VOLUME 9, ISSUE 6 July 2013

C O L U M B U S B A S E S U B M A R I N E V E T E R A N S

ALL SEAS ARE NAVIGABLE

Columbus Base July 4th Parade Hilliard, Ohio

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Tolling of the Boats

OUR CREED “ To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds and supreme

sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its Constitution.”

USS Grunion (SS-216) Lost with all hands (70 men) on 30 July 1942 off Kiska Island, Aleutians (Alaska) to unknown causes.

USS S-28 (SS-133) Lost with all hands (50 men) when she foundered off the Ha-waiian Islands 4 July 1944.

USS Robalo (SS-273) Lost with 77 men by possible Japanese mine off Palawan on 26 July 1944. Four men survived as POWs but they were never recovered.

“Sailor rest your oar.”

Commander’s Corner By Jim Tolson

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For the first time, Columbus Base participated in the Hilliard July 4th parade. There was a light misty rain and a lot of spectators, but overall, it was an enjoyable parade. Thanks to Marv Pastor, Bill Meyer, Dave O’Carroll, Bill Anderson, Bob McDaniel, Galin Brady, Carol Henry, Walt Fleak, Cliff Dodson, Clutch Koogler and Bill McCorkle for participating. During the parade, I was asked if there are any submarine veterans living in Hilliard. I pointed to Bob McDaniel and said yes, we live a cou-ple of blocks from each other. I also heard other comments that people didn’t know we exist, so I think we are getting the word out.

Our shipmate James Williams plays in the Lancaster Community Band. During recent July 4th con-certs, the songs they were playing needed a large bell. James requested and used the Columbus Base bell. He said it sounded great. You can find pictures along with a Thank You card from the Lancas-ter Community Band on the Columbus Base web site.

Dave Creekmore and I have started receiving Shipmate of the Year nominations. If you have someone in mind and keep thinking they do a lot for the base, let Dave and me know.

It is time to make your reservation for the August 3rd Holland Club Induction / Awards Dinner at the VFW in Hilliard. Email Dave Creekmore (CREEK636@columbus.rr.com and let him know you are planning to attend. Hope to see you there.

Activities August 3 Awards Dinner/Holland Club Induction, VFW Hilliard

August 24 Highway Cleanup

August 25 - September 1 USSVI National Convention, Rochester MN

September 7 Columbus Base Monthly Meeting

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U.S. Navy Undersea Warfare Director Defends SSBN(X) Plans Michael Fabey, Aviation Week, Jul 1

With several defense analysts calling for the U.S. Navy to abandon its efforts to develop a new design for its SSBN(X) Ohio-class submarine replacements, the service’s undersea warfare director is defending the current course.

“Recently, a variety of writers have speculated that the required survivable deterrence could be achieved more cost effectively with the Virginia-based option or by restarting the Ohio-class SSBN production line,” says Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, in a recent blog. “Both of these ideas make sense at face value—which is why they were included among the alternatives assessed—but the devil is in the details. When we examined the particulars, each of these options came up short in both mili-tary effectiveness and cost efficiency.”

A Virginia-based SSBN design with a Trident II D5 missile, Breckenridge says, was “rejected due to a wide range of shortfalls.” The concept, he says, was not stealthy enough due to poor hull streamlining and lack of a drive train able to quietly propel a much larger ship; would have had longer refit times and a longer mid-life overhaul; would carry fewer missiles and warheads; would have exceeded cost targets because of the required extensive redesign of Virginia systems to work with the large missile compartment; and would have required a larger fleet of submarines.

“Some have encouraged the development of a new, smaller missile to go with a Virginia-based SSBN,” Breckenridge says. “This would carry forward many of the shortfalls of a Virginia-based SSBN, and add to it a long list of new issues. Developing a new nuclear missile from scratch with an industrial base that last produced a new design more than 20 years ago would be challenging, costly and require extensive testing. We deliberately decided to extend the life of the current missile to de-couple and de-risk the complex (and costly) missile development program from the new replacement submarine program.

“A smaller missile means a shorter employment range requiring longer SSBN patrol transits. This would compromise survivability, require more submarines at sea and ultimately weaken our de-terrence effectiveness.”

Some have argued, he notes, that the Navy should reopen the Ohio production line and resume building the Ohio design SSBNs.

“This simply cannot be done because there is no Ohio production line,” Breckenridge says. “It has long since been retooled and modernized to build state-of-the-art Virginia-class SSNs using com-puterized designs and modular, automated construction techniques.”

