Fleet Plan of the Day
- Details
- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
Patches were part of life on the Battlin' Billy B. In fact, there was a time when we had a large one welded on our side. But that's not the type of patch I'm referring to. The patches I'm looking for are the embroidered cloth type that everybody had on their working jackets and civvies. I've only found a few examples, but I'm sure there must have been many more. If you send me your images, I'll be glad to put together an article about them.
Scan them at 600 dpi or more, and send the color .jpg or .tiff to me at my Site Administrator address. If you need help scanning, let me know and we'll make arrangements to get it scanned and return it to you.
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- Details
- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
Roger Loesch, step-brother of Donald M. Pfannenstiel, who we haven't yet registered on the site, reports that Don, or "Puff" as some called him, has been hospitalized with back problems in Wichita, Kansas.
Don served on the Bates from about 1972 to 1975 according to his Classmates.com information.
Roger indicated that hearing from old shipmates might have a positive effect on Don, and he's working to get Don interested in the San Diego reunion if anybody from the 70's is going to show up.
So, drop Don an email to Roger's address at rogmaris60@hotmail.com and offer some genuine Bates encouragement. No, not that kind. The positive encouragement kind, and challenge him to get on the site and start telling sea stories as soon as he is up to it.
- Details
- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
Out browsing the 'net the other day. Ran across a site full of submarine links that I'd never seen before, for some odd reason, called COBLINKS. The site has a link to WWII boat patrol reports from the Navy Historical Center. Makes for some interesting reading if you have the time.
I was struck by this entry in the Patrol Report from the USS Sea Robin's first war patrol - and you thought you had bad days onboard.
USS SEA ROBIN (SS407)
c/o Fleet Post Office
San Francisco, Calif.
December 22, 1944 (Cont)
Slowed to 8 knots and headed into slight swell. There were no white caps. Sent three auxiliarymen on deck with proper tools and wearing life belts. Two auxiliarymen were in the superstructure and one was tending them on deck. Commanding Officer, Navigator, as well as Officer of the deck, were on the bridge and a quartermaster was stationed aft on cigarette deck to watch men working on deck.
- Details
- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
Congratulations are in order for John Jors, the site's 250th registered user! John was onboard as a FT between 1991 and 1994.
Welcome Aboard, John!
- Details
- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
The site continues to evolve. We knew from the very beginning that this website would be a work in progress for much of its existence, and so it continues.
We have made some changes to make more of the site available to people who are not registered, to give them a little more introduction to our community before jumping on board. Of course, these changes are also visible once you have logged in.
You won't notice unless you look carefully before you log in, but changes include:
- The Homeport page has had a name change to Quarterdeck. This more accurately reflects place you start when you arrive on board, and also reflects the fact that we were never in our homeport anyway. At least when it was San Diego.
- Two of our menu items, Honors and Logroom, are available without logging in. Not all menu items on each of these menus show up until you log in, but guests can see some of the less 'sensitive' areas of the site.
- Details
- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
This digital world of ours shrinks every day. For those of us that sailed the Bates in the days before computers, or in my case, when computers were just becoming accessible to individuals, the world has really changed. (For those of you that feel really old with that statement, remember that email between servers was not possible by the general public until 1993!)
In some ways, that's a little frightening, but in others, it can be a huge strength. For one, it makes locating old friends and shipmates quite a bit easier.
This site is only one of many reconnection opportunities that exist, and while wandering around Facebook this morning in search of a lost shipmate, I found a couple more connections worth noting.
SSN-680 is a Facebook group that currently has 57 members, including many old shipmates and a batch of photos I hadn't seen. If you have a Facebook account, stop by for a visit and join Colleen Dougherty's group. If you don't have a Facebook account, you may as well sign up. It's free, and one of many tools valuable for reconnecting with friends.
