U.S.S. LOWNDES - APA 154

Newsletter
Bud Kautz

December 1992

Fifth Annual Reunion
July 8 thru July 11,1993

July 8 thru July 11,1993

Location: Boston Park Plaza Hotel
64 Arlington Street
Boston, MA 02116-3912
(617)426-2000

Hotel parking: $8.75 per day.

The Boston Plaza Hotel is located 10 min. from Logan Airport. Shuttle bus every 5 hour.

In & out of Boston by auto - see enclosed card & map on page 6.

Rates: $60.00 Single or Double occupancy. Subject to 9.7% hotel tax.
Check in - 2:00 PM Check out - 12:00 Noon. Make reservations as soon as possible.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday July 8, 1993

12:00 - 8:00 PM Check in & Registration - Hancock Room (Mezzanine)

Hospitality Room

Dinner on Own

8:00 PM "Forever Plaid" Musical revue in hotel, a lively show
Friday July 9, 1993

Breakfast on own

10:00 AM Trolley tour of Boston & Freedom Trail,

"Whites of their Eyes" - Panoramic show of battle of Bunker Hill.

1:00 PM Drop off at Franeuil Hall - Lunch on own, Durgin Park - Oyster

House Restaurants in Franueil Hall. Shop Filene's Basement, etc.

St. Anthony's Shrine, Christian Science Church, Newberry St. shopping.

Boston Pops in concert, write Leo O'Brien for tickets & Info if interested.

4 00 - 5:00 PM Business Meeting.

6 00 - 8:00 PM Dinner on own.

8 00 PM Hospitality Room.
Saturday July 10, 1993 --; ••

Breakfast on own. 90 minute cruise of Boston Harbor starting at 10:00 AM.

11:30 AM Visit New England Aquarium - lunch on own at north end & visit
market area.

3:00 PM Return to hotel.

6:00 PM Photo session.

8:00 PM Cash Bar & Banquet (Raffle drawing).
After Banquet - Hospitality Room 'til?
Sunday July 11, 1993

Breakfast Brunch. 24 churches within walking distance of hotel.

"Cheers" 5 minutes from hotel. Visit anytime during reunion.

U. S. S. LOWNDES REUNION ORDER FORM Amount

Enclosed

"Forever Plaid" - Musical Revue $16.00 per person—————————————$

Trolley tour of Boston, Freedom Trail & "Whites of their Eyes" $15.00 per person—$
Boston Harbor Cruise & New England Aquarium $10.00 per person————————$

Saturday's Banquet & Sunday Brunch $50.00 per person———————————————$

Please send check for total with order form to:

Leo O'Brien
18 Baldwin St.
Maiden, MA 02148

(3)

HOWARD CHAPPELL - Enjoyed the Harrisburg reunion and looking forward
to Boston in '93. Having a good hot summer in Western PA. Good golfing
weather but not very good for my garden. (Howard - I had a lot of
explaning regarding you and your spouses' T shirts, oh well".

DALLAS & LORENE STRATTON - This summer we spent almost three months
in other states -- the high light of our travel was the Lowndes
Reunion in Harrisburg. We did enjoy the tours that were planned and
visiting with ship mates and their wives. Each year we meet new
buddies. What a joy! Dallas is getting ready for bow season to open
in Georgia. That's all I'll hear 'till January when the hunting season
closes. Hunting takes precedent over soft ball. (Dallas - waiting
for that venison recipe you mentioned at the reunion).

DOROTHY HALING - I enjoy all the News letters and Fred Brinkman's

letters. I would love to attend the reunions but health prevents
me from traveling. I was in the hospital twice in June and have nurses
helping me at home. Hoping to be good pretty soon. For years I had
doubts about my brother (Don Bowman) but I now know for sure that
he is gone.

DAVY JONES' LOCKER - The bottom of the sea, thought of as the grave
of those drowned or buried at sea, is known as "Davy Jones" locker".
Davy Jones* is seen as the personification of the devil who rules
over the evil spirits of the sea, being part of sailor slang for
over 200 years. There are several theories of how the expression
originated, one is that he stored more than ale in the locker at
the back of his pub, which served as a place to drug and shanghai
unwary seamen who awoke only when the ship had put to sea. Thus Davy
Jones* locker came to be feared. There are other tales explaining
this term.

