Lest we forget to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. . .
77 years ago, on Feb. 26, 1944, the USS Grayback (SS-208), sailed off into history on her final and eternal patrol.
Grayback’s tenth patrol, her most successful in terms of tonnage sunk, was also to be her last. From captured Japanese records the submarine's last few days can be pieced together. Heading home through the East China Sea, on 27 February Grayback used her last two torpedoes to sink the freighter Ceylon Maru. That same day, a Japanese carrier-based plane spotted a submarine on the surface in the East China Sea and attacked. According to Japanese reports the submarine "exploded and sank immediately," but antisubmarine craft were called in to depth-charge the area, clearly marked by a trail of air bubbles, until at last a heavy oil slick swelled to the surface. Grayback had ended her last patrol, one which cost the enemy some 21,594 tons of shipping.
80 men were lost.
SAILORS, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmates.

Visit the Perch Base Eternal Patrol page.

VETERANS CRISIS LINE
Are you a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one?
Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves. It is confidential and available every day, 24/7.
Click on the picture, above, to go to the VETERANS CRISIS LINE.

Lou Reynolds Eternal Patrol
Perch Base Life Member and Holland Club Member Lou Reynolds departed on Eternal Patrol on February 3, 2021. Lou was a dual member of both Perch Base and White Mountain Base. Our condolences to Beulah, and the rest of the family.
Lou joined the Navy in 1943. His first submarine assignment was as a Radioman (RMSN) on a Sub Relief Crew and assigned to the USS Hackleback (SS‑295) in 1944 which was also his qual boat.
Lou also served on the USS Sawfish (SS‑276) and the USS Apogon (SS‑308) in 1946, the USS Blenny (SS‑324) in 1947, and the USS Tilefish (SS‑307) from 1951 to 1952, prior to his discharge as a RMN2(SS) in 1952.
A Celebration of Life service for Lou Reynolds was held February 23rd at Thompson Funeral Home and followed by the Interment later that day.
Read more about Lou and view more pictures in the full Eternal Patrol Notice HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHUCK LUNA!
Congratulations to our Midwatch Editor, Chuck Luna, on the Perch Base Midwatch Newsletter being awarded the Class I Second Runner Up Award.
The awards are normally presented at the National Convention, but since the 2020 National Convention in Tucson was postponed, it took quite a while for this award to catch up to us.

Gene Luellig Eternal Patrol
We are sad to report that Perch Base Life and Holland Club member Daniel E. (Gene) Luellig, EMCS(SS) (ret) went on Eternal Patrol on February 23, 2020.
Our condolences to his wife Gail and other members of the family.
Gene's first boat in 1964, and his qual boat, was the USS Bream (AGSS‑243). It then appears that he became a nuke electrician and was assigned aboard the USS Patrick Henry (SSBN‑599). His next boat was the USS Bergall (SSN‑667) from 1968 to 1969, which would place him as a plankowner on the commissioning crew. Gene was also on the commissioning crew of the USS Guitarro (SSN‑665) from 1969 to 1971. He next served on the USS Archerfish (SSN‑678) from 1971 to 1976. He made Chief Electrician Mate during construction of the USS La Jolla, (SSN‑701) from 1979 to 1980 and ultimately Senior Chief Electrician Mate prior to his retirement in 1983.
View the full Eternal Patrol Notice HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

Bob Lents Eternal Patrol
We are sad to report that Perch Base Life and Holland Club member and SVWWII member Robert Wayne Lents went on Eternal Patrol at the age of 99 on November 23, 2020.
Our condolences to his wife Carolyn and other members of the family.
Shipmate Robert C. "Bob" Lents, was believed to be the sole surviving member of the crew of USS PERCH (SS‑176), our Perch Base namesake. The USS Perch was forced to scuttle herself after being mortally wounded in a depth charge attack. All crew members were picked up by the Japanese, and sent to Prisoner of War camps. Six crew members of USS Perch (SS‑176) died as Prisoners of War.
View the full Eternal Patrol Notice HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Bringing back memories?
Happy Thanksgiving from your Webmaster to our Perch Base members and their families, and all those presently serving under the ocean blue!

Gilbert Veterans Day
Eight Perch Base members brought the USS Phoenix (SSN-702) to the 2020 Town of Gilbert, AZ Veterans Day Ceremony on November 5, 2020, at the Gilbert Regional Park.
The "Master of Ceremonies" was our own Perch Base Associate Member (and Miss Gilbert 2020), Danielle Skranak.
Just in case we didn't feel safe, this tank was parked right in front of the USS Phoenix to protect us!
View more details and pictures HERE.

