Uss Neversail

Hi Jim,
Yes, It would be Bickleigh, nr Plymouth,
I have been there, I think it was a Logistics base!
Do you think that fits in, with your recollections?
It makes me wonder, whether you man Coy
is still in this area of the England?

Best Wishes,
Keith

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Originally posted by Stumpy+Aug 14 2005, 09:21 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stumpy @ Aug 14 2005, 09:21 AM)</div>

Yeah, Stumpy, all the military bases in the whole Bay Area were in the Congressional districts of some of the most liberal congresspeople in Congress. They had never voted for any military budget increases, always against, so then it became the DoD's turn to close down every base in the Bay Area . Can't say as I really blame them.

Chester

<!--QuoteBegin-Stumpy@Aug 14 2005, 06:06 PM
Does England have an internet search engine similar to what we have in the states called "Switchboard"? If people are listed in phone directories, then you can look them up by means of this search engine. Over the years, I've located people that I haven't seen or heard of for many, many years. If y'all have such a search engine, you might check and see if there's an L. Coy listed in Devon.

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Here's my little contribution to this military thread - years ago, I was speaking to my dad, an old Navy man himself, and he mentioned that he'd heard that one of his best friends in the Navy lived in California, somewhere in the Bay Area. This was before the days of generally available Internet (and we didn't even have a computer yet), but when I got off the phone with my dad, I called information and was actually able to track down my dad's old Navy buddy. Boy, was he surprised! I gave him my dad's phone number, and my dad was pretty shocked (but real happy) to get that phone call!

Thanks for indulging me !

Mrs. C

Hi Jim,
We don't quite, have the same as switchboard,
as it means something entirely different here!
It would probably be more at home in San Fran,
if you get my drift!!
However, Jim, I have done a telephone
directory enquiry, L. Coy doesn't show up
in Plymouth, Devon or Cornwall.
There are some Coy's listed, and as it is such an unusual name,
I wouldn't mind betting, one or two of them,
are relatives of your man!!

Best Wishes,
Keith

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Originally posted by Stumpy@Aug 15 2005, 06:11 AM
The internet is one of the most wonderful inventions ever, I think.

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I think you're right .

We have used several of those search engines to track down different folks - in fact, that's how I first spoke with Chilibill!!

Chester

Hi stumpy and chester,
I did a search for stumpys pal,
but couldn't come up with anything!
but I agree with you both,
the PC and the internet, is a very powerful tool,
not only have I been re-united with close family,
some after 20/30 years,
it has also brought in business, propositions,
I could never have dreamed of.
What an earth did we do before the net??

Well I never trained aboard the USS Neversail. All my training was at Great Lakes Naval Station on Lake Michigan. All my naval terminology was gained from actually serving on my first ship assignment in San Diego.

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Stumpy,
During the Reagan Presidancy the Mighty Mo was restored to her former glory, with cruse missle tubes installed in the rear deck. It cost a couple of hundred million. She was deployed to the Lebanon conflict and a friend reservest went on special active duty to serve aboard Her. He gave me a video of her 16 in guns going off there. It was something to see. Currently several cities are vieing for Her as a museum and tourist attraction. San Francisco was high on the list until recently when the gay mayor and board of supervisors voted against it because of the militarys policy towards gays.
San Francisco suddenly was no longer a tourist attraction to many military families.
During a prior administration the Mighty Mo visited San Francisco during Fleet Week, and my family visited it.
Chester

I was however able to go on a Wespac cruise with the newly refurbished USS New Jersey, a sister to Big Mo. I was also able to witness the Jersey firing her 16 inch guns, I have some pictures at home. It is something I will never forget. The ship will actually move sideways when she fires broadside and I heard that when they fire all guns at once it is very noticeable. They never did that more then a couple times, from what I heard.
As far as Frisco goes, no offense Chester, but they need to fall off the coast so we can start over, its just said what some of these people have resorted to to move ones agenda.