Simply redesigning the Ohio-class subs to be built using new production methods and machinery would be a mistake, he says, since some of the newer technology would not carry over to the old de-sign and building the ship to existing missile specifications could lead to some treaty issues.

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Being There Matters: The Case For A Strong Navy Rear Admiral Luke M. McCollum, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Jun 29

When I moved to northwest Arkansas, my new neighbors gave a warm welcome, and some were kind enough to inquire: Would a career Navy man feel at home away from the blue water?

My answer was a solid yes because I still serve in the Navy’s Reserve Component, and I see the Navy’s presence in Arkansas wherever I look.

I have had the privilege to meet many retired and prior service men and women who have decided to make Arkansas their home. The amenities of the state provide a strong attraction for individuals who have served so selflessly and see the spirit of community service so strong. These individuals who represent the cloth of our Nation see the many possibilities of what Arkansas offers.

A closer look at the state’s commerce profile reveals some interesting facts that tie directly to the Navy. In 2011, Arkansas exported products valued at $5.2 billion while importing billions more, and the vast majority of those goods traveled by water. The fact that more than 90 percent of the world’s commerce travels by sea is an important reminder that the Navy’s presence is a clear and required ele-ment of our national security strategy. The fact that our state is so deeply engaged in global commerce illustrates this point.

Global commerce is feasible because America’s Navy is there, patrolling what is essentially the world’s interstate ocean highway system, ensuring the free flow of global trade and, in turn, preserving America’s economic prosperity.

Maintaining a strong Navy is a significant investment, but it is also a very prudent and sound one – one that provides a valuable return in terms of protecting our nation’s security, prosperity and the American way of life.

Navy ships, submarines, aircraft and, most importantly, tens of thousands of America’s finest young men and women are deployed around the world to protect and defend our nation. They are there now. They will be there when we are sleeping tonight. They will be there every Saturday, Sunday and holiday this year. They are there around the clock, far from our shores, defending America at all times.

That they are there is critically important because, as in virtually any global endeavor, being there matters. It matters in business: it is why American firms maintain a presence in their overseas markets. It matters in politics: it is why the State Department maintains a diplomatic contingent in nearly every other nation on earth. It certainly matters to our national defense: it is why U.S. forces are stationed around the world.

More than 70 percent of our planet is covered by water, so being there means having the ability to act from the sea. The Navy is uniquely positioned to be there; the world’s oceans give the Navy the power to protect America’s interests anywhere, and at any time.

When America’s national security is threatened by the existence of an adversary on the other side of the world, being there matters. Where these threats exist, chances are high that Navy ships, subma-rines, aircraft and special forces are very close by, with the ability to mitigate the threat, even if the threat is located hundreds of miles inland.

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When the decision is made to act on one of these threats, the solution may involve launching attack jets or unmanned aircraft from aircraft carriers, firing cruise missiles from ships or submarines or in-serting a team of Navy SEALs to do what only Navy SEALs can do.

The Navy can do all of these things, and do them all from the sea, without the need to get another country’s permission to operate within its borders.

When piracy threatens innocent lives and disrupts shipping traffic in the Indian Ocean, when rogue nations threaten to deny access to vital Middle East waterways through which much of the world’s oil is shipped, being there matters.

Following a humanitarian crisis, like the devastating tsunami that struck northern Japan in 2011 or the earthquake which ravaged Haiti in 2010, being there matters. Because the Navy is always deployed around the world, it can provide nearly immediate humanitarian relief in the wake of a disaster, ferry-ing supplies, medicine and trained medical personnel ashore from Navy ships via helicopters and land-ing craft.

When narcotics traffickers use speedboats and rudimentary submarines to ferry illegal drugs across the oceans and into America, being there matters. Navy ships and submarines work the waters near Central and South America with law enforcement agencies to intercept shipments of illegal narcotics before they reach our shores.

As the world’s geopolitical and economic climates continue to evolve, the case for America main-taining a strong Navy grows. Indeed, the President’s national security strategy calls for a renewed focus on enduring threats in the Middle East region, as well as an increased American commitment in the Asia-Pacific region – a vast, mostly ocean-covered area of the world ideally suited for operations from the sea and in which the Navy maintains a robust presence.

When it comes to protecting and defending America, being there matters. And America’s Navy is already there.

