Posted on 09/20/2005 10:15:00 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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![]() are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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The USS Nantahala was launched in 1944 and broken up in 1975. During her 31 years of service she sailed the world providing the "life blood" of the fleet to ships of our Navy as well as to those of our allies. ![]() Fleet Oilers were the gas stations of the fleet, transferring their cargo to other ships while at sea in an operation called Underway Replenishment, or the UNREP detail. They carried thick, black fuel oil to fire ship's boilers, highly volatile aviation gasoline for gas powered aircraft, and JP5 jet fuel for jet powered aircraft. Duty on a Fleet Oiler didn't have the glory serving on a "tin can" or "bird farm", our customers, did. Many times we couldn't even share the same liberty ports with them because we either had to stay out and refuel the ships remaining on station or go elsewhere in order to take on more cargo. However, without the Fleet Oilers the Task Groups and Task Forces of the Navy would have been severely limited in their range of operations and the time they could stay at sea. ![]() Underway Replenishment Port and Starboard Life underway was typically long periods of steaming broken up by the underway replenishment detail. For most ships underway replenishment lasted a couple of hours. For us on the Nantahala underway replenish operations could sometimes be continuous for a couple of days, working around the clock, grabbing a sandwich and nap when and where we could. When not refueling time was spent maintaining the ship, her equipment, and rigs. All of this was done to the ever-present odor of black oil. Fleet Oilers were "working" ships, and work we did. The USS Nantahala was laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard, Inc., Sparrows Point, MD, 31 October 1943: launched 29 April 1944; sponsored by Miss Mary Louise Reed; delivered to the Navy 19 June 1944; and commissioned that same day, Comdr. Palmer M. Gunnell in command.
![]() After shakedown in Chesapeake Bay, Nantahala departed Norfolk 22 July for the Dutch West Indies where, after loading a cargo of oil and gasoline at Aruba, she steamed for fleet tanker duty in the Pacific. Sailing via Pearl Harbor, she reached Kwajalein 25 August and served there as station tanker until heading for the Marianas 2 September. She arrived at Guam the 10th and during the remainder of the month deployed twice to replenish ships of the 3rd Fleet pounding Japanese positions from the Palaus to the Philippines.
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Hobbit Child, indeed! Alas, she is letting me know it is time for second breakfast.
elfboy says, "Rosie? That is just too funny!"
elfboy says, "Rosie? That is just too funny!"
LOL!!
That's sort of an "In your face" look. :-)
Lot's of critics of the US "logistic tail" but it's what makes our military the best.
Thanks. I had no idea what she was named after. Learned something new. :-)
On this day In History
Birthdates which occurred on September 22:
0130 Claudius Galenus, Italian physician/scholar
1290 Bilbo Baggins (in Shire Reconning)
1452 Girolamo Savonarola (d.1498), born in Ferrara. (best known as a book burner)
1694 Lord Chesterfield letter writer; introduced Gregorian calendar (1752)
1791 Michael Faraday discovered principle of electric motor
1822 Brig Gen Eppa Hunton fought in most ANV campaigns
1827 John Grubb Parke, Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1900
1829 William Worth Belknap, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
1833 Stephen Dill Lee, Lt Gen (Confederate Army), died in 1908
1842 Abdul-Hamid II 34th sultan of Turkey (lost Romania & Serbia)
1882 Wilhelm Keitel, German fieldmarshal
1885 Erich von Stroheim early film director/actor (Grand Illusion)
1892 Frank Sullivan humorist (New Yorker Magazine)
1895 Paul Muni actor (Acad Award 1936-Angel on My Shoulder, Juarez)
1901 Allan "Rocky" Lane Mishawaka Ind, actor (voice of Mr Ed, Red Ryder)
1902 John Houseman Bucharest Romania, actor (Kingsfield-Paper Chase)
1912 Alfred G Vanderbilt thoroughbred horse owner (Native Dancer)
1920 Jay Ward, cartoonist (Rocky & his Friends, Bullwinkle), born
1922 Chen Ning Yang China, physicist/disproved parity (Nobel 1957)
1924 Norvel Lee US, light-heavyweight boxer (Olympic-gold-1952)
1927 Tom Lasorda baseball manager (LA Dodgers)
1932 Ingemar Johansson Sweden, world heavyweight boxing champ (1952)
1939 Junko Tabei Japan, 1st woman to climb Mount Everest
1942 William C Nelson, rep/astronaut (STS 24)
1949 David Coverdale rocker (Whitesnake-Here We Go Again)
1954 Shari Belafonte Harper NYC, actress (Julie-Hotel)
1956 Debby Boone Hackensack NJ, singer-had her life lit up
1957 Mark Johnson Madison WI, NHL forward (Olympic-gold-1980, Pitts, NJ)
1960 Joan Jett Phila, singer (Blackhearts-I Love Rock 'n Roll)
1960 Scott Baio Bkln, (Joanie loves Chachi, Charles in Charge, Zapped)
1961 Catherine Oxenberg actress (Dallas)
1969 Melissa Lynn Costello Shenandoah WV, Miss WV-America (1991)
She has learned well to "cheese" for the camera.
Ooooo, very nice.
Thanks!
Our pal Chuck Yeager was at the stick during the examination.
Say Hey!
Hey WN, have you heard from MBY this week?
I love it. Thanks for the tour of the Nanty.
Good morning feather.
Dang, I am angry. Washington would not have allowed what we see around us.
Here I am crying over spilt milk.
I don't get it. You sound like me. I thought I was the one with no hope and you always trying to tell me we were going to be allright?? I want a revolution and it "a'int gonna" happen.
I talked to her on IM a couple of days ago. Monday. I'm pretty sure it was Monday. ........ Why? Need to get her a msg?
I talked to her on IM a couple of days ago. Monday. I'm pretty sure it was Monday. ........ Why? Need to get her a msg?
Nah, I don't remember if you said he had already gotten away from Crosshairville at the coast, or not.
Just making sure she's not at ground zero for Rita.
Hey, is that from the Evergreen museum in Oregon? Looks familiar.
LOL. What a look!! She is adorable.
She's out of the woods. She's 100 miles inland but still probably right in the path of the storm..... but then, so am I, just a few miles further inland than MBY.
My plants have been needing rain. Looks like its coming by the name of Rita. :-)
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