Captain Isaac Hull, USN (1773-1843)
               Portrait by Orlando S. Lagman, after

Gilbert Stuart, 1967. Courtesy of the U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington

We’ve discussed the project of having a sixth DESTROYER of the U.S. Fleet named HULL since our first reunion in Las Vegas in September 2004. An earlier effort proved unfruitful.

But in January 2008 two shipmates, Captain Jim Burritt ’62-’65 and RADM Bruce Newell ’58-’60 (plank owner DD945), have taken on the project. With the Dave Vrooman web page histories of the five previous warships named HULL, these shipmates have started turning the ship naming wheels of Washington.

A petition was crafted with historical substantiation and a cover letter from Admiral Newell requesting the Secretary of the Navy order a sixth naval vessel named for Commodore Isaac Hull. See page 2 for SECNAV receipt letter.

And finally, Isaac Hull was CO of the Kittery ME Naval Shipyard in 1800 and HULL DD-945 was built in Bath, ME. Maine Senator Susan Collins is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Shipmate Lou Colella, ’60-’63 and a Collins constituent, has delivered a personal letter to her office in Biddeford, Maine asking her to encourage SECNAV to build a sixth HULL in that state.

Histories can be seen on our web at http://usshullassociation.org/index.htm

Shipmates who have Senators on the Armed Services Committee have already been asked to send letters urging their Senator to sign on to the HULL ship naming effort. Those “turning to” so far are named elsewhere in this newsletter.

The “can do” spirit has always been the reputation of the crew of ships named HULL. We wish our Washington team of Newell & Burritt the best of HULL luck and that we have an early and positive response to our request.

THEY ANSWERED OUR CALL

The following shipmates have sent or have said they will send letters to their Senators on the Armed Services Committee concerning the HULL Naming Project:

Thanks for your effort Shipmates! By the way, several of the emails we sent out concerning the HULL naming project bounced back. It’s imperative you keep us informed when you change email addresses. The Internet is a great communicative device – but only if we can communicate. treasurer@usshullassociation.org

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Greetings Shipmates:

The 2008 Reunion is just around the corner, and like most of you I am looking forward in meeting you and reminiscing of old times. By definition, reunion is an act of reuniting, a meeting of persons after a separation. Reading the last entries in the HULL website, well, just a little interest in one subject and all the knowledge that was written by a few members was inspiring. What could be written if we all got our heads together and just wrote one week of our lives on board our ship during one week of time during one week of cruising in the Indian Ocean. (What a thought) Hope we will see all of you at the Reunion,

God Bless America!

Master Chief Gallegos USN (retired) & Dora

In this FEBRUARY 2008

HULL newsletter

You’ll find……………

*Reunion Registration

*Help DD-350 Memorial

*What it means to be a HULL

Sailor………..and more!

GREETINGS FROM DD-350

By Pat Douhan

Greetings Shipmates of DD-945:

On behalf of the crew of DD-350, I just want you to know how much we appreciate and treasure the action you have taken to accept and include the few of us remaining members of “our” HULL into your organization. Having to end our yearly reunions after a 22-year run was a difficult decision, but dwindling attendance and health problems made it necessary. But knowing that we are still part of a USS HULL group helps. At last count, our shipmates include 15 Pearl Harbor survivors, 7 Typhoon Cobra survivors, three of whom survived both and 4 mustangs. So, you can see we’re quite a diverse group.

We lost another shipmate, Ken Drummond, on January 11. As many of you know, Ken and his wife, Gayline, worked very closely with my wife, Kay, and I in planning our reunions. Our current roster stands at 34.

A note of interest to many of you – there is a new book out regarding the loss of our ship and it really tells it like it was, pulling no punches. In my estimation, it is the most accurate account of the facts leading up to the loss of DD-350. I know because I was there. The book is called “Down To The Sea” by Bruce Henderson.

Looking forward to seeing you this fall in San Diego and close with this little Irish Blessing: “May the Good Lord take a liking to you, but not too soon!”