Rear Adm. Luke McCollum of Bentonville has 30 years of Active and Reserve duty in the U.S. Navy; he is currently assigned as Reserve Deputy Director, Maritime Headquarters, U. S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, VA.

Base member James Wil-liams with the Lancaster Community Band and the R-15 bell from the base.

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2013 Holland Club Induction and Awards Dinner VFW 4931, 2436 Walcutt Road, Columbus OH 43228

Saturday August 3, 2013

1700

Social Hour, Hors D’oeuvres, Cash Bar Dinner at 1800

Pasta Alfredo

Roast Beef

Fancy Mixed Greens

Mixed Vegetables

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Rolls & butter

Dessert Cost $22.00 per person

Please RSVP attendance by Saturday July 28 to

Dave Creekmore CREEK636@columbus.rr.com

or phone 740-973-2372

Send payment (made out to Columbus Base)

Dave Creekmore

4030 Beaver Run Road

Hebron OH 43025

Directions to Hilliard VFW 4931:

Exit from I-270 at Roberts road. Drive west 1 mile to Walcutt Road. Turn left (south) and

The entrance to VFW 4931 is on the left about 300 yards south of the Roberts/Walcutt intersection.

Or

Exit from I-70 at Rome Hilliard North. At the first light, turn right (east) onto Renner Road and drive ½ mile to Walcutt Road. Turn left (north). Drive 1.3 miles. VFW is on the right

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COLUMBUS BASE MEETING MINUTES July 6, 2013

Meeting was called to order by Base Commander Jim Tolson. COB Marv Pastor led the salute to the Flag. The invocation was conducted by the Chaplain Sharon Lloyd. Tolling of the Bell for lost boats of July was performed by Marv Pastor and Sharon Lloyd. There were 23 members and guests present. The BC welcomed everyone.

Secretary’s Report – June picnic meeting minutes were published in the Green Board. BC received thank you card from Lancaster Community Band for the use of the boat’s bell for their July 4th concert. Jim Williams reported on the concert and thanked the base for the use of the bell.

Treasurer’s Report- BC gave a report from Dave Creekmore on the state of the Base’s Treasury.

Webmaster’s Report – Cliff reported that if anyone has photos of picnic or parade to forward them to him and he will put on web site.

Chaplain’s Report- Sick Bay report –Sharon reported Phil Philipps has finished chemo and radiation and is tired from that regimen. He has a possibility to get in on a new drug trial. Opal is about the same. Lowell Dye and John Leers are doing better – both were in attendance. Sharon circulated a card for Phil and Opal. New member Larry Reese and wife Marita were on vacation in Alaska when she had a stroke. They are on their way back.

Membership Report/Introductions Larry Reese qualified on USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-665) in 1971. Brian Smith – USS Rhode Island (B).

Committee Reports-

Activities – 

Holland Club induction and Awards Dinner on August 3rd at VFW Post 4931 on Walcutt Rd. Jim Koogler reported we have 5 inductees. 4 here and 1 Cod Base. One of the 4 is Jim Morton which will be done posthumously. Emails will be going out for nominations for Shipmate of the Year. Invitations for the dinner will also be going out via email. New menu for this dinner. Also directions to the VFW post as one of the routes to the post will be under construction and probably closed at the time of the din‐ner. 

Bill Anderson reported the next Highway cleanup will be August 24th. School will be back in session so we should have more help from the cadets. 

 BC asked who may be in attendance at USSVI convention this year. Galin Brady said he planned on going. 

Unfinished Business – 

New Business 

For the Good of the Order –

 Hilliard Parade discussion. Bill Anderson gave background on the change from UA to Hilliard for this year. 

BC reminded everyone concerning  SOY nominations to him or Dave Creekmore. 

Open discussion from floor. Discussed silent auctions at a future meeting. Bill Anderson made a motion and Wade Kiger seconded to have a silent auction at our Christmas Dinner. Motion passed. Galin Brady brought up Kap(SS)4Kid(SS).  Discussion ensued. Woody Cook made a motion that the Columbus Base accept the Kap(SS)4Kid(SS) as a project.  Seconded by Frank Lloyd. Motion Passed. There was a bowl in the back for dona‐tions to the project.                                                                  Continued on the bottom of page 11 

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Base Meeting

July 6, 2013

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The Conn

Base commander

Jim Tolson

Vice Commander

Tim Barker

Treasurer

Dave Creekmore

Secretary

Bob McDaniel

Chaplain

Sharon Lloyd / Walt Fleak

COB

Marv Pastor

Membership Chairman

Jim Tolson

Storekeeper

Frank Lloyd

Web Master

Cliff Dodson

Editor

Jan Creekmore

Activates Chairmen

Editor’s Note If you have comments or articles, please contact the base newsletter editor.

