Larry's Goat Locker

From the Vallejo Memorial:

More pictures here: http://album.larryshomeport.com/html/vet10.html

Thanks to Tom Roan for this picture from the Washington’s Goat Locker:

USS San Francisco Memorial Day 2009

It was a pretty emotional weekend. On Sunday, several of us from the Mare Island Base of the USSVI drove to San Francisco’s Lands End for the Memorial Day Ceremonies at the USS San Francisco Memorial.  We probably would not have made the drive, except we were told that Kevin Mooney, former Commanding Officer of the USS San Francisco (SSN-711) was going to be one of the speakers.  We were disappointed that Cdr. Mooney was not there, but none of us regrets going.  It was inspiring to hear the story of Jack Bennett and the other heroes of the Battle of Guadalcanal, taking the USS San Francisco into harm’s way, knowing that it was a suicide mission, but also knowing that it had to be done.

USSVI Mare Island Base

---

On Memorial Day, The USSVI Mare Island Base hosted Vallejo’s Memorial Day Ceremony.  There were a lot more of blue vests of former Submariners in evidence in Vallejo.

Submarining has always been a very dangerous profession as demonstrated by the disproportionate numbers of Submariners lost during WWII, when 1 in 5 Submariners never came back from patrol.  That is why every USSVI meeting includes a “Tolling the Boats” ceremony to remember our Lost shipmates.

The Lost Boat display showed just how many boats have been lost, with 52 individual plaques for each of the Submarines lost during WWII, and 17 plaques for the boats lost or damaged before or after WWII.

Lost Boats

The third Saturday of the month is always special for me. I put on my patch-laden vest and drive to Vallejo for the USSVI meeting. And there, over lunch, I share NTINS stories with other submarine veterans. Sometimes, I get to chat with some real heroes: those guys who rode the boats during WWII.

After today’s meeting, instead of heading straight home, I went down to the Mare Island Museum. It really is a nice museum, with loads of history. And in the back corner, almost impossible to reach, are several items from The USS Vallejo.

Having been at the 1999 Vallejo Reunion, I went looking for the Vallejo’s sail. Unfortunately, it hasn’t moved since the reunion.

I need to add a special thanks to the staff at the Museum, who helped me access the really neat stuff.   The Mare Island Museum is part of the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation.  Visit them at http://www.mareislandhpf.org/

For more details, and more pictures, go to http://album.larryshomeport.com/html/museum.html