Navy Pages 

(front row) Hale Delavan, Tim (Mark) Smith, Gene O'Neill, Kevin McCormack, Gary Vulliet (my roommate), King Dietrich, Gary Edwards, Bruce Bosshard, Ed Victoriano, Gill Lott.

(second row) John Osborne,  Lennie Spencer, Joni Parker, Kathy Gray, Marie Hyman, Ann West, Connie Bynum, Penny Leatherbarrow, Linda Geiger, Kurt Hyttel, Ding Espiritu; our company officer, 2nd Officer Wilson (Royal Navy); Hank Booth (Color Guard)

(back row) Steve Pfeiffer, Pete Buczynski, Dave Chester, John Gallagher, Horace Williamson (I think he had some other nickname...), Curt West,  Bob Juergens, Ken Moore, and finally ME!

These are photos of my first ship, the USS Kinkaid ,(DD-965), which was built in a modular sequence in Pascagoula, MS, and commissioned in 1976 (A bi-centennial destroyer?)  It was an interesting nearly four years.  I reported aboard as an Ensign, and left a crusty Lieutenant.  I started out as Missile Officer and Security Officer, and then became Electrical Officer.  This ship had an amazing group of officers and enlisted men in my day, with diverse talents and true military professionalism.  I have links to photos of the Wardroom Officers from both the 1980 Westpac and the 1983 Westpac deployments. 

The skipper was an amazing man named Gordon Riggle.    I used to pray that I could know a tenth as much as he did about the sea and sailing it.  A quote from Gordon: "The superior mariner uses his superior judgment to avoid the use of his superior skills."   (Thanks, Brad, for remembering that quote).  I even met my wife Kathleen aboard this vessel.  I think I knew every inch of that ship before I transferred.  I don't think any sailor ever forgets his first ship.  I know I won't.

     Above is a picture of  KINKAID when I was aboard, before removal of her ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) launcher, and addition of her MK-41 VLS (Vertical Launching System)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              This is a NSSMS missile I launched, and a Close-In-Weapons-System (CIWS) firing

The first pic shows Vern Wing (Combat Sys), Bill Keating (XO), me, Bob Condon (CHENG), and the skipper, Gordon Riggle.  The date was July 24th, 1982, and I was pleased (and relieved!) to have passed my oral board and qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer.

The second photo is the Skipper and Joe Klingseis, the weapons boss, pinning on my LT insignia

The third picture is the day I met my bride, Kathleen.  Do I look happy?!?
She was aboard for a "Wives & Sweethearts" cruise out of San Diego.
She'd come aboard as a guest of the gal who was dating the Skipper.

The Mega-Quackers were the ship's department heads. They were
a great group of guys to learn from and work for.  I don't know
the symbology behind this tee-shirt design, (printable size here!) cause
I was just a lowly division officer at the time.  I wish my Dept head
tour on the Lang had been so meaningful and fun.

This is Kinkaid breaking away from alongside USS Coral Sea.  I was privileged to ride on Coral Sea before she was decommissioned, and take these pictures.   Kinkaid was powered by four GE LM-2500 gas turbine engines, the same jets used on the DC-10 airliners.  She had three Allison jet engines used only for electricity and hot water.  One of Kinkaid's mottos was "Kinkaid Engineers:  6 Million Watts and 30 Plus Knots."  The fastest I ever saw was 34.25 Knots.  That is nearly 40 miles per hour on land.  Pretty good for something weighing over 8000 tons!    More HiRes pictures of Kinkaid

The Kinkaid was decommissioned during a ceremony at the Naval Station San Diego, January 7, 2003.  The Officers and Sailors of the  Kinkaid 'Manned The Rails' for the last time. 

Kinkaid was stricken from the Navy list on April 6, 2004, and on July 14, 2004, the KINKAID was sunk as a target  at  22° 55' 13.50"N , 159° 59' 40.50" W (about 60 miles northwest of Kauai, Hawaii) during exercise RIMPAC 2004.

My second tour was Communications Officer with Commander, Amphibious Squadron Two, from October 1983 until March, 1985.  Although I met some wonderful junior officers there, the PHIBRON was a difficult and professionally degrading job.  The last Commodore I had, (his name was Strole) ordered the five large amphibious ships in the formation to stay in formation as we were departing the Straits of Gibraltar!  Can you imagine the number of close calls we had that night?  (He was an aviator, and didn't know SQUAT about maneuvering vessels.)   I was Squadron Duty Officer, and I called the Commodore FIVE times. He refused to come to the Flag Bridge to assess the situation.  All the squadron ship's CO's were calling me every few minutes.

Still makes me angry to think about it...

 
 

Good Libs, Go Phibs!  Me with Mike Webb, Glenn Welch (CSO), and Paul Striffler (OPS)
on the French Riviera, near Nice.  I deployed one month after we were married.  Gone for
seven months.  And some say the Navy life is hard?!?  We were also gone for about four
months for exercise Northern Wedding, off the northern coast of Norway. Brrrr...

 

 
 

My next tour of duty was Executive Officer at the Naval and Marine Corps
Reserve Readiness Center, Treasure Island, from May 1985 to June 1987  The building
(Bldg 2) had been built in the 30's as a China Clipper seaplane hangar.
The Reserve Center Skipper was a wonderful, salty Navy Captain named Ong.
It was a pleasure to work with someone who was really interested in mentoring his people.
The Enlisted staff was also friendly and professional.



 
 
 
 
 

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