USS Spangler DE-696
2007 Reunion
San Diego, CA


Click here for list of Attendees.  Select any of the photos on the page to enlarge.
 
 

San Diego, home over the years to thousands of Navy ships and tens of thousands of sailors and marines, was the perfect setting for this years 2007 Spangler Reunion.  And, as typically case, the reunion came off as another enjoyable success.   The applause here goes to our hosts, Dave and Elana Norris, with always great support from Bob and Millie Ellis and their family.   Lots of food and drink, lots of sea stories and, as always, lots of hugs and handshakes.   The location at the Holiday Inn San Diego - Bayside added to the enjoyment! One could hardly ask for a more a scenic view than that available from the hospitality room, what with the private yachts, sailing boats and fishing vessels in bay just across the street.   The Silent Auction again proved to be another resounding success.  The photos below, in fact, all photos on this page can be enlarged by simply clicking on the photo.

Photo of San Diego Holiday Inn Bayside Photo of bay across from Holiday Inn

Despite its charm the city, sad to say, is not the San Diego of our day -- gone are all the white hats roaming Broadway Street, gone are the large destroyer and submarine tenders anchored at Buoys 22 and 23, and gone are the days when navy ships routinely tied up at the Broadway Street Pier.   And, saddest of all, the Naval Navy Training Center that so many of us remember so well from our boot camp days is gone as well.   It's now being converted into "Liberty Station" a new residential area.  Also, The El Cortez Hotel, long a visible landmark as we entered the harbor 50-years ago is now lost amongst all the modern skyscrapers.

Photo of Downtown San Diego

   On the upside to all of this the city still remains the home to one of the finest Navy shipyards in the world! And it's a great place to visit, with lots to see and lots to do!  As example, some of our group had an opportunity to take in a tour of the "Black Sea Scrolls" on display at the Museum of San Diego History in Balboa Park (which by the way hasn't changed a lot since our day, as hasn't the Coronado Hotel on Coronado Island.  A number of our group made sure they got there as well).

Photo of Richard HittThe welcoming breakfast on Monday morning began with an opening prayer from Bert Simpson, followed by Pledge Elegance, introductions and an excellent breakfast.   Robert (Bob) & Marlene Jack were introduced and welcomed to the group.   Bob was the Engineering Officer (LTJG) aboard the Spangler from 1957 through 1958 and came aboard as an Ensign in 1955.   He shared several items of memorabilia with the group.   The Annual Meeting at the conclusion focused mostly on the upcoming 2008 Branson, MO reunion and the planned reunion the following year in Annapolis. MD.  

Following the Annual Meeting, shipmates of Richard Hitt from the '51 to '55 years and other close friends gathered together to raise a toast in his memory.   Richard passed away on September 8th.    He attended all of the reunions beginning with the first in Indianapolis in 2001, including the more recent one in Myrtle Beach this past year, despite failing health.   And he very much wanted to attend this reunion and, in fact, had gone so far as to make reservations.

Photo of San Diego Harbor Cruise Photo of shaips in San Diego Harbor

The harbor cruise that afternoon gave us an opportunity, or at least it did for most of us, a view a sight of the city and surrounding area not tremendously changed over the years.    True, you had to imagine away the modern sky scrapers downtown, but otherwise, Coronado Island was pretty much unchanged, Broadway Pier was still there, the USS Midway moored at Navy Pier was a welcome sight to days of old, as were the large dry docks at the Navy Base further back in the harbor and all the navy ships in that area.  And who could ever forget the familiar sight of seals sunbathing and frolicking in the harbor.  In fact, as we passed the submarine base during the harbor cruise we saw at least a hundred or so of them sunbathing on pontoons in the area.  They didn't appear to have a care in the world!

Photo of seals in San Diego Harbor

What really grabbed the attention of most of us during the cruise, however, was the USS Midway (CV-41) moored at Navy Pier, the USS Ronald Regan (CVN76) moored at the U.S. Naval Air Station on North Island, and all the modern fighting ships, either under construction, or in service and docked at the Navy Base.  Thank goodness for aircraft carriers, for those were about the only ships we could identify with certainty.  We were told that several of the smaller ships at the Navy Base were modern-day DE's, but I doubt you could prove that by any of us.  As to the USS Ronald Regan, it was quite a sight.  It's a Nimitz-class supercarier commissioned in 2001, well over three times the length of a football field and carries a crew of 5,500, of which 700 are female sailors.   Wow!

