Pelham Service Report and Doug Morton Interview

Received word from Ken Kraetzer of the Sons of the American Legion Squadron 50 in Pelham, NY. By all accounts their memorial service for Wahoo was a great success. They are working on getting images from the event on their website.

One of the interesting things Ken's group is doing is a local radio show on Mondays at 2:30 PM discussing veterans and active military issues. In relation to the Wahoo service, Ken's program interviewed Doug Morton for 15 minutes. You can listen to the interview here:

WVOX Doug Morton Interview on USS Wahoo Ceremony 10 16 08

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Still on Patrol

Sixty-five years ago today, the following men made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their coutnry while serving in USS Wahoo (SS-238):

Anders, F. MM3
Andrews, J. S. EM1
Bailey, R. E. SC3
Bair, A. I. TM3
Berg, J. C. MM3
Browning, C. E. MOMM2
Brown, D. R. LTJG
Bruce, C. L. MOMM1
Buckley, J. P. RM1
Burgan, W. W. LT
Campbell, J. S. ENS
Carr, W. J. CGMA
Carter, J. E. RM2
Davison, W. E. MOMM1
Deaton, L. N. TM1
Erdey, J. S. EM3
Fielder, E. F. LTJG
Finkelstein, O. TM3
Galli, W. O. TM3
Garmon, C. E. MOMM2
Garrett, G. C., Jr. MOMM2
Gerlacher, W. L. S2
Goss, R. P. MOMM1
Greene, H. M. LT
Hand, W. R. EM2
Hartman, L. M. MM3
Hayes, D. M. EM2
Henderson, R. N. LT
Holmes, W. H. EM1
House, V. A. S1
Howe, H. J. EM2
Jacobs, O. MOMM1
Jasa, R. L. MM3
Jayson, J. O. CK3
Johnson, K. B. TM1
Keeter, D. C. CMOMMA
Kemp, W. W. GM1
Kessock, P. F1
Krebs, P. H. S1
Kirk, E. T. S1
Lape, A. D. F1
Lindemann, C. A. S1
Logue, R. B. FC1
Lynch, W. L. F1
MacAlman, S. E. PHM1
MacGowen, T. J. MOMM1
Magyar, A. J. MM3
Manalisay, J. C. ST3
Mandjiak, P. A. MM3
Massa, E. E. S1
Maulding, E. C. SM3
Maulding, G. E. TM3
McGill, T. J. CMOMMA
McGilton, H. E. TM3
McSpadden, D. J. TM1
Mills, M. L. RT1
Misch, G. A. LTJG
Morton, D. W. CDR
Neel, P. TM2
O'Brien, F. L. EM1
O'Neal, R. L. EM3
Ostrander, E. E. MM3
Phillips, P. D. SC1
Rennels, J. L. SC2
Renno, H. S1
Seal, E. H. Jr. TM2
Simonetti, A. R. SM2
Skjonsby, V. L. LCDR
Smith, D. O. BM1
Stevens, G. V. MOMM2
Terrell, W. C. QM3
Thomas, W. S1
Tyler, R. O. TM3
Vidick, J. EM2
Wach, L. J. COX
Waldron, W. E. RM3
Ware, N. C. CEM
White, W. T. Y2
Whipp, K. L. MM2
Witting, R. L. MM3

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Wahoo, Nebraska Memorial Update

SubVet Service to Honor Sailors, New Memorial

By Lisa Brichacek of wahoonewspaper.com
10/08/2008

WAHOO, NB - Submarine veterans from across the state will once again be gathering in Wahoo this Sunday.

The annual memorial service sponsored by the Wahoo Chapter of World War II Submarine Veterans and the Nebraska Base of United States Submarine Veterans Inc. will be held at 1 p.m. on the lawn of the Saunders County Courthouse in Wahoo. Activities will once again take place near the Torpedo Monument of the USS Wahoo. The public is invited to attend the ceremony.

This year's ceremony will include a special dedication of the new monument near the torpedo. This past spring, the torpedo and plaque were removed for refurbishing. They were put back into place in late summer looking polished and nearly new.

