Welcome to the internet home of the USS
Rochester Association. The members of the association served on board
the Rochester while it was on active duty from 1946-1961. You are
invited to share their memories of this great ship and their time on it.
The Association produces a quarterly newsletter,
holds a bi-annual reunion and provides information to and from shipmates
who served aboard. Through this web site, it provides a place
where the photographic and informal history of the ship can be gathered
and viewed.
USS ROCHESTER REUNION
October 8-12, 2012
Horton Grand Hotel
311 Island Ave. San Diego, CA 92101
Hotel is located in the Gaslamp
District of San Diego. This is in the downtown section of the city with
an abundance of restaurants and activities. Plan to come and join your
shipmates for one of the most gratifying experienced you can have. The
February News Letter will have all the information you will need to book
your trip. Stay tuned for further details. Your committee is hard at
work to make this an experience to remember. Information contact
Gordon Cargill.
Ships Histories Dictionary of American Naval
Fighting Ships
The Histories Branch researches and writes the
multi-volume Dictionary of American Naval
Fighting Ships, available in many libraries
in the United States and abroad. Compiled like an encyclopedia, each
volume includes summary histories of U.S. Navy ships from certain
sections of the alphabet.The volumes also include an assortment of
appendices on small craft, dictionary entries for Confederate Navy ships
and various essays related to naval ships.
Although digital versions of DANFS entries have been
available on non-government websites for some time, the Online DANFS
Project makes the official version of all 10,000+ entries available for
the first time.
When I first began to assemble activities for
our reunion in Milwaukee, I thought this will be
easy. As I moved along and began to explore the
possible activities that would be enjoyed by the
attending shipmates, it became clear that my task
would be a daunting one. The details that needed to be
dealt with were almost overwhelming. One of my
daughters reminded me that, in an event of such scope
“Murphy’s Law” will surely apply.
That
reminder was in the back of my mind throughout the
event. If there were any missteps, I was certainly
not made aware of any such thing. Thankfully, the
members of the planning committee, Dick and Raejean
Becker, Merle and Shirley Scheller, Bill Berkely, and
Larry and Mary Stone were on the front lines solving
any minor problems that may have arisen. At one of
our meetings, it was decided that I would be available
to deal with any major issues. Thankfully everything
went as planned. I would like to thank my wife
Janet for putting up with my grumpy moods for the last
two years, Joe and Judy Hill, Pete Russell, Ed Willis,
Gordon Cargill and Chip Chipley as they were all
instrumental and more than willing to help in making
our reunion a success.
At the business
meeting, it was decided that San Diego will be the
site of our 2012 reunion. The Wyndham Hotel was most
accommodating of my many requests for free use of
hotel facilities for our hospitality room, the ship’s
store, and reception/banquet rooms. A proclamation
plaque by the City Council of Milwaukee was presented
to the association thanking us for visiting their
city, but most of all for the service to our country
aboard the USS ROCHESTER.
The reception was
well attended and everyone seemed to have partaken of
the fine bar potables and the scrumptious Hors d’
Oeuvres. All tours seemed to have been enjoyed by
all, although the Friday city tour was unable to
witness the spectacular opening of the Brise Soleil at
the Milwaukee Art Museum, due to high winds. Kay
Collins, our tour guide, showed her deep knowledge of
the interesting history of the city of Milwaukee and
the old ethnic neighborhoods, and the fact that the
Miller Brewing Company brews many beers sold under
different labels. One very interesting fact was the
rivalry between two Milwaukee Settlers, Solomom Juneau
and Byron Kilbourn, which resulted in many angled
bridges spanning the Milwaukee River.
The
report on the “RIVER CRUISE”: Visibility of the city
was somewhat obscured due to darkness. The food was
acceptable, but not outstanding, because it had to be
prepared off site. “San Diego Planning Committee Take
Note”! No visit to Wisconsin would be complete
without the sampling of “Beer and Brats” and these
were enjoyed during the city tours and of course,
“Octoberfest at the Bavarian Inn”. The Midwest
hospitality became evident when one of our shipmates
misplaced his wallet. After a couple of phone calls,
the wallet was found and was delivered to the hotel by
one of the Bavarian Inn’s employees with it’s contents
intact including cash.
