Autumn, Oct 4, 2004
AVAST SHIPMATES!
Recently, Bill DeMarco sent a postcard to all of you, but, if you failed to receive one, here is a copy of it. Needless to say, Bill is hoping to have a good turnout and well it should be:
PROPOSED MINI-REUNION AT CAPE COD
Greetings USS Fullam Shipmates!
That time of year again... how about getting together for a couple of days before the winter sets in?
WHERE: Mariner Motel (1-800-445-4050)
573 Main Street (Rte. 28),
West Yarmouth, MA
WHEN: October 29th (Fri) - October 31st (Sun)
Contact the motel for price / reservations and travel instructions.
Bill DeMarco can be reached at (781) 289-1596,
billdem99@ao1.com
or 27 Hutchinson St., Revere, MA 02151
I have just one address change to report. Tom Parr (our Oylmpic swimmer off the coast of Iwo Jima) is now located at 1615 9th St. S., Great Falls, MT 59405. Again, pleased to report that we had no deaths since my last letter.
On September 14-15 my wife and I visited Washington, DC, primarily to see the new WW II Memorial, and, the Navy Museum and Memorial. The WW II Memorial is truly outstanding and we toured it in daylight and at night; it's beautiful in daylight but really impressive at night with all the lights. The onething that upset me though was why it topk 60 years to bring this about when 75% of the WW II veterans will never be able to see it. The Navy Museum was well worth the visit and we spent about three hours there. I suggest that if you have an opportunity, please make every effort to both of these. As a matter of fact, my children gave us the air fare as a present for my 80th birthday coming up on October 2.
Beleive me, nothing could have pleased me more!
Surprisingly, I have nothing new to report regarding the namesake
of our ship, Admiral William F. Fullam; maybe next time. However, Garrett Lynch did get that old postcard with the Admiral's picture on it published in the "Kidd's Compass", a newsletter put out by the USS KIDD in Baton Rouge.
How would you like to revisit Guadalcanal, Bougainville, most of the Solomon Islands, Rabaul and even Purvis Bay? The Admiral Nimitz Foundation is sponsoring a "never to be forgotten expedition sailing from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands, Bougainville, and Guam recalling the dramatic legacy and poignant reminders of World War II's South Pacific Campaign where American heroes fought to safeguard freedom and the American way of life." You fly to Sydney, then on to Port Moresbywhere you board a cruise ship on April 1, 2005, to sail to all the areas mentioned and arrive at Guam on April 12, 2005, from whence you fly home. From the brochure I estimate the entire costs for one person would be $10,000 including all air fares. If anyone is interested, let me know as I have all the information, or, contact the Admiral Nimitz Foundation at 328 E. Main St., Fredericksburg, TX, 78624. It would certainly be one heck of an experience!
This October will mark the 60th anniversary of one of the happiest times in the history of the Mighty "F". I am attaching copies of parts of the official log for October 24 & 25, 1944, which I am sure will explain what I mean. The first part covers the watches for October 24 starting with the 0400-0800 through the 1600-2000, and, the second part covers 0000-0400 through 1600-2000 Łor October 25. By the latter I think half of the crew was already on their way home via the "Exposition Flyer," or the "Challenger" or TWA if you were lucky enough:
04-08 Steaming as before.
0448 Commenced steaming on various courses at various speeds to avoid channel traffiq and approach channel entrance.
0519 Entered San Francisco Bay, outer channel. Passed buoy Affirm abeam to port.
0700 passed through Golden Gate, entered San Francisco Bay.
0710 Passed through harbor anti-torpedo nets.
0717 Lying to to receive quarantine inspeotion parjy.
0721 Party on board.
0738 Quarantine inspection party left ship.
0739 Commenced steaming on various courses at various speeds, proceeding to Mare Island Navy Yard to unload ammunition.
/s/ H. W. FOEDISCH
Lieut. USNR
08-12 Steaming as before. Mustered crew at stations-absentees, none.
0821 Entered San Pablo Bay.
0903 All engines stopped lying to awaiting pilot.
0915 Maneuvering to go alongside dock.
0927 Moored starboard side to berth 35. Mare Island California in 22 fathoms of water, with the following lines, 18 parts 6" manila. Draft of ship 12'5" forward, 13'7" aft.
0950 Commenced discharging ammunition to dock preparatory to Navy Yard.Availability Period
1200 Made daily inspection of magazines and smokeless powder samples; conditions normal.
/s/ W. J. MATHEWS
Ensign, USNR
l2~16. Moored as before.
1430 Underway from alongside dock having completed unloading ammunition. Proceeding on various courses at various speeds enroute Bethilehem Steel Shipbuilding Yard.
/s/ H. W. FOEDISCH
Lieut. USNR
16-20 Steaming as before, proceeding to Bethlehem Steel Shipyard.
