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From: Michael Lambert DATE:November 02 2007 6:26 PM Subject: Pillsbury Longest Picket
Hi All:
I found these while going through my Mothers papers.
"View on History page "7" seven
She died in June, and I inherited the old mountain home.
The e's look like o's so some interpolation is needed.
I will type up a clean version to post with the scanned copies on the website when I have time, things are heck tick here at present.
I am in good health--- just trying to winterize the old house and fix the roof.
From: Denis LaCrosse
Woo-hoo! What memories! I remember seeing this letter, in 1957! At the time, not something to keep. Just nice to read.
Take care, and don't fall off the roof.
Denis
----- Original Message -----
Does anyone remember whether this was in 1957 or 1958? My guess is '57. Capt. Harmon had me fly over to St. John's from Argentia to arrange some details and write an article for the St. John's newspaper. My most vivid memory there was of being the OOD in port with sideboys at the ready and a cheatsheet with various Canadian insignia. A gentlemen approached the quarterdeck in finery that was not represented on my sheets. Playing it "safe" I ordered out eight sideboys and the bosun and gave him the full treatment. Turned out he was an RCMP commander and seemed to be satisfied with the reception.
Best Regards,
Dick Beers, Lt(jg), Operations Officer
February '56 to Jan '59
----- Original Message ----- Does anyone recall the ops officer before Beers that was passed over for the third time?
----- Original Message -----
To answer the questions in the revers order, I think the ops officer prior to Beers was Russ ? (Does Marcellus ring a bell with anyone?) When I last saw him he was a full lieutenant stationed in GTMO. (I hope he's not still there.) To try to answer Dick's question, I think it was '57 as I had been in ASW School in Key West, drove home and then down to Macguire (Sp.?) AFB from which I flew to St Johns. and made ti last two pickets on that trip. ( On the other hand, belay my last transmiission, as I recall a big party at the Rock Hotel in Gibraltar to celebrate LCDR. Robert S. Harward's detachment from the ship. (He was Captain after Harmon, and it seems to me that that was not before '58, but does an old man like me know, anyway?)
Does anyone remember that the evaps broke down a few days into the last picket on the way home and we had to live off the stored water in our tanks until one day, when I was OOD, we encountered a line of rain squalls and I piped all off-duty hands who wished to take showers, topside, until the rain stopped and we had to light off the other main engines to chase down the squalls with an untold number of soaped-up, and very cold and naked sailors freezing on the deck and, no doubt, cursing me.
Well, if I haven't confused you enough, ask some more questions.
Paul Jacobson
----- Original Message -----
Greetings From Dr. Robert "Bud" Maurer:
I was the Operations Officer after Russ Marcellus left the ship. That would be from the end of 1956 until I left the ship in February of 1958 to attend Medical School in Philadelphia. I was NOT passed over. In fact, I received my second full stripe (Lieutenant) a few weeks before my discharge.
I'm not sure, but I think Vic Tetreault followed me as Ops Officer..... and then Dick
Beers followed him.... Maybe someone can clear that up..
As for the longest picket.... In mid 1957, we did something on the Pillsbury that had NEVER
been done on a US Navy ship before. WE WERE ALLOWED TO VOTE ON OUR DESTINATION.
Our skipper, Commander Harmon, allowed the crew to vote on the option of returning
to Newport after a 30 day outing on the DEW Line.... or, instead, go to Europe to spend
10 days in England (Portsmouth or Southampton) and France (LeHavre).
The crew voted overwhelmingly to go to England and France... Needless to say, there
were a lot of unhappy families back in Newport when they found out about the change in plans.
When we were in France, Emera "Butch" Bailey, the Executive Officer, asked me to
set up a crew's party on shore the last night of our visit. The entire crew came to the party,
except for those on watch.
I don't remember much about the party, but it probably was the wildest one I have
ever attended. DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE DETAILS ?? A good time was had by all.
When we went back out on the DEW Line, Butch Bailey got flown out on Emergency
Leave due to a parental death in his family. I took a two-hour course on the sextant and
became acting Executive Officer. We had two OOD Watch Officers at the time.... Dick Beers
and myself. We stood heel-to-toe on deck watches, 24 hours a day, until we certified
Paul Jacobson and several other officers to stand OOD at sea. I'm sure we got lost a couple
of times, but no-one seemed to be much worried about it.
My additional memory is that we only had a very few movies on board. I remember
watching "The Gunfight At the OK Corral" and "The Barefoot Contessa" about a half dozen
times each. The highlight of our 30 days at sea was when another ship came close to us
and we traded movies for new ones.
It's great to share these memories with the Pillsbury alumni. Keep those Emails coming.
----- Original Message -----
Details of that party? My first ever ship's party? My first champagne (mmm)? My first caviar (ychhh)? Tiny little cherry pies with three cherries and a criss-cross lattice top? All this, on my first trip ever to a foreign country, aboard my very first ship, and jhaving my very first true lifetime adventure?
No, I don't recall it at all.
I do remember learniing that champagne can be memorable, especially the next morning. I also remember that the next day's POD noted that at the ship's party, the crew consumed 134 bottles of champagne, 12 bottles of scotch, eight glasses and two light bulbs.
I thought Dick Beers was Ops when I came aboard, just before that picket, but as a brand new RD3, just out of "A" school, anything that wore khaki was to be revered, feared, and stayed away from! And the difference between Division, Ops, and CIC officer was probably pretty vague in my little sailor mind.
But I remember 'em all!
Oh- a memory I shall never forget; we had two records (remember them? Round thingies, usually black, music would come out of them?) for the entertainment system. One was Carousel, and is probably why it's one of my favorite plays today. The other was My Fair Lady, another favorite. It was new, and I had only heard it mentioned on the radio. So one day, walking down a London street, I saw a large, white, sort of clapboard building, with a marque. On there it said MY FAIR LADY --Rex Harrison--Julie Andrews and thought that that must be the same thing.
This is fun, the memories. I served aboard four ships while in the Navy (discounting, of course, the DER and DD between Pill and NAS Norfolk, which just filled in a few months.) Pill was fun, and I learned things there I used throughout my career. And, yes, her history, and the North Atlantic, gave me a few...er...sea stories.
Denis LaCrosse
----- Original Message ----- I recall being in the yards in Philadelphia over Christmas 1956. Someone traded 40 lb. cans of coffee for rubber floor tile. The decks in the crew compartments looked great. I think we were in the largest dry-dock, with only the mast showing. Prior to entering the yards, as a structural test, A depth charge was dropped under the fantail. I believe all were surprised we didn't sink ourselves. Does anyone recall chasing a basking shark until a hedgehog was fired at it? I think Cruiser was the Capt., he must have thought it was Moby Dick. joel brandes
----- Original Message -----
I remember the Pillsbury fishing for sharks. A 13 foot long shark was brought onto the fantail. The shark thrashed about until, I believe it was Mr. Shumate bashed him with a stanchion.
While in Argentia, New Foundland, We caught Lobster and a party went deer hunting. That was the first time I got my fill of Lobster and I still can't get enough since then. joel brandes |
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This website developed and operated by
ETC USN Retired Michael Lambert of Smyrna,
Georgia.
as a gesture of respect to the gallant men of the DE/DER's and their sacrifice for our nation during WW II and Cold War.
Copyright: None. The included history belongs to the ages.