You know, Viper, after reading your post, I realize it was the USS New Jersey that my friend went on, to Lebanon. You know how it is . . . as the years pile up . . . . The ship is permanently ported in Camden, NJ (check it out here) as a museum.

However, it was definitely the USS Missouri in San Francisco, about 15 years ago, for Fleet Week. We had a few less kids then, but the ones we had enjoyed being on the memorial deck where the treaty was signed with Japan. It is currently homeported in Pearl Harbor, as Keith indicated - see here.

And finally, there is a move to bring the USS Iowa to a permanent home in San Francisco, as a museum (read all about it here).

I think I finally got it straight . . . and plan to keep it that way !

Chester

Hi Viper and Chester,
Thanks for those interesting posts,
and for those two links you gave.
Being on that surrender deck on the MISSOURI
certainly gave me a sense of historical moment.
Also I was in awe of the plaques that were on the
deck walls around that area, depicting the
battles, the ship was engaged in, including Iwo Jima!
What struck me as being a sense of history,and so significant,
is that the ARIZONA is where the US involvement, in World War II started,
and the MISSOURI is where it all ended.
And now, there they are together,
in their final resting place,for the final farewell!!

Best Wishes,
Keith

Hi jim
Thanks for that interesting link,
On reading that article, and seeing countless films,
about the events on the MISSOURI,
it makes me realise,how significant it was to be
standing on such an historical site.
On that quiet 2000, January day, my family and myself
had been on both the ARIZONA,and the MISSOURI,
and lets not dismiss the BOWFIN!
That day to me, was the most memorable,
historical day in my life!!,

Best Wishes,
Keith

I remember the U.S.S. Neversail from bootcamp. Man I haven't thought of that thing in years! Boot was back in 1974. After Boot I served aboard the U.S.S. Constellation as a Quartermaster. It's funny how you really don't forget things like that, they just lay dormant somewhere in your brain. Even today (and I've been out of the Navy for better than a quarter century) when I hear the General Quarters alarm on the television, I start to get up and head for my battle station!

With regards to Pearl Harbor, my great uncle, Tedd Furr died there aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma on December 7, 1941.
Colorado Bob

Yesterday afternoon, before the festivities of my 40 year high school reunion, the Mrs. and I, along with our two youngest children, had the privilege of visiting the USS Hornet (CV/CVA/CVS-12) Museum (which just happens to be aboard the USS Hornet). My youngest son and I had spent the night aboard her three years ago with the Boy Scouts, as the Hornet has a program for groups of 20 or more, to have a chance to "live aboard overnight" like the men in WWII. For me, it rekindled my previous Navy career, both active duty and reserves, from which I retired 12 years ago.

For those of you who don't know, this aircraft carrier has a noble history throughout WWII, and was the carrier used to recover the first astronauts to the moon after splashdown.

The previous USS Hornet aircraft carrier (CV-8) fought at the Battle of Midway and was sunk at the Battle of Santa Cruz. The USS Hornet CV-8 was the carrier used to transport the planes and crew used in the Doolittle Raid. Yesterday was "Living Ship" day, a monthly event at the Hornet, and a special speaker was Frank Kappeler, navigator of Plane #11 in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo on April 2, 1942. He says he was 28 at the time, so he is now 91 years old! He was still pretty sharp for someone his age (he had occasional lapses of memory , for which he would apologize, but don't we all - and we don't have the excuse of being in our nineties :o ). He gave quite an interesting narrative which, from my memory, parallels the story line of the movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo very closely (for obvious reasons :).

For anyone visiting the San Francisco Bay area, you could easily spend at least half, if not the whole, day visiting the USS Hornet and taking advantage of the different docent-led tours, from the pilot house to the engine room. A very interesting, steeped-in-history museum, and thank goodness it's in Alameda and not San Francisco .

For those who would like to read more - USS Hornet.

Chester