Last month, a memorial marker was placed near the monument. The engraved piece of granite honors all U.S. Navy submarine sailors. It also proclaims that it is "in memory of all submarines and crews on eternal patrol."

The approximately $10,000 bill for the new memorial as well as the monument refurbishing is being picked up primarily by the World War II Submarine Veterans. The Nebraska Base of United States Submarine Veterans has also lent some assistance to the project.

In addition to the dedication portion of Sunday's activities, ceremony will also include an address from Electronics Technician Senior Chief Monty C. Clawson. Clawson is the submarine communications subject mater expert at the United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base.

He is responsible for directing the efforts of Strategic Submarine communications and continuing evaluation program management. He has served on many submarines prior to coming to the air base near Omaha and has been awarded the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal and various other unit and service awards.

This is the 46th year for the submarine memorial service. The World War II Submarine Veterans started holding the ceremony in 1962 to recognize the ships and crew who served this country. The ceremony is always held as close as possible to Oct. 11, the date that the USS Wahoo went to her watery grave.

U.S.S. Wahoo is arguably the most famous of the Navy's World War II vessels. During her seven patrols, she is reported to have sunk a total of 20 ships totaling 60,038 tons. Wahoo was commissioned on May 15, 1942 and sunk in the La Perouse (Soya) Strait on Oct. 11. 1943.

On board that fateful day was a young man from Wahoo. Robert Lee Jasa was a Machinist's Mate, Third Class aboard the Wahoo. He and the 79 others serving on board went down with the Wahoo and remain on eternal patrol.

For many years, the exact resting place of the Wahoo was unknown. A group of Russian divers found the remains of a submarine in the waters between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Russian island of Sakhalin. In October of 2006, the U.S. Navy confirmed that it was in fact the wreckage of the Wahoo.

Following Sunday's ceremony, a lunch is planned at the Fifth Street Bar and Grill in downtown Wahoo.

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Mare Island Memorial on October 11

Ceremony Pays Tribute to Seven World War II Submarines Built at the Former Naval Base

By SARAH ROHRS/Times-Herald staff writer
Article Launched: 10/08/2008 08:33:23 AM PDT

Lost at sea, the crews on eternal patrol - this was the fate of seven Mare Island-built submarines and their crewmen who never made it home during World War II. On Saturday a tribute will be held for these "lost boats of Mare Island."

A flag raising takes place at 1 p.m. at Morton Field, and a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Berth 6, where submarines were repaired during World War II.

Oakville resident Larry Maggini, a former shipyard worker who worked on modern submarines, will present a slide show and talk about the seven submarines, followed by a reception, from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Peter's Chapel.
"The men on eternal patrol deserve our recognition and acknowledgment of the ultimate sacrifice that they made," said event organizer Myrna Hayes. Their 3,500 crewmen are on what surviving shipmates reverently call "eternal patrol," their final resting places, in some cases known only to God, Hayes said.

The submarines to be honored include: USS Pompano (SS-181), USS Swordfish (SS-193), USS Gudgeon (SS-211), USS Trigger (SS-237), USS Tullibee (SS-284), USS Tang (SS-306), and USS Wahoo (SS-238).

Maggini, who has devoted nearly 10 months researching the seven submarines, found the famous ones left a long trail of information, but others registered little publicity.

While the Wahoo was a "flamboyant character" that caught the public eye, some of the others did their duty and then faded into obscurity, he said.

Maggini said the event, and others like it, help preserve Mare Island's military legacy. "It's going to be forgotten eventually if someone doesn't do something to keep it alive," he said.

This year's submarine tribute follows last year's to the USS Wahoo, launched on Feb. 14, 1942. In 2006 a wreck found in the Soya Strait was confirmed as the Wahoo. Hayes said she agreed to stage a second tribute after former Navy chaplain John W. Berger of Vallejo secured a promise from her to organize another one.

Maggini compiled stories and photos about the submarines into the book "On Eternal Patrol - The Lost Boats of Mare Island." It will be available for sale in print and DVD version Saturday.

For more event details go to www.mareislandlostboats.org.

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