Carlos

The following information was sent to me by Carlos Van Orden. It is excerpts from letters sent to him from other shipmates, and portions of Newsletters and info about shipmates that he maintained over the last few years. Many Thanks to him and his shipmates for sharing this with us.

Please note that the following has been carefully edited to be as accurate as possible to the original writing, including spelling, grammar and punctuation. Information that seemed to be private has been omitted, such as addresses and telephone numbers, serial numbers or anything that may invite identity theft or offend. This also includes the diary entries that follow this page.
A note to Carlos, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and working on this.

USS CURRITUCK AV-7

Here are excerpts from letters from shipmates that were contacted beginning in 1999 that were aboard the USS Currituck from 1951 to 1955. The writer had retained a list of those in the communications division since then.

The first two pages give an overview of the Tuck contained in two letters from Rod Peterson, which give an earlier view of the Currituck before most of us were assigned.

Readers and researchers may find the information interesting. Other information, pictures and histories are here in the library.

Rodney D. Peterson Here are excerpts from Rod's two letters to me, one in 1992 and the recent one. He gives a lot of Currituck background long before most of us arrived aboard.

Yes, I remember you very well along with Francis MaCarthy and the radio teletypes that at that early times were not that reliable. Also the Comm Officer Rummelhoff. I always got a kick out of how protective he was of the Comm Office, which he had to be. Our Ship wasn't that secure at that time as we were practically connected to it, just a open hatch or window separating the Radio Shack & comm office. Then when we would get a contact message, we could just hand it thru the opening to the guy sitting at the coding machine. Do you remember the wild party we had on the beach at San Juan. I have a bunch of pictures of it. Spav sitting in a garbage can with the ice and beer, also the ball game we had, with most of the guys stripped down to their shorts due to the heat. Rummelhoff was right in there also. That was fun and nice to remember.

When I was recalled in 1951 and at Great Lakes for assignment I had to fill out a questionnaire about what type of service I had in WW 2. I listed the Sea Plane Tender "Half Moon" So when I was assigned to another tender, the Currituck, it was quite a surprise. During WW 2 the Currituck was our flag Ship in '44 and 45. Previous to that the Tangier was our flag of Fleet Air Wing 17. I had gone aboard the Tuck a couple times, once at the Island of Woendi, just off New Guinea, and once at Leyte Gulf in the Phili1pines to get copies of Fox messages we had missed for one reason or another. So I felt that I Kind of was acquainted with the Ship. I remember thinking when I first went aboard it, that it must really be nice to serve on a big Ship like this. I especially remember it had a Gee Dunk stand, and one could get cokes etc. We had nothing like that. Well as it turned out, it wasn't exactly a f1oating hotel, but the duty wasn't too bad.

(2000) I first saw the Currituck in late October of 1944. It came into Leyte and was the Flag Ship of Fleet Air Wing 17. FAW 17 consisted of the "Tuck" and several AVP's, including the Half Moon, the San Pablo, San Carlos, the Orca and later a few others.

These smaller AVP's were about the size of the Destroyers during WW2 - 320 feet long. We usually took care of 5 or 6 PBYs. One day when we were sitting between Leyte and Samar, we had a whale boat going over to the Tuck and I went with it to see if I could get a copy of a couple "FOX" Schedule msgs we had missed. I thought at the time, "What a great Ship, even had a GeeDunk machine.

I never thought I would some day about 7 yrs later I would be one of the crewmen. The Tuck later was part of the invasion fleet at Lingayen.

I had been out of the Service from Jan. 4, 1946 and one day while in Minneapolis I decided to go over to the federal bldg and enlist in the "inactive reserve" That was about the middle of August of 1947. Well about a month later I hired on with "Ma Bell" and they put me to climbing poles. I got married in Sept. of '49 and things were going pretty good as I had a Cable Splicers job then - and then came Korea. I received a notice in March of 51 that I had been recalled to active duty and a date to report to Mpls. for pre-induction physical. Well they gave me a little more then a month to get my life in order and reported to Mpls again for transportation to Great Lakes, Ill. arriving there on May 23. After getting some new clothes, I still had some from the last time in the Navy. On .June 2 I was assigned to the Currituck. Guess they thought I would feel at home on another Sea Plane Tender.