The banquet turned
out to be a truly gala event. The Presentation of
Colors by the local chapter of the Sea Cadets,
followed by a stirring rendition of our National
Anthem and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance
was followed by the tolling of the bell, as the names
of 45 shipmates who have passed since our last reunion
was read. This brought tears to my eyes as this
reminded me, why so many who have given so much to
make America, albeit not perfect, the greatest country
in the world. The banquet room was festively and
patriotically “Red, White and Blue” decorated by the
hotel staff. The food, in my opinion, was on a par
with that of a four star restaurant, expertly prepared
and exquisitely presented.
You may view many
candid pictures of the reunion, see a short video clip
and place orders if you wish. Please log on to
www.RSVPvideo.tv
or you may call John or Kathy Hall and place your
orders by phone at (847) 249-4122.
As for
me, and hopefully all who attended the reunion, this
was a most gratifying event. The reminiscing of times
spent aboard our beloved ship USS ROCHESTER with my
old friends and making new acquaintances is something
I will treasure forever. A fact of life “WE ARE
GETTING OLDER”. Because of many different reasons,
whether it is for reasons of health, economy, or
travel distance, please consider visiting SAN DIEGO in
2012 and hopefully you too, upon your return home, can
say “WHAT A GREAT TIME WE HAD”.
SEE YOU IN
SAN DIEGO IN 2012
John Rigoni Rochester Model [Note: Mr. Lamm recently won the Model Warships
Underway photo contest with his model of the USS
Rochester. The winning photograph is below, and
we've added additional photos from the contest]
From Charles Lamm: I have built a 1/8 scale model of
the Rochester if you would like to see some photo's? It is
radio controlled. If interested you can put them on your
website for the other guys to see as well. We had a
dedication
in honor and memory of all crewmembers, in October, the
weekend after your trip to DC. It was in North Carolina at
our fleet run. For the story and many more
pictures
I thought you might be
interested in the attached picture from The
Oregonian (newspaper) of the Rochester as it
headed for dismantling at the Ziddell
Explorations yard in Portland, Oregon.
Sorry the copy isn’t better but it is the best I
have been able to do copying a newspaper
article.
I was stationed on the
Rochester from 1956-58 in both X and OI
Divisions.
You have done a nice job on
the website. Keep up the good work!
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click here.
From Shipmate Randy Steffen:
Ahoy,
This may not be of interest to many in the assn. but thought I
would pass it on. Aboard Rochester,
I was taught how to make a Boson’s Pipe (call) Lanyard using a
waxed cord called Belfast. The company that made Belfast went out of
business several years ago and after the Navy Exchange sold the
last of their stock, no replacement material was ordered in.
Several other BM’s and myself had been looking for a material
like Belfast but until recently, no luck.
Finally, I located a good waxed cord suitable for making
lanyards can it can be obtained from: Fire Mountain Gems.
Their Email address is –
www.firemountaingems.com The sizes I ordered are 0.5 mm
and 1.0 mm black and white. The price and shipping is very
reasonable.
Thank you, Randy Steffen
Letter received:
My dad- John V Pospiel served as Quartermaster,
on Rochester's shakedown cruise along with Bob Hoot Gibson (US
Astronaut from NC) from Boston, MA to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and
served for four years. Some of you may recall the story he once told
me about the ship mechanics who were on board and then let out at or
near Provincetown, MA in a small boat and were nearly lost at
sea due to bad weather. The Rochester was the flagship of Admiral
Forrest B Sherman in the Mediterranean.
You can contact John at
pospielg@yahoo.com if
you would like to discuss the early years of the ship. I believe he
also has the original cruise book and or a hand drawn map of the
ships route for the first four years at sea.
thanks,
Greg Pospiel
SHIPMATES BEWARE!
Some of our shipmates have been receiving e-mail from a USS
Rochester store:
(ussrochester@jj-ent.com).
THIS STORE IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH OUR
ASSOCIATION.
It is a bogus site that is a for profit site.It would be greatly appreciated that all purchases be made
thru the official USS Rochester web site or the Ship’s Store Order
Form located on the Ships Store page
or in the Newsletter.
