BOLSTER STORIES!!!
 

Hey guys, we need to relive some of the GREAT events that happened while aboard the BOLSTER..  Your stories will spur others to share their memories.  So, PLEASE pass on any stories, silly, funny, sad, serious, whatever…  Subjects might include:

Bolster rescues…Tows…Sinkings…BAD weather…Enemy engagements…Toughest duties, best duties aboard…Largest/smallest tows…Liberty call…Best ports-of-call…Longest passages…Civilian passenger aboard…Diving close calls…Recompression stories…  You know, all the dirt on you BOLSTER crew!!!!

We have heard short takes about Captains dying aboard, shooting flying fish, petty officer taken of in a straight jacket, BOLSTER’s 15 battle stars (7 in Korea, 8 in Vietnam), the trading of BOLSTER property for “other” items, Enemy attacks at BOLSTER,  the search for the ‘sunken’ body of a double agent, the air tanker crash that happened just above BOLSTER while she was entering a Vietnam harbor, BOLSTER break downs,  rescues that where life threatening and so on.  So kick it in gear & share your memories with all of us….   You type it, I’ll post it!!!
 

Hello,

I just read about your efforts to save USS Bolster from the planned Sink-Ex. I enlisted in the Navy in 1977 because I had a dream to serve aboard USS Bolster (ARS-38) out of Hawaii. My girlfriend's Uncle, LCDR John Siemer, was Bolster's Commanding Officer at the time and her Father, a retired RMC, was very instrumental in swaying my decision to go Navy. A month after my 17th Birthday, I heeded that advice and joined the world's finest Navy. Unfortunately, the Navy had other plans for me and stationed me aboard USS Mars (AFS-1) out of Oakland, California. Sadly, USS Mars was the target of a SINKEX last year off the coast of Hawaii and her crew will forever hold that dear girl in our memories.

As for Bolster, that dream never emerged and I had to live vicariously though the eyes of one of my best friends, who was fortunate enough to take the path I was diverted from. He served aboard an ARS out of Hawaii at age 17 and lived my dream. Through his stories I was able to embrace the special world of the Salvage Ship Community and revel in the heroic deeds of those ships and their brave crews. USS Bolster was involved in many brilliant rescues and salvage operations during her illustrious career and should most definitely be turned into a naval salvage ship museum.

I have a family friend, Helen Hart Momsen, whose father and grandfather were Naval Officers in the salvage community. You may have heard about her Grandfather, Admiral Charles "Swede" Momsen. He invented the "Momsen Lung" and coordinated the rescue of USS Squalus in 1939. USS Momsen DDG-92 is named for him. I'm sure she will join in the fight to save USS Bolster from the sinkex and hopefully lend her name to this worthy cause. I'll get in touch with her and let you know.

Good luck and please let me know if I can do anything to help your valiant efforts.

Respectfully,

CWO3 Bill Wieber, USN (Ret.)
 

I was a crewmember on the BattleStar Bolster from April 1990 ~ March 1992 - just 12 days short of two years.
We spent a lot of time at Pier 9 (in Long Beach), but also made several cruises up and down the coast. We
towed a good many vessels to Mare Island for mothballs, and towed several sub hulls from there up to Puget
Sound for reactor removals. We even went clear down to the Panama Canal and towed a sub from there to
Bremerton with only one short overnight stop for fuel in San Diego. (Eight knots for over a month).
We also went to Hawaii for Salvage training, went through an OPPE, an Insurv, and a DORA (Divers Operational
Readiness Inspection). We passed them all.
We took a Submarine Rescue Chamber on our fore deck, and went out to 400 fsw off San Diego where we
supported SRC qualifications successfully. We operated with Coast Guard LEDet units off Southern Cal and
Mexico. Our Dive Locker served round the clock performing security checks during heightened alerts due to
Terrorist threats.
I came on board as a fresh HT1/DV, and by the time I left, I was qualified Duty Section Leader, and ER09,
was working toward Top Watch in Engineering, as well as working in the Dive Locker, and on the Foc'sle for
Sea and Anchor.
On junk boats, you don't just have one billet. Never a dull moment.
Let's keep the Battlestar Bolster alive! Hoo-yah!

