PIPER ASSOCIATION
******* NEWS *******
Send news items to Piper_409@yahoo.com
The Piper Report
Issues of The Piper Report, the newsletter of the USS Piper Veterans
Association, dating from January 2006 to the present can be accessed HERE.
Please send articles, photos, etc. for publication to Piper_409@yahoo.com
The Piper-Scope
The Piper-Scope was published in October and November of 1962, during the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Click HERE
for the news as reported on Piper at that time.
Newspaper Clippings
Click HERE for Piper
newspaper clippings. If you have one to share, send a copy to: Piper_409@yahoo.com.
Piper History
John Clarkin, USS Piper 1944-45, recently contributed a microfilm to the
Association containing records of Piper's 3 war patrols. The Piper History
page has been updated and now has all three war patrols on it. The Piper
History file was created in PDF format to allow ease of reproduction. The
file may be printed using your home computer printer or copy the file to a
CD and take it to your local copy center to have it printed
professionally.
Newsreel of Japanese Surrender
Historical Footage: Japanese Surrender Signing Aboard Battleship Missouri
Sunday Sept. 2, 1945.
A film of the actual ceremony of the Japanese signing their surrender
ending the second world war. General Douglas MacArthur was the supreme
commander of our armed forces in charge of the signing ceremony.
Click HERE
to view the newsreel.
Stroke Recognition
Read how Three Simple
Checks can help you to recognize a stroke and the need for emergency
medical help.
Member Websites
If you have a personal website, please send me the web address and I'll
include a link to it under "Member Websites" on the "Links" page. Thanks,
Piper_409@yahoo.com.
Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey dead at age 93
Eugene Bennett Fluckey, a legendary World War II submariner and one of the
most highly decorated living American servicemen, died Thursday night
(June 28, 2007) at a hospital in Annapolis, Maryland, a hospital
spokeswoman said. He was 93.
In five war patrols as the skipper of the submarine Barb, Fluckey sank
dozens upon dozens of Japanese ships and destroyed many more small craft
and shore installations, according to the Naval Historical Center.
Fluckey's total decorations included the Medal of Honor, four Navy
Crosses, and Presidential Unit Citations and Navy Unit Commendations for
him and his crew.
Born Oct. 5, 1913, in Washington, D.C., Fluckey graduated from the Naval
Academy and accepted his ensign's commission in 1935. He served aboard the
battleship Nevada and the destroyer McCormick before attending Submarine
School in 1938 in Groton, Conn. After several years serving aboard
submarines, then-Lt. Cmdr. Fluckey took command of the Barb in late 1943,
and went on to sink more enemy tonnage than any other U.S. sub skipper,
according to a recent biography, "The Galloping Ghost," by Carl Lavo. In
action against the Japanese in 1944 and 1945, Fluckey and the Barb sank 85
enemy ships, including an aircraft carrier, a destroyer and a cruiser.
His Medal of Honor recognized his "conspicuous gallantry" during a war
patrol along the east coast of China from December 1944 to February 1945.
According to the official citation, Fluckey and his crew sank a large
enemy ammunition ship and damaged additional ships during a "running
2-hour night battle" on Jan. 8, 1945. Later that month, "in an exceptional
feat of brilliant deduction and bold tracking," Fluckey and the Barb
located more than 30 enemy ships. In the battle that followed, the
Americans slipped through enemy defenses, scoring direct hits on six of
the main targets and blowing up a large ammunition ship, causing
"inestimable damage by the resultant flying shells and other
pyrotechnics."
In August 1945, Fluckey was selected to command the new submarine Dogfish,
then under construction, although that assignment ended after only a few
months when Fluckey was reassigned to Washington. He first served in the
office of the Secretary of the Navy before becoming personal aide to the
Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz.
From June 1947 until he retired in August 1972, Fluckey served in a
variety of increasingly important positions, including Commander of
Submarine Division 52; Commander of Amphibious Group 4; and Commander of
Submarine Force Pacific. He also served as Director of Naval Intelligence
before he retired.
From New Jersey Base South, USSVI
August 27, 2006 - At Sea on the Navy Sub Texas
Click Here
January 14, 2006 - Take a tour of a Swedish diesel sub, the HMS Gotland
Click Here
December 31, 2005 - Here's a heartwarming story for the Holiday Season
Link to The Liberty
Limited.
December 26, 2005 - Passing of shipmate Donald Wright
Shipmate Donald H. Wright passed away late last week from cancer. He
joined SUBVETS Groton Base as a Life Member in 2001. He initially
Qualified in Submarines onboard USS PIPER (SS 409) in 1958. He also served
aboard USS TINOSA (SSN 606) from 1960 - 1966, USS SEAWOLF (SSN 575) from
1966 - 1967, and USS THOMAS EDISON (SSBN 610) from 1970 - 1972 retiring
from the Navy as an ETCM(SS).
August 24, 2005 - Panel approves most military base closures
Commission casts surprise votes to keep Army base, two Navy bases open
Link to story
August 7, 2005 - Rescued submariners return to Russia
Vessel with 7 sailors aboard was freed by British unmanned submersible
Link to story
July 16, 2005
The USS Piper Veteran's Asscociation web site is born. After noticing that
Crash Evans' Piper web site was no longer available, Mike Bray sent an
email to association president, Frank Whitty, and a discussion began about
getting a Piper web site back on the internet. Help will be needed from
association members to reconstruct what was lost from Crash's site. It
will take time, but hopefully we will once again have a site to preserve
our memories of Piper and those that served on her. We need photos, sea
stories, etc. Please send info to: Piper_409@Yahoo.com.
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