Nautical Charts:
--Sorted and relocated thousands of charts into temporary
storage. Also preparing Pilot House, CIC, and Chart Room
chart tables to have Vietnam, US Northeast, MED, Caribbean
areas of concentration. (Bob Cramer, Jim Ganley)
Aux Radio Room:
--Mounted large SRW-4 DASH electrical connection box in
Radio room to complete major DASH electronic component
installation in this space. (Rob Angelini, Rich Angelini,
Ed Zajkowski, Wayne White, Bob Hanrahan)
DASH Flight Deck:
-- Replaced missing safety bolts on flight nets. (Bob
Jensen)
-- Stripped caulk, prepped, and re-caulked two flat hatches.
(Richie Calabro, Bob Jensen)
-- Removed obsolete Burke Museum boiler stack and sealed
(Tony Accattata, Gary Strouse, Ron Larsen)
-- Disassembled and repaired 2 clogged rain drains (Tony
Accattata, Gary Strouse, Ron Larsen)
IC Room:
-- Replaced 1MC amplifier (Chris Nardi)
-- Installed 24 hr pwr circuit for backup battery. (Chris
Nardi)
Supply Office:
-- Reorganized furniture according to General Plans and
photos from DD850. Began painting all furniture the correct
light equipment gray. (The Levesque family)
-- Folded T-shirts to give out to the crew. (Lee Levesque)
ASROC Control Station:
-- repaired cables and red light on port side of Control
station. (Wayne White, Bob Hanrahan)
-- rewired and reinstalled Sound powered phone box to
forward bulkhead of Control station. (Wayne White)
ASROC Magazine:
-- Repaired/replaced much fiberglas insulation (Vincent
Rositani Sr , Vincent Rositani Jr.)
-- Repaired overhead lighting (Wayne White)
-- Removed and relocated unneeded material to stowage. (Dan
Pillie, Bob Cramer)
-- Began to rework ASROC missile carts. Dan is our sonarman
from DD850 who really wants to get the ASROC missiles loaded
in their racks. He took it upon himself to clean and empty
the magazine for restoration. The tentative plan is to do
the complete missile loading into the missile racks during
the September Major field day. (Dan Pillie)
Aft Mast (See Photo 850_may_09_FD_015):
-- Installed the Aft DASH Antenna to its original 1960s
location. This antenna has been in place since the DASH
program was shut down for Gearing class Destroyers in the
early 70s. (Vincent Rositani Sr , Vincent Rositani Jr., Bob
Cramer)
Engineering Spaces:
--Troubleshot high pressure problem on #1 compressor in B4
Aft Engine Room.
-- Began Touch up painting in Aft Diesel. (Bobby Young, Jim
Ganley)
-- Removed electrical grounds from Section B and C.
-- Cleaned out all tool and small parts stowed around Aft
Diesel Generator Room to make it look "smart". Put new hasp
on locker outside generator room and stored parts and items
within it. ATTN to all hands: This is now the Diesel parts
and cleaner storage locker. (Ron Almeida, Bill Albert, Phil
Mortarano)
-- Removed trash and debris from the bilges all 4 Main
Engineering spaces. (Andrew Feighery, Carl Swanson, Richie
Calabro)
Anchor Windlass:
-- Semi-annual exercise. (Ed Zajkowski)
Main Passageway:
-- Rebuilt cover on electrical box FB-429. (Wayne White, Bob
Hanrahan)
Steam Line:
-- Began Fabricating plexi cover for display of trays,
utensils, and glasses. Metal framework was cut and bolted
into place while plexiglas was cut and installed for two
sides of the display. We hope to finish this display soon.
(Ron Almeida, Bill Albert, Phil Mortarano, Bill Rader)
-- Removed non-original rack that was the old microwave
table. (Ed Zajkowski, Rich Angelini)
Galley/Mess Decks:
-- Repaired sink drain that runs through B-1 Fwd Fireroom.
This was a tough job. This allows the FWD sink in the
galley to be utilized. (Don Furlong, Tom Publicover)
-- Prepared and served 6 Meals. Also supported the serving
line. (Bill Hamilton, Jim Caruso, Mike Tranquilli, Lee
Levesque, Dave Levesque, Nate Levesque, Ben Levesque,
Charlotte Levesque)
- Ran and operated original Coffee Urn.
Storeroom:
-- Rebuilt power tools and organized parts (Howard Swanson)
-- Supported Storeroom efforts (Bob Kilkelly)
Bridge Wings:
--Sanded and painted wood coaming. (Bob Washburn)
Fox Division:
-- Mounted three compartment checkoff sheets and holders in
this berthing area to enhance restoration appearance.