HT1/DV (ret) Eric Christensen
 

Petty Officer James Perry reporting aboard.
 
     I came on board the Bolster in May ’72 as a MRFA and left in August ’74 as a MR3.  In between that those dates I had been a lot of places and learned a lot of things. I served under LCDR Jack Melton and LCDR John Seimer.  I worked in the machine shop and A-gang and whenever the divers were working so was A-gang. I worked for and with MMC (DV) Ron Fulkerson and EN3 Vern Wehri. We spent many hours working on AC units to try and make everyone happy.  I  remember the all good times  with the 35’ aluminum work boats as a boat engineer.
   
     Oh, the long days and nights of REFTRA and Salvage training with the Buttercup and laying beach gear. Some were good times and some were nightmares. Then, there was I think 3 months
 mess cooking for the chiefs that seemed like 3 years. When the USS Beaufort ATS-2 came to Alpha docks, they had a sign on their bow that said “We try harder”. So, we had a sign made,
 “We do more”.  We ended up having to take it down.
 
     I remember one night we were in the boat and we were going from Downtown Pearl  Harbor to the suburb of Alpha Docks. We were in the vicinity of the Arizona Memorial and we hit something and we lifted the whole bow of the boat out of the water, no damage except for scrapes along the bottom and a bruised ego of the boats.
 
     In ’73, we were in Haiphong Harbor Vietnam, a helo went down while clearing mines out of the harbor and we tried to salvage it. It was full of mud and silt  nd we couldn’t lift it but we did retrieve the black box. While we were doing this, there were Vietnamese gunboats right there with us watching. That was fun.
 
     We were always playing softball against other ships in ServRon 5.  Capt. Jack and Capt. Seimer were always there. We played the USS Force, a minesweep in a game in Subic Bay and
a couple of days later they had a fire at sea and burned to the bottom (wooden hull). We played a high school team in Malaysia and got beat pretty good but it was fun. We did have an Olympic Gold Medalist on board the Bolster.  Lt.(jg) Wrightson won the gold in platform diving.
 
     I’m always thinking back to my days on the Bolster and the friends that I made, Phill Raz, Vern Wehri, Ken Peterson, Ron Fulkerson just to name a few.
 
     Is the wood sign still on the door of the machine shop?  MR AC&R SHOP. I had that made in Subic Bay in ’73.
 
    To answer Neil Hansen’s question, the main engines were replaced with Caterpillers before 1972, as they were there when I came on board.
 
    In ’85, I was doing my 2 weeks reserves duty at Alameda NAS and one morning when I was walking to the shop I saw masts that looked like an ARS. I walked down to the piers at lunch time to check it out….and there she was….the Bolster.  I went on board one last time.
 
    I retired from the Naval Reserves in 1995 and I wanted to finish my naval career the way it started, on the Bolster,  but it never happened.
 
    Well, gotta go.
 
    Keep up the good work.
  
    James W. Perry   MR1 (Ret)
    aka  Jim Perry
 

Hi, Wow you guys are making the Bolster a museum? I was a reservist on the Bolster between 1984 to 1989.I had a lot of bad and good times on it. The active duty personnel on board didn't get along with us so it was challenging. I was on the deck department then became a cook. That one weekend and two weeks a year were very interesting and frustrating, I got sick every time we'd clear the break water and being stuck in the galley with a hung-over petty officer was no fun. I remember one time when we went to Hawaii/Pearl Harbor and broke down right along side the USS Arizona memorial and another time on the way up to Bremington towing a ship to the moth ball yards. I have lots more stories but have to go. E-Mail me if you have any questions.
Thanx
Andrew Kempt
 

