Thanks for viewing our website and your interest in our project.
If you have any information that might help us with our search,
If you want to share memories of a USS Grunion crewmember,
If you would like to wish us good luck,
If you could share stories about the Aleutian Islands and the Bearing Sea,
If you know something about submarines or WWII submarine history,
If you are a family member of a USS Grunion crewmember,
then, please add a comment here. (The most recent comments and submission form are at bottom of this page)
Information about Crew Member families will be added to our Crew member Relations list. We are publishing a list of crewmembers who’s families have not yet been found. If you know of someone on this list, Please contact us.
Alternatively, You can email information to Bruce Abele directly at mbabele@999info.net
Hola :
I want to wish you and your party the best of
discovery luck. I think you are using one of the right
tools and GPS navigation should allow you to make the
map you need.
I checked out the web site and links and based
on your information I’m supposing that the search site
is just north of the red star(macarthur). As you know,
I’m working a number of colleagues addressing
submarine landsliding north of Kiska and also in
locating small undersea volcanoes. So what ever mosaic
of SS images you come up with will also be of interest
to us. So keep us in mind.
By the way, when I first visited Dutch in 1965
I was stunned by the small size of the submarine
repair pens for the S boats assigned up there. A fleet
boat the size of the Grunion could not have gotten
into the slip. I think I took pictures. The navy base
was just rotting away. The old WWII airport OPs
building, since torn down and then rebuilt! was still
there. At one time it was the only place to get a bunk
for the night.
Again, best of hunting and, if you get a
moment, let me know what’s going on.
Cheers,
Dave
I would like to encourage any surviving family member of any one of the men of the Grunion to leave a message here. We would like to compile a list of the names and addresses of all known surviving family members of the Grunion.
The Grunion and it men belong to history, to the people of the United States, but, especially to the family members of the crew. The men of the Grunion bore the burden of the fighting and,sadly, paid the ultimate price. The surviving family members have borne the burden of the Grunion’s loss for the last 64 years. We all have a common bond.
Inevitably, the search for the Grunion will start to accumulate publicity. When that happens, we expect surviving family members to look at this website. Once that happens, please “report in” so that we have an opportunity to communicate with you.
Jim McMahon, second son of Lieut. John Merton McMahon, USN
I am the niece of Ryder “Red” Mathison. It is enlightening to see that after 64 years there are others who are still communicating and researching about the loss of the Grunion.
Ryder has one surviving sister , one daughter, and one grandson. He had numerous nieces and nephews who are in their 60’s and 70’s and great nieces and nephews. Some, like myself, did not have the honor to know him, as we were born at least 4 years after the Grunion disappeared.
I would be happy to give the names and addresses of all the Mathison relatives that I have.
Lynne Blinco Earle
Good luck and God speed
Dear Abele Brothers,
I wish you all the best in your search for the USS GRUNION. After spending the past year working on behalf of the USS LAGARTO, I totally appreciate the value of what you are doing. It is a daunting venture, but almost nothing in your lives will be more worthwhile. Your father would be so proud of you - as well as your mother, grandparents, and other family members who lost someone greatly loved. My belief has always been that as long as the lost submariners are remembered, they are honored.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and all the other familly members who lost someone on the USS GRUNION.
Sincerely,
Nancy Mabin Kenney
Daughter of SM1 William T. Mabin, USS LAGARTO
In 1942, I was seven years old. My mother answered an early morning phone call in our home in Sioux City, Iowa. She hung up and started to cry. Her brother, Ryder Mathison, was missing in action on the Grunion. That is the only time I ever saw her cry - except upon the death of my grandmother 11 years later.
I have very vague memories of my uncle Ryder, but the entire family was saddened for years. I later met his daughter, Betty, who is now deceased.
My sister, Lynne Earle, has written you - but she was not born until 1946. The loss of Ryder was a wound left in the Mathison family that never really healed.
Good luck, and I hope the final resting place of so many young men is at last found.
Carol Denmead
Green Valley, AZ
husband of sister of edward earl knowles/ wondering how to recive his navy papersand purple heart / if you can help her we would thank you so much. she is the last one of his family,
good luck fred s kendrick/251/943/5896
Good Luck! I know that you will all have success. For the men & families who lost someone, thank you for the most profound sacrifice.
Mr. Kendrick,
Someone should have already recieved the purple heart. In the case of my relative, it has passed on to a nephew of his- this nephew is my uncle. As for ordering his service records you can go to NARA at this address http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html It is free for veterans and next of kin but costs to anyone else. Since your wife is his daughter you might can use her birth certificate to prove kinship and get the free copy.
My great uncle was Paul Edward Banes. My grandmother had always wondered what the story was behind her brother’s disappearance. All she knew was that he was on the Grunion, that it disappeared in the Aleutians on it’s maiden voyage, and that no one told them much of anything. She had heard it was “friendly fire” but really didn’t know. She’s gone now along with her sister and other brother but she instilled that question of “what happened” in me so I’ve tried to learn what I could about Paul Banes. Then I recieved an email from Bruce Abele (much to my wonderment and great delight) which told me of the upcoming hunt for the sub! It also turns out he transcribed in his story a few of the letters sent back to his mother from the crewmembers families -one of which happened to be from Paul’s mother Nellie Waddell. I hope we can find all the families so they too can see all that is transpiring…. Have a great day all!
Rhonda Raye (great-niece of Paul Edward Banes)
I am the Vice Commander of the White Mountain Sub Base in Overgaard/Heber Arizona.
Last year we did some research for Doreen Lee Barnes. of Overgaard, Az. She shared with me her mother’s first husband was Ryder “Red” Mathison EM1(SS), and I found information about the Grunion (SS216) which he was lost on. This filled in many blanks for her to share with her children about Ryder. I will share this new information with her, as well as make the news available to our Chapter members during the White Mountain Sub Base Chapter meeting Saturday, August 17th, during our “Tolling of the Bells” for lost submarines and crews. (64 yeas since its loss.)
It is exciting to see that the search, now may have the same results, as the finding of the Lagarto earlier this year. Hopefully, one day, all 48 lost submarines will be located and our Stars and Stripes will be proudly and honorably flying at their locations.
We are truly “A Last Man Standing Organization” and it is so wonderful to know that our valiant crew members will finally be found and their eternal patrol can be shared with
the whole world. My prayers are with the families and friends of those that served on the Grunion. “May your friends be your comfort and strength”.
Congratulations to all of you and God Bless You for your committment and hard work.
Dick Jarenski YN1(SS)
Vice Commander White Mountain Subase
As a current member (16 years so far) of the US Navy (as is my wife) and a long time student of US Naval history, I am pleased to read that the search team believes that they have located the final resting place of GRUNION, LCDR Abele, and the rest of her brave crew.