New Web Site to Assist Veterans
The VetAssist program is sponsored
by the American Veterans Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization dedicated to serving the needs of veterans and
preserving their individual histories. The information on this
site, and the services of the VetAssist staff are
free. Please use this site as a tool for educating yourself on
the Improved Pension program and your eligibility for it. You
should also contact your County Veterans Services Officer (VSO), the
VA, or a VSO through one of the national Veterans organizations,
such as the VFW, American Legion, etc. for help filing the
appropriate forms.
The picture to the right is my father, Lawrence O'Dell
Mitchell, taken in 1951 at Pearl Harbor. He passed away in 1999
and is on your Taps Roster.
I remember him telling me he was a "deck ape"
non-designated; got out after maybe two years service; had metal
plate in his head stood focsle watch along Korean coast;
remembers shelling coast in close; spent time at Pearl, boot
camp San Diego 1950? Got out of navy as Seaman Apprentice.
I do not know too much about
his time in the service, but if anyone has anything to share
please feel free to contact me at:
mitchells614@msn.com
Larry Mitchell, Jr.
Shipmate James Paris sent us a photo taken
of the entire crew 18 AUG 1954. It had to be scanned and sent in
segments and then put back together. Clicking on the smaller
version below will bring up the larger one. It's a large file.
The plaque in the center says:
"COMCRUDIV 5 RADM T C RAGAN USN USS ROCHESTER CA-124 CAPT JOHN
QUINN USN CO CDR W K ROGERS USN XO" 18 AUG 1954
A Veterans and Military
News Feed has been added to the Veterans
News Page
NEW:
Ted Hobson, who has written so many of the stories in the Memories
section, sent in a video, converted from film he shot during the
1954 cruise.
Notice to USS
Rochester Association members and friends:
Shipmates are requested to send in changes
in mailing address, phone numbers and e-Mail address changes.
Up-to-date information will speed up the exchange of information
between shipmates and the association. Joe Hill, Sr. will be
glad to take the information. He can be reached at 4011 Ditty
Road, Cookeville, TN 38506-7663. Phone number 931-432-4848, FAX
931-432-2534 and e-mail
Joe Hill
Requests
"Dear Mr. Hill, The purpose of this letter is a request for your
assistance with my navy ship patch research. I'm a Navy vet with a
Navy patch collection trying to verify which CA's ever had jacket
patches and acquire these original patches for my collection. Do
you know if the ROCHESTER ever had a jacket patch between December
20, 1946 and August 15, 1961? If such a patch did exist, would you
or another ROCHESTER crewman be kind enough to sell me an original
patch. Thank you for taking the time to read this request.
Trusting I will hear from you with good news. Respectfully yours,
/s/ Frank A. Jackson, Jr 139 Circuit Avenue Weymouth, MA
02188-3203 USNR AMS-3 1968-1974 usn abe-2 1980-1984."
Hello, my name is James Paris, I am a former U.S.
Marine and I am doing research on Capt. William Kittredge Rogers. I
have a photo of the USS Rochester with its entire crew in front of the
ship and it lists Cdr W K Rogers as the XO of the ship. the photo is
dated 18 Aug 1954. Rear Adm. T C Regan and CO Capt john Quinn are
also named and in the photo. I was wondering if your association
has any information on Wm. Rogers (ie: dates that he served
aboard, awards he received while aboard ship, and if he assumed
command of the ship at some point after this photo was taken). The
ships photo is nearly 4 feet in length I could try to scan it in
sections and email your website the photos in sections if you would be
interested in this photo for your association web site. Please
contact me if you have any information on this Naval officer and if
you would be interested in this ships photo. Thank you for your time and to all the sailors who
served their country aboard this fighting ship.
We received a request from Shipmate Jims Farnsworth.
He's trying to locate cruise books for 1950, 1951 and 1952. If you
can help, please contact him at:
James A. Farnsworth
4527 Dunnbury Way
Sacramento, CA 95842-4171
Phone: (916) 331-1018
Site Awards
Ship's News
Fox Division Reunion, Frankenmuth, MI 2011 -
report
We've added a new area - "Remembrances"
under the Taps Page where you can share memories of shipmates
who have passed on. Send photos and stories to
Webmaster
Copyright 2003 USS Rochester Association
This site is maintained in memory of Joseph West, Fox Div., (1950-52)
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