Ladies and Gentlemen of the Kennebec,

Well, Let's see ..

Once upon a time, we were sailors together, real sailors, Pacific Fleet sailors, WestPac sailors, South China Sea sailors. We each have our own memories of those times; hard work, long hours, grand memories and good friends. Up and down the California coast, across the wide Pacific, --- twenty days in transit from San Francisco to Subic Bay, the South China Sea, the Straits of Formosa, Kaioshiung, Manila, Sasebo, Hong Kong, Yokohama and Subic Bay. And Subic Bay, Subic Bay and Subic Bay again. Some of the good times, we were only in Subic for thirty-six hours. Ten months deployed, more than 500 unreps, and back to the West Coast and our families again.

We provided the essential fuel to the carrier task forces on Yankee Station in the north, and to the Market Time destroyers and minesweepers from up north to down south around the tip of the Indo-Chinese Peninsula at Pointe de Camau. Kennebec delivered the fuel, the mail, a lot of replacement parts, ice cream and even, on a few occasions, medical aid to ships of the U. S. Fleet in the South China Sea. We carried a lot of five inch shell casings from the"gun ships" on line back to Subic.

Most of you won't be surprised to find that reunions are a lot about sea stories; let me tell one on myself. Then, if you want to, you can ask me questions or tell your own story on me.

Night Refueling the Hospital Ship, "Repose"

Now, I'd like to tell you a story about one of Lt. Larry Jay Brown's favorite ships for underway replenishment. The hospital ship "Repose". This is also about the closest that I ever came to a ship collision.

After refueling the carrier task forces at Yankee Station up in the Gulf of Tonkin we would make our way down the Viet Nam coast, refueling all the ships working the Market Time surveillance and interdiction missions along the coast. One night, early in the 1967 deployment, we were to do an unrep with the USHS Repose. The hospital ship worked along the coast, staying near Camranh Bay, or wherever the action was, in order to take casualties aboard for rapid treatment.

So, as we came up with her, we signalled the usual unrep messages by blinker and turned onto the replenishment course, 090° speed 10 knots. We had come into their area so as to put Repose the regulation 500 yards astern and in line with us. We signalled to commence the underway replenishment and waited. we waited and waited. Finally, FOUR HOURS later, Repose crept into position alongside. We did our thing and completed the transfer in our usual brisk fashion, once the other ship was alongside on the same course and speed. When Repose had received her fuel, we broke the connections and went on our way.

Mr. Brown and I had been joking about the painfully slow approach the Repose had made. We concluded that they have turned over the conn to the senior nurse aboard and that she had made the approach! Later, I think it was the next day, we were information addressees on a message from Repose to her superior complaining that our underway replenishment had drawn her forty miles off station!

The next time we met Repose, I sent them a blinker ordering her onto the replenishment course, 090°, 10 knots and told them that Kennebec would make the approach with Repose as guide. Well, I did intend to complete the replenishment in a short time.

As we came alongside Repose on a very dark calm night, we slid alongside and matched our speeds with less than 80 feet between us! It was really a close approach. I knew that we could only make a slight course change while we were that close aboard, so I ordered, "Right to 092°". As soon as I saw the distance between us opening out I was greatly relieved, and gave the order to "Send over all lines". Mr. Greenfield (Chief Warrant Boatswain's Mate Greenfield), standing next to me and watching the evolution with somewhat heightened interest, asked me if I wanted him to have the lines shot over, (with line throwing guns) or should we just toss them over? As I remember it, the linemen did just throw the messenger lines aboard Repose. Well, we opened out to the normal 120 feet between ships, resumed a parallel course and completed the replenishment. And again, we went on our way.

The third time we met Repose, it was again a dark night and a flat calm. As soon as we saw her, we could see that she was DIW, dead in the water, with no way on at all. Repose sent us a signal that she didn't need any fuel and could we just send over a boat with their mail?

They didn't want anything more to do with me. We did send them their mail and went on about our business and that was that.

To try to sum it all up: What can I say to you that will convey my understanding of our common experiences?

The ship, the vessel, can do nothing until it comes alive with the people who man her. Then, it becomes she; who can do her mission; can fulfill the purpose for which she was built.

We learned that the living ship, with all of her men working as a crew, a true team, is more capable, more important, than any one of us.

I was grateful and happy to be one of Kennebec's crew, one of you, then

I am grateful and happy to be one of you, Now.

Thank you very much. Carry on.