To the folks of the search team, keep up the outstanding work. May your efforts be rewarded with success.
To the family and friends of GRUNION, may the Peace of the Lord be always with you.
I’m amazed and thrilled that they may have located the USS Grunion, I am the Grandson (Stephen Kamei) of Ryder Mathison.
My mother Betty (Mathison) Kamei who past away in 1999 would have been ecstatic, she was always researching what really happened to her father, but never had any real answers, as well as my Grandmother Violet (Mathison) Barnes who past in 2002. I wish they were here to see this. My Aunt Pearl (Bobbi) Mathison I’m sure will be amazed after 60 plus years they may have found the Grunion. I sent her an email this morning.
Thanks to the internet more information and answers have been available to the family’s in just the last few years then the 60 years preceding the Grunion’s missing status.
Congratulations to the crew and everyone involved I think even at this point you’ve accomplished more then ever expected.
Good luck,that the search
Buenos Aires,Argentina
My mother’s (Violet Mathison Barnes) first husband was Ryder Mathison, who was the father to my half sisters,Bobbie and Betty Mathison. My mother would tell me how much she Loved Ryder, and the stories she would tell me about how hard it was for her, Betty be very little and Bobbie, still to be born, when she got a life changing message at her door. Even though my mother Violet and sister Betty has passed on now, I feel the closesure for them and know that in their hearts they are very greatful to everyone that has put so much time and money to find the USS Grunion, and to to remind us that each and everyone of us, owe our freedom to the men that lost their lives.
I would like to add a very special thank you to my friend Richard Jarenski, for all his hard work and keeping Ryder’s family in his heart….
Samuel Artist Templeton Gunners Mate First Class, USS Grunion, US Navy is my uncle. His father Artist Templeton is my Grandfather. He has three siblings, a sister and two brothers all
deceased. His mothers name is Belle. I have a newspaper clip of the Commander of the USS Grunion, Lt. Comd Mannert L. Abele of Quincy, Mass. I also have letters my uncle wrote to his family prior to being assigned to the Grunion. I will be happy to share any of this with you. I was contacted by Rhonda Raye.
Tom Templeton
1099 Heathwood West Dr.
Cookeville, TN 38506
931-432-5613
tomtempleton@charter.net
Best of luck to everyone! I think that your doing something really special for a lot of people!
Just read the article in the Boston Globe and that led me to do a google search to here…
I wish you the best of luck in your search. I served aboard the USS Michigan (SSBN 727 Gold) in and around those waters, so I can identify with the hazards associated there. Having been a Submariner for 16 years also gives me a great respect for those still on eternal patrol. Again, good luck, and good hunting.
To Art Wright, the Abele brothers, search crew and my friends at Williamson. Congratulations and well done! Guy
Congratulations. The pictures are amazing. I know alot of hard work went into making this happen. I never meet my Great-uncle Merritt Graham but I did grow up hearing of his exploits in WWI and WWII as a submariner. I cannot even imagine what it must have been like to be on one of these submarines.
I think this quest is even more important today, we are losing so many of our WWII veterans and I hope they know we remember them and their brave sacrifice.
Thank you to the Abele’s for letting me share in this adventure.
Vickie Rodgers
My sister and I, Therese and Ronald Bedard, were the only two children of Leo Joseph I. Bedard, when he left for the last time in 1941. For the next 61 years, we believed the Grunion had been sunk by “friendly fire”. In 2002 we first heard that a different fate had befallen him, and now we are excited to learn that the submarine might have actually been found. I was 8 and my sister was 5 when he disappeared.
His wife, our mother, died a couple of years ago, at age 94. She never forgot him, even though she was married and widowed and married again. He was her Leo.
God bless the dedication with which the search for the Grunion was maintained all these years, and thank you from our hearts that it was made possible, and (we hope) successful. We’re happy to share family stories on the website. My search for my father took me to research my “roots”, and traced him back to the original Isaac Bedard who arrived in Canada from France in 1663, a master carpenter. I wish my mother could hear this tale of discovery. Good luck and God speed in the search.
I am so excited for all of the family members of the USS Grunion. My uncle was on board on the USS Lagarto, which was found last year and this last may there was a memorial service held in WI for them. It was amazing to see all of the family members of the different sailors and to be able to finally put all doubts to rest and to complete the greiving process with a memorial service where we were able to say good-bye. My prayers are with you.
Sherri A Clifton
neice of George Clark Harrington
MOMM3 USS Lagarto
“Thank you” seems so inadequate to say in this circumstance. My brother, Ronald, wrote a response, and I’ll be sending a much longer response shortly. We loved our Dad. His loss profoundly changed our family. I do believe the men’s love never left us. For instance, the War Orphan’s Bill allowed me to go to college; in effect, my Dad paid for it. You may be interested to hear this story. Because the ship was “lost in Action” but no definitive death was declared, my Mom waited for years in case he would be found as a prisoner of war. We never had the opportunity to grieve his death. As an adult, I realized we had never held a Mass for him as we never had a body. People didn’t do that kind of thing years ago. So we held a Funeral Mass about ten years ago. I placed his picture on the altar, with a bouquet of roses next to it. My folk group traveled to sing, and people from my parish and the parish where I was working attended, as well as my Mom and her husband. It was very sad, but allowed some of the grief and community support to be experienced. Our Dad’s loss affected us in so many ways. Your discovery gives me hope. Hope that we can finally honor the men of the Grunion, and perhaps meet some of the other people who have walked together, without knowing each other. God bless you. We share a bond. Your Dad must have been a man of ingegrity, warmth, personal strength and intelligence. I read somewhere that your Mom wrote to every family connected with the ship. I don’t have that letter, but I am grateful for her kindness.
As things slow down because of the weather in Alaska, I’d like to take the time to thank everyone involved in the search for the Grunion. THANK YOU.
I’d also like to thank Rhonda Raye for including me in the search for relatives, I’ve gotten alot of joy from the relative search. Talking to the nicest lady in Iowa, Mrs. Ray Boo and learning about the exciting life and career of Trudie Kornahrens has been a pleasure. I’ve gotten to talk to so many wonderful families, and I even enjoyed the middle of the night call from Alaska…you know who you are.
I hope we will be able to find a familiy member for every lost crewman, if we don’t, its not from lack of trying.
I want to encourage families to post a remark, share stories and pictures. This is history.
Thanks to everyone involved, I’ve enjoyed my small participation.
Vickie Rodgers, great-niece of Merritt Dayton Graham
just learned of the search for the grunion and am overcome with emotion all these years later. the day our mother received the telegram is one of my earliest memories. on behalf of my sister and other family members, thank you for all your extraodinary efforts. our fathers were exceptional men.
john w. nobles, jr.
apple valley california
If you have not already done so, I’d like to encourage all members of the Grunion extended family to send in photos of and information about their loved ones who were lost with the boat. You may submit material either to the ussgrunion.com website, or to the online memorial, www.OnEternalPatrol.com.