Jan Creekmore at e-mail creek636@columbus.rr.com

August

Birthdays

Mike Wilson 08-02

Dick Young 08-02

Woody Cook 08-04

Ken Sewell 08-08

Phil Philipps 08-09

Lee Mather 08-19

John Probst 08-24

Galin Brady 08-26

Remember to bring your donations of coffee, tea

and / or hot cocoa to the monthly base meeting.

Your donations are very much appreciated by

the veterans at the

Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Clinic

When the TV weatherman predicts sunshine and it rains, people get wet. When meteorologists are wrong about a hurricane, people can die. While forecasters are now able to predict where a hurricane will land, they have not been able to reliably determine how strong a storm will be.

However, Navy researchers say they have developed a computer model that can predict the intensity of hur-ricanes up to five days out. The Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System-Tropical Cyclone, or COAMPS-TC, is now being used by the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research and several universities.

Civilians will benefit from better storm intensity forecasts, but so will the Navy, which has a weather gap in the Pacific that COAMPS-TC can help fill.

“Unlike the Atlantic Ocean, there are no operational tropical cyclone reconnaissance flights in the Western Pacific basin, an area of strategic importance for the U.S. Navy,” said Simon Chang, a scientist with the Naval Research Laboratory.

COAMPS-TC, conceived in 2006, is a mesoscale model, which means it is designed for regional weather phenomena of 5 to 1,000 kilometers in length — such as hurricanes. It is a supplement to the basic COAMPS model, which has been around for about 15 years but could only predict a storm’s track. What has been missing is basic data needed to model the intensity of hurricanes (and cyclones and typhoons, which are the same thing).

“Historically, measurements at very high wind speeds near the ocean surface were almost nonexistent, be-cause it’s such a harsh environment,” said Ronald Ferek, ONR’s program officer for COAMPS-TC. Without data of high-wind-speed conditions, meteorologists had to extrapolate from low-wind-speed models.

“They were making incorrect assumptions about the transfers of heat, moisture and momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere at very high wind speeds where they had never been observed before,” Ferek said.

But researchers gathered measurements from surface buoys, ships, land stations, commercial airliners, weather reconnaissance aircraft, drone and satellites. Chang said this enabled COAMPS-TC to better model the physics of a hurricane’s boundary layer (the area from the earth’s surface to 1 kilometer high, where turbulence dominates), stratus and convective cloud conditions, and solar and terrestrial radiation.

Where previously forecasters had relied on statistical models that used historical data to predict the intensity of a storm, COAMPS-TC is a dynamic model that can feed new data to reflect changing weather conditions as they happen. It achieved remarkable results during Hurricane Irene in 2011, producing windspeed errors of less than five knots, compared with a typical error of plus or minus 20 knots.

However, the model doesn’t always achieve such striking results because so many hurricane dynamics re-main obscure. When used to predict the intensity of thousands of storms between 2010 and 2012, the mean aver-age error of the predicted maximum wind was 12 knots at one day out, 14 knots at three days, and 17 knots at five days. But this is still an improvement over older forecasting, and it will only get better as researchers cap-ture improved data.

While hurricanes have relinquished some of their whirling secrets, they stubbornly cling to others. Now that meteorologists have a better idea of surface conditions that determine the strength of a hurricane, they are dis-covering that they don’t know enough about crucial weather dynamics at high altitudes above the top of a storm.

Navy Scientists Predict Killer Hurricanes Michael Peck, DefenseNews.com, Jul 1

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The issue is one of aerodynamics as much as atmospherics; it is difficult to figure out conditions at 30,000 feet to 60,000 feet when WP-3D and WC-130J weather reconnaissance aircraft can’t even reach 30,000 feet. This is where the Global Hawks come in, as part of NASA’s Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel project. The high-altitude drones were used last year to fly above hurricanes Leslie and Nadine and release dropsondes (parachute-equipped instrument packages) that floated down through the storms.

Unfortunately for places like the American Midwest, mesoscale models such as COAMPS-TC aren’t ef-fective at predicting tornadoes, such as those that recently devastated Oklahoma.

