U.S.S. LOWNDES - APA 154

Newsletter

Bud Kautz

March 1994

3/94 (2)
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE - 1994 REUNION

San Diego Mission Valley Hilton
901 Camino del Rio South
San Diego, CA 92108
Reservations 1-800-445-8667

THURSDAY 9/15/94

1500 Check in & Registrationn
Welcome Reception/Hospitality Room

FRIDAY 9/16/94

0800-0930 Breakfast on Own
1000-1200 2 Hour Harbor Cruise
You'll see Cabrillo Nat'l Monuments, famous Hotel Coronado, Coronado Bridge
& get a clbse look at U.S. Navy aircraft, carriers,
submarines, destroyers & the Star of India.

1200-1500 Lunch at Hotel Del Coronado on Own
0400-0600 Business Meeting. Lowndes Lovelies' Shopping Excursion

1900 Dinner on Own
2000-'til Hospitality Room

SATURDAY 9/17/94

0800-0930 Breakfast on Own
0930-1200 Board Bus to Wild Animal Park - 2150 acre
wildlife preserve, 3000 animals roam free
in their native habitat.

1200-1330 Lunch on Own
1330-0400 Tour of "Naval Ship" or "Old Town Trolley Tour"
See best of San Diego - 2 hr. tour covering 100
points of interest, at your own pace. On & off
at any stop.
1800-1900 Cocktails - Cash Bar
1900-2100 Banquet
2100-'till Hospitality Room

SUNDAY 9/18/94

0800-1000 Brunch

Finalization in next
News Letter

THE FOLLOWING SHIPMATES AND THEIR MATES HAVE INDICATED THAT THEY PLAN
TO ATTEND THE USS LOWNDES SIXTH ANNUAL REUNION IN SAN DIEGO:

Ed & Agnes Bensie - Bob & Jane Hazelett - Chuck Munson
Fred & Roberta Brinkman - Bob & Florence Henkels - Lyman Nedeau
Jim & Carol Bussard - Harley Hughes - Leo & Margaret O^Brien
Sally Cary - Dick Jones - Elliott Pilchard
Howard & Dois Chappell - Bud & Jean Kautz - Art & Marjorie Rauseo
Max Cole - Joseph Layton - Bill & Virginia Robinson
Harry & Lupe Contreras - Don & Shirley Lorenzi - Cliff & Mary Schaffer
Stan & Mona Dunn - Don & Joan Macpherson - Bill & Amelia Taylor
John & Lebby Dyer - Clark Martin - Elmer & Edna Trevillyan
Dave Frederick - Ed McKellar - George & Glenda Tuppan
Jim & Margaret Frieden - Connie & Jerry Michalski - Harley & Lucille Workman

As of this date - February 16, 1994 there are a total of 95 shipmates who have
not responded with the prepaid postcards stating their intentions for the 1994
Reunion in San Diego. Please forward cards to Don Macpherson,- 2716 Ocean Park
Bl.,Santa Monica, CA. 90405. Enabling the Reunion Committee to make arrangements
for this event.

FRED BRINKMAN - Columbia, SC - Roberta, my son and I spent about
eight days in the Philippines December 19 - 26. We stayed in the
Manila area and Baguio, located in the mountain area about 200 miles
from Manila. You may remember our U.S.S. Lowndes stops in Manila
Bay and Batangas on Luzon Island and also someplace on Leyte Island.
I didn't recognize any particular landmarks except the old Spanish
built walled city that was heavily damaged in World War II. Urban
Manila is now a very crowded and over-populated city. We especially
were impressed with the people's way of life and how family ties
remain so close in the rural areas, even though their living standards
are far below ours in the good old United States.