Each crew member now has a personal memorial page on the “On Eternal Patrol” site. I welcome comments, additions, and corrections. Please contact me via email: info@OnEternalPatrol.com.
Thank you!
Charles Hinman
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park
Honolulu, Hawaii
www.OnEternalPatrol.com
I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to the Abele brothers, the crew on The Aquila and Vickie Rodgers. You have given my family an invaluable gift —- closure. On behalf of my mom Phyllis Boo (Robert Boo’s sister-in-law), my two sisters, Nancy & Tricia, your very hard work, dedication and extraordinary sacrifice has touched us deeply. Just to say thank you seems so inadequate for that other than to say God bless you all and keep you safe. Unfortunately, Robert’s three brothers and parents are gone. They would be so proud. Somehow, I think they know. John, Bruce and Brad you have deeply touched our hearts for the love of your father.
Sincerely,
Carole Boo-Harrington
Niece of Robert Boo
I have always been fascinated about WWII Submarines, I have always had a place in my heart for the Grunion, lost in the freezing waters of the North Pacific without a trace, and you guys found her so fast, that is so cool.
I just hope that family members can find some closure in what happened to their brave Sailors over 60 years ago.
Todd Jardine
Woods Cross, Utah
My uncle,Patrick Paul Sulivan, PHM1 was on the USS Grunion (SS216),July 30, 1942. My father, Stanley R. Sullivan, Paul’s brother, has always prayed to hear some recovery of the USS Grunion. He loved his brother and what a loss and shock to loose him in the fashion he did. We just found out tonight from a friend in Akron, Ohio that the Akron Beacon Journal was looking for someone who knew Paul. Sadly, I guess this news didn’t hit California as we would have loved to know this latest accomplishment. My father may be able to put some closure on the loss of his brother with these findings. These men were so brave and I am sure that they have a place close to God’s heart-I know that my uncle has a place in mine. If he was anything like my father he had to be a great guy. My father has told us about Paul and we can only feel that he was a bright, funny man with a great disposition and good outlook as he bravely stepped out to fight for his country. His kindness was great as told in the stories by my father. Even in todays age, I can feel the sadness that my father must have in loosing his brother the way that he did. I can not even imagine but, with prayer and hope my father displays the strength and courage to try to understand what happened to the USS Grunion. Paul sounded amazing and now as I walk by and look at the picture and dedication written to my grandmother, I feel that God has answered some of our prayers and put some closure on the mystery of the the Eternal Patrol of the USS Grunion. It is with no wonder that the true movie the Fighting Sullivans is one of my favorite movies. I have watched it and feel the emotions that must have come to so many families at wartime. My grandmother,Florence Sullivan from Akron, Ohio hung her star in the window upon notice of Paul’s disappearance. She also spoke to the mother of the five boys in the movie and shared their stories of worries and fear as the search for the ship continued. My heartfelt prayers go out to all of the families who have lost loved ones in this patrol. May closure, with this finding of the USS Grunion, come to the families and faith, hope and love remain in their hearts. Respectfully, a proud niece of Paul Patrick Sullivan. God Bless him.
(This is an email recieved from Kitty Fleischman.)
Hello, Charles:
It was like an electric shock Saturday morning when we heard your story about finding what appears to be the Grunion. In 1999 we went to Unalaska with a friend who lost her fiancé on the boat.
Evelyn Switzer lived on Long Island , and was engaged to Slyvester “Ken” Kennedy when the Grunion disappeared. A chaplain and an officer visited her at her work to tell her he was “missing.” That was all the Navy knew, and all that she knew until 1996 when someone at her church, who was retired from the Navy, heard her story and told her he could find out something for her.
He told her that the Grunion was lost in the Aleutians , and its fate was unknown, that it had disappeared without a distress call. She hadn’t known where the boat was, where it was lost, and at least knowing where he had been gave her some comfort.
Because she was told the boat was “missing,” she thought Ken would be home when the war was over. She knew he couldn’t be dead, and whe waited for him…for many years. Evelyn said after the war, everyone started to come home. She waited for several years, but, by the time she realized that Ken was not going to be coming back, she’d built up such a fantasy about their life together, that no real flesh and blood human could ever live up to the dreams she had built for them. Evelyn never married.
She became a dear friend when worked for me for several years when I owned The Idaho Business Review. When I sold that in 1999, I asked Evelyn if she would like to go to Dutch Harbor with my husband and me. We had strong ties to Alaska , as I worked at the Nome Nugget in 1979, where I met my husband, had never been to the Aleutians , and also were going to visit my son and grandkids in Wasilla.
Usually one to hem and haw at anything offered to her, I was prepared to debate Evelyn all day, if necessary, to get her to go on the trip. Uncharacteristically, Evelyn snapped at the opportunity to see where Ken had spent his last days.
The three of us went out to Unalaska for several days. We walked the town, and went to the little park that memorializes the defenders of the island. Evelyn put together a little box with a pair of tiny wooden shoes Ken had brought her from Holland in happier times, a poem she wrote to him, and his obituary, and other mementos. We stood on the old submarine dock, and Evelyn dropped the little box into the Bering Sea .
The next morning, Evelyn said that, for the first time in nearly 60 years, she felt closure and peace.
On December 27, 2005, Evelyn died of heart failure at her niece’s home in Boise . She was a month short of her 86th birthday. I keep reminding myself that she already knows where Ken is, but I understand the pain and longing the skipper’s sons felt through all of those years. Evelyn felt it too, and we longed to be able to call Evelyn and tell her the Grunion was found.
Please send Gerry’s and my thanks to the skipper’s sons for not forgetting their father, and for their dedication to that long search. Evelyn also would be proud of them.
Please keep us posted when they search ends.
Kitty Fleischman
I also would like to thank everyone who has been involved with locating the Grunion. I am the neice of Evelyn Switzer, whom Kitty Fleischman wrote about in a previous e-mail. Evelyn, or as we knew her, Evie, lived her entire life wondering about the fate of her beloved Ken (Sylvester Kennedy). We all grew up knowing of the tragedy, but never really understanding the true story of what had happened. My only regret is that my aunt died without the peace of mind of knowing for sure where the Grunion ended up. Thank you so much.
Lori Larson
My Grandfather was on the Grunion…Although I’ve never met him, the quest for the where abouts of the Grunion has been fresh in my mind for many years…I spent time in the marine corps and was stationed in Adak, Alaska………not knowing at the time my grandfathers sub laid close by………..My granmother still lives in western Pennsylvania……..she’s 86 now…she does’nt talk much about my granpa, but when she does it’s always a pleasure to listen to the stories…….She still does’nt know about the discovery of the Grunnion..She said once she did’nt want to know if they found it…………Thanks to the Able bros. I salute you…Semper Fi…………Ross Lehman
oops–I must have been overwhelmed with typing and reading and writing, et al a couple of nights ago upon learning about the discovery of the USS Grunion, I typed my response in the guestbook-in respect to my uncle, PAUL PATRICK SULLIVAN. In error, I typed Patrick Paul Sullivan-but I think all knew.