Hello,
Did a Google search for Bolster and found your site. I served aboard the Bolster in 1952 and 1953. Went aboard as SA on the deck and left as SK3. I have sent several pictures of  the Bolster and events  in '52 and '53  to   NAFTS.com  and they are  now  I believe "public  domain" so  perhaps you might want to  add some of those to your site (  you are welcome to any that I have sent to NAFTS ) .  I recently sent  scanned copies of the  2 June 1952 Bolster  Plan of the day and the 5 June 1952 Bolster Watch list.   These were given to me a few years ago by Joe Kennedy, a diver aboard the Bolster and is MAA on the watch list.  These  will  give some information regarding the Bolster and crew during the Korean War.
Best wishes ,
Lynn R. Miller  
 

I was aboard the Bolster '66 to '69.  The best duty that could be had.  Something of interest is that Nafts has the Captains log  for the Bolster.  Not the ships log but a log kept by the Commanding Officer that summerizes the yearly activities of the Bolster.  I have a copy of the years that I was aboard and it has been very instrumental in obtaining benifits.  Would love to get in contact with some of the crew.
Thanks
Randy Boggess  (CS2)
 

HELLO ALL FORMER SHIPMATES.
I SERVERED ON THE BOLSTER DURING HER OVERHAUL IN PEARL SHIPYARD WAY BACK IN THE LATE 40'S.  MY MOST MEMORABLE EVENT I RECALL DURING MY TIME ABOARD .......WAS NOT HAVING A BUNK, BEING THE DUTY JEEP DRIVER AND GETTING MY FIRST TATTOO. BACK IN THOSE DAYS THERE WERE NO SHORT SLEEVE SHIRTS, LONG SLEEVE ONLY AND HAD TO BE ROLLED DOWN AND BUTTONED. MY  NEW TATTOO BECAME INFECTED BY MY SHIRT STICKING TO IT SO OFF TO SICK BAY I GO FOR SOME HELP......I KNEW THAT  IT WAS A COURT MARSHAL OFFENSE IF A TATTOO CAUSED  YOU NOT TO BE ABLE TO DO YOUR DUTIES.......THE DOC(FULL CAPT. AT THE PEARL HARBOR SICK BAY) ASK ME IF I WAS  TURNING IN FOR TREATMENT...............I SAID NO ONLY FOR ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO MYSELF.
HE TOLD ME TO KEEP BURMA SHAVE SHAVING CREAM ON IT AND IT WOULD HEAL IN NO TIME.......HE WAS RIGHT AND I AVOIDED A COURT MARSHAL.
ALL IN ALL SHE WAS A GOOD SHIP AND HAD A GREAT CREW.
GEORGE FICK CPO USN(RET)
 

Bruce,
I was aboard the Bolster many times as I had friends stationed on her.  I was attached TDY to the Bolster and Brunswick July 1975 to help with salvage of the SS Lindenbank, which ran aground on Fanning Island about 1000 miles south of Hawaii.  Despite some massive pulls to try and free her off the beach the Lindenbank would not budge.  So it was decided to lighten the cargo load of copra (chipped coconut shells).  In order to get the ship unloaded, volunteers worked through the nights unloading copra from the holds of the Lindenbank.  But to no avail, the ship remained fast aground.  After approximately a month a storm was brewing and it was determined the Lindenbank was not coming off the beach, (the waves that were forming began pushing harder against the side of the ship), and the Lindenbank was to be abandoned.  Those of us on the Lindenbank tending the beach gear appropriated souvenirs.  We got these off one night by a pulley system and rubber boats from the Lindenbank to the palm trees on the beaches.  The crew members of the Bolster (wish I could remember names) paddled the rubber boat to the beach with our prizes and hit them in the jungle.  I stayed on the Lindenbank to tend the pulley’s (which fell off the ladder and I had to dive in and retrieve).  The following days we assisted with evacuating the crew of the Lindenbank to the beach and onto the Bolster and Brunswick.  There is a picture of Lindenbank’s crew on the fantail of the Bolster I found on the internet.   The crew of the Bolster hid our treasures from the Lindenbank in the engine compartment of the Bolster’s landing craft, and when they docked at Pearl Harbor  I retrieved my things.  I wish I had pictures to post, especially of the pulley system from the palm trees and the Lindenbank, it was really quite ingenious.
    During one of the pulls I was on the bow of the Lindenbank and the beach gear wire snapped and I can still see the image in my mind of the beach gear coiling like a spring and thinking this is going to take my head off if I didn’t duck.  It sounded like a whip cracking over my head. 
    I live in Texas.  Good to hear the Bolster still is working. 