HARLEY HUGHES - Bakers field, CA - I Was attached to the Beach Party
Battalion in San Luis Obispo, CA summer of 1944. I was lucky - only
2^ hours away from my home in Bakersfield. On week-ends I took 3
or 4 guys home with me. I had a lot of sisters and brothers so there
was no problem where to stay and eat. The fellows I brought home
often were all members of the Beach Party. And each Saturday Night
I or (I should say my girl friend got them all dates) and went to
the Saturday night dance. On Sundays we played volley ball at the
park - eat whatever the gals fixed. After two months we got orders
to move out. We trained with the Army at Camp San Luis Obispo, slept
on the beach near Morro Rock. We all hated to leave SLO. From there
I went up to Astoria, Oregon and became a "Plank Owner" of the
Lowndes. Later, ordered to Terminal Island for discharge on May 23,
1946.

JUNE (JOE) ZINKGRAF - Bellaire, TX - Joe and I went through the
Admiral Nimitz Museum in the late '70s. He enjoyed it very much.
Our daughter lives about 30 miles from there now. Joe enjoyed taking
the son-in-law who teaches World History in high school there later.
So recognition of the U.S.S. Lowndes there would have pleased him
very much.

MRS. FLORENCE RICHARDS - Nebraska City, NE - My grandson, Stanley
Duncan was sent to Texas last summer and he, his wife and 8 yr old
daughter went to the Museum to see the plaque. They let them see
it and said there were so many on the walls but were able to find
Norman's. So this morning I took the picture of the plaque you sent
me and put it in a wooden frame and have it on display.

MITCHELL CHASTEEN - Florissant, MO - It will be impossible for us
to join you this year. Hopefully next year. Norma and I will celebrate
our 48th Wedding Anniversary April 27th and have completed
arrangements to spend 3 weeks touring Europe. As you know, we didn't
get to see that part of the world during WWII. Best wishes for a
happy '94 to all crew members and their families.

JOE FREITAS - Gustine, CA - Sorry, we cannot attend Reunion this
year. Sept. is walnut harvesting time. Any other month would be okay.

MITCHELL CHASTEEN - Florissant, MO - Waiting for another Reunion
in the Mid-West.

-4-

PAUL LINEBACK - Mount Airy, NC -During my 21 years in the Navy I
served on Oldies like the "New York", the "Capella", as well as new
ones, USS Alabama, the 674 USS Hunt. Each vessel had a man that stood
tall in the Yeoman division. The Yeomen of the USS Lowndes - APA
154 were not just as good. Each was exceptional. To me it was a sad
day when I had to leave the ship at Eniwetok.

WARREN PROCTOR - Jarrell, TX - We loaded troops at Pearl Harbor and
went around the islands training boat crews and Army on invasion
maneuvers Planes were also training. One of the planes flew the wrong
way and collided with another plane. We saw 3 men bail out. Ray Pease
broke rank and picked one man up. I would have done the same if I
had been close. Ray was almost court martialed for the act.

George Tuppan - LaHabra Hts., CA - Another happening that comes to
mind about the Lowndes. Can't remember the month or year but we had
to paint the engine and boiler room bulkheads. Not sure of the reason
but believe it was because of an inspection by the brass. Worked
on the project for about three weeks, never knew that white paint
came in so many different shades. One could see where we started
and stopped. Some of the paint was white with a pinkish tint, some
with a blue tint and white with a grey tint. The 5 gallon buckets
came from the paint locker and no one knew what color was coming
up next. But it was fun (?) and the bulkheads did look clean when
we finished.

BILL DAVIS - Portage, IN - Recall liberty on Espirito Santos and

while on it, several of us went swimming in a clear and COLD river
flowing from some higher elevation. Man! That water was COLD! But
Ah! so refreshing! Lovely people on that island I'll say. Wish I
had been more alert and got some sort of souvenirs from that spot.
One guy did say something about a grass skirt - but not an empty
one.