It has been an amazing couple of days with this news! God Bless all the families, friends of the courageous crew on the USS Grunion and God Bless America!!!!!
Thank you for your hard work. My uncle was a crewmember of the USS Grunion. I have always wondered if the boat would be found. Good work. Fair winds and following sea on your quest.
Mr. DeStoop,
Go back to the main ussgrunion.com page an you will see a link that reads
“Final Voyage- The story of the USS Grunion and ‘Jim’ as told by his son, Brad Abele”.
In the story are two transcribed letters that were written back to Mannart “Jim” Abele’s wife. One was from my gr-grandmother (mother of Paul Banes) and the other was from the fiance of Albert DeStoop!
Samuel Lunsford, my great uncle, was aboard this sub. He was one of five brothers. Y’all contacted my Dad about the sub being found. We always wondered what happened to it. I hope we will get more information. This is pretty fascinating and it is great that the ones who served our country so bravely will not be forgotten. Being the sub is down so deep I wonder how they will be able to view the wreckage or if it can be recovered or if recovery is even an option being it is a final resting place of so many. I will try to read more about this. I love the history of WWII. But there is nothing glamorous about war or killing. I wish we could all just get along, but it seems there is always evil at work in this world
There is an article on Paul Patrick Sullivan and the USS Grunion in the Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/community/15441433.htm
My brother, Albert E. DeStoop, served on the Grunion. As a boy and man I always wondered what had happened to the sub and all the brave men who sailed on her and if anyone would someday look for the sub and solve this mystery. Over the years, I kept all of them in my prayers and I am so grateful to Capt. Abele’s sons for helping the families of the Grunion’s crew find closure. God bless and God speed in your quest.
Delaware Newspaper article on the USS Grunion and Carson Martin\’s family
http://www.newszap.com/
Laurel woman may know her Navy father\’s fate, By Glenn Rolfe The Leader & State Register
Meryl Kretschmann of Laurel holds treasured memorabilia of her father, Carson Raymond Martin, and the American submarine, USS Grunion, which became a mystery with its disappearance during World War II in late July 1942 off the Aleutian Islands. Mrs. Kretschmann\’s father was among the 70 men lost on the Grunion, which may have been located.
By Glenn Rolfe, The Leader & State Register
LAUREL - From the depths of the Bering Sea off the far tip of the Aleutians may surface answers to a mysterious chapter in World War II history - and relief and a sense of closure for a 70-year-old Laurel woman.
Meryl Kretschmann - 6 years old and living in New York City with her older brother and mother when her father and 69 crew members on the American submarine USS Grunion disappeared in late July 1942 - believes the fate of her father, Carson Raymond Martin, may now be known.
\”I\’m so glad that they finally located my father. I was 6 years old when he died,\” said Mrs. Kretschmann, who resides with her husband Fred on U.S. 13A between Laurel and Seaford. \”The last year or two we have finally found out what happened to him; he\’s been an MIA (Missing in Action).\”
Mrs. Kretschmann said a research operation funded by one of the sons of the sub\’s command officers apparently located the USS Grunion, commissioned in December 1941 out of New London, Conn., following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Mrs. Kretschmann said she was contacted last week by someone involved in the search for families of the missing men on the Grunion, which remained a mystery for more than 60 years after it disappeared in Dutch Harbor following a confrontation with a Japanese freighter, the Kano Maru.
\”They are quite sure of it, although it hasn\\\’t been totally confirmed. I think they would not have published this unless they were pretty sure that this is the Grunion,\” Mrs. Kretschmann said. \”Everybody is all excited. They are trying to find all of the families - you know Navy people are close to each other. They tracked me down and contacted me (Aug. 28).\”
According to the Grunion Web site, for more than 50 years the Navy knew nothing of the confrontation and carried the fate of the 70 men on board the Grunion as \”missing in action; cause unknown.\”
Noting the Grunion sank several enemy patrol vessels, the Navy Web site - www.navy.mil - states the \”patrol ended tragically, because contact was lost with the Grunion after 30 July, and she was never heard from again.\”
Mrs. Kretschmann said persistence by the sons of the USS Grunion\’s commander, Mannert L. Abele, kept the Grunion\’s fate from resting forever undiscovered on the ocean floor.
\”Over the years the three sons of the commander of the submarine never let it go. They kept researching and researching,\” Mrs. Kretschmann said.
According to the USS Grunion web site - www.ussgrunion.com - the fate of the U.S. submarine came to light several years ago through a Japanese interpreter and World War II buff who discovered and translated an article written by the superintendent of the Japanese freighter for a Japanese maritime magazine.
\”They found out through Internet this Japanese interpreter and WWII buff. They found out information about the freighter. The freighter said they had sunk my father\’s ship,\” Mrs. Kretschmann said. \”They were in a battle with a Japanese freighter in Aleutian Islands. They torpedoed one time … and three other torpedoes were duds. They surfaced and had a gun battle with the freighter and the freighter shot them in the conning tower and they disappeared. But it was never reported as to what happened to them.\”
Mrs. Kretschmann, who moved to Sussex County 10 years ago and operates a pet supply business with her husband, said she and family members of the Grunion\’s other crew members felt a sense of closure when they attended a tribute event at New London, Conn., in 1995.
\”We went up there, New London, in 1995 and they had a big parade for all of the 52 subs lost (in World War II). They have a park there where they have a monument for each of the 52 subs, \” said Mrs. Kretschmann. \”The VFW is involved with it. Every post is assigned a submarine - it just so happens that the Grunion had been assigned to a post in Ohio - and the first of each month they ring the bell and they read all of the names of the men that went down. They are never forgotten; they are eternal patrol.\”
\”We, at that time thought it was closure, not ever thinking that they would find out more information,\” she said.
Mrs. Kretschmann said her father, 32 at the time of the sub\\\’s disappearance, was a chief motor machinist\’s mate - in line to become a lieutenant.
\”He was going to be a lieutenant. He had done his test and everything,\” she said. \”It was just a matter of turning in his papers and getting them signed when he came back to shore.\”
Ironically, Mrs. Kretschmann said her father, a native of Baltimore, was from Bedford, Va. - the town that is home to the National D-Day Memorial for its many World War II military sacrifices in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Her father\’s birth date was Sept. 3.
