Fleet Plan of the Day
There is a hint of reunion in the air. A good idea, long overdue, is coming together. Enough of you have expressed interest to motivate a few of you to push this forward.
We really haven't established anything more than the possibility at this point, but it's looking like Labor Day weekend of this year in Orlando, FL, with the USSVI Annual Convention might be a real possibility.
Check here for conversation as this evolves. Look for updates through the P.O.D., Facebook groups, and the occasional Familygram.
We'll keep you posted!
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I have a question for you. Most of us reading this have served on at least one submarine during Cold War, the Bates, and many have served on six, eight, and even more during their Navy careers. The question, which I’ll answer somewhere later in this post, is “How many submarines of the U.S. Navy were in service during the Cold War?”
For sake of argument, I’ll propose that the Cold War ran roughly between the end of WW II until the fall of the Soviet Union. Call it the beginning of 1946 through the end of 1991, and the boat must have been in commission at some point during that time.
Now hold on to your answer and your hats, because there is something I need to tell you.
Thanks for taking the time to check out the new Cold War Boats Association website. You’ve seen the Welcome Aboard message so you have an idea of what this is all about. You’ve seen the many “On The Ways” articles, so you know that this is as work in progress and we have a long, long, way to go. If you’ve had a chance to look at your boat’s pages, you’ve discovered that the only active site as of this date is the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680).
We clearly have work to do, but I want to share a little about how we got here to put this all in context.
In 2008 I was contacted by a former SSN 680 shipmate, Bill Byers, who proposed the idea that us Bates sailors have an informal reunion, which quickly morphed into the formal reunion REGROUPEX 09. In order to support registration and help locate our sailing buddies, I volunteered to set up a website at www.ssn-680.org, and help connect everyone that might want to attend.
Forty-eight years ago today, the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) hit the water for the first time.
At a ceremony in Pascagoula, Mississippi, both the wife and daughter of Congressman Bates were present to applaud the result of two years of work by Ingalls Nuclear Shipbuilding afloat the way she was meant to be. While it would be another year and a half before she was ready for commissioning and sea trials, the Bates would go on to a noble career that would span almost 28 years.
As previously reported here, Chris Pipkin, ET2(SS), Nav ET - Operations Electronics, 79-83, passed away on 22 SEP 2019 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
Linda Pipkin and her son Christopher Radke invite you to honor Chris and join with his family in a Celebration of Life on this coming Saturday, 16 NOV 2019, from 1330 to 1530 in Alpine, CA.
The Celebration will be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Bert Fuller Post 9578, 844 Tavern Road, Alpine, CA 91901, located in the East San Diego County area. Street parking is available.
Some of you may have noticed I haven’t been around much the last two months, and if you have, I’m grateful.
If you missed the updates on Facebook (about all I’ve had the time or strength to do), the second of August brought horrific news. At the time, Margaret and I were headed into Canada to celebrate our 35th anniversary, when a phone call turned our world upside down.
At lunchtime that day, my sister Melissa, her husband Bob, their 22 year-old daughter Landyn, and my youngest brother Kent were killed instantly in a collision with a drunk driver here in Michigan. In that moment, five children lost their parents, my sister-in-law Karen lost her husband, her six children lost their father, and I lost two of my three siblings.
Chris Pipkin, ET2(SS), Nav ET - Operations/Electronics, served with us on the Bates from 79-83. I was just informed by his step-son, Christopher Radke, that Chris passed away on the evening of September 22, succumbing to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier that morning.
Fair winds and following seas, Chris. You were our brother. You will be missed.
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I will post funeral service information for those of you in SoCal that might want to attend, and Chris’ Honors page will go up shortly.
If you have photos or or information that we can use, please email them directly to me at .
More to follow…