Barry Steever former GMG 3 (DV)
 

I don't know about cat 399 's When i was aboard in 1952 to 55 .WE had 4 Cooper Bessmer GSB8 cylinder main engines 900 hp at 800 rpm.and 2 Cooper Bessmer GSB 6 cyl.300 hp aux.engines. I hope this will help you guy's What you are doing is GREAT.

HI ELMER FOWLER EN3.
 

V/R
K.R. Verbic

K.R. Verbic
 

K. R. Verbic
 

3217 Caitlin Court
Fort Smith, AR 72908
cjennings111@cox.net
 

Dear Sirs,

     I just found your site.  My name is Michael Harrolle.  I was a Hospital Corpsman aboard the Mighty BattleStar Bolster 

in the early 90's. I looked at all the photos and it made me just a little sad to see her in her current condition.  I am 

surprised that more of her crew hasn't chimed in though.  Oh well.  Thank you for the website.  I appreciated seeing her again.  

If you were on board you'll enjoy my sign off.

 
 Fly Navy, divers need the work!           

Thanks,

HA Harrolle, Michael S.

Dear Bruce,

   Well here's one from the early 90's.  We were towing a frigate. 
(Sorry don't remember the name) from San Diego to Bremerton and along 
the way we had sent a small detail over to the tow to check the tow 
cable connection and interior spaces to verify that she wasn't sinking.  
Anyway we got over there and found that the shipyards had stowed a lot 
of supplies and other equipment aboard.  When the Skipper was asked what 
he wanted to do, he said go ahead and get what we need and bring it back 
with us.  Bad decision!  Well needless to say when we got to Bremerton 
everything that was missing was quickly discovered.  We gave all the 
stuff back.  No harm, no foul.
   What's funny about all this is we got a new ship t-shirt out of the 
deal.  Being a dive ship we typically had blue T's with gold lettering 
with various sayings and the ships name on it.  Examples of these would 
be "Fly Navy, Divers need the work" or "To air is human, to HEO2 is 
divine".  Our new shirt was black with white print.  It had a skull and 
crossed swords on the back and read "USS Bolster ARS-38 Pillage and 
Plunder on the High Seas".  The Skipper had a sense of humor about the 
whole thing and authorized us to wear them as official ship's t-shirts 
as long as we weren't in port.

                                                    Michael Harrolle

Bruce,
This is Neil Hansen, former BOLSTER Ops Officer (1980-82).  I believe we have corresponded before, when I was on temporary active duty at COMFIFTHFLT in Bahrain.  I have lost those e-mails, or at least filed them somewhere I can't find them, so I can't review exactly what we discussed.  I recall, though, that you were working on acquiring and restoring BOLSTER as an operational museum ship. 

I have not been in a position to provide any financial support, or in person work, but that may change soon.  If things go right, I will be taking a position at Diver's Institute of Technology in Seattle, which will provide both steady income, and a base much closer to BOLSTER's current location. 

I do have a set of General Plans, which I am not anxious to part with, but could make them available for reproduction or other loan. 