ELLIOTT T. PILCHARD - Oxnard, CA - When I reported for duty, as
QMic, the Lowndes was at dock at Astoria, Oregon - having just come
down from the Columbia River where it had been launched on July 18,
1944 at the Oregon Shipbuilding yards at Portland. I first had to
pick my "sack" (3rd hi of a 4 hi tier)...and I remember well its
location...a deck above the evaporators...and a deck below the
bakery...talk about HOT! After taking a quick look at facilities
I would be using - the head - chow hall, etc. went to the bridge
where I'd be working all the time. I was very impressed. .. the latest
of everything and a fair amount of elbow room - which I wasn't
accustomed to, on my last ship. The CQM when I came aboard was Michael
Uporski.. he and I worked together getting necessary
charts...navigation books (HO 214 - 211 - 208). Notices to Mariners
- Coast Piloting - etc. Also the sextants... chronometers...plotting
instruments...and whatever was necessary to navigate. Believe me,
there were stacks of Notices to Mariners... published weekly and all
this information had to be physically plotted on all charts aboard,
such as changes in navigational aids and hazards of all kinds. This
was a long and tedious job...as everything had to be exact. Dates
and length of times have become vague (after all that was 46 years
ago!) to me... so understand, my dates and times might not be exact
unless of course I got it from a good source.

3/94 -5-

U.S.S. LOWNDES BEACH PARTY TALES

Before boarding the Lowndes, we were training with the Army at Camp
San Luis Obispo 1944. Kelly BM1c who had been in the Navy for quite
a few years took a gunny sack with him when we went to Pismo Beach
on simulated landings with the Dogfaces. Some one asked Kelly "What
are you doin' with the sack?" He answered "You'll see." That we did.
At Pismo Beach (noted for clams) we watched as he dug the critters
out of the sand& ate'em. He brought a mess of them back to camp with
him. Our quarters were wooden huts heated by an oil stove. Into a
pail with some water went the clams and placed on the stove to simmer
for hours. Thus was made his private stock of clam chowder.

Another story about Kelly involves our outing at the rifle range in
Maui. As the day wore on it could be noticed that Kelly had more
than "Maggie's Drawers" on his mind. Lt. Meadows called him over
and asked for his canteen. As Kelly reached for a canteen, the Lt.
said "Not that one, the other one." Poor Kelly what a pathetic figure
he made as the Lt. poured the spirits on to the ground. Needless
to say, I'm sure Beach Party members will agree that he was quite
a character.

LEO O'BRIEN - Maiden, MA - Margaret and I attended a ceremony at
the Massachusetts State House "Hall of Flags" on February 19, 1994.
The program was mostly U.S. Marines from the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine
Divisions. It was quite impressive with the reading of names of Medal
of Honor winners and the playing of taps. There were speeches from
representatives of all branches of service and General Neil of the
Marines and Desert Storm. The Marine Monument of Iwo Jima in
Washington is the only National Monument of World War II and
Massachusetts is the only state to recognize "Iwo Jima Day" The whole
program was very moving.

Thanks to Dan Wisdom and Elliott Pilchard for their assistance in
rounding out the Narrative History of the U.S.S. Lowndes.

OTTO WALKER - Bim, WV - So you want to know the recipe for S.O.S.?
Well you have asked the most "Qualified" cook aboard the Lowndes.
There were two different kinds of S.O.S. One was made of canned dry
beef with layers of paper between the beef and it was pre-cooked
and sliced, all we had to do was cut it up, then make a butter roux
which consisted of flour and butter cooked in a dish pan, stirring
until flour was fully cooked. Then beef broth was added until it
was a thin sauce, then the sliced dry beef was added and seasoned
to taste. It was served over toast. The Navy called it chipped beef
on toast? The other recipe was identical with the exception that
hamburger was substituted for the beef. I personally preferred the
hamburger kind. But not many cooks would eat S.O.S. of ANY kind.
After 31 months as first class - Warrant Officer McKeller recommended
me for Chief telling me that the hardest part was the cooking.

Ed. Note: I still like it but Jean will use sliced hard boiled eggs
instead of any kind of meat.

