First I got this nice note;

Dear Nichols, it might interest you to know that the Hopewell's bell is currently on the quarterdeck of the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in San Jose, California.   I am currently a Senior Chief Storekeeper in the Naval Reserve and spent many years at the San Jose Reserve Center and have walked past the bell hundreds of time over the years. Can't say how the bell ended up there....all I know is it has been there for as many years as I can remember, must be 20+ at least. I served on the Porterfield (64-66) and remember well steaming with Hopewell and Agerholm all over the Western Pacific as part of DesRon 5.

Fair winds and following seas, SKCS(SW) Arthur J. (Jim) Browning, USNR

So I found, on the Web this sailor and wrote;

I am trying to get a photo of a ships bell.  The next time your down in San Jose could you help out ? I thought as a Navy  Vet you would be sympathetic and I live in New York. On the Quarter deck of the Navy Reserve Center  is the ships bell from the USS Hopewell DD681.  If possible it would be great to get a picture for our WebPage.  Now I know that's asking a lot,  Yes? I thought with a lot of luck and sympathy something great could happen.  I can pay moderate expenses. Sincerely, Noel Nichols MM3

He replied;

Noel-- I didn't forget your request, but I've been in the middle of changing jobs and ISP's. I live fairly close the the Reserve Center, although I've never been there. I do intend to make a trip down there soon; I'll see what I can do for you. I visited the Agerholm site. My ship, the Gray, sailed with her on her final Wespac cruise (although I didn't know it at the time). We visited many ports in Australia and New Zealand. The thing I remember most about that cruise was that we had intended to cross the equator at the 180th meridian (the realm of the Golden Shellback), but due to some malfunction on the Agerholm, we both had to take a more direct route, and didn't get to cross at 180.

Dave Black

PS--where did you find me?

So shipmates we have one more piece of our past intact. Anyone got time to stop by and polish the brightwork?