“Mesoscale models do not resolve the scales of tornadoes, only the environmental conditions that may be favorable to forming these storms,” Chang said. “For tornadoes, the National Weather Service warns on detec-tion, not on forecast. Warn-on-forecast is a decade or more away.”

But Ferek predicts that COAMPS-TC is the beginning of a radical improvement in storm intensity fore-casting.

“I think that in three to five years, the way we forecast hurricanes and cyclones will be totally different,” he said. “There will be a lot more detail and a lot more confidence in making predictions about the intensity of a storm.”

Continued from page 7 

Open discussion from floor. Discussed silent auctions at a future meeting. Bill Anderson made a motion and Wade Kiger seconded to have a silent auction at our Christmas Dinner. Motion passed. Galin Brady brought up Kap(SS)4Kid(SS).Discussion ensued. Woody Cook made a motion that the Columbus Base accept the Kap(SS)4Kid(SS) as a project. Seconded by Frank Lloyd. Motion Passed. There was a bowl in the back for dona‐tions to the project.  

50/50 

John Leers won $60 (donated to back to general fund of base) 

Bill McCorkle won a bottle of wine 

Bill Meyer won a set of steak knives 

Bob McDaniel won a loaf of homemade bread 

Sharon Lloyd won a book – Inside Seal Team Six 

Jim Tolson won a loaf of homemade bread 

Carol Henry won a loaf of homemade bread 

John Leers won a loaf of homemade bread 

BC reminded everyone to help clean up the room. The next meeting on 8/3 at the VFW Post 4931 with social hour at 1700, Dinner at 1800, and cost is $22.00 per person to Dave Creekmore. 

Next officer meeting will be on July 20th (tentative) to plan for the Awards Dinner. We will meet at the AMVETS Post #89 at 3535 Westerville Road, Columbus, Ohio 43228 at 0900(tentative). Breakfast is available starting at 0800. 

Benediction was performed by Sharon Lloyd. Meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by Bob McDaniel

Base Secretary

Upcoming Events

July 20th 0900 Officer’s meeting at the AmVets Post #89. Breakfast served at 0800

August 3rd 1700 Base awards dinner / Holland Club induction at the VFW in Hilliard

August 24th 0830 Highway cleanup. Meet at the Don Gentile Post on Clime Rd.

September 7th 1200 Regular monthly base meeting.

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Holland Club Members

Al Albergottie: 1960 USS Blenny SS-324 Joe Murphy (EP): 1947, USS Bugara SS-331

John Alexander: 1945, USS Haddock SS-231 Marvin Pastor: 1955, USS Razorback SS-394

Galin Brady: 1962, USS Swordfish SSN-579 Clem O’Brien: 1944, USS Albacore SS-218

Bill Dumbauld: 1957, USS Caiman SS-323 Dave O’Carroll: 1957, USS Salmon SSR-573

Ed Ellsworth (EP): 1944, USS Blackfin SS-322 John Palmer: 1951, USS Guavina SSO-362

Dick Estell (EP): 1944, USS Scabbardfish SS-397 John Pendleton: 1954, USS Toto SS-422

Russ Ferguson: 1946, USS Haddo SS-255 Phil Philipps: 1949, USS Segundo SS-398

Bob Frier: 1960, USS Menhaden SS-377 Ron Rossington: 1954, USS Conger SS-477

Ben Grimes (EP): 1944, USS Raton SS-270 “CO” Smith (EP): 1944, USS Nautilus SS-168

“Gus” Hoehl (EP): 1944, USS Flounder SS-251 Denver Smith: 1943, USS Grayling SS-209

Bill Holly (EP): 1957, USS Ray SSR-271 Ken Strahm: 1960, USS Bream SS-243

Gene Horton (EP):1951, USS Chivo SS-341 Sam Templeton: 1956, USS Trutta SS-421

Bernie Kenyon: 1954, USS Hardhead SS-365 George Trace: 1951, USS Caiman SS-323

John Leers: 1954, USS Sea Owl SS-405 Lynn Trump: 1960, USS Sea Cat SS-399

“Butch” Leffin: 1957, USS Hardhead SS-365 Ron Waldron: 1953, USS Charr SS-328

Chuck Martin: 1956, USS Pomfret SS-391 Robert Wells: 1947, USS Capitaine SS-336

Lee Mather: 1954, USS Crevalle SS-291 John Woodmansee: 1956, USS Hardhead SS-365

Bill McCorkle: 1956, USS Dogfish SS-350

“Doc” Morin: 1957, USS Raton SSR-270