3/94 -6-

GEORGE & GLENDA TUPPAN - After flying into Kennedy airport Sunday
we were herded together to a waiting bus that was to take us to our
cruise ship. The bus snaked its way through the streets of New York.
We boarded the Golden Odysey, two hours later (Monday) we were
underway cruising the Atlantic Ocean. The next morning (Tuesday)
we docked at Newport News, VA, had breakfast aboard and started our
bus tour to Williamsburg. All the buildings have been restored to
their original look. Rockefeller set up a trust fund which is used
for the maintenance and up keep of Williamsburg. We took a walking
tour with the temperature around 50°. Had lunch at the oldest pub
in town. A very informative tour. The following day (Wednesday) we
were cruising the Atlantic again and had a Russ Limbaugh room, tapes
and a VCR. The ship furnished drinks and snacks. Thursday - we docked
in Charleston, SC, had breakfast and walked along taking in the sights
until we approached a cemetery. Decided to take a look and Glenda
pointed to a small marker with the letter "L", we started to read
the names on a 4" x 6' granite marker over the grave. It read "William
Lowndes October 17, 1871 - October 29, 1952 & His Wife". I said to
Glenda that I believe this was the man our ship was named after.
Upon arriving home, I checked the records and sure enough it was.
Returning to the ship we had lunch, then boarding the tour bus we
toured the city of Charleston, stopping to shop on the way to the
Citadel - established in 1842. It was very much in the news because
of a girl demanding to attend. We then drove to a point in the bay
to view Fort Sumter and the history of the island during the war
between the states. Friday we were back aboard the ship cruising
the Atlantic Ocean. The ship had lost one engine so we could not
complete the tour to Savannah, GA and had to head for Nassau or we
would be late to catch our flight home. Nassau airport, customs,
boarding plane for Orlando for connecting flight to Los Angeles.

(Can't understand why Machinist's Mate George Tuppan didn't take
time to repair that engine).

READY FOR MORE "NOW YOU KNOW?"

Who was the shipmate that had the distinction of being the last crew
member to leave the Lowndes on the date (17 April 1946) of
decommissioning?

NAVY PUNISHMENTS IN THE MID-19th CENTURY:

Bad cooking - 12 strokes of whip

Stealing leader's wig - 12 strokes

Stealing liquor - 12 strokes

Dirty clothes - 12 strokes

Being naked on deck - 9 strokes

John Jurica = Bagged 1 buck & 2 wild pigs.

Through 1969 there were a total of 232 listed ATTACK TRANSPORTS (APA).
The honor of one of them bearing the name of a shipmate of ours goes
to Rank Dawson - of Charleston, WV. - U. S. S. Dawson (APA 79)

'Why is it that the one who snores falls asleep first?'

3/94

-7-
MY LOG & DIARY - FRED BRINKMAN

Mar. 13 to Mar. 20, 1945 - Anchored in Saipan Harbor with troops
of the 2nd Marines aboard. Routine works consists of loading cargo.
Beer-recreation parties on Saipan. Weather is very hot.

Mar. 21 to Mar. 28, 1945 - Prepared for our second invasion, we leave
Saipan on March 27. In a convoy of twenty transports we head for
the Jap-held island of Okinawa in the Rykus.

Mar. 29 to Apr. 5, 1945 - Celebrated Easter with L-Day on Okinawa,
April 1st. The first and second days, we make fake landings on S.E.
tip of the island. Enemy air opposition was hot.

Apr. 6 to Apr. 13, 1945 - With all troops aboard, we retire to sea
to await orders for our "real" landing. Receive orders on April 11th
and join the big fleet at Okinawa where fighting is tough.

Apr. 14 to Apr. 21, 1945 - All our troops and cargo have been landed
on Okinawa. Enemy air opposition continues. However, we do not take
casualties on board. Leave Okinawa. Arrive Saipan April 18.

Apr. 22 to Apr. 29, 1945 - Upon completion of our second invasion,
we once more harbor in Saipan with only our crew aboard. We finally
receive a rest.