Copied from USS Basilone DD824 original compartment
checkoff sheet booklet. (Bob Jensen)
Line/Rope Work:
-- Monkey's Fists - 5ea - 1/4" line over a plaster filled ping-pong balls for various displays. Two on display currently in the Deck Office. (Paul Rousseau)
-- Mooring lines - Starboard side: by the brow and about 1/3 of the way forward. Removed electrical tape and whipped line ends with 1.8mm braided cord on 3ea 2" mooring lines. Also whipped several smaller lines at the same locations. Ditto for the port side aft eye-splice on the rope leading to the sub. (Paul Rousseau)
Tourist/other:
-- Met with and gave talks to visitors about ship and crew.
(The whole crew)
-- Attended and participated in Cove's Memorial Day service
(The whole crew)
-- Worked on the Gun crew for 21 gun salute in the 5"38
mounts on MASSACHUSETTS. (Don Furlong, Tom Lowney)
-- Began to tape railings on Port side main deck to initiate
detailing with diamonds where the rail meets the bulkhead
(Carl Swanson, Andrew Feighery, Jeff Furlong)
Saturday night of the field day gave most of us a chance to
relax and unwind a bit. I gave a brief talk thanking all
for coming aboard, about what we had done on KENNEDY in the
past year, what we did during the field day, and how we plan
to use these completed tasks to improve the ship. All Hands
took a moment to introduce themselves and the usual teasing
reared its head. Captain Casey (Executive Director of the
Museum) and Carl Swejko (President of the Board of Directors
of the Museum) took time to thank and point out how valuable
our volunteers are to the museum, the KENNEDY, and to
preserving the history of the Navy. We appreciate both of
them for taking the time to come down to the ship and
visiting with us. We are in the front lines of preserving
history.
Lastly, our latest paint chipper, RADM Jame Wisecup gave a
great discussion on current happenings within the Navy,
what it means to volunteer, what being a Destroyer sailor
meant to him, and how important he feels that our work
continue to preserve ships such as KENNEDY. The most
important part of the discussion in my opinion was about
shipmates. While two people could have been on the same
ship, they werent shipmates unless they served together for
a joint cause. Everyone who supports this ship, whether
from a distance or comes aboard each week, is a shipmate.
I feel that we are a lucky group to have so many shipmates
dedicated to our common goal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QH-50D SNOOPY delivery and Crane lift (14-16 May 2009):
For those who might not know, "SNOOPY" is the nickname given
to the Gyrodyne QH-50D helicopters outfitted with camera and
Naval Gun Fire Support systems rather than the typical DASH
ASW suite. Developed and predominantly used on WESTPAC
Gearing and Sumner class Destroyers in the late 1960s, not a
single example survived operational shipboard duty or combat
over Vietnam. A few years ago, Peter Papakakos, son of the
founder of the Gyrodyne Helicopter Company, contacted myself
and Chris Nardi regarding any possible desire for us to show
a SNOOPY aircraft alongside our current DASH ASW variant,
DS-1284. While we wanted a QH-50D version of DASH to be in
the hangar with our QH-50C model, KENNEDY never carried
SNOOPY. After thinking long and hard, we decided it was in
the best interest of all parties to display both famous
variants of the QH-50 series helicopters that operated
aboard Gearing class Destroyers in the 1960s. Thus, the
effort to resurrect a Snoopy Aircraft from scratch began.
Let's let Peter Papadakos tell you the story of the weekend
in his own words:
"Well Shipmates,
After having spent the better part of the last 5 years
with my son Alex, researching and then building first the
payload and then the QH-50 to the Curator's specifications
for the USS JOSEPH P. KENNEDY JR. (DD-850), it was time to
deliver the Aircraft. With DASH historical losses of 5%
just attributed to transportation mishaps, I decided that
there was just no room for that variable - this was the only
aircraft of her kind. So, with a boxed in structure to
protect the bird, blades and parts the 2,900 mile trip to
Massachusetts, I set off solo on May 9 to meet up with a
crane barge in Massachusetts.
The weather the entire TRIP EAST was mostly sunny along
Interstate 80.....although I did hit some Snow in Wyoming,
it wasn't sticking to the road. I arrived at Somerset
(outside Fall River) 4 days later on the 12th and the next
morning drove over to the Kennedy to meet up with the Staff
of Battleship Cove to get the details on how we were going
to do this lift.
The following day, the 14th, I met up with Gyrodyne
Foundation volunteer Bob Mack and his best friend Jim
Weiskel who sailed with him on the USS FRED T. BERRY,....at
Battleship Cove.........it seemed the crane would be lifting
the KENNEDY assets on the 15th, so we checked-out of our
area motels and set up shop on KENNEDY - we still had pickup
trucks to unload of assets from the now-closed Qh-50 program
at White Sands.