Noting her mother passed away in 1993, Mrs. Kretschmann said she and her brother - 74-year-old Ronald Martin, a retired U.S. Navy man from Hicksville, N.Y., - apparently know the reason for the sub\’s disappearance and their father\’s watery grave almost a mile deep in the sea.
\”It has been exciting. It\’s on the side on an underwater mountain, about a mile down,\” said Mrs. Kretschmann. \”I\’ve always felt that my father has been with me, and he has been trying to tell me what happened to him.\”
News Editor Glenn Rolfe can be reached at 629-5505 or grolfe@newszap.com.
Mystery of a missing sub
WWII sailor lost at sea, but residents feel spirit
By Jim Carney
Sixty-four years after sailor Paul Patrick Sullivan was
lost at sea, new chapters in his story continue to be written.
Sullivan’s tale is not simply a war story about an Akron man who left home to join the Navy and died when his submarine disappeared in World War II.
It is a ghost story, and a saga of love, loss and reunion.
Sullivan joined the Navy after graduating from Garfield High School in 1933.
In 1940, he married Norma Wolff, who grew up next door to him on Neptune Avenue in Firestone Park.
He became a pharmacist’s mate 1st class.
On July 31, 1942, his submarine, the USS Grunion, disappeared off the coast of a Japanese-occupied island in the Aleutian chain of Alaska.
The sub had confronted a Japanese freighter before sinking, taking the Grunion’s 69 crew members with it.
After Sullivan’s death, a wooden sea trunk containing his personal belongings was shipped home to his parents, Basil and Florence Sullivan.
In 1969, when Patti and Fred Christ bought the old Sullivan home on Neptune, the empty sea trunk was still in the basement.
Over the years, Patti and other members of her family said they had seen the image of a man in their home, a man they believe to be the spirit of Paul Sullivan, who died at 27.
The first time Patti Christ saw him, she was sleeping on a couch. She said she saw Sullivan on a love seat.
She said she has seen a full-size body image of Sullivan once and other times has seen only his legs.
When her daughter was in high school, she confessed to her mother that she had seen something when she was a child.
“I want to know if anybody else has seen this besides me so I know I’m not crazy,'’ she told her mother.
In the early 1990s, she said, her grandson said he saw a man in the house who called him by his name.
After talking to neighbors, Christ, 59, who is retired from a trucking company, learned that Paul Sullivan had lived in the house and had died on the Grunion during World War II.
She said her family was never afraid of the man they often saw, and in fact welcomed him into their home.
When Dawn Kmet, now 36, Christ’s daughter, was a teenager, she said everybody who knew her family knew that the spirit of Sullivan was always present in their home.
One time, she said, she and her boyfriend even set up a video camera in the house in hopes of taping an image of the lost sailor.
Not knowing who lived in the Sullivan house on Neptune Avenue, Linda Sullivan of Castro Valley, Calif., the niece of Paul Sullivan, sent a letter to the home four years ago. She wrote that she and her father, Stanley Sullivan, and brother Arno and sister Kathy Nichols were coming to Akron and would like to see the house again.
Linda Sullivan and her family moved from Akron to California in 1961.
When the Sullivans arrived at their old family home on Neptune that year, they rang the doorbell and Christ answered.
They hit it off immediately.
Christ told them that she and her family felt they knew Paul.
While walking through the basement, the Sullivan clan spotted the sea trunk.
Christ described the Paul Sullivan she and her family had gotten to know to his family.
“What amazed my Dad was she was right on with his personality,'’ Linda Sullivan said. “She described how he looked and what he was about with no picture.'’
Christ and Linda Sullivan became friends and often spoke or wrote e-mails to each other.
Stanley Sullivan, 79, now retired from the U.S. Postal Service and American Can Co., said he was 12 years younger than Paul.
Stanley had polio as a child and Paul helped him deal with the disease. Paul often would put him in a wagon and pull him around the neighborhood.
Search for sub
In late August, the Sullivans heard the news.
A large underwater mass believed to be the Grunion was found by an expedition led by Bruce, Brad and John Abele, the sons of Mannert L. Abele, commander of the submarine.
Bruce Abele, 76, of Newtonville, Mass., the oldest son, said the group, using side sonar, detected an underwater image that is clearly not a land mass.
He said the length and breadth of the image are consistent with what would be expected from the Grunion and the location is in the area where they figured the submarine would be.
He also said there is no evidence of other subs being sunk anywhere close.
“It’s very encouraging,'’ he said.
He said the group would likely go back to the spot next summer to attempt to get a better view of what he believes is his father’s submarine.
When word spread that the submarine may have been found, the Sullivans and Christs were elated.
Linda Sullivan said the expected discovery of the Grunion “doesn’t take the pain of losing someone special away,'’ but does bring some closure for the family.
She said it brings the family “a step closer to what happened'’ and that can bring some relief.
Her father said he is “grateful'’ that the sub may have been found, and said there now can be “peace and closure.'’
In the backyard of Christ’s house is a piece of a maple tree that was cut down several years ago.
The tree was the one planted in Sullivan’s memory by his mother after he was killed.
“It feels like he is a member of the family,'’ she said.
Trunk to stay
She said anytime the Sullivans want the trunk back, she would be happy to let them have it.
And Linda Sullivan said the family would like the trunk back some day, knowing that Patti Christ would give it back to the family “in a heartbeat.'’
She said she believes the trunk is where Paul wants it to be.
For now, the trunk will remain in the house on Neptune.
Linda Sullivan said she regrets she never knew her uncle.
The Sullivans will visit Akron in mid-October and once again will stop by the Neptune Avenue home to visit the Christs.
That the Christs have gotten to know Paul Sullivan, she said, is comforting.
“I have always believed that there is something to the other side,'’ she said. “It is not anything to fear.'’
And Dawn Kmet said she feels her family’s home on Neptune has in a way been “heaven'’ for Paul Sullivan, the sailor who died seven decades ago.
“To us, he is someone we care about,'’ she said.
“We love his family. We want him to be found.'’
For more on the search for the USS Grunion, go to www.ussgrunion.com.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A MONTH MAKES!!!
Less than a month ago, Vickie Rodgers “found me”. I’m Nancy Kornahrens Stark, daughter of Lt. William G. Kornahrens, lost on the Grunion. I never knew my Dad and was born a month after the sub went missing. My Mom, Trudie Tripp Kornahrens, spent nearly her entire life in Poughkeepsie, NY, never remarried, and died about six years ago. She would have been thrilled with the recent search.
The entire Grunion family is indeed blessed by the Abele sons who provided both the passion and the funding for this amazing search.
How exciting to be reunited and to begin to get some answers to so many, many questions.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Nancy Kornahrens Stark
Bruce, It was a pleasure meeting you here in Cold Bay. Thank you for your time and I hope to see you here again in 2007. I wish you and your family the best of luck. Kind Regards.