1629 Stationed speoial sea details.
1647 Lying to otf Bethlehem Steel Shipyard.
1724 Tug alongside. Mr. KING, pilot, came aboard.
1745 Moored port side to dock in wharf 7, berth 19 Be1lhlehem Steel.
1905 Ensign Wilburn J. SMITH, USNR, lett ship on authorized leave of 12 days".
/s/ R. A. WULE
Lt(jg) USNR
00-04 Moored port side to in berth 19 wharf 7, Bethlehem Ship Yard, San Francisco, California. Followilng lines in use: bow, fore and after bow springs, fore and after quarter springs, stern. All lines manila. Engineering plant secured with ship receiving steam power and water from the dock. Ships present include varicus units of U. S. Pacific Fleet, merchant ships and numerous small craft.
/s/ D. J. Stephenson
Lt(jg) USNR
04-08 Moored as before.
0700 HATFIELD, Jesse J. S1c, 2662195, was returned to ship by Shore Patrol with the following three charges: (1) drunkeness, (2) out of uniform (wearing undress blue) (3) No identification card.
/s/ W. W. EDWARDS
Ensign, USNR
08-12 Moored as before.
0815 Mustered crew at quarters; no absentees. Edward G. LANGLOIS, S1c left too ship to work for Captain TAYLOR.
/s/ V. M. MITCHELL
Lt(jg) USNR
12-16 Moored as before.
1247 Lighted off #3 boiler for test purposes.
1345 Pursuant to authority indicated, the following named men were transferred: HUTKIEWICZ, Thaddeus R. 207 34 62, PHM1c USN, to 'Naval Hospital Corps School, Portsmouth, Va; NELSON, Robert A. 207 17 82, WT1c, to R/S San Francisco; HARRlS, Russel A. 845 45 47, TM3c, USNR and FINCK, Harry R. 840 86 19, TM3c, USNR to R/S San Francisco fft to Fleet Service School, San Diego; MIILER, Joseph F. 200 40 51, EM3c, USN to R/S San Francisco; BROWN, Robert C. 368 04 64, CMM{PA) to R/S San Francisco; KELLEM, Archie T. 291 81 06, EM3c, USN to R/S San Francisco.
1515 Received the following provisions for gereral mess. lnspected for quantity and quality from Golden State Creamery; 30 quarts of ice cream.
/s/ W. J. MA'l'HEWS
Ensign USNR.
16-20 Moored as before.
1705 PROFIT, Daniel J. RT3c, 245 08 12, USNR was transferred to the Naval Hospital, Treasure Island, with bag, hamnock and ail records.
1730 Fuel barge came alongside to starboard. Comnenced pumpmg fuel to barge.
/s/ T. D. WILSON
Lieut. USN
A couple of sidelights. I recognize three names that are still among us and listed on our roster, namely, W.J. Smith, Arch Kellems, and Tom Wilson. If my memory is correct Jesse Hatfield claimed to be a Hatfield from the well-known Hatfield-McCoy feud, and, his initial J. stood for James; thus, he was Jesse James Hatfield!
Mr. Anonomous came through again with a few items for me and this letter so here follows a couple of them:
"There isn't a barber shop on destroyers. Usually, the Chief Master-at-Arms appoints someone to be the barber. With luck, a man with barbering experience can be found, otherwise it is on the job training. (We were lucky as we had Hector Breau). The barber chair is a three legged stool with the customer bracing himself against the rolling and pitching of the ship at sea. A haircut cost 15c. Some men really appreciated a professional hair cut
by the ship's barber after growing up with a bowl put on their head for a hair cut by a family member."
"On destroyers the ship's baker, and usually one striker, work all night baking bread and, at times, sheet cakes.
Sometime after mid-night the smell of hot bread being baked will make its way out of the galley to be noticed by the mid-watch standers. Everyone knows the bakers will begin to bring the hot bread out of the brightly lit galley around 0300 onto the very dark weather deck. With out night vision they slowly make their way to the bread locker on the mess deck. They are unaware of the people hiding in the shadows waiting to lift a loaf of bread or two to be taken back to their watch stations.
Now the hungry thieves check out the galley and if a sheet cake is there, they wait for the bakers to make a second trip to the bread locker. That is when a few pieces of cake disappear.
I often wondered are the bakers very smart and know what's going on so they bake a little extra to take care of the mid-watch thieves or are they that stupid not to notice. You can decide."
Once again, please send me any memories you have of your time aboard the FULLAM. I could sure use anything you have to add to this quarterly newsletter. I appreciate anything!
Since my next letter will not be mailed until early January, I will like to close with my very best wishes to you all for a bountiful Thanksgiving, a most Merry Christmas, and a prosperous and Happy New Year!
Your old shipmate,
/s/ Paul "P.T.' Beyer
A friend gave me this article and have just one question. What do they use to play poker and black jack in the after steering engine room?
Ahoy!
IN THE NEWS: The aircrft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is among the first cashless ships in the Navy; the crew uses debit cards instead of cash.
From stem to stern, on bounding main, A dollar bill Is not germaine
Across the length Of mighty vessel There's nary coins With to swrestle.
And even the Collection plate In shipboard chapel Debit takes
With Truman's lore There's naught to fear; When you're at sea The buck stops here.
Don Munday is copy chief of The Star's Universal Deck
Your old shipmate,
Paul "P.T." Beyer