T-AG 94

USNS Vanguard was used to provide direct and in-direct support for many submarine operations over a long period of time.

USNS Vanguard's homeport was Port Canaveral, Florida.

The ship was also used to test new equipment that was intended to be installed of future submarines.

She was one of the little known support vessels.

[email protected] wrote:

Dear Frank:

I am a ex Submarine Sailor. Was on the USS HARDER and USS GUNNEL during WWII. I stayed in for 28+ years. Most of it was with the Submarine Force. I was connected with the Polaris Program in 1960-62 in Pittsfield, MA. Then later on out in Guam with the PROTEUS I have never rode a "Boomer" But have been aboard. They are really something as you know. I got out of the Navy in 1971.

Once again a lot very interesting information.

Take care,
Art

Bill Tatton wrote:

Frank,

My compliments on some outstanding pages of info. I'm sure you do have some more real good memories of unique happenings at the cape. But I think one boat's experiences must be right up there almost at the top. For instance, do you remember the USS Andrew Jackson SSBN 619. We almost made a permanent homeport of Port Canaveral (Cape Kennedy after we were there) approximately August through November of 1963. The AJ Gold crew ( of which I was part) were the ones who, not only launched the A2 Polaris test msls for which we were initially designed, but we also performed the first two submerged launches of the A3 Polaris msl, which were interupted by a huricane and trawler activity. Then as a plus, we were called back in to perform the demo launch for President J. F.. Kennedy, just six days prior to his assination.

Remember the re-installation of the TI equipment, and readying of the launch tubes for the launch. If I remember we accomplished miracles in that ***6 months of yard work was done in about 78 hours***** What a scramble. My name is Bill Tatton, I was Ass't LPO of the missile gang during that crazy time. Say if you have any memorabilia, pictures of those days, I sure would like have a copy. I have some pictures of President Kennedy's viewing of the A2 Launch.

Drop me a note if you would like a copy. For that matter please drop me a note if you don't want a copy. I like to share sea stories. Hope this bit finds you and yours enjoying a beautiful Valentine's Day/ Presidents Day vacation.

Sincerely Bill Tatton, E-mail: [email protected]
 

wkaczma wrote:

Frank,

I was a Missile Technician aboard the USS Francis Scott Key (G when we fitted out for the first Trident launch. I was at the Cape for the first shot and then the subsequent ripple shot.

Lcdr. Gil Shattuck was the OIC at the cape and MTC (SS) Orrly Love was part of his team. Do you know whatever happened to those guys?

Bill Kaczmarek
 

Kaczmarek William A wrote:

Frank,

Thanks for getting back to me.

You weren't the guy who sent the missile tech scrambling up the bilge by dropping an air line down behind him as he was opening the eject chamber door and scaring the beJesus out of him when it was plugged into the EAB manifold were you?

We were going to install some instrumentation in the eject chamber and the two cape guys dropped the hose on me and then plugged it in. That hose started to hit me (all I heard was high pressure air and felt the hose hit me) and I went under the door and half way up to the middle level. The two cape guys were laughing so hard they couldn't stand up. After I calmed down it was a good laugh! I wish they'd have gotten a picture of it.

Our commander was Cmdr. George Mensch (G) and our XO was Lcdr. Jack Johnson.

We didn't do any reactor mods (that I'm aware of) while we were there and if memory serves me correctly, Joe williams went on to a flag rank "Jumpin Joe Williams" that would have been before my time on the Key.

The Key was the only boat I served on but she was the best! It really saddened me to hear of her decommissioning and salvage. Another thing that saddens me is that there are few if any references to her or were men. Maybe its time to do something about that.

Bill
 

wkaczma wrote:

Frank,

> > (I was a Missile Technician aboard the USS Francis Scott Key (G)when we fitted out for the first Trident launch. I was at the Cape for the first shot and then the subsequent ripple shot.)

