Jim Allen Remembers Captain Kennedy, Pappy Rau

A while back I had the opportunity to talk at length with former Wahoo crewman James Allen. Jim joined the boat in Pearl Harbor for her second war patrol. We began by discussing his commanding officer at the time, Captain Marvin Kennedy. Given some of the negative things written about him, I asked Jim about his impression of Kennedy. “Kennedy was an elitist. Every morning he took a freshwater shower in the forward torpedo room while forbidding showers for the rest of the boat. It was very disconcerting...

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Mare Island Memorial Conducted

Bell tolls for 579 men, 7 subs lost By Lanz Christian Banes/Times-Herald staff writer A wreath is cast into the Mare Island Strait from berth 6 on Mare Island, part of SundayÕs memorial ceremony for submarines constructed at the shipyard that were lost in World War II. With his ancient, tremulous voice, John Berger blessed the seven wreaths that represented Mare Island's lost ships. "The symbols will speak for us, for we cannot," intoned Berger, the chaplain for the USS Hornet in Alameda, on...

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Lost Boat Memorial Service at Mare Island

Mare Island to honor subs lost in WWII By Sarah Rohrs of Vallejo Times-Herald An annual service to honor the crewmen of Mare Island submarines lost at sea in World War II takes place Sunday afternoon. The event, "Lost Boats of Mare Island Memorial," is the third annual tribute to the seven Mare Island-built submarines that never made it home, their crew members on "eternal patrol." The event is to help keep alive the memory of Mare Island Naval Shipyard's history and prominence, Lost Boats Memorial...

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