Request for help with the remaining sailors. Since everyone here is scattered around the country- I’m requesting ya’lls help finding the remaining families. Please look over at the link called “Lost Grunion family contacts”. If you live in or near the hometown listed for the sailor or someplace that has microfilm records of newspapers from those towns, some leads might be in the articles that came out when they went MIA. Of the 4 articles I have, the dates included are Sept 30, Oct 1, and Oct 2, 1942. So that would be the expected date range to look- who knows could be a wider range but somewhere close to there. We don’t need the articles for Miller,Pickel not Pancoast - I already have the two former and hopefully the last one will come soon-unfortunately Pickel’s, although interesting, didn’t help much. These are the towns the government had listed for their next of kin so someone should have been living there but if not then there may not even be an article if the family had moved on. Thanks.
Hello Everyone:
I just wanted the families to know that I found alot of genealogy while doing the FAMILY SEARCH and if they are interested they can email me at svr5svr@aol.com, also if anyone wants more information on the crew families we have left to find, I’d be more than willing to share this information. Have a Great Day!
My cousin Leon Henry Franck was a member of the Grunion crew. We have been searching for solid information since 1942.The research you’re conducting is fantastic. It will be gratifying to finally learn how the Grunion was engaged by the enemy and sunk. Hopefully your hard work will eventually lead to closure for all the families who lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy. Please keep up your wonderful work.
My uncle was Frank Thomas Nave, Motor Machinist’s Mate second class.. I have several newspapers articles and the western union telegraph telling family he was reported missing in action. Also his purple heart and several other certificates. The submergence cruisograph, honor of memory signed by Lyndon B. Johnson, grateful memory, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. I was so grateful to hear from Vickie Mayfield.
Wonderful and respectful site. I am unable to go into the part listing the missing families of the crew as webtv is very limited in what it will do, but if any of these crew-members or their families were ever around the Dallas-Ft.Worth area I will help you all I can. Just contact me. Blessings ! And Good Luck in your search for the missing crew-members families.
I read your story on cnn.com and am amazed/inspired that the Abele group has had to hire the sonar-expedition teams on their own… I would think that in light of the images detected, that the second expedition (w/underwater cameras) would be covered by the US Navy. I commend your dedication, and stories like this make me honored to be an American. I will be following this story to it’s conclusion. Please advise if there is a trust to which contributions for the search may be remitted. Best of luck in finding the crew of the USS Grunion, bringing peace to their families, and resolving this piece of untold American history.
Ms. Brown,
Thank you for the kind offer- believe it or not I just looked through the list and there weren’t any men from TX. At least their last registered (with the navy) next of kin didn’t have TX addresses. Some of the addresses are just where they were based at the time so that is where their wives lived and two gave family members that were also in the military- they will be hard to track! That is all we have to start with until census records, obituaries and such tell us where to go from there. One can figure that someone somewhere either before or after must have or have had a relative in TX- how could they miss it! Anyway thank you for your offer and if anything comes up I may be hollerin’ back at you for help!
I’d love for this mystery to be solved. FIrst for the families and then for historys sake. However, the image appears to me to be that of a surface ship. I’m going by the shadow which seems to clearly show the profile of a superstucture that resembles a destroyer or frigate of some type. The CNN article that called my attention to this mystery mentioned that the Grunion attacked and sank two anti-sub chasers. Could this be one of those. And if so, could the Grunion be laying nearby yet undiscovered. Further exploration may bring closure for Grunion family members and perhaps Japanese family members of the sunken sub chasers too. I hope we get the answers the Grunion heros deserve.
It is so exciting and so poignant to read the newest information about the USS Grunion. My grandfather, Merritt Graham, was one of the crewman lost on the USS Grunion. My father, Arthur Graham,who died in 1969 and who was also a sumariner, was devastated by the loss of his father. I am awaiting the birth of my first grandchild, who will be named Evan Graham Cela. It is all the more ironic that the Grunion was possibly located at the almost the exact day of my grandson’s birth. It is as if m y grandfather will always be looking out for him. Please add me to the list of family members. Thank you and God Bless you for your perseverance.
I was overcome with emotion when I was contacted by Vickie Rogers last Sunday. The reason I guess it took so long, was the fact that when my mother remarried, my last name was changed from Thomas to Stephens thru adoption.
I can still remember when my father, Millener, left for duty to report to the USS Grunion. I was only three years old and had to be held since I had scarlet fever. I have correspondence to various Naval & Government Officials that my grandmother & mother sent concerning the loss of the Grunion but all came back with more questions than answers. I wish they were both here today to witness this great Web Page. Prior to my mother\’s death she shared with me the last letters she received from my father and also the telegram informing her of the loss. I have also been in touch with Ret. Capt Ralph Styles (class mate of my father at the Naval Academy) since he had been a submarine commander and had some knowledge of this search but was not informed of this web page. This web page has answered many questions concerning my father & the Grunion. I had no idea the Grunion received the Naval Cross, sinking of the two sub-chasers, rescue mission, etc. The first time on the web page I clicked on the Grunion Crew and there was a picture of the crew\’s party with both my parents included and with the next click, my fathers picture detailing his short Naval Career. I have now read all the articles which is truly amazing.
Congratulations to the Search Crew and everyone else involved, including the Abele\’ Sons who started the ball rolling. I cannot put into words the emotion I have had this past week.
God Bless the USS GRUNION and the CREW & God Bless America,
Peter THOMAS Stephens
Yes Vickie did alot of work trying to track you down and did find out about the name change. Alot of your family probably have had letters or phone calls from her! The search in itself was interesting as she would forward what she found out to me- You might want to ask her about it all sometime!
If you scroll down on the search blog you will find the commissioning party photo that I numbered- would you tell us which ones are your parents. There is a place below the pic for “comments” As we learn their names I add them in on the numbered copy on my computer.
Since Capt. Styles was a contemporary of your fathers perhaps he can help on Arthur G Newcomb on the Grunion. His mother was listed as his next of kin- Bertha M Newcomb address: US Veterans Administration Los Angeles, CA. Mrs. Abele found out his father was Major E. B. Newcomb. We are not certain of his first name but think it may be Erwin. Would this man ring any bell with Capt. Styles?
Mr. Stephens
It’s late and that is my excuse for being stupid! Of course Millener is already identified- he was one of those already identified before Bruce Abele ever found me back in July and of course my first project was to figure out who was my Paul Banes! Can we assume Milliner’s wife is the lady sitting beside him?
Rhonda Raye
Received your phone message regarding Jack Pancoast, our brother, a crew member of the USS Grunion. We immdediately viewed the website and and the picture of the crew party with wives. We believe that #24 is Jack Pancoast and #25 is Julia Christine his wife, however it has been many years since we have seen Jack. We will continue to view the website and if any updates occur please keep in touch.