Visit Our New Facebook Page
Come and visit, LIKE and FOLLOW our new Facebook Page, USSVI Perch Base Arizona.
Building a successful Social Media network for any organization is no longer a "we’ll think about it" topic. Today, it is a MUST DO for all nonprofit organizations, including United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) and its Bases. It is critical if we want to expand our membership growth and communicate our unique mission story in an effective and cost-effective manner.

After not having a meeting since June and March, it was great to finally get together again at Dillon's BBQ in Glendale, AZ, for a meeting on October 10, 2020.

In an uncommon alignment of the sun, moon and planets, four past Western District 1 (AZ, NM) Commanders were in attendance at the October 10, 2020, Perch Base USSVI meeting.
(l-r) Jack Messersmith, Jim Denzien, Dennis Ottley and Vic Van Horn.

ADM Carlisle Trost, USN (Ret.)
Some of you may have served with Admiral Carlisle Trost. It is with deep regret that we inform you of the passing of Admiral Carlisle A. H. Trost, former Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) on September 29, 2020. He was 90.
He qualified in submarines, aboard the USS Sirago (SS-485) in 1956. He also served on the USS Swordfish (SSN-579,) as the Executive Officer on submarine USS Scorpion (SSN-589,) as the Executive Officer on USS Von Steuben (SSBN-632 Blue,) and Commanding Officer on USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN-635 Blue.)
View the Eternal Patrol Notice HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

ASSM Opening Ceremony
Monday, September 28, 2020, the ASSM Committee conducted a Ribbon Cutting ceremony, or as is the traditional greeting of a Submarine returning home to Pearl Harbor from a successful WestPac mission with a Hawaiian Lei instead of the ribbon.
View more pictures and discussion HERE.
SAVE THE DATE: April 17, 2021, for the ASSM Dedication Ceremony.

Bob Hanson Eternal Patrol
We are sad to report that Perch Base Life and Holland Club member and SVWWII member Robert Norman Hanson went on Eternal Patrol at the age of 99 on August 17, 2020 with his son Glen by his side.
Our condolences to his son Glen Hanson, daughter Ellen Austin and other members of the family.
Both Bob (Little Swede) and his older brother, Henry Howard Hanson (Big Swede) were crewmembers on the Seawolf (SS‑197), and Bob was the last surviving member of the original Seawolf crew. Bob enlisted when he was 18 in 1940, a year after his brother. They were both in Manila Bay on the Seawolf in the Philippines when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was lucky to be transferred to another sub before the Seawolf was sunk with all hands lost due to friendly fire in 1944.
Bob's first two assignments were the USS Cero (SS‑225) and USS Threadfin (SS‑410). It was then, in 1941, that he was assigned to the Seawolf and qualified in submarines and completed 9 war patrols. After the Seawolf, he was assigned to the USS Guitarro (SS‑363) in 1944 as a plankowner where he completed 4 more war patrols prior to the end of World War 2.
After the war, Bob served on the USS Silversides (SS‑236) in 1945, USS Corsair (SS‑435) from 1946-1948, USS Sea Poacher (SS‑406) from 1953 to 1955, becoming a Chief Engineman (ENC). He also served on the USS Tautog (SS‑199) from 1955 to 1958 and finally the USS Crevalle (SS‑291) from 1958 to 1959. He served twenty years on subs until his retirement in 1959.
After retiring from the navy he continued to proudly serve his country working for the government in the Armed Forces training new personnel.
His Memorial and interment will be deferred due to the pandemic. Announcement to come.
View the full Eternal Patrol Notice HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

Patriots Day
Thirteen Perch Base Members and wives participated in the 1st Annual Patriot Day Parade in Historic Downtown Williams, AZ, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. The parade theme was "WE ARE STRONG."
Williams honored our distinguished men & women in uniform, the American veteran & their families, law enforcement, fire & first responders, and our doctors, nurses & frontline workers.
Both parade participants and the audience turned out in large numbers.
And anytime we pass the Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon City on the way to or from an event, some of us always stop for PIE!
See many more pictures of the Williams, AZ, Patriot Day Parade HERE.

Found YOUR paver yet?
All the pavers have been placed at the Arizona Silent Service Memorial (ASSM).
Can you find yours?
The pictures of all the pavers are on the ASSM Construction Page HERE.

