June 17, 2017: Meeting Minutes

Jun 17, 2017 | Meeting Minutes

Coastal Carolina Base

Submarine Veterans Meeting

Download Meeting Minutes PDF

When:

June 17, 2017 at 1030 hours

Location:

Golden Corral, Jacksonville, NC
Before Meeting:
Port & Starboard Raffle Tickets: Joy Fletcher sold tickets for the Port & Starboard Raffle while members and guests greeted each other.
Brunch:
Attendees partook of the bountiful brunch buffet at the Golden Corral Restaurant.
Call to Order:
At 10:45 Commander Fletcher called the Coastal Carolina Base meeting to order.
Attendees:

Commander ChuckFletcher, Base Secretary Bill Underwood, Base COB John Williamson, Dave Delong, Kevin Kesterson, Clark Walker, Tony Shook, Richard Schrum, Bernie Maguire and guests Joy Fletcher, Arlene Delong, Kathy Shook and Lynne Walker.

Invocation:
Bernie Maguire gave the invocation and Blessing.
Pledge of Allegiance:
Base COB John Williamson led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.
World War II Submarine Veteran Recognition:
No World War II Veterans were present at this meeting.
Introduction of Members and Guests:
Each attendee introduced themselves and gave their Qualification Date and the Boats on which they served. They also introduced their guests.
Approval of the Minutes for the Previous Meetings:
MOTION: Secretary Bill offered a MOTION to accept the minutes from the April 8th and May 29th meetings as written and dispense with the reading. Dave Delong SECONDED the MOTION and the MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote of the attending CCB members.
Bills & Communications:
None presented.
Treasurer’s Report:
No report at this meeting. Treasurer not present.
Storekeeper’s Report:
No report at this meeting. Storekeeper not present.
Membership & Recruitment Report:
No report at this meeting. Secretary Bill said that he has been copied on several potential new members that Butterbean is working with. Ed Streve is one who lives in the Southport area and would like to attend some of the upcoming meetings and events. He has recently had back surgery and may need some help getting to the Legacy Event or the 4th of July Parade. Dave Delong said he lives in St. James Plantation and would be willing to help Ed. Bill agreed to send Ed and Dave an email connecting them.

Old Business

BB-55 Legacy Series Tribute to the Submarine Service:
Commander Chuck informed attendees that the BB-55 Event organizers have asked that CCB bring it’s Float to display in front of the BB-55 entrance. John Williamson responded that the Float is currently disassembled and the trailer is up north so it would not be available for this event.

Commander Chuck asked for a headcount of those that plan to attend the BB-55 event. Bill said that John Williamson and Ron Bixby plan to attend on Friday, Dave Delong plans to attend on Saturday and Chuck, Bill, Mike Bowers, Clark Walker and Tony Shook plan to attend both days. Joy said she will give the headcount to the BB-55 organizers.

Wilmington Salute to the Flag:
Secretary Bill informed attendees that Charlie Backes said the event has been cancelled this year.
Belk Charity Sale Update:
Charlie was not present to give an update, but Commander Chuck said that David May sent him an additional $268 to add to the $300 that he gave Chuck at the Memorial Day Event.
Plans for the 4th of July in Southport:
Commander Fletcher said that the parade logistics will work like previous years. Attendees will meet at the Deep Point Marina at 08:30, assemble the float and proceed to the staging area by 09:00. Joy said that the spouses will also meet at the Marina and carpool to a friend of her’s house on the parade route to watch the parade from there.

After the parade Gerry & Diane Rowe will host CCB members and guests at their house in Boiling Springs, 6 miles from Deep Point Marina. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and accessories will be provided but members are asked to bring a side dish and drinks.

We need a headcount ASAP on who plans to attend, how many and what side dish they will bring. Please notify Secretary Bill!

August CCB Meeting in Southport:
Commander Chuck announced that the August meeting will be on Saturday, August 26th at 11:00 at the Maritime Museum in Southport. Joy Fletcher said that the meeting will be catered by Gourmet to Go. A sample menu is below for review. You will order at the meeting. Chuck said the date was switched from the 19th to the 26th due to a conflict at the Museum. Guided tours of the museum will be provided to those interested.
USSVI National Convention Sept 1-6:
Commander Chuck said that the District Commander is pushing Bases to send more representatives to the convention in Orlando. He said that the national convention is a lot of fun and very informative and asked that members please consider registering.
Holland Club Presentation:
Commander Chuck presented Bernie Maguire with his Holland Club certificate, pins and patches for 50 years being qualified in Submarines.