I arrived in Philly 7pm on June 7, took a taxi to the Navy Yard and was sent to the USS Chandeleur AV10. This was a tender the same type as the Tangier (a converted cargo type) It was acting as a Barracks Ship for in transit personnel. The Currituck was still over in the Mothball fleet and it was not towed over t pier where it would be opened up again until the 13th. There were only 55 of us that went aboard that first day to start .opening up the Sealed Hatches - airing it out and cleaning it 'up I guess it had been in mothballs since 47 or 48 and it was kind of a mess. I think all of the 55 of us were inactive reserves and they started sending us young fellows just out of Boots and said to make Radio Men, Signal Men, Cooks etc. They didn't have enough service Schools to do the job at that time. I guess Spaventa, Carl Commons and I were the old RMs from WW2 and we spent many hours pounding CW at them. They did set us up with a room on the base to use for some time until things were in order on the Currituck. We ate on the base or on the Chandeleur until they were able to get the Tuck fixed for food etc.

Life on the Tuck at that time was kind of tough, as the yard workers were working Shifts to get it ready, there was welding and pounding day and night and it was kind of difficult to get any sleep - also the ventilation was bad - we used to hunt the unoccupied Officers Quarters for unused Fans and then mount them in our sleeping compartments. Trouble was, just about the time you thought "this is better" someone else decided to requisition the fan. It took a long time before things got better. August 1st the Ship was placed back in Commission and the Captain was McElroy -- remember him? In November and early December we made several trial runs down the Delaware River to test the Engines and Ships handling. By this time we had almost a full complement of people, a large percentage were reserves. On Dec. 17 the Ship pulled out for Norfolk and arrived on the 19th. Half the Crew was given Christmas Leave, the other half had to stay aboard - it was too far for me to go to Minnesota. On Jan. 28 we departed Norfolk for Guantanamo Bay Cuba to begin Fleet Training , arriving there on Feb. 3.

I enlisted in the Navy Nov. 2, 1942 after Boots and Radio Operator School at the U. of Chicago and 2 months of additional training in Frisco and was assigned to the Half Moon and left for the Pacific in July of '43. We spent the next 2 yrs operating PBY (Black Cats) on night Bombing of Jap Shipping from the Solomons, several places on the New Guinea Coast, Morotai an went into Leyte with the invasion force. on October 20, 1944.

Many "interesting" things happened to us during this period and it still is talked about at our reunions. I was relieved on Jul 17 while we were at Borneo and our planes on anti sub patrol. I arrived back in Frisco on August 14 on a troopship and that day Pres. Truman announced the Japs had agreed to surrender - what a relief..

Rod and Mary have two children, a boy and a girl, who live in Wisconsin. Rod is very active in locating former shipmates for the USS Half Moon. He instituted the reunions in 1990. He continues to be the President, secretary and treasurer of Half Moon Assoc. He was active in the Currituck Association too. From the son of a former Half Moon shipmate he writes about the modem navy -- "this officer serves on the USS Peleliu, it is a helicopter carrier and operates 28 helos. It is a different navy then we knew. No more paylines, the pay is automatically deposited in an account or bank the man specifies and the ship has several ATM machines so they can draw money when needed - wherever they are. Also there are many computers around the ship so they use e-mail when they want."

JIM STUEHLING Jim tells that he joined the ship in fall of 1953 and left in December 1954. He had been married to Helen in January 1953 and was not happy to leave Norfolk. After discharge he finished college in Pennsylvania and went on to graduate school at Florida State in Microbiology. Worked for Quaker Oats Research near Chicago, and finally ended up in his favorite job for the State of PA as an environmentalist. They both retired in 1992 and started traveling in their 5th wheel for up to seven months a year. I suspect they get the award for "happy travelers" since they have been to Alaska once and for four years into Mexico. His letter to me was postmarked Bend, Oregon and went on to say they may be home in late September. Helen and Jim had two girls and one boy. He comments it "would be great to meet some of you guys again some day." Like some others of us Jim has had some tumor problems and has undergone radiation for his prostate problem but seems to be doing OK.