You're over the hill when your knees buckle and your belt won't.
There are still cookbooks available - ($7.00ea - postage included).

USS Lowndes souvenir cups - ($5.00ea. Postage, $3.00 for 1 & $4.00
for 2. Please contact Cliff Schaffer.

For those who have not attended a USS Lowndes Reunion, they will
never experience meeting old shipmates who have aged so much that
they hardly recognized me.

The "Lowndes Lovelies" have decided to dispense with the annual
auction and replace it with a raffle. Books will be mailed to Lowndes
shipmates in March of 1993 by Agnes Bensie. First prize will be an
Aussie Hatful of money, other prizes are listed on the raffle tickets.
Lets all rally behind this fund raising venture of the Lovelies.
Cost? $1.00 each or $5.00 for 6. As an added bonus - the seller of
of the first prize winner will receive $25.00.

Don't forget-USS Lowndes 5th Reunion in Boston-July 8 thru July 11.
Three USS LOWNDES crewmen have attack transports bearing their names:

Pierce APA-50

Briscoe APA-65

Dawson APA-79

(4)

RECOLLECTIONS

WALT KARSON - I got transferred to the USS Lowndes at Pearl Harbor,
She was anchored out, so I was given a ride to the ship in a dinghy.
When we pulled along side the ladder, I looked up and said (to myself)
now this is a real ship. Was transferred from an LSM. For almost a
year I was proud to be a crew member of the Lowndes. I wear my cap
(USS Lowndes - APA 154) at all times. Get to meet sailors from WWII
where ever I go. The News Letter is the only link I have with my former
Shipmates. I cannot be at all the reunions but I sure like to know
what's going on with the guys and their mates. Sounds like a great
time was had by all. Keep sending the News letters to me.

MAX COLE - Going back to VJ Day, 1945 in San Francisco, when I left
the Lowndes and went ashore I got caught up in the first night of
the riots in the Market St. holocaust. Lost my hat, was swamped with
kisses and bundled down the street amidst a gob of gobs at the head
of a conga line. Women waved their panties and war bond booths became
bonfires. I ended up on a fire truck, hell-bent up Powell St. This
sort of thing went on for three days. Unfortunately there were 12
deaths and around 1,000 injured. (Ed. note: "Guess times have not
changed a great deal."

People were dropping paper bag water bombs from hotel windows. I
remember Capt. Perdue coming back to the ship, bareheaded and furious:

"Imagine grabbing my hat and yelling: "Chicken---- Gold Braid!" As
a result all liberties (Navy & Army) were canceled I went ashore with
the mail guard. It was like a deserted city.

WARREN PROCTOR - Was good to receive all of the info. Really enjoyed
it. Just wish I could make one of the reunions. You may remember me,
I was in the amphib. group in charge of one of the LCM's. We only
had two on board. Dean Ricks had the other one, we hauled supplies
and the crew on recreation (What little we got). I hit Iwo in the
third wave with a truck and a 105, the truck only went a few yards
before it was put out of commission by a mortar. I think I remember
you Bud, you helped to initiate me crossing the equator.

GEORGE TUPPAN - A time to remember. We, the crew of the Lowndes are
a select group that not many, if any had the good fortune of
celebrating two Thanksgivings, both legal, in the same year. Perhaps
some of you will recall now that I bring it up. The ship was returning
to the States from the Philippines. All of us were looking forward
to Thanksgiving with turkey and all the trimmings which we had that
day. That night the ship crossed the International date line and,
behold it was Thursday again and Thanksgiving. Capt. Perdue ordered
turkey again. Very few people can say they had 2 Thanksgivings in
24 hours.

In 1960 Publick Occurences, the first American newspaper,
published its first, and last edition in Boston.

Don't forget-USS Lowndes 5th Reunion in Boston-July 8 thru July 11._

See page 2 for details and order form to be returned to Leo O'Brien,
Number killed in the Boston Massacre - 5