Robert Link Award
On 08/29/2020, USSVI National announced that Tim Moore was selected posthumously for the Robert Link National Commander’s Award.
Robert "Bob" Link was the first National Commander of USSVI.
This is the USSVI version of a “Letter of Commendation” from the National Commander. The selection and presentation of this Award is at the discretion of the National Commander, Selections are made by the National Commander, Wayne Standerfer.
View the full Eternal Patrol Notice HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

UNDERWAY ON DIESEL POWER!
The Arizona Silent Service Memorial was transported from Nate Decker's studio, The Bloc Project, in Anthem, AZ to its permanent location at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza on Thursday, August 27, 2020.
We set the MANEUVERING WATCH, SHIFTED COLORS, and put the Memorial (all 32,000 pounds) on a truck.
On the morning of 17 January 1955, at 11 am EST, Nautilus' first Commanding Officer, Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson, ordered all lines cast off and signaled the memorable and historic message, "Underway on Nuclear Power."
Since the tractor trailer is a diesel, and some of our members are DBF sailors, we declared that the ASSM is "Underway on Diesel Power."
The Memorial was secured on the trailer for the trip to Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. On the Usta Fish, we would "stow for sea" and then perform "Angles & Dangles" to verify that we didn't overlook anything.
The final construction steps, including placing the pavers is expected to be completed over the next couple weeks.
The official dedication ceremony will be April 17, 2021, but it will be open to the public as soon as it is completed.
See more pictures and video links HERE.

Congrats to Vic
The USSVI election results are IN!
Congratulations to our Perch Base Holland Club member and Life member Vic Van Horn who was elected as Western Regional Director!

Jim Nelson Eternal Patrol
Perch Base Holland Club Member Jim (Nellie) Nelson departed on Eternal Patrol on August 15, 2020.
Our condolences to his wife, Nancy, who was the Perch Base Subvettes President for many years, his son, Brent, who is also a Qualified Submariner, and the rest of the family.
Jim was our Perch Base Chief of the Boat (COB) in 2001, the Base Storekeeper from 2003 to 2008, and was awarded Perch Base Sailor of the Year Award in 2007.
View the full Eternal Patrol Notice HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

We Trained For This!
With all the recent activity and cancellations as a result of the Corona Virus, this speaks for itself!

WANT TO CARPOOL?
NEED A RIDE?
The image, above, shows that we have members all over metropolitan Phoenix. Left-click on the image for a larger view. If you are a Perch Base member and would like to consider carpooling, you are willing to pickup another member, or you need a ride to meetings or events, send an email to the webmaster at webmaster@perch-base.org.
The Board of Directors will attempt to match you with another nearby member who has similarly asked to carpool, or is willing to pickup another member. The Board will then provide the name, email, and phone number to the interested members that can then get in touch with each other to make specific arrangements. We are not publicly posting names or personal information to maintain privacy.
Keep in mind that if you wait until the last minute to request a match-up for a particular event, we may not be able to respond in time.

JOIN US AT A MEETING.
We meet the second Saturday of every month at 1200 hours (noon if you’ve been out a while) at Dillon's Restaurant, 20585 North 59th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85308-6821 (Left-click address, or the map above, for a Google map to Dillon's.) Come at 1100 for time to "socialize."
NOTE: Several recent meetings have been cancelled due to the coronavirus. Check our SAILING ORDERS page before "dropping in" on a meeting!

BOAT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
The purpose of the Boat Sponsorship Program (BSP) is to make the active duty submarine force members aware of USSVI and provide them with information about our activities through sponsorship of the American Submariner to the various Submarine related organizations. After all, these force members represent the future core membership of USSVI.
Perch Base is a sponsor, but did you know that individual members may sponsor each Fast Attack Submarine and/or each crew of the Boomers? Magazines are also sent to VA hospitals, NROTC units, schools and other places. The cost is $30 per year for a total of 12 magazines (three each of the four annual volumes.)
Our Perch Base Life Member Vic Van Horn is the USSVI BSP Program Manager. Let’s make Vic proud. Check your copy of the American Submariner to sign up for the program.

Lt. (jg) George Herbert Walker Bush
In the upper picture, above, the crew of the USS Finback (SS-230) rescues downed pilot, Lieutenant Bush of Torpedo Squadron 51 on September 2, 1944 after Japanese antiaircraft defense shot down his torpedo bomber between the northeastern end of Minami Jima and the southern tip of Chichi Jima. (Left-click the picture to enlarge.)
In the bottom picture, Rescued pilots and the crew and officers of the Finback. Lt. (jg) George Herbert Walker Bush is second from the left in the front row.
Bush, and 4 other rescued aviators remained on the Finback as "guests" while she tracked and attacked convoys, endured depth charges from Japanese escort ships, and sank two ships (an oiler and small cargo ship). The five ended their stay on the Finback on Midway Island on September 29, after 29 days aboard the submarine (and crossing the international date line).
Read more about how the submarine service performed "Lifeguard Duty" during WW2 in the National Archives HERE.