With the SNOOPY bird coming into the DASH Hangar, the Target
Control Systems that had been on display in the hangar
needed to leave, so Jim Weiskel, who worked on the DASH
SRM-4 and -6 Cabinets in the Navy, helped take them a part
for the lift that would take them to the main deck so they
could go where they originally were located on ship:
Emergency Radio Room. (See DASH Transmitter photo
img_4051)
On the morning of May 15, Jim Weiskel and I started taking
apart the QH-50 enclosure. The Bird had traveled well with
nothing more than some chipped paint on the landing gear.
The early morning rain got everything soaked, but the ARMY's
MAST cover had held together the entire trip as well....
The deal with the crane operator was essentially this: you
bring me the hook and I'll connect the bird to the hook
using the only certified QH-50 hoist that remained with all
her cert tags from the ARMY's White Sands operation in
place.
With a slight drizzle falling, DS-1543 took flight........
The bird was swung onto the barge for the trip around the
Battleship, USS MASSACHUSETTS, for off-load to the
KENNEDY......
Remember all the DASH radio equipment? It got moved first to
clear out the hangar.....the volunteers of Kennedy -had
gotten the Radio Space for these 600 lbs units ready in
months prior. These DASH radios came also from the ARMY back
in 2004. I didn't take any more shots of the radio
movements because I was on main-deck unsecuring the straps
once the radios landed on Main deck and we didn't want the
rain to get on them so in the ship they went in quick order.
The crane Operator did a great job and landed the bird
exactly where we needed her to be.....SLOT 1 into the
Hangar. I unhooked DS-1543......and for that Qh-50, the
Trip was over. (See photo of the SNOOPY about to hit our
deck in img_4056)
In the later afternoon, the skies cleared and Bob "Red"
McClure, who flew the original DS-1543 off the USS CHEVALIER
(DD-805), showed up and so......we put him to work. I
figured after 40 years he ought to recall how to put on the
Rotor Blades!
With the Lower Rotor blades installed, it was time for a
photo with the only SNOOPY RECON Qh-50 in the world! Red
gave an oral history to the Battleship Cove Videogragher, as
did Bob Mack and myself.
Later with the Oral Histories done, we posed for a team shot
of all the volunteers that worked that day on the lift.....
(Photo img_4074) From left to right top - Chris Nardi,
Curator of Battleship Cove; Red McClure, DASH Controller,
Rich Angelini, Ass't Curator-Kennedy, Ed. Zajkowski, Bob
Mack (USS Fred T Berry DD858), Jim Weiskel (USS Fred T Berry
DD858), Rob Angelini. Bottom from left to right is me
(Peter P. Papadakos) and Mike Angelini , The Crypto man who
served on KENNEDY - Mike takes care of the DASH display on
ship.
After the photos, it was back to work......we installed the
UPPER ROTOR BLADES, put in 8 Qts of Oil into the
Transmission to keep the gears lubed and we spun the rotor a
bit to get oil into the system. The Aircraft is fully
functional and the mast articulates as a 1000 Hr-time
Transmission ought to.
Now, that ought to be the end of a successful story, but as
we were installing the rotorblades that evening, we noted
the arrival of some 500 over-night Boyscouts and parents
that arrived to stay on the Battleship.....the next morning,
the DASH Flight deck was full of curious people who wanted
to know what we were doing! I had spoken to a dozen NAVY
Officer Candidates earlier in the AM so I was ready. We
pushed the SNOOPY Bird out and provided the Scouts some
valuable information.
With my voice now gone a few hours later, it was time to
leave - The Scouts would be taking over my Junior Officer
Quarters on Kennedy and I needed to depart. So with Mike
Angelini and DD-850 in the background, I departed around 5
pm on a Saturday (16th) night and as I expected, there was
no traffic outside New York City at the Tapenzee Bridge and
I sailed onto I-80 WEST smoothly. 4 days later, I arrived
back at Reno having covered a little less than 6000 miles
without any incident or equipment malfunction.
Many thanks to all those shipmates that have helped with
these restorations, provided the placards- as original as
they could be made, restored torpedoes, provided the inert
bombs, the radio gear......the photos of the SNOOPY systems
on their ships so we could replicate the payload as
accurately as possible.
While DS-1543-A may not be any one specific bird, it is a
co-mingling of many of the technologies SNOOPY employed,
such as the added radio transponders, double generator drive
and of course the operational CAMERA and MOUNT - all into
one aircraft as a representative of the SNOOPY system
employed by Western Pacific Destroyers.
The KENNEDY is now the only place on the planet where you
can see the NAVY's ASW QH-50C DASH drone as well as the
WESTPAC QH-50D SNOOPY used for Naval Gun Fire Support
Missions. I urge you to go and see it and support the ship.
Regards to all,
Peter"
This was a very successful weekend for the ship and everyone
was amazed at what we accomplished in a very short time.