The attached photos are for you and the museum to use as you see fit.  "Grey Ladies" was taken in the 1980-82 time frame and documents the rare event when all three of the BOLSTER class salvage tugs then home ported in Pearl Harbor were in port at the same time.  USS BOLSTER (ARS 38) is prominent in the background, with the stern of USS RECLAIMER (ARS 42) in front of her on the near side of the pier.  The stem and anchor taking up the right side of the photo belong to USS CONSERVER (ARS 39).  At the time of the photo, the 3 ships were all pushing 40 (commissioned 1944-45). The ships are berthed at Bishop Point, near the mouth of Pearl Harbor, where the 5 salvage tugs (the other two being USS BRUNSWICK (ATS 2) and USS BEAUFORT (ATS 3), and Mobile Diving & Salvage Unit 1, comprising Service Squadron 5 made their home - BOLSTER is at berth A-5, RECLAIMER at A-6, and CONSERVER at the quay wall, A-7.  In the far background, just visible to the left of BOLSTER's bow, is the slightly older (commissioned 1942) USCGC STORIS (WMEC 38) of similar size and mission, down from Kodiak Alaska for refresher training.  Coast Guard cutters undergoing refresher training at Pearl Harbor were routinely berthed at Bishop Point, to save the inner harbor berths for deeper draft vessels - no one but the Coast Guard and salvage fleet had shallow enough draft to use the "Alpha Docks."     STORIS remains on active duty, as the oldest commissioned cutter in active service. 

"SalvTra" is a shot of the Bosun and one of his troops engaged in heavy rigging on the fantail during salvage training - sometime in 1982, I think. 

I have both photos in higher resolution scan, if desired. 

While I am at it, I don't have definitive answers, but some information in response to some of the BOLSTER questions on the website:

 1) What year were the main engines and generators replaced? - Don't know exactly, but it was before 1980 - she already had the Caterpillars when I reported aboard.

 3) When was the main towing winch painted with images of tow missions? - Some time after Oct 1982.  I don't recall them being there when she departed Pearl Harbor en route new home port of Long Beach and NRF status.  Maybe it was something the reserve det initiated? 

 6) Was BOLSTER ever in threat of sinking?  - Possibly, but the closest I know of was one night in Pearl Harbor, the plumb bob on the sounding tape punched through the bottom plate in one of the shaft alley's while the Sounding and Security watch was making his hourly rounds.  On the next round, the bob punched through the bottom in the other shaft alley.  Minor flooding was kept under control by the duty section until new strike plates could be welded in. 

 8) Did BOLSTER ever have to 'save' herself? Yes, in a way.  In 1982, BOLSTER was provisionally slated for decomissioning.  In addition to the arguments to keep her in service that were presented from various claimants via official channels, the SERVRON 5 Ops Officer initiated a tongue in cheek "Graypeace" movement to save her.  Flyers with the ship's silouette and the slogan "Graypeace - Save Bolster!" were photocopied and posted around Pearl Harbor.  Some were mailed to high ranking officials.  At the time, we were involved in the bi-ennial RIMPAC exercise as an Orange Force unit, and we included the phrase as a tagline on our exercise message traffic, and distributed flyers to the other (multi-national) Orange Force units.  On at least one occasion we received a reply from the Australian commodore commanding the Orange Force that read, in part, "Concur - save BOLSTER."  Whether due to these efforts or not, the decision was made to keep her in service (transferred to NRF with 30 percent reserve crew), where she served for another 12 years. 

 9) Did any tows sink during transit? During my tenure on board, only those hulks that were towed to sea for use as live fire targets, one of which included ex-USS VANCE of "The Arnheiter Affair" fame.  We looked for the white toilet seat, but it wasn't there. 