I headed up the team that instrumented the Key when she was build in EB. She was my personal favorite boat. The Capt in those days was a gent named Joe Williams, (B or G?). We held a special sea run to test a reactor modification and in the end we tested the hull more than the reactor by far exceeding the TD. It was one hell of a ride, but she held together. Of course things like external hull fittings required a bit of attention before she was totally sea worthy again. As I recall EB was happy to do the repair work - for a price.

Most of the time she and her crew seemed to have the situation better in hand than many of the other boats.

(Lcdr. Gil Shattuck was the OIC at the cape and MTC (SS) Orrly Love was > part of his team.)

If Gil is the guy I am thinking of, he retired from the Navy a few years
ago (full Cdr) and went to work for Interstate Electronics Corp. in
Anaheim, CA. He was working as an analyst on a SONAR project. I was on
the same project and was on a temporary transfer to Anaheim and we worked
together a bit. Lost track of him after he left IEC. As far as I know he
is still in the LA area.

Did not know Chief Love. I will ask around, may take a while, so hang on.

(Do you know whatever happened to those guys?)

Bill Kaczmarek

I want to include you on my FBM Old Timer page - OK?

Fair winds and following seas
Frank

Bud F. Turner wrote:

Frank,

Glad to hear from you, but sad to hear you're working seven day work weeks...

You mentioned living in Napa and working at Mare Island for several years. What were those years, and are there others you knew who might still be in this area that worked on the Boomers during the Cold War? If there were any who worked new construction, I would like to get an estimate of the number of man hours/months/etc. it took to build one of those boats. There was a lot of "sweat equity" put into crafting an FBM submarine, and those craftsmen who designed and put them together should get a large part of the credit.

If you still have their names, I can get their phone numbers and addresses.

I am still planning on heading to Florida in the early February time frame. What does your work schedule look like then?

Thanks,

Bud
 

Bud F. Turner wrote:

Frank,

Your views and experience are exactly what I am looking for. I already have most of the "Movers & Shakers" views, they were published long ago and are background material. This book is about the hundreds of thousands of very ordinary folks, like you and I, who got caught up in this very extraordinary time and place on a project that was much bigger than anything we had ever done. What we brought to the process, what we contributed and learned from it, and what we have done with those skills, knowledge and experiences are the real meat of the story. This is history written by those who lived it, not by the admirals and politicians who thump their chests and say, "Look at what I did,"(with emphasis on the "I").

Since you worked at both EB and Mare Island, along with other yards and the cape, you have a breadth of experience and contacts, old friends who may yield additional information, that tells the development and support story. What it took to build one (or forty-one) of these things, integrate and install the technology, manage the complexity and turn tons of steel plate, tubing, CRES, HY80, hundreds of miles of wire and piping, thousand of valves and switches into a submersible dragon which brought enough fear into the world that it finally came to its senses...

I was trained on the first Polaris missiles, A1 & A2, at Dam Neck, the A3 was what I took on patrol. The Stonewall Jackson was a custom boat, and it was in commission for thirty years as an effective war-fighting machine. It was refitted for both the Poseidon and Trident missiles and made 83 "War Patrols." It was interesting that Mare Island, who only built eight of the original forty-one Boomers, had two of the last three boats on active patrol, the Stonewall Jackson and the M.G. Vallejo... Mare Island built good boats, at
least in the early days of the program...

I am glad you are interested in helping with the project. Break out your retired brain cells and refresh your experiences. I want this to be fun as well as rewarding, something our great-grandchildren can show their kids and say, "my great-great-grandpa helped build and ride these boats into history..."

There were several great technological achievements in the 20th century. My book talks of four of them: The development of the atomic bomb that brought about the end of WWII and the beginning of the cold war; the subsequent development of nuclear power and the ability to size it small enough to fit into a submarine; the combination of nuclear weapons and nuclear power into a relatively compact, self-contained, fighting vessel that, hopefully, would never have to be used; and the NASA Mission to the Moon, which began with Mercury and ended with Apollo. The first two have been covered in depth and will be treated lightly, the last has been also heavily covered, but not from my unique perspective.