Smooth Sailing – Pat Douhan

TYPHOON COBRA MEMORIAL                    TYPHOON COBRA MEMORIAL                    TYPHOON COBRA MEMORIAL                    TYPHOON COBRA MEMORIAL                    TYPHOON COBRA MEMORIAL         

DD-350 Shipmate Archie DeRyckere is appealing for sponsors to help fund a plaque to memorialize the survivors of Typhoon Cobra who were aboard HULL DD-350, MONAGHAN and SPENCE. Find out more at http://www.typhooncobra1944.net/. The memorial will be located at “Pacific War

Memorial,” Admiral Nimitz Foundation, Fredericksburg, TX. It’s considered that $10.00 would sponsor one sailor, $30 would sponsor 3 and so forth

IF YOU’RE NOT ALREADY ONE

Get ready for the San Diego reunion…

TIN CAN SAILORS is a big booster of U.S. Navy Museums and Museum Ships around the country. They also have a great periodic newspaper listing reunions, history and good all around sailor information. Link on at http://www.destroyers.org/about%20OTCS/choose.htm. Or, mail Tin Can Sailors, P.O. Box 100, Somerset, MA 02726. THE $25 DUES WILL GET YOU INTO THE USS MIDWAY MUSEUM IN SAN DIEGO FOR FREE.

I REMEMBER THE HULL

Phil Abramson (GMG3 ’64-’66)

A lot of us have strong feelings about our years serving America and our duty stations. The following are those of Phil Abramson (GMG3 ’64-’66) and they speak volumes about why we think the way we do about “our” destroyer.

“I want to thank all of you former HULL shipmates for your e-mail. I have a few pictures from those years, but not many. I was a GM so most people I dealt with on a daily basis were also GMs.

I remember Ermantrout & Lewis, both made chief while I was aboard. Burton was a 1^st class. Phillips (the only nonwhite in the division) and Lloyd were both 2^nd class. Myself, Davis and Rosenthal were 3^rd class. Bates was a 3^rd class and Mount 32’s Mount Captain. He left the ship before I made third and took over the gun. If I missed anyone from 1/64 until 5/66 please let me know.

While we were in the yard in Long Beach in early ’66, there was a magazine break-in. A seaman who was restricted broke into a magazine (where the wardroom small arms were being stored). I was the duty GM and I didn’t catch it. He stole two 45-caliber pistols and two survival knives. They found him shacked up in town with a young teenager. He got 6, 6 and a kick and I got busted.

I got out a few months later. Getting out was a big mistake but I was smart enough to join the reserves and stay long enough to retire. During those years, I sailed on Fletchers, FRAM jobs WW II class DE’s and even the LPD CLEVELAND. I even spent five years in the SEABEES. My last 6 years were in the Army Reserve where I spent my time teaching mortar gunnery. I retired as a SFC (E-7).

I have to say the 28 months I spent on HULL were the happiest time in my career.”

Phil MAAPBA@aol.com

GEORGIANS RECRUITING

Alan Thiese (YNC ’78) and Roger Majchrzak (Ltjg ’64-’66) have teamed up to help secure letters to U.S. Senators in the HULL naming project and also “beat the bushes” recruiting new shipmates for the HULL Association.

Shown below are Alan on the left and Roger the right. Majchrzak lives in Athens, but was in Macon, where Thiese lives to officiate a tennis match. The pair took the opportunity to get together to compare notes.

Thiese and Majchrzak have been helping in the naming project with Senators east of the Mississippi. Bryce Wellnitz (QM2 ’63-’65) has been helping west of the Mississippi. Thanks to all three. Getting a 6^th ship named “HULL” is a major project, but so is recruiting new members.

You can contact these shipmates thru treasurer@usshullassociation.org

SAN DIEGO REUNION –

3 nights - October 14, 15, 16, 2008 – San Diego, California

Handlery Hotel and Resort in San Diego’s Mission Valley.

Check http://www.handlery.com/sd/home.asp

Reservations: http://www.handlery.com/sd/accommodations

CHECK OUR WEB SITE FOR DETAILS:

http://usshullassociation.org/Reunions/reunion2008.htm