Apr. 30 to May 7, 1945 - At anchor in Saipan Harbor. For the first
time in many months, chow is good, there is little work with movies
every night and mail calls each day.

May 8 to May 15, 1945 - At anchor in Saipan Harbor. On May 15th we
pulled into the docks to load more cargo and troops as a preview
to another invasion.

May 16 to May 23, 1945 - Receive a complete load of troops and cargo
on May 16th. New orders are received four days later, when we again
pull into the docks to unload troops and cargo.

May 24 to May 31, 1945 - At anchor in Saipan Harbor with only our
crew on board. Routine work, including a complete painting and
repairing of the ship.

June 1 to June 8, 1945 - Underway from Saipan on June 4th. Destination
- Tulagi Harbor in the Solomons, where we will transport, either
troops or cargo back to the Mariannas.

June 9 to June 16, 1945 - I become a Shellback on June 10th when
we cross the Equator. Arrived in the Solomons on June 12th. Leave
the Solomons on June 15th for New Hebrides.

June 17 to June 24, 1945 - Arrived at Espiritu Santo in the New
Hebrides on June 17th. Follett, Freider and I received commendations
on June 21st. Begin loading cargo on June 24th. Received two
liberties. Underway from the New Hebrides on June 26th with full
load of cargo headed for Guam by way of Eniwetok, the course we
followed going south.

3/94

-8-

CHANGES & ADDITIONS TO DECEMBER 1993 ROSTER

Lorraine (Roy) Collins

16478 Galloway Rd.
Caldwell, ID 83605
(208)455-1891

Clement M. Hoffman
(409)244-2129

Rhonal E. Shy
Rt. 1 - Box 1379

Buford L. Sims
RR 1 - 13251-ERTD

John F. Morrissey
RD #1 - Box 71
Arco, ID 83213
(208)527-3460

Alonzo H. Hodgson, Jr.
P. 0. Box 578
Redwater, TX 75573
(903)671-2485

Sam Hardy
(516)653-6709

Vincent Halbauer
(816)931-8508

William L. Markus S2c
130 S. Normandy Dr.
Chicago Heights, IL 60411
(708)754-1945

Pat (C. F.) Murray
4389 Maury Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90807

June (Joe) Zinkgraf
126 Phanturn Lane
Bellaire, TX 77401
(713)668-3707

Juanita (Harold) Ward
Box 188
Beaver, WV 25813
(713)668-3707

Jane (Albert) Resetar
1333 Watson Road
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
(517)773-3214

Arnold Matzen
(402)427-7187

It has been suggested by the Reunion Committee that shipmates hunt around in their
closets of memories and bring an old photo of themselves to the Reunion in San
Diego. Photo taken while in the Service.

This will inform you of the death of Albert P. Resetar on Dec. 10, 1993. Al had

been in good health prior to his sudden fatal heart attack. We were looking forward
to the next Lowndes convention. Both of us enjoyed the meetings at Fort Wayne,
and at Harrisburg. He spoke often of the many friendships he renewed there.
Sincerely

Jane Resetar

Al left the Lowndes October 1945 as an Ensign. He also served aboard the USS Prince
Georges (AKA 224) and the USS Kennebago (AO 81). Last active duty was in July 1946.
1948 St. Joseph's College B.S., Collegeville, Indiana.
1948-51 LaRue, Ohio (Math, Science & Coach).

1951-52 Campbell, Lowrie, Lautennilch (Construction Chicago area).

1952-63 Benton Harbor, Michigan (Jr. High 3 yrs. Sr. High 8 yrs.)
Also 5 yrs. at Benton Harbor Jr. College.
1955 Masters Degree - Purdue U. 2nd Masters U of Detroit.
1963-89 Professor of Mathematics Central Michigan U.

Also received word that Roy D. Collins passed away November 28, 1991.
Harold F. Ward passed away October 30, 1993.

We extend the Reunion Groups deepest sympathy to all the families and friends of
these men, our shipn-iates.