Mr. Knight,
Glad you were able to check out this site! Perhaps there are some pics around your family that might clinch Jack and Julia’s identities in the group photo. If you have a pic of Jack Pancoast and some info about him you would like to submit to the website “On Eternal Patrol” I know they would love to have it. You’ll find the link on the ussgrunion homepage. I had phoned and wrote to the library in Pittsburgh trying to get the MIA article for Pancoast to get a lead on his family . Do you already have a copy? If so then I’ll call and cancel my request. You can email me at rrrstar@wmconnect.com Also if you have any other pics/docs related to Pancoast and the Grunion you would like submitted to this site, send to the webmaster or you can send to me and I’ll forward them on. You can also post a short bio of Pancoast to this guestbook if you like. I know I’d like to learn a little about him - I was never able to find him in the 1920 nor 1930 census. The leads came from letters his mother wrote to Mrs. Abele and also Mrs Abele’s notes when she contacted the families.
I am so excited about the discovery of the Grunion!! My Grandmother, Dad, and uncles, would also be so gratful. My Grandmother had four sons in the Navy, only Uncle Hollice was lost. I lived my whole life hearing about him and the Grunion. I wish they were still alive to experience this event. I am so gratful to the Abele brothers for persuing in this wonderful endeaver and for Vickie Rodgers for locating me.
Sandra Henderson Woodson
Niece of Hollice Beauford Henderson
Today Show
Bruce:
The producer at the Today Show say the Grunion segment is most likely to air between 8:30 and 9:00. No guaraantee. They make last minute shifts depending upon breaking news.
My Great Uncle, Torpedoman’s Mate 3rd Class Carmine Parziale was lost aboard USS Grunion. I never really thought too much about my Grandfather’s lost brother, not until my husband was stationed at the sub base in Groton, CT. Our first day on base, I saw a street sign with the name USS Grunion, the 1942 date and that 70 souls had gone down with her. I made a phone call and then another…Grunion was the name of the sub that Uncle Carmine had gone down on, and it was then that I had learned that Electric Boat had built her, and that she was one of Groton’s own. I had first read an artice published by the Groton Base newspaper on the Grunion in 2004. I believe that I may be able to get copies of it through archives.
If by any chance, my living Great Uncle, Francis Gerber reads this as he has submitted information to Eternal Patrol website… I am Vince’s grandaughter, and I serve as the Ombudsman for Naval Healthcare New England. My husband is an enlisted Electronics Technician who works out of Newport, Rhode Island and Groton, CT. Groton has much information about the lost subs which were commissioned out of their facility. I may be contacted either at constance.bowen@nhcne.med.navy.mil or at bowenconstance@yahoo.com
I had an Uncle I never met aboard the USS Grunion Carmine A Parziale, he was my father Vincent Parziale’s brother. My uncle died before I was born but still remember the stories and pictures my family showed me of him. I am sorry I never got to know him.
I was watching a program this morning on the History Channel about Pearl Harbor. When they were showing the ships and locations in the harbor, they mentioned the USS California. before my dad volunteered for submarine service he was on the California. I thought to myself, if he stayed on board his fate may have been the same. i guess that says something about destiny.
In putting together our family tree, we’ve discovered that one of our uncles may have served on the USS Grunion. His name was Ricardo (Richard) Castaneda from Los Angeles, California. He would have been one of the survivors. Is there a list of crew members or some way we can verify this. Any help would be appreicated.
Thank You,
Wally
I served on REDFIN (SS 272) It is nice to see after all these years someone is looking for our lost shipmates..This year Largarto, Wahoo, Grunion were found. In 2007 a search for Dorado (SS 248) will take place in March…thank you.
To the Carson Martin family. As I understand Carson lived in Maryland near my Grandparents. He moved to Va. as a teenager. As a young adult he wrote several letters to my Grandparents. My father still has those letters. If someone in Carson’s family would like to talk with my father about those letters, you can reach me at ww.anderson@ngc.com
Mr. Caro,
There were no survivors when it disappeared. However there were some that served on board temporarily. I’ve seen a book written that mentioned two such (not your relative). Please email me privately at rrrstarATgmail.com (replace the “AT” with @ of course) include “navy” and “Castaneda” in your subject so I don’t delete your message accidentally.
Rhonda
Mr. Hummel,
Are you retired from the WWII era? We are trying to get an early sub crew pic ID’d from the time of the S-boats. It includes a very young Carson Martin. No one else is ID’d in the photo and the only clue is the “snake” picture on the sub itself in the background- if that has any meaning at all. If you think you might can help, please email me privately at rrrstarATgmail.com (replace “AT” with @ of course). please put “Grunion” in your subject line.
Hey,
I love what you’e doing!
Don’t ever change and best of luck.
Raymon W.
I would like to thank the Japanese gentleman for adding the information he knew about the Kano Maru and the Grunion. I believe that was the missisng link for all these years. I also want to thank the Abele brothers for getting involved with the other crew members. This is closure for many family’s and I”m so sorry it came just a couple of years late for my mother, Who was Mrs Louis Doell, Radioman on the Grunion. It was a tragic story for her life , for she didn’t get to spend much of any time with him before he left on patrol. Me and my Brothers have all the pictures of “Red” Doell, their wedding and I do not believe my mother ever got over his death. She would be very proud of what you are doing, as am I.
Would there ever be a chance of bringing the Grunion up? Or are you just going to use equipment to go down and make sure this image is in fact The Grunion?
By the way, in the picture of the crew and wives at the party, #24 is Louis Doell and#25 my mother , his wife at the time, Evelyn Doell.
Thank You again and God Bless everyone involved. Nancy Springer
Hi
Good luck with the project.
I just add your site to my historic submarines blog in www.schnorkel.blogspot.com
Hi Jim. Photos i received. Thanks
I added some information on the Attack Analysis section that some of you may want to look at. It supports a different anaysis of who may have sunk the Grunion.
Well we all know of George F Drew through his letter to Mrs. Abele and subsequently through her to the rest of the Grunion families.
http://ussgrunion.com/blog/2006/08/11/letter-from-kay-abele-from-1943/
I just wanted to inform ya’ll that I have spoken with George’s youngest sibling Ruth and thought you would be interested in what she said:
Their father was a commercial fisherman and she is the youngest of 10/11 children (I forgot which she said). She remembered a scar on his chin (mentioned in the letter). She said the way she learned he had been rescued was she was a teen and was at the train terminal in Jacksonville, FL on her way to camp when she saw someone and thought “that looks like George Frederick” and sure enough it was. She remembered he had his pants tied up with a rope and was on his way to New Orleans (to report -she thought). He told her not to say anything and to go on to camp so she did but only stayed a couple of days.