JOHN DEMETRIUS "I believe I came aboard the Currituck some time in June 1953 and left some time that fall when I received my TE3. At that time I transferred to USS Valcour, an AVP and COM Middle East Flagship. However, I was lucky and got myself a transfer just before going to the Persian Gulf. Nice thing about being in communications, you see all those requests for personnel. They were looking for a TE3 to go on a world cruise. So in April 1954, I ended up on the USS Hornet, CV-12, a nice big flat top going to the South China Sea via Portugal, Italy and the Suez Canal. I now cross the Equator as a worthy Shellback. We spent most of our time operating between Manila and Yokosuka, Japan. We also became members of the Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club. While in that area our air group splashed a couple of Chinese planes that fired on us. I was then promoted to TE2. In November 1954 we headed to the West Coast. We arrived in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1944. At that time the superstructure of the Arizona was still protruding through the water. The Hornet's new homeport became San Diego, a great place. I was released from active duty in May, 1955 and returned to Brooklyn, NY.

John has had an equally interesting civilian life. As an accounting auditor for NY Univ. Medical Center, he took his BS in Accounting from NYU. Then he moved through Haskins & Sells, now Deloitte & Touche. While there he went overseas again to South and Central America. While conducting an audit in NYC he met Millena (Mickey) Rapuano, had a whirlwind courtship and was married in June 1961. Marriage produced three-Gerard, Gineen and Gregory and now a granddaughter. Some time soon after marriage he got his CPA. (I bet Mickey loved that!) Through mergers and buyouts he is now President of Demetrius & Company LLC with 20 employees including son Gerard who also is a CPA.

I guess John liked the Navy since he is a plank owner of the USS Hornet floating museum berthed in Alameda, CA and a member of the US Naval Institute. He hangs on to photos taken from the Currituck going through the Panama Canal and our Operation "Churchy."

DON NORTON "Hi Van: I really am having a little trouble remembering you, but ...looked you up on www.1onesailor.com and we found your picture...the more I look at your picture it seems I do remember. I was excited to find it. Fifty years is tough on the memory. HA HA. By the way were you on board when we went to Kingston, Jamaica? I was copying the fox skeds in code and was tapped on the shoulder by Patricia Wymore, who was Errol Flynn's wife at the time. Can't remember if it was 5 I or 52.

I went aboard August I, 195 I and was discharged August 8, 52 at Philly Navy Yard. I returned home and took a job in a factory making machines that press shirts. Spent about six months there and was bored to death. I took the fire department test, passed and was appointed Feb. 15, 1953. Was active in a fire company (Hook & Ladder Truck) for eight years. Took another exam within the department and became a Fire Dispatcher at Lieutenant's pay. Took another exam and became a Captain at the dispatch center called Fire Control Center. About 1983 became in charge of the center and retired in January 1991 with 38 years of service in the Syracuse (NY) fire dept.

I was married to my lovely wife Shirley while in the Navy (1951). She visited the ship in Philly aboard 'for Thanksgiving Dinner November 22, 1951, and when it was recommissioned just before we went to Norfolk for a shakedown cruise. .We have two sons David (44) and Dean (38) who both live in Florida. We will be married 49 years Sept. 22 heading for 50. God wil1ing!

Dan Duckworth Dan joined the Navy in 1951, boots at Great Lakes, then to Pax River Main Comm., was designated TE and joined the Tuck in 1952 and kept us laughing until July 1955. After Navy days worked for a data processing dept of NY Transformer in nearby Alpha, NJ," until starting with Ingersoll Rand in the DP department until retirement in 1998 as Manager of Financial Planning.