Looking forward to the collaboration. I will keep in touch via e-mail and we will get together in the next month or so. Another MT from the 634 boat will be in Florida for a month-long visit the end of January through February and I would also like to visit him there. He will be at the SubVets Reunion in Reno this coming September, and there will be a 634 reunion at the same time.

By the way, the onion plant, Basic Vegetable, closed several years ago. I worked there my first summer out of high school. The land now houses a theater multiplex and an ice-skating rink. The Nut Tree also closed its doors a couple of years ago and has been up for sale ever since. Both of my daughters worked there during their high school years. The grandkids of the founding Power family couldn't get along and keep it running. The Nut Tree Airport is still there. Things always change. I grew up in Vacaville when it had 3,000 people. It now has 86,000 and most of the city is now south of the freeway, and the old Basic site, not north...

Thanks for your support.

Bud
 

Glenn Keiffer & Nancy Smith wrote:

Frank I really appreciate all the trouble you went through looking up this information for me. That is the same information Pike has on his page, too.

You know certain things stick in your mind on what happened when. After the shot at the Cape when we were still at sea I was also messcooking too even though I was 3rd class at the time, infact all the messcooks were petty officers. I remember I was at the deep sink washing dishes when this 3 star Air Force General from SAC came up to me and said, "Son you guys just made history today for it was the first under water firing of the A3 Polaris missile from a submarine." And the reason I remember it so well is that this 3 star General talked to me like an equal and infact asked to shake my hand.

Then I also remember going out to the nuclear missile weapons station that was north of Charleston to load up our A3 missiles to go on patrol. It sticks in my mind that they had armed Marine guards all over the place. Talking with them they mentioned that we were the first sub to go on patrol with a full load of A3's. The Webster was suppose to but they didn't have them ready, all 16 missiles so they went on patrol with the A2's. Hence the 627 class submarine.

Frank you are most likely correct, but for 34 years I thought otherwise. So it will take quite awhile for it to sink in. Oh, also I have talked to quite a few guys that were in the weapons division with me and they all believe like I do. Should you come-up with any other information I would appreciate if you would pass it on.

Now Frank I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you again Frank,
Glenn
 

Chad and Jean Eells wrote:

diary entry for Saturday, September 15th, 1973:

"Slept till late in morning. Maneuvering watch around noon. Shot the big missile around suppertime--HOT, STRAIGHT, and NORMAL. Got drunk on free beer at the slopshoot-greenhouse."

I was sitting in lower-level missile compartment of the Francis Scott Key when that Poseidon missile dropped the deck out from under me--where were you? Good internet site! Chad Eells
 

Glenn Keiffer & Nancy Smith wrote:

Frank I am an Ft who was on the James Madison SSBN 627 commissioning crew. I was also on the trolley trigger when we fire the first Polaris A3 from a submerged submarine. It was in September 1964. The James Madison was also the first FBM to go on patrol with the A3 missile.

John Pike's page on the FBM missile doesn't even mention the missile launch and gives credit to the Webster for going on patrol first with the A3. I know for a fact that we were the first to go on patrol with the A3, hence the 627 class submarine. Frank can you verify any of this because I am sick and tired of people telling me I am wrong went I lived
it.

Thanks,
Glenn Keiffer

judy jamieson wrote:
Hello Frank,
My name is Bruce Jamieson, employed at IEC Nov. 1959 till about sept.1969. I started out as a kid and kind of grew up there (Started right out of high school) I worked in assy. for Wally Shutter Then moved to material control Working for Dave Ross and from there to quality control working for Gus Daymond. My last position was im the planning dept. working for Paul Ducan.

I do remember you at IEC. My sister also worked at IEC in document control with Peggy Wishmier. Her name was Carla Jamieson/Carla Cousyn married name.