I am recently informed of the Grunion discovery. I am surprised to find out that there are other relatives of Louis Doell Jr. He was the only child of my mothers sister. Gladys Doell [nee Paynter. ] I remember as a child hearing of Jr. Doell, but never really knew of the historyof this one of my many cousins. I do remember how much Aunt Gladys and Uncle Lou cherished there son Junior, and missed him .
I was discussing the discovery of the Grunion with an Aunt this morning and she informed me the Louis H. Doell Jr. Was the adopted son of Louis H. Doell Sr.. His Mother Gladys Doell {nee Paynter} Was Married to Louis Jr. Father. After divorce She Married Louis Sr. Louis Sr. than adopted and gave his name to Louis Jr. His original last name is believed to be DUFF.
I would like to get in touch with NANCY SPRINGER. There are many - many relatives of Junior Doell that She is probably not aware of
Mr. Lucas,
I’ve passed the word about your first post back to your Dieselberg relations. Are you saying there may be Duff relations also wondering what happened to Louis Doell Jr.? Have you been able to inform those relations? Vickie Rodgers spent a good bit of time trying to track Doell’s family but the name “Dieselberg” was easier to track than “Lucas” so I’m glad word got back to ya’lls family. Please contact me at rrrstar@gmail.com
Rhonda Raye
Dear (Bruce),
I applaud your efforts and wish you the best of fortune and weather conditions in your search for your father and Grunion. My father, Frank Latta, was the skipper of Narwhal that I believe (?) was part of the attack on Dutch Harbor during the time your father was in those waters. As you must know by now, my Dad\’s next command, the Lagarto, lost on her third patrol in the South China Sea, has now been found. A documentary film is being created as I write this, includung photos of her lying in not much more than 200 feet. I can\’t begin to describe the feelings that this discovery has given me. Good luck.
From: peterolinto@aol.com
Date: September 22, 2006 8:49:49 PM EDT
To: mbabele@99info.net
Subject: William Patrick Devaney, USS Grunion
Dear Mr. Abele,
My name is Peter Olinto and my Uncle, William Patrick Devaney, served with your Dad on the USS Grunion. I am sitting here with my Mother, Maureen Devaney Olinto, and we would like to thank you for all of your efforts in searching for the Grunion and for sharing all the information you have obtained with the families of the lost crew.
My mother is one Billy’s six younger sisters who all still love and miss him dearly. I hope you realize what a profound impact your efforts are having on the family members of the lost crew. We could never repay you for all of your efforts.
We will be sure to pass on any new information about the Grunion with the rest of the family.
Thanks again and God Bless you and your family!
Peter
.
My middle name is Ernest, named after Miller, E.(Ernest) C. F2. He was my mother’s brother (Florence Miller [Petersen]).
Rest in peace all.
To Rhonda Raye.
After further conversation with my aunt, she told me Jr. Doell’s last name was DUFFY and she corrected me on that. The name Lucas may not come in - in direct relative search. His mother, My mother, And Russell Dieselberg,s wife were sisters. They all shared the maiden name of PAYNTER. A search of the Paynter name will probably get better results. My brother and sister are going to visit our uncle Russell Dieselberg next week in Georgia. He just clebrated his 95th birthday.
To Rhonda Raye. An afterthought . The Paynter Family is from the north central part of Kentucky around the Bracken count area. You might want to check on Howard Paynter of Falmouth Ky.
We at Nippon Express USA, Boston Branch, are very proud to be able to assist in the search for the USS Grunion. We pushed the truck with the ROV out today with all possible haste. We wish the expedition well. May the USS Grunion’s resting place be found so we may honor those who gave their lives for their country and to bring some closure to the family of the crew.
July 30, 2007 - We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we remember them.
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring, we remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn, we remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends, we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength, we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart, we remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share, we remember them.
So as long as we live they too shall live, for they are now a part of us as we remember them.
-Anonymous
Last week I visited Russ Dieselberg { Uncle, also uncle of L.H. Doell R2C } in Atlanta. Stopped in Cartersville Ga. and had lunch with Rhonda Raye. It is amazing how the Grunion discovery has changed so many lives. Thanks to Nancy Springer for the E-mail. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Check your E-mail. I am starting a stronger search for the Biography on Jr. Doell and his mothers first marraige and hope to have something soon.
I am the agent with Landstar Ranger who, along with Glen Larson arranged to have the truck available exactly when you needed it to transport the ROV to Seattle. I would like to say I’m honored to have been asked to help with one aspect of this endeavor. God bless the crew that served our country so honorably ,who gave their lives so that we all may live free. We will continue to monitor this site for updates on your search for the Grunion. God Speed
I saw an article in the Asheville Citizen Times newspaper in Asheville, NC today. A fellow Kiwanis Club member (Brooks Ledford) in the West Asheville Kiwanis Club had some brothers that served in WWII. I don’t think all of his brothers made it home and perhaps Brooks is a relative of one of the sailors that your are looking for, name of Moore Julis Ledford, chief yeoman, in the newspaper article. I recommend you look Brooks up as he is a lifetime resident of the Asheville area and may know something about Moore Ledford.
It really is exciting following John’s voyage. I can’t wait to see some pictures.
I wentto visit my mom in Connecticut last week. She’s 87 and doing well. I believe she is the only living widow of the entire crew of the Grunion,or maybe the oldest living spouse. Does anyone know this to be true?
BLESSING TO ALL of the family members. I read a lot of news dailey and most of it’s all bad. I’m very glad and proud for all that was involved in the search and I know the family members are very thankful and happy for all , who didn’t give up their FAITH. A JOB WELL DONE.
I read of your discovery in today’s Virginian-Pilot. I’m here in Va. Beach, helping my Dad, Killraine Newton, Jr., who served on the USS Sailfish, SS-192, formerly known as the Squalus, which sank in 1939 but was raised and renamed. He also served on the USS Sea Leopard, but never did combat patrols on that boat. I know it is a comfort for family members to finally find their missing loved ones, even after all this time, and those men on the USS Grunion can finally come home. Bravo Zulu.
I am the niece of Louis Henry (Red) Doell, Jr, who was a Radioman on the USS Grunion when it went down. My Aunt, Everlyn, spoke often of her lost love and it felt as if we knew our Uncle personally even though he died long before we were born. She past away in 2001, ago before any information about the Grunion started coming out. She was 82 years old when she died, yet she still had his picture out in her livingroom sitting on the shelf. I think she would be happy to know that he and the other men of the Grunion are getting some recognition for their heroism after all these years. Thank you on behalf of my late Aunt and the Family for your diligence in searching for our family members.
Phyllis Embras
Niece of Radioman Louis Henry (Red) Doell, Jr
Congrats on finding the Grunion! I’m amazed and encouraged by your persistance but if it was my father I would do no less.
Jay Dolan
Lowell, MA