Danny and Alayne have two sons, Michael, a West Pointer -- so Dan has to yell "Go Army Beat Navy" now -- with two grandchildren and son Steven, a Delaware Valley College graduate whose wife is expecting their third grandchild momentarily. He knows the inside of a doctor's office with his two heart attacks in 1987 and another more recently in 1995. But he can still play weekly golf with a riding cart and "now takes a bucket full of pills everyday." Dan was a Phillipsburg Councilman for 13 years.

Norman Cote Norm was on the Currituck as an RM from our trip to Bermuda to England and Italy. (That places him aboard from about June 1953 - although we had two Bermuda trips, another in April 1954 until the England/Italy/England trip in August 1954.) Norm's brother Bob spent all his navy time on the Tuck. Norm went the entrepreneur route and opened a meat market and spent 26 years on the business end of a meat cleaver. For the last 20 years or so he has been in the real estate business

Thelma and Norm have four children - Debbie, Laura, David and Jonathan - and six grandchildren - 2 granddaughters and 4 grandsons.

WARREN E. RUMMELHOFF He was our communications officer from February 1952 to November 1952. He writes, "You (VanOrden) evidently came on board at GTMO (which I did) because we left Norfolk on Monday, 28 January, a day I'll long remember. I was married on Saturday, 26 January and when Captain McElroy heard of my plans he thought it would be a good idea to have liberty expire at 2300 on Sunday the 27th. He delighted in calling me to his cabin to emphasize the time. And, of course, he had some other snide remarks. Speaking of McElroy, I have more "sea stories" involving him than anyone else I served under. Most people can't believe them. The radio shack was involved in many of them." (More than one person has mentioned McElroy in the letters. At one time he was a dues paying member of the Currituck Association.)

"I remember Spaventa. He was the backbone of the group. As for me, left the Tuck and joined the staff of the Officers Candidate School in Newport, RI. Left that assignment and went aboard the destroyer USS Purdy out of Newport as Operations Officer. That was 1955. While at OCS we had two boys. From the Purdy I went to ONI in Washington DC in 1957. After three years on that assignment I went to the USS Severn AO-61 as XO. I left Severn in fall 1963 and was assigned as the Navy liaison officer and instructor in industrial security at the Army Intelligence School at Ft. Holabird, Baltimore MD."

"That was my last tour of duty. The Army brainwashed me properly so I was able to retire as LCDR with 25 years (5 enlisted). Came to St. Louis in July 1966 to work in government security at McDonnell Douglass. Stuck it out 'till March 1987 when I retired for good."

"Son Kirk, an engineer with Pratt Whitney in FL - not married and Gary chief operating officer with a "dot com" company in San Jose, CA. He and his wife put together two grandchildren for us. By all means give anyone my address, phone number or email address. Would love to swap stories and find out what the gang's doing."

"Joseph Berg Joe was aboard from Feb. 1951 to July 1953. After leaving the ship he married in April 1955 and have five children and eleven grandchildren. He worked for IBM and then the IBM Service Bureau for nearly twenty years. In 1971 he went to work for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and retired' from there in December 1994. (As I recall the Van Ordens and the McNamaras attended his wedding in Philadelphia although Joe may not recall this.) . Since retirement they have purchased a condo in St. Petersburg, FL and "spend the winter months in the balmy south and the summer months in Philadelphia and the Jersey shore, plays bit of golf and volunteers for delivery of food to shut-ins."

William Broder Bill was on the Tuck for fifteen months from 1955 to '57 as a TEC. He recalls Comm officers Rivers and Pitz as well as Radioman Chiefs Collinsworth, Basham and an ex-airdale radioman nicknamed Tex who played the guitar all day. Fortunately for the ship, Bill was a teletype and crypto repairman, had various radio licenses and was placed in charge of the radio gang. After his days on the Tuck, he helped place the destroyers Dupont and Parsons in commission. He then spent three years instructing at the Crypto School in Vallejo and got a commission in 1963.