When did you leave IEC and do you know of any the people i listed or others of my time ?

Best Regards, Bruce Jamieson Cassel Calif. 96016
 

Robert Askin wrote:

Frank, I recently visited one of your many sub sites and was fascinated with the scrolling list of boomer classes and support vessels at the bottom of the screen. However, I didn't see my boat listed..USS Von Stueben SSBN 632. If memory serves me, the 632 was originally laid (or at least on paper) as a fast attack (don't remember the class), but early in construction was stretched to a boomer (627 class). We had several anomalies that were features of one class or the other. She was built at Newport News Shipbuilding. Maybe you can dig up more info and include her in your lists.

Bob Askin formerly MM1(SS)
SSBN 632B and AS-34
 

Michael A Stephens wrote:

Mr. Odell,

Kewl web site.....I was a PORI/IDAS technician for a few years down at Kings Bay. Worked with Jessie Manring and Ron Anderson. Got to your web site via Rons Sub BBS. The photos of the D-5 Missiles launches from the USS Tennessee.....I was the Launcher Operator for those launches!

Mike Stephens
MTC/SS Ret.

Roy Ator wrote:
Just a quickie for now. Tight sked! Took a brief look at your page. Remember Bill Lyons. I had a tour at NOTU & retired from OTSU2 in '73. See you have Sid Harrison & Ron Martini linked. Know them through "cyberspace". Permission granted on linking "whatever" from my pages. I frequent the ~rontini BBS. I'll be back SOON!
 

-- Roy E. Ator - Grand Quartermaster/Adjutant
"Keep'em Smil'n in Beds of White" http://www.lipan.net/royator/index.htm
"ATOR's Cyberspace Quarters" http://www.lipan.net/royator/index2.html
ICQ Pager http://wwp.mirabilis.com/2977465
"Ator's BIO Page" http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/2401/
CootieBoard BBS http://www.cgiforme.com/cgibin/CootieBoard/wwwboard.html
Smith & Wesson - the original point and click interface.
 

[email protected] wrote:

I worked for GE from 1974 first as a tech in Pittsfield on the tender evaluation study and other projects . Until i joined field service in 1979 and went to nnsb&dd co. till jan 1981. First boat 636, then reassigned to pnsy from 81 to fall 82, 642 sea trials rider, then eb 83 729 730 etc. back to PNSY 84 to 87..
I still keep intouch with a couple of the GE REP s....

Dick

Dan Bartee, [email protected]

Was reading the Old Timers Page and ran across Chad Ellis' comment about where were you in Sept 15, 1973. I talk about it quite a lot when I describe my Navy days to friends and family. I was on the bridge of the Range Sentinel watching a Poseidon missile do loop-T-loops both in and out of the water. At one point, it came out of the water, leveled off about 05 level high and headed straight for us. It was then that the CO (I don't remember his name) ran in from his vantage point outside and slammed the door behind him. I never did figure out what he thought that door was going to protect him from. That gave us all a scare but the biggest scare came when it finally burned out. It went in right about where we thought the boat was and the sonarman confirmed it when he radioed that he heard it hit them. Then he said, "I have lost the sub!!!" We didn't have communications with them for 5 to 10 minutes. It seemed like an eternity. I'll never forget it. I can't imagine what it must have been like for Chad.

The best time of my life was during my association with the people at IEC both when I was employed by them and during my tenure in the Navy. I don't mean that I've had a bad time since or that I'd change anything. But it would mean a lot to be remembered on your WEB page.

In the Navy, I was stationed at NOTU from '70 to '73 and on the T-AGM 22 from '73 to '75. As you know, I worked for IEC at Mare Island starting in '75 for about a year and a half and then at the Cape until '81. I've done a lot of living since but the most fun I've ever had was during the time I spent at Mare Island. You know about that.

Dan Bartee