At the conclusion of the presentation Bernie said that this was a significant achievement to him because his time in the Submarine Service was a very formative time for him in his life. Becoming Qualified in submarines was one of the most important achievements in his life.

Congratulations Bernie!

October 21st CCB Meeting:
Commander Chuck informed attendees that he has reserved Shelter #1 at Hugh Macrae Park in Wilmington for a CCB picnic on October 21st.
Veterans Day Parade in Wilmington:
John reported that he has registered the CCB Float to participate in the inaugural Veterans Day Parade in Wilmington on Saturday, November 11th. He said that the only participants in the parade will be Veteran organizations, first responders and military bands. He handed out a first draft brochure which is below hereto. The parade will start at 09:30 and end at 10:30. There will also be a Veterans Ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery in Wilmington.
Veterans Day Dinner:
John suggested that, since we will participate in the parade that morning, we should consider switching the dinner to a luncheon so parade attendees can proceed directly over to the luncheon instead of coming back that evening. Attendees agreed that made more sense and John was directed to find out if Macgrooder’s would host CCB at Lunch on November 11th and report back.
Follow up on Float Insurance:
Charlie was not present to report on what he found out about insuring the CCB Float. Bill said Charlie said he is awaiting feedback.
USS Ling (SS 297) Rescue Fund:
Bill said that he received an email asking for donations to help save the USS Ling which is in New Jersey and was seriously damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The text of the email is below for CCB members to consider.
Email Regarding the USS Ling (SS 297)
From: Alan Brodie To: ss566len Sent: Thu, Jun 15, 2017 8:36 pm

Subject: Request for Assistance from Long Island Base

Shipmate Sinacore,

As Base Secretary and Editor of “Venting Sanitary Inboard” for the Blueback Base in Portland, Oregon, I am constantly searching the internet for articles of interest to include in our Base newsletter. I recently discovered the following article published in the New York Times on June 12, 2017 outlining the plight of USS Ling (SS-297), a World War II-era submarine owned by the Submarine Memorial Association which runs the New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack, New Jersey. Mired in the muddy bottom of the Hackensack River and damaged by Hurricane Sandy, Ling became inaccessible to the public and sadly, the museum was forced to close in 2012. Without the revenues the museum generated from admission fees and charitable donations, the Submarine Memorial Association does not have the funds to move her or to restore her. Now, not only has the boat fallen into a serious state of disrepair, she is in danger of being evicted from the berth she has occupied since the early 1970s to make room for a large real estate development project.

After reading this article I was overcome with a sense of profound sadness over the fate of this once-proud boat and a sense of urgency to do something to help. To that end, I have started a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help restore USS Ling, and have made it my goal to reach out personally to the point of contact for every Base in USSVI and ask each one to share this story with its members in the hope that our fellow Shipmates might consider helping with the preservation of this important piece of our submarine heritage and maritime history. All contributions made through the GoFundMe web site go directly to the Submarine Memorial Association – a qualified 501(c) (3) organization – and all donations are fully tax-deductible. Those who do not wish to contribute financially can still help by sharing the Ling’s story with family, friends and colleagues via email or on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media.

A link to the GoFundMe page to restore the USS Ling (SS- 297) is available here. I would greatly appreciate your help in disseminating this information to your Base members and thank you in advance for your support in this effort. Pride Runs Deep!

Green Board,
Alan
Alan C. Brodie
USSVI Blueback Base
Base Secretary
Editor, Venting Sanitary Inboard

CCB Website Improvements:
Frank Blackmon was not present to report.
Good to the Order:
No report at this meeting.

Old Business

Donuts and coffee
Richard Schrum invited attendees to come over to his office a few blocks away for donuts and coffee to see his submarine memorabilia. He also suggested that attendees take time to visit the 911 Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial in Jacksonville before leaving.
Port & Starboard Raffle:
John Williamson drew Lynne Walker’s ticket and Lynne won $50 which she donated to the Float Maintenance fund.
Adjournment:
MOTION: Kevin Kesterson offered a MOTION to adjourn the meeting. John Williamson SECONDED the MOTION and the MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote by the attendees and the meeting was adjourned at 11:45 hrs.
Next Scheduled Base Event/Meeting:
The next Base Event will be on Friday and Saturday, June 23rd & 24th at 08:00 hrs at the BB-55 for the Tribute to the Submarine Service at the Battleship. Then the CCB Float will participate in the 4th of July Parade in Southport. Following the parade Gerry & Diane Rowe will host a CCB picnic at their house in Boiling Springs, NC.

Never Forget!