With commission in hand he moved on to NavCommStas at Guam, then Morocco and then OinC at RM-B school at Bainbridge. Then Bill was the XO NavCommSta Gitmo, spent a few years in the Canal Zone and retired from NAS Corpus Christi in 1976.

Note: After the hundreds of seaplanes many of us handled from the PATRONs, Bill witnessed the crash of a seaplane in the Azores that killed nine. As I recall a PBM was lost in 1953 - found lifeboats but no survivors. Some years ago, this appeared in the Currituck Assoc. newsletter: "The history of the CURRITUCK is great. I remember a lot of it, especially the three planes going down because of water in the gas. I remember the Dr.'s and pharmacist mate going to get the crews. I was on the list of mechanics that went to get the carburetors off the planes since we had to prove there was water in the gas. (Earl Wooster, AV-7 '44-'45)

Marlin Bottinelli Marty enlisted in June 1952, boot camp at Bainbridge, then Radioman School at Bainbridge, chose the Currituck and reported aboard April 1953 until Spring 1956. Made RM2 until Chief Collinsworth offloaded him to shore duty. Was then at Pier 7 Guard Mail Center at Norfolk Operating Base. "I had it made. You had to be 2nd class and above to get a pass to wear civies on and off the base. I slept in the same building where I worked and had my CAR there."

Was discharged in June 1956, then worked for RCA Service, learned the television installation and repair service - he was boss - was unionized and made journeyman. Cable TV killed the TV installation business and he began his own security alarm business for 24 years now. Marty has three children, one a former navy man now involved with a Navy contractor on the Aegis System in the NASA station at Wallops Island, VA. He was trained as an OS (old radar man) on an Aegis Cruiser, the USS Ticonderoga, which saw action shelling Lebanon and attacks on Libya. in the Navy. Marty is still the "politician" as a lifetime member of the VFW on the Public Events Committee, Recycling Committee, Zoning Board, and the New Milford Planning Board.

Ernest Harkness Ernie was one of the longer shipmates since he went aboard right out of boot camp in 1951 and left in April 1955. The Tuck sent him off to radioman school (where he got married) along with Marty Bottinelli (and Marty's future wife) and Bill Cullen. After navy days, he was employed with United Air Lines reservations for 18 years until it moved to Washington, then worked for various travel agencies in the Philadelphia area and retired from American Express in 1996.

Also after navy days he earned a B. S. degree from Villanova University in 1962, thanks to the G. I. Bill. He says "...it was a tough job studying with the kids around but I made it." Ernie has been married 47 years now with four children and seven grandchildren ranging in ages from 15 to 9. "They really keep us on our toes." Oh yeh, he also says Dick Newkirk and Hank Spaventa "really got bombed at our wedding reception!"

Carlos "Van" Orden Reported aboard Feb 1952 to May 1955, released to inactive reserve as a TEL 1, but reverted to active reserve in Trenton NJ, and taught communications 1955-58, while attending college. Finally discharged 1 Aug 1959 after my eight year commitment. Last 2 months of active duty was on SP duty in Norfolk with the Burlesque theatre on my beat.

Married a Chicago USO hostess (Elvera) on July 30, 55 whom I met in 1951, got through college in 3 years and two babies and then two more later - all girls. They now have 18 grandchildren for us. Worked for 4 communications companies in New York City, Virginia and Illinois although we always lived in NJ. Got tired of the corporate politics and travel, earned some more education and became a college professor in 1973 at Norwich Univ. in VT for 6 years. Relocated to Belmont NC (we came south to thaw out) and retired as a professor emeritus in 1993. I continued to teach at Marine Corps bases at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, NC after "retiring" to our beach house here on this barrier island. Fully retired in 1998 after 4,678 students in my 25 years as a professor.