On Tuesday morning Chief Sonarman Michael Noulett escorted a good share of our group a short walk to the nearby Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Training Center for a tour of the facility.   For many this was homecoming, not only for the sonarman who once trained there but for many of the Spanglermates that recall tying up to a pier as a Sonar Training Ship in the late 40's and early 50's.  The group was given a full tour of every floor in the facility including most if not all of the simulation equipment.  Photographs were not permitted, understandably.  The only disgruntlement heard afterwards had nothing to do with the tour or facility, but rather over discovery that trainees nowadays go through the entire training process without benefit on-ship training assignments.   Instead they complete their training, relying principally on simulation experience, then report aboard ship for duty.

The banquet in the evening went well, as always, with fine eating.  But it was Richard Bale's presentations on construction of destroyer escorts that was the highlight of the night.  Before diving into that subject, though, note needs to be made of the well deserved awards presented to Richard in appreciation for his sharing of his research on the different construction phases of Destroyer Escorts at Defoe Shipbuilding during World War II; and to Chief Noullet in appreciation for his services in arranging for the guided tour of the Fleet ASW Training Center in San Diego.  An award of appreciation was also given to Bob Hunter in recognition of his idea for the Silent Auction and all of the outstanding success stemming from that effort.   Two coffee mugs designed by Bob Ellis with the USS Spangler's name and ship photo imprinted on them were awarded to Don Cooper and Ken Nolan in honor of their service as Plank Owners.   Welcome was also extended to Rob Peck, MM3, stationed in San Diego and accompaning his grandparents Gene and Dorthy Workman.

Richard spoke at length on the history of DEs, how they came into being, how they underwent a long delay getting started because of haggling and delays by the navy's Bureau of Ships for over specifications, and how close they came to being a down-sized version of conventional destroyers.  He presented a sideshow of the construction process, beginning first with the hull being built upside down and then being rolled over for construction of the upper decks and superstructure.  Recall that that the Spangler, the Currier, the George and a number of other sister ships were constructed at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Michigan.  So most of the presentation had to do with construction at this facility.   It's difficult to imagine that something the size of a hull on a destroyer escort could be constructed upside down and flipped, but that was the case.  This "neat trick," as Richard described it, was accomplished in about fifteen minutes using a dozen men.   Fascinating! The roll-over framework used in the process can be pictured by imagining a toy ship stuck through the center of a couple of orange slices, one near the front third of the ship and one near the later third and the orange slices used as wheels to enable the rotation.  Richard documented all of this, including the history of the USS Currier's travels, in a book coming out soon.   The title will be: "The Saga of the USS Currier; one of America's Smallest Man-O'-Warships During WW11, The Cold War and The Korean War."

 

Attendees   

Baum, Gene & Sally
Biess, Stanley & Jackie
Clugston, Tom & Phyllis
Cooper, Don
Dorough, Wayne & Pat
Duncan, Jim D. & Julia S.
Ellis, Bob & Millie
Garner, Karen (Ellis)
Mullins, Patty (Ellis)
Foulks, Lorrie (Don Cooper)
Gholson, Hiram H.
Gholson, V. D. & Elvira
Goers, A. J. & Sue
Hancock, Wes & Sally
Hunter, Bob & Marlene
Jack, Robert & Marlene
Langdon, Don & Ruth
Lavra, George & Rosemary
McGill, Don
Mitchell, Joe & Joan
Nolan, Ken
McGill, Don
Mitchell, Joe & Joan
Nolan, Ken
Naranjo, Leroy & Linda
Norris, Dave & Elana
Oertel, Tom & Joyce
Ovalle, Tony & Julie
Raymond, Jim & Sue
Schurer, Greg & Shirley
Scofield, John & Marylee
Scudder, Emanuel & Anne
Simpson, Bert (Andy)
Sims, James & Nelda
Stephens, Steve & Kitty
Thomson, Rich & Bev
Towne, Kenneth & Georgia
Wessler, ED & Caroline
Williamson, Bob & Charly
Wood, Anne (Don McGill)
Workman, Gene & Dorothy
Workman, Ron & Judy
Peck, Rib MM3 (Workman)
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Appreciation is extened to Dave Norris, Bob Ellis, Steve Stephens, Ray Raymond, Manny & Anne Scudder, Bob Jack and all the SpanglerMates who brought photos and memorbilia to the reunion.  This also includes Asa Casteel who sent his by way of Dave.   You can view Dave's photopack from the 26 July 1952 Flagship Escort Squadron Three Inspection by clicking here, Asa's photo album by clicking here, and Ray's photo album by selecting here.  Manny & Anne Scudder's photos from the 2006 Reunion in Myrtle Beach can be viewed here. If any of you have photos or memorbilia you would like to post on the Spangler website, please drop me a line at dorwgd@cox.net.

Hey!  Don't stop here!...Take a few moments and view the reunion photos Bob and Millie Ellis uploaded to Shutterfly on the internet. Just click here!

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