10) Did BOLSTER perform any salvage while under direct fire?  I believe she did, either in Korea or Vietnam, or both.  While I was on board, we were "shot at and missed" while towing a target sled for a gunnery exercise.  We were towing the target for an old frigate, with a 5" 38 cal main gun.  As you know, during gunnery exercises, the ships enter a 5 mil offset astern of the target into their firing solutions, so as to not actually hit (and destroy) the target sled.  During the long range firing event (20,000 yards or so), when the time of flight for the rounds is about 27 seconds, we noticed one round fall short of the sled, but splash water onto it.  The next round fell directly in front of the target, indicating a progressive line error in the fire control computer, and meaning that each succeeding round would fall further forward (i.e., closer to the tow vessel).  I was OOD - the CO, the phone talker receiving word from the observation party on the fantail, I, and the radio/telephone (R/T) operator on the bridge, all yelled "Cease Fire!" at the same time - the CO to me, the phone talker to whoever was listening, as phone talkers do, me to the R/T operator, and the operator to the firing ship.   The word came back from the frigate "I have ceased fire" (they had been watching the same fall of the shots, and had taken appropriate action before our urgent transmission).  Then came the ominous phrase "I have 5 rounds in the air" (a trained crew can easily push 10 rounds per minute through a 5" 38).  We watch each splash come closer and closer, knowing there was nothing we could do.  The penultimate round splashed a few yards directly astern, the last round we heard whistle overhead before it splashed off our starboard quarter.  The rounds had no explosive charge, but a 75 lb chunk of steel traveling in excess of 1500 mph can do a bit of damage.  Needless to say, both COs agreed that we were done for the day.   

I also have a couple of nuances for your FAQs - "Is BOLSTER a ship or a boat?"  While it is true that she is a small ship, as all deep sea tugs are, I was always taught that in addition to boats that can be transported as deck cargo, it is appropriate to refer to submarines and tugs as boats, regardless of size.  I had some CO's who resisted this notion, insisting that they commanded a "salvage ship" not a (salvage) tug - I usually asked if we weren't a tug, why were we fitted with such a large towing winch? 

I have been told that ARS was simply the designation the Navy chose for salvage vessel.  That the A stands for auxiliary, the S probably for salvage, but that the R doesn't necessarily stand for anything, but is just a letter to differentiate them from other types of salvage vessels (ATS, for example).  It is not strictly required for each letter of a ship type to stand for something.  Destroyers are designated DD - what does the other D stand for?  Guided missile destroyers are DDG, so the G apparently stands for guided missile - very confusing.  I have also heard that ARS stands for Auxiliary, Repair and Salvage (we often pointed out that 14 knots isn't really fast enough to warrant the appellation "Rescue"). 

Let me know if can help with the BOLSTER project or other museum work in any way. 

V/R Neil Hansen

To all Battle Star Sailors

My Name is Billy Slankard (BM1/SW)(Ret)

I was stationed on Bolster from 1992 to 1994, and by far she was my 

Favorite command. I do remember Mr. Verbic and P.O. Mercer and P.O. Harding. I 

also remenber the stories they related and participated in them. Their are 

too many stories to tell on this web site and some that are not meant to be 

printed. What happend at sea stayed at sea. I remember CDR Scolly very 

well, what a great CO. So was CDR DeMecco. I was one of the few who carried 

the non diving towing and salvage specilist NEC. I also had the honor of 

becoming OOD/JOOD qualified onboard Bolster.

It's an honor to find you all again after all these years. If anyone 

has information on SM1(SW) Linton Garison Please let me know.

Thanks again

Boats

Hello Bruce Martens.

I am Jim Cox ( James H. Cox RM2/C) USS BOLSTER ARS38 USN. I am a plank holder of this ship. As a matter a fact I was put aboard her before she was commissioned. There was about ten of us assigned to go aboard her to receive the equipment they brought on board. I was only a RM Striker at the time , but was responsible for the security of the communication equipment and publications, that they brought aboard. She was tied up to the  C and H sugar dock in Frisco harbor. As she was more complete more people were brought aboard. When she was ready to sail we had the commissioning exercises there. Some where I have a picture of the original crew, standing on the dock  beside her. Haven’t be able to find it as yet. She didn’t have a great start though, when we started to get under way, we had too much loaded on to her and we couldn’t move from the dock. We were stuck in the mud!  Had to wait for a higher tide and then took a couple of tugs to get us into deeper water. As far as I am concerned that was the last of her failures. From there on I am convinced that she was the best ship and toughest in the US NAVY.  I have a lot of stories of her achievements and will try and send you some.