Dick Newkirk Dick graduated from Radioman School in Bainbridge MD (along with Ernie Harkness, Bill Cullen and Dick's future wife Arduth), left the Currituck for NAS Patuxent River, MD, made RM2, then to USS OWL home ported in Rodman, CZ, made RMI and converted to CTI (Communications Technician) with Naval Security Group in Port Lyautey, Morocco then to NSG at Skaggs Island, CA where he made CT Chief. Later at NavCommSta San Miguel, Philippines was commissioned Limited Duty Officer Ensign and then assigned to NSG Headquarters in Washington. After that to NavCommSta in San Diego; Adak, Alaska; Anchorage, Alaska; Norfolk; and lastly to the Naval Technical Training Center, Pensacola where he retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 19aO. That completed what he called a "lifer" in the Navy.

After navy days, Dick attended the Univ. of West Florida and then had a second career for 18 years in real estate marketing. He and Ardy have two daughters, Jane and Mary Anne and three grandchildren. After all the navy travel, they did the civilian travel thing for three years in their recreation vehicle and toward the end of "on the road for seven months" they realized they had "been there - done that." and really settled down in Florida.

Harry Getchell Getch was on the ship from July 1951 to June 1952 and he says "what a year it was, all around." He "also sure can recall Spav (Spaventa)." He left the ship in 1952 and had many jobs trying to adjust. He got married and they have a son and two granddaughters. He "settled down and had many jobs again" until 1962 when to took employment with Western Union International (WUI) in New York City. After 22 years with WUI, he took his pension in 1984. Like some others of us who have been under the surgeon's scapel, Getch has had open heart quad bypass surgery but says "he is hanging in there" now that he is 69.

Leonard Rossell "The Tuck sure was a long time ago. My time on it ran from August 1952 to October 1953. It certainly had an unusual radio shack. I remember trying to operate a ship-shore circuit during gunnery practice with the 5-inch mounts on top of our work areas. After leaving the Tuck I finished my four years on the Saipan CVL-48 on which I spent a year patrolling Korea. After my discharge I stayed with the navy as an AT in a VR reserve unit. I dropped a rate to change to AT but managed to retire in 1981 as an ATC. My civilian work started out as an electronic tech, later switching to product control work and finally spent 20 years as a purchasing agent for a small manufacturing company. Been retired since 1993 playing golf, fish, sail in the summer and ski in the winter. Our three children are spread about the country so we travel some to visit them. My memory at 70 is such that I will soon be able to hide my own Easter eggs, so the Tuck is getting more and more lost in the gap."

Mrs. MARILYN WENKEcalled me to say her husband's name was Kenneth. We had a pleasant conversation. After the Currituck and the USS Lake Champlain, Ken worked for the phone company in New. York. She said he was heavy smoker, had a heart attack followed by surgery and then succumbed with a second attack. Ken was 49 when he died in 1982. Ken and Marilyn have five children and 17 grandchildren and most of them live in her general area. One son, is now retired from the Marine Corps and lives in Virginia. Marilyn told me "he was a great father."

ROBERT CASHEL I finally found Bob! He writes: "My time on the Currituck began in April 1951 and the recall came as quite a shock. I had qualified for a commission a few years before but then failed the medical exam because of a spinal cyst that I thought ended my time in the reserves. Little did I know there were different rules for enlisted men.

I had just been married when the call came that led to a 15 month tour mostly on the Currituck coming out of mothballs. Without too much to do on board we spent our days shooting darts at Ship's Service and finagling weekend passes. I can's say it was an experience I found either satisfying or sensible."

When Bob got out he completed his master's degree and went to work for Community Chest (now United Way), then a stint with the Boys Clubs of America (now Boy and Girls Clubs) where he became National Finance Director. He started a consulting business, is now retired. A son and two daughters live in Connecticut. He stays in shape at the local Y and busy with AARP tax counseling, at their parochial school and various community service projects. "It is a good life, we are healthy and happy!"

ROBERT ISSELHARDT Heard from Bob at Christmas time. He writes that he "was happy to hear about the ship she really got around before being scrapped in 1972." I was on the Tuck from about Sept. 1951 to March 1955. My wife and I were married Sept. 1958 - we are still happily married. They have two daughters and three grandchildren. One daughter is a nurse and the other is a computer analyst at Scott AFB there in Illinois. Bob retired in 1993 after a lifetime of being a journeyman welder.