Mike, Rob, and Rich Angelini took time off from work to
support the lift while Ed Zajkowski drove down from PA to
ensure things went well. It was also great to have Peter
Papadakos and Bob Mack aboard ship working with us again as
well as meeting our new volunteer Jim Weiskel.
Some projects accomplished this day were:
-- Loading 6 ASROC Missiles onto the DASH Flight Deck for
installation in the Magazine.
-- Movied and installed two DASH transmitters, the power
supply, decoders, and the SRM4 and SRM6 simulators into
their correct positions in Aux Radio. The first time since
the late 1960s that these items were in this space!
-- Lifted items into storage.
-- Detailed the QH-50 SNOOPY, installing blades, testing
camera components, and adding lubricants.
-- Reorganized Hangar for display.
-- Installed DASH work platform on DS-1284.
-- Acquired Oral Histories on DASH.
-- Planned and talked about shipboard life with DASH,
arrangements of Hangar by crewmen on DD858, and had DASH
veterans talk to visitors.
-- Stowed and sorted spare parts and equipment
Some acquisitions Peter sent to us were:
-- QH-50D DASH Operation and Parts Manuals
-- Vacuum Tube Test sets, Oscilloscopes, Multimeters, and
much more 1960s USN test equipment.
-- (4) DD710 class Manuals related to ASROC Installation and
operating procedures.
-- Dozens of US Navy Training Manuals.
-- Spare DASH test sets and parts, including another deck
controller.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General
A. Larry Ransom (USS Beatty DD756) rebuilt a status board in
CIC, changed the bulbs in the main 64" plotter, and has
repaired a good deal of lighting in this space. Larry also
recently worked to fix the lighting in the Aft Steering
Compartment. Larry is working with Jim Gere to rewire the
WLR-1 and other components of ECM Room No 1.
B. Bob Ledux(USAF) has restored power to the the right hand
SPA-8 Radar Repeater near the CIC Officers Command Center.
C. Maury Crotteau is currently rewiring the Radio operator
area of CIC. The RHMS Radio control units, speakers, and
switchboards are all be undertaken.
D. Al Lundgren has painted the deck in SONAR and ASROC in
CIC again to ensure these spaces remain pristine. Al also
has put some sound powered headsets and their corresponding
hooks in their original locations.
E. Tom Publicover has been fixing leaks from sinks in the
After Head.
F. Jim Mulvihill is cleaning brass and signage items in ECM
Room No 1.
G. Owen Hayes repairs lighting throughout the ship.
Upcoming and Continuing Projects:
1. Finish Aft Diesel Generator
2. Complete Steam line
3. Complete Prep/Prime of 01 Torpedo Deck and Tubes
4. Complete MK 25 Fire Control Room
5. Continue CIC restoration
6. Move Welder in ASROC Magazine and load up remaining 6
missiles received from the US Navy
7. Complete painting and detailing of Port side main deck
8. Sort and display all Nautical Charts.
9. Complete BOSUN Locker
Notes: As always, Special thanks to the increased helping
hand from cove employees Rui Moniz and Dave Stawicki.
********************************************************************************************
Special News:
1. The USS Myles C Fox DD829 plans to hold a reunion/field
day in October 2009 to help support KENNEDY. We look forward
to seeing you all aboard!
2. The New England Tin Can Sailors Bull Session for 2009
will include a visit to KENNEDY. I ask that all volunteers
consider participating aboard the ship to welcome members
and show off our Gearing class DD.
3. Our field day listing for the whole year can be found by
going to http://jpkennedyjr.webs.com/field.html <http://jpkennedyjr.webs.com/field.html>
4. I gave a call to our shipmate Blair Sandri a few weeks
ago. He reported the sad news that one of our KENNEDY
volunteers, Neil Swanson (USS Shelton DD790) has passed
away. We will always remember Neil painting the Aft Mast on
Kennedy with Blair and Phil Zeglin in one weekend as well as
our strip trip visits to Philly. Please take a moment to
remember Neil.
5. Our June mini field day that was scheduled for June 12
and 13th is going to be rescheduled for the 19th and 20th.
At this time, We are not sure if any cooks will be aboard
for the 20th. Will advise if Jim Caruso or Bill Hamilton
can support the field day but we will have a work part
aboard on Saturday 20 June. Please advise if you can
attend.
6. We have extra USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD850 T-shirts
in various sizes left over from the field day. They are red
and blue with the ship's crest on the front left breast and
the FRAM outline of a Gearing Class on the back with the
words, USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD850 Volunteer. We are
asking $10/shirt with a few bucks extra for mailing. If you
want to pick them up next time you are at the ship, we can
hold onto them for you. All proceeds go towards the Ship!
Please email with any requests.
***********************************************************************************************
History and this ship depend on You! Join the effort.
Fair winds and following seas,
Rich Angelini
Asst Curator, JPK DD850