    I will tell you what I believe was her most heroic and worthwhile feat.. There was a typhoon that struck Okinawa, and put some ships so far up on the beach that they couldn’t be floated again. They had to cut them up and salvage what they could . At that time there was a British ship that had lost its rudder or screw, I can’t remember her name, but it was helpless to the mercy of the sea. We were ordered to get under way and bring her into Yokosuka Bay. There were two destroyers standing by until we arrived. Halfway there, we passed one of them going back--- “Above and beyond the call of duty”. She was going though the top part of the swells, and you could see the bow sticking out of the swells and the prop exposed out of the water on the back side of the swell. In a little while the other ‘Tin Can’ passed us “above the call of duty”. I think they were the Thomas and the Larson. They were out of the Black Cat Squadron. (One might have been the Goodwin.) There is no way that a person could explain how rough that sea was.

 When we reached the British ship, we made a 55 degree roll as we made our turn to take her into tow. The first time our line was fired over the bow of the ship, they didn’t even make an effort to get it. The skipper took the voice radio and told them,” We only have three line guns, you have not taken the first one. We made a 55 degree roll in our turn to pick you up. I’ll not make another turn. You have two more tries, if you don’t get them we will go in .Above and beyond the call of duty.” They got the second line!

What took us just hours to reach them, it took two and a half days to get back to port. Every person on both ships were really sea sick.  The skipper and executive officers had claimed 33 years in the Navy and never been sea sick . They could not claim that any more! Every member on both ships was really bad sea sick, including me. One third of our crew was on liberty and missed that little boat ride.

 Another part of that story is that we had a dog on the ship (Napa) and he had a little friend that use to come aboard some times and he was on board when we sailed that time. When we got in and put the gang plank down he crawled down the gang plank on his belly and would never come aboard again.

 The skipper said that he could not believe that a ship of our size could make a 55 degree roll and right itself. The Bolster really took a beating on that trip, she stood up and finished her mission in spite of being ‘above and beyond the call of duty’. William F Lewis was our skipper and I think if it had been any one else we would still be out there. He was rough and not prone to abide by all the Navy rules. He was a person that had been an enlisted man and a master salvage diver. He really knew his job and completed it regardless. He was fair in a crude sort of a way. I could not help but like him, mostly respected him. When the war was over and he went home I couldn’t say the same for our new skipper.

   When we got back in port and tied the British ship to a buoy, and secured us up to the dock, the sailors off the British ship came aboard our ship and told us we could come aboard their ship and take any thing we wanted too. I got a toaster for the radio shack. 

We got a letter of accommodation ( Can’t find that either.) I thought  it was with two others that I have, I will send you copies .  There really is more to that story--like we had two divers at a time, one secured on each side of our tow cable with acetylene  torches to cut the cable in case the British ship sank. They traded them off and on so no one stayed out there too long at a time. I really have to respect our divers, I think that part of the job was also ‘above and beyond the call of duty.’ The members of our crew was like our ship-- Toughest in the navy.  The only way that I could let you know what that trip was truly like is if you were there.( Like the Tin Cans), I think we went through more swells than over them.

I will try and write more later.  Hope this is what you wanted.

                                  Sincerely,

                                                                                               Jim Cox

Greetings,
I just saw your website. I was in the helicopter that photographed the USS Bolster off the Oahu coast in 1978. I'll always remember that day, because that was my first aerial mission. I was a PHAN attached to FAPL Barbers Pt. .The helicopter was from VC-1 Barbers Pt. We shot photos of the facilities at Pearl Then flew out to photograph the Bolster. I shot the slides and the third class training me is the one that shot the photo on your website. His name was Terry Pfrang. He
later in life became a Hollywood camera man. One movie he shot was Hot Shots.
I finished my my Navy days in a p-3 squadron. The best however; was doing the "pretty pics" of the ships in Hawaii. Just like we did of the Bolster that day. I think it was around the late 1978.
Jim Murta