"I never regretted the time spent in the Navy. The Tuck took us to many different ports --- and always got us back. I'll never forget our crossing the Atlantic Ocean when we went to England, etc. --- those coffee cans sure came in handy for the guys who got seasick. I was one of the fortunate ones; I never did get seasick."

From HANK SPAVENTA's Christmas card to me "Pretty soon I'll be writing to you. I've been practicing on my new (three year old) typewriter. I've found out how to get it started and make it move from side to side already! I think it prints in Chinese though. At least it looks that way. Seriously, I really appreciate you going to so much trouble to communicate and I promise to respond before next Christmas. Spav."

JAMES W. DUNLOP (WOODIE) Woodie came aboard in April 1951 from the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a RM3 and was on the Tuck 16 months. Remember Capt. McElroy well; and Mr. Rummelhoff was a fine gentleman.

He left the Tuck in August 1952 In September he started with Brooklyn Union Gas Company and retired as a Vice President in 1990. He worked in the regulatory area designing rates and forecasting gas needs and supplies; traveled extensively; became a lobbyist; and spent my final year of service as the executive director of a trade association.

Prior to the Tuck Woody got out of radio school in January 1945 and then to Pearl Harbor and then to Saipan. Instead of doing "radio" he was a phone operator, then at three navy hospital fulfilling the needs of patients coming back from Iwo and Okinawa, then doing yeoman work. He got his 3rd class stripe under a special BUPERS authorization. Got discharged in July 1946, Joined the reserve, went back to engineering school and graduated in 1950, Got married, took the civil service exam, got a nice job offer which was to start the SAME day as my recall to active duty.

CHET INSCORE (Chester D.) writes that he was on the ship in 1953-54, then was transferred to crypto school and then to Grand Turk Island, in the British West Indies and finished his enlistment therein 1956.

Upon discharge found a spot on his lung and after a few months reenlisted and spent 8 months in Navy hospitals and again discharged to the temporary disability list. Chet has spent all of these years as a truck driver, owning his own rig and still travels the western seven states. Chet has three children from his original marriage and after remarriage in 1972 mostly raised her four children. That was a good basis for 18 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. He is not looking forward to retirement since he continues to enjoy "what he does."

After ROD PETERSON read in the newsletter Warren Rummelhoffs comment about Capt. McElroy's antics, Rod writes - "One time McElroy exploded into the radio shack with a message in hand, demanding it be sent out as written and under the OP priority (Operational Immediate.) I was on a circuit with Norfolk and he handed it to me. I handed it to Mr. Rummelhoff-Capt. McElroy demanded it be sent. Another ship had a man with acute appendicitis and no doctor or facilities for surgery on board. A mid-sea transfer of this party was made to the Currituck and our doctor performed emergency surgery. This was all sent in plain language by Morse Code. I know Mr. Rummerhoff didn't want to send it that way and neither did I, but the Capt. stood at my elbow while I pounded it out. This happened on our way Norfolk, just before the trip to Colon, Panama and it probably added to his being relieved by Mr. Reid the Exec. Well he was a character. " here it is!

Among those that I could not locate through nationwide searches perhaps because they did not have a phone number or are now among the unknown deceased or now live outside the country or there were numerous persons with the same name, sometimes 100 or more:

D W Wausau (perhaps Don or Dan) who in 1955 lived in Joliet IL Could find no clues in any current databases or the SSDI

James M. Alba who in 1955 lived in Glendale, Queens, Brooklyn NY - numerous

James C Daly who in 1955 lived in Woodside LI NY - numerous -

J McClendon (perhaps John) who in 1952 lived in Philadelphia PA

John J Tracy - there are numerous John J. Tracy listings in the country

Robert Willman who in 1952 lived in Dayton OH - I wrote to 3 Willmans in OH

Daniel J. Koprowski - no D Koprowski in the country and none in the SSDI

Saul A. Katz was returned marked "Moved - Not Forwardable"

Letters (and a few postal card reminders) went out to a few others but I never heard from them. I have to assume the addresses were correct since they were not returned. I know from searching, for college alumni some prefer NOT to be found! Some of them are: Hank Spaventa, Don '

McNamara, John DeBlock, Chet Inscore, Bob Isselhardt, Max Miller, Ed Torian, Tom Weikel, and Ensign John Tasker. Bob Keefe called me and promised to send a letter but I guess it got lost in the postal service mail!!!!! I decided not to attempt telephone calls even where I had numbers.

