able to get a couple of pictures from him that he took when we were there. I don't how
they will come though in this e-mail but I will mail you copies of them as soon as I can
get them made. Perhaps despite the 1945 photo technoligy, they will be useful to you.
The Quonset Hut #2 is the one I bunked in and the DF shack (rear view) is the LFDF
shack located on the ridge above the quonset hut site. Perhaps where you found the
NASA Marker. The DF unit was located in the right-hand portion of the shack with the
loop antenna occupping that upper section. Stay in touch-----LLoyd
5
From: Blank42(at)aol.com
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 21:11:35 EDT
Cc: jimb(at)biology.Kent.edu Dr.JamesBlank
Subject: Cape Chiniak
Dear Joe Stevens,
My name is William F. Blank, PE, SE, DEE. I live at 403 Greenway Lane,
Decatur, Illinois. You have been corresponding with Dr. James L. Blank, my
son, who is a professor at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio relative to my
service time on Kodiak Island from Jan 1943 thru Dec or Jan 1943. During that
period of time I was LT(jg) in the 43rd US Naval Construction Battalion. Our
battilion was part of a construction battilion (CB- SeaBee) brigade that
served as engineerig forces for the US Army from Kodiak, Sand Point, Dutch
Harbor, Adak , Amchitka, Adak, Kiska, etc.
I was, at the age of 22, officer-in-charge of construction of the
construction of all the coastal fort facilities at Chiniak. Initially I was in
construction command of 300 construction personnel of company C; later of an
additional 300 men from company D. Our battalion also constructed fort
facilities at Millers Point.
I have a lot of stories to tell, description of construction and pictures. Our
battalion has a reunion every year in September. They have lots to tell. Marilyn
will not attend this year; we will be in southern France.
I will keep in touch.
Best Regards,
Bill Blank
4
From: rogiv(at)ix.netcom.com
Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 23:48:25 -0400
Subject: USS Kodiak (LSM 161)
Hi Joe,
Was browsing the VP SIte and ran into your Kodiak page. Don't know if
you have anything yet on the USS Kodiak. The ship, an old WW II LSM was
based in Kodiak in the 50's and early 60's. She was known only as LSM
161, until late '59 (October/November)when she was finally commissioned
USS Kodiak. Mission - to provide logistic support to the islands in the
Aleutian chain. I served as the 1st Lt. in '59 and 60. That was quite a
year for the ship. Lots of laughs, lots of drama,- a story that
eventually made its way into the Navy Institute Proceedings. If you've
ever heard of the ship then you probably picked up some of the story
about the famous Christmas tree cruise to Adak in '59. A very long
story. Started in Dec and ended in April/May). Its began with a stop at
Cape Cerichef (spelling?) on the Unimac Peninsula, A Wilawaw, a broached
ship, an SOS, a 20 foot hole in the side of the ship, capesized
whaleboats, etc., etc. etc.,. If you're interested in knowing more, let
me know and I'll try to reconstruct the story. Also have lots of
pictures of the ship, Kodiak Island, Afognak, Dutch Harbor, Attu, Adak,
Atka from the same time period. Keep in touch.
Tom V.
3
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 19:50:15 +0000
From: "P.J."
Subject: Re: Cape Chiniak
Hi Joe,
I haven't had a chance to cruise the images, but I did scan through the
thumbnails.... wow, talk about a lot of change! Thanks a ton for remembering
me. There's a dozen or so of Chiniak survivors that I'll tell about the
images.
More later,
Pete
2
Joe just finished looking at your Chiniak Page.. Neat neat. Some light
for you.. the #15,16,17 and I believe 18 pictures of the large log
building overlooking the lagoon at Little Navy was the Navy Recreational
Hall where ther used to be cook outs and parties. Our daughter Beth was
married to Rob Missal in that building in May of 1973. I first saw the
building in February of 1974 and it was in first class shape then. Rob
Missal was working for Philco Ford at the tracking station during that
time. He told me that the guys from up on the hill at the radar site used
the building for parties and it was kept in pretty good shape. It went
down hill fast after it was given away as did everything else out there.
Ted Nelson kl7jbt(at)juno.com 26 Mar 1998
1
This one from the Chamber of Commerce guest book:
Harry Booker hdBooker (at) bigfoot.com -- 05/13/98 -- 01:27:48
Hi Kodiak: It's been over a year since I last dropped a line in your book.
Thought I might update the e-mail and URL addresses. I was stationed with
the Navy there for all of 1967-68 and it remains one of the best times of
my life. My first son was born at the Naval Hospital in 67. At the time I
managed the Armed Forces Radio and Television Station, a one-lunged but
ambitious enterprise. And does anyone happen to remember a production of
H.M.S. Pinafore in '67? I was a young "Admiral". Philimon Tutiakoff
produced it. I'm also wondering if anyone can give me any information
about the whereabouts of Ben Guhrke, who had an insurance agency at the
bank, or Gil Monroe. Or Bob and Karen Leonard who used to fly for the
air service there. Would like very much to get in touch. Great memories
as attested to by all the other writers who say the same. Fine site and
well appreciated. Good luck to all. Harry Booker
This guest book was begun March 1998.