From the Currituck Association roster are a bunch of ETs who use to traipse through the radio shack to their repair shop at the end of the shack. I think they were suppose to keep the radio receivers in shipshape condition! They are Ken Conlon ET3 51-54; Basil Tasker ET2 51-54; Francis Welcome ET1 51-55; Roy Schmook ET2 51-52; Monte Juillerat, ET352-54; Marion Jackson ET3 54-55; and William Goldsmith, ET1 51-52. .

Then from the Currituck Association roster are Ryan Lewis TE3 53; Mike Ziner, RMSN 53-54 and Richard Dumont RMSN 54-55. I have no recall of them and they were not on the Menges' 1955 list. I did not try to contact them.

Here are some officers you may recall since they frequented the area on occasion probably because some had the duty in crypto or were anxious to see if they were on the Willie Roger promotion lists. They are Capt. Harvey Burden, CO 52-53; LCDR W. Baird, Ops Ofcr. in 1953 who is deceased; CDR Frank Heyer, XO in 1952-53, CDR Vance Schweitzer, OPS in 1951-53; Capt. John H. McElroy, CO 1951-52 and his XO Cdr. Walter Reid; Capt J D Black, CO 1953-54; Cdr. Edward Bishop, XO 1953-54; and Capt. J B Vredenburgh, CO 1954-? The Tuck was the last active seaplane tender in the Navy. She was dismantled (and probably sold to the Japanese to make into razor blades) at the Learner Shipyard, Oakland, CA in June 1972.

ENDNOTES

I used www.555-1212.com and www.anywho.com to try to search for our shipmates. I liked the latter best. If you want to research or confirm the death of someone use www.ancestry.com/ssdi which j liked. This lists those who have died along with social security numbers which supposedly are not available in the public domain until after one's death. The SSDI acronym means Social Security Death Index. It was updated April 2000 and has about 64 million deceased.

I've enclosed the Navy Log Enrollment form if you are interested. If you want to visit it on the web it is www.lonesailor.org and in the roster you will find me with my 1951 boot camp picture.I visited the Memorial in Wash DC a few years ago and was particularly impressed with the 7' bronze sailor positioned out on the mezzanine with peacoat and seabag in all kinds of Washington weather.

If you have any yearbooks or whatever you would like to dispose of, I can find museum locations for you. All my material (except my beer mug) is in the Currituck County library here in North Carolina since our ship was named after Currituck Sound in the northeast corner of the state, two hours from where I live. If you would like a copy of the History of the ship from keel laying in 1942 until dismantling in 1972, I would be happy to send you a copy. If you would like to join the Currituck Association or receive info about it, please write or call Ron Curtis, 207 W. Marvin Avenue, Owensville, MO 65066-1038 (314) 437-3899. Dues (in 1994) were $15 yearly.

After going through all of these searches, my wife Elvera reminded me that perhaps some of those shipmates that I have been unable to find may be in a "witness protection program" somewhere. She contends that a few certainly might qualify as I have described the behavior of some of them to her over the last 45 years!

AND IN CONCLUSION, it has been fun and as much as I would like to write to some of you and thank you for your very informative letters I guess this will have to suffice. Oh yes, Danny Duckworth sent me a recent picture and he hasn't changed a bit. If I can help you contact anyone please ask. I'll have a new email address about December 1 so that will help, too.-VAN

the Diary and letters home kept by Carlos Van Orden
during his time aboard the USS Currituck AV-7.

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