I am not sure if you knew that we had put out a book about the ship Jay served on in the Second World War? It started out, hopefully, as a small edition for the 50th Anniversary of the ships commissioning. There was a reunion planned for the occasion in Winter Park, Florida. We had asked all the Crew Members and Officers to submit pictures, stories, etc. for the Book of Remembrance. It was like pulling teeth, but things started to come in slowly, and with a great deal of prodding the final result was quite amazing.
Our hopes were it would exceed 20 pages. As it turned out we had nearly that many pages of pictures alone. I asked a couple of friends to help with the artwork that was used to make dividers for the different sections and Ronald Smith did all the type setting and headings for the edition. We had Poor Richards Press here in Paso Robles do the printing, and they were so helpful with the project that took nearly a year to complete.
Binder (3" size) were purchased and the assemling of the pages began as the sections were started. We had to reconfigure them a number of times, as things kept arriving. A large portion of the books were mailed to members who had never come to any of the reunions, but had served with the crew at one time or another. The price of those books was paid for by the active members. We did not recieve one Thank You from any of those mailings, but I am sure they were received with a great deal of interest.
There had been some contention among a few of the Crew Members about our trying to "take over" the Group. We had been aware of this, and had become quite unsure of just how they would critique the Book when they received it. I was so sensitive about it that we sent all the books to the Hotel for Richard Sewell (one of the Captains) to receive before we arrived. I did not want to be there when they were passed out so Jay and I made a side trip to the Orlando, Florida Temple to do a Session. By the time we arrived, everyone was setting around the Hospitality Room going through their Copy of the Book and amazed at just how much had been gathered and included. Things most of them had never seen of knew about. It was a heart warming experience for everyone, and a great relief for us.
One of the men came to us and Thanked us, most appreciated all the work as he had lost all his Navy things in a flood many years ago. The rest were surprised and appreciated the time and efford we had put into getting so much information together for them.
It was a bitter sweet moment. Sam Ray the Exec. Officer and main drive of getting the Group together the first time in 1987, had cancer and was slowing loosing his battle with it while the Book was being put together. We fortunately finished it before he passed away a few weeks before the Reunion. We had sent his copy to him in the Hospital where he had a chance to see and enjoy it. This was a very great joy for me, because Sam had always been such a constant support for the work and ever ready to review and give council when needed. A copy was sent to the Sisters of Greg Mullian who was the Radioman aboard who had spent countless hours getting the addresses and information on the Crew Members for the Second Reunion that was held in Orlando, Florida in 1989. Greg passed away before the Third Reunion in San Diego, California in 1991 from heart desease. The Book was Dedicated in his honor.
When the National Association of the LSM held their reunion in Omaha, Nebraska after the USS LSM 55 was brought back to the United States from Greece there was a lot of video available. The grandson of Kenneth and Ann Kelly was interested in taking a lot of video of a ship like the one his deceased grand father had served on. The ship at that time was being docked at Freedom Park in Omaha. We had a chance to tour it. Many volunteer hours had been spent in restoring the ship. The sad part for me was the Vaporators (what Jay had maintained) were not restored. Bob Killick showed me where they should have been. Jay was not able to make this reunion due to his failing health.
While I was visiting the Gift Shop I noticed there was a Video available of the Group who went to Greece and got the ship and stayed aboard while she was towed back to the US. It also included the arrival and all the fanfare of it being brought to Freedom Park. We were able to get a copy of the video Ken's grandson made and joined it with the one I had bought in the gift shop. This was the Suprise Gift everyone received at the last Reunion the Group held in Charlotte, South Carolina. Copies were likewise sent to all those still surviving that could not attend.
Jay was first asked to be Treasurer for the LSM 330 Group in 1989 then had the job expanded to Secretary/Treasure when Greg Mullian passed away in 1991. He held that possition until he passed away in 2003.
I issued an invitation to the Group to assign another for the jobs Jay had held, but no one wanted to take on the responsibility. They all told me that no one could do the job better than me now that Jay had passed away. So I am still the Secretary/Treasurer for what is now knows as the "USS LSM 330 Family" I have enjoyed keeping in touch with the members and their families. We have a great many widows now, but we are like family and want to keep them close. There are not enough to make the minimum requirements to plan Reunions any longer. That was a big job for us, but one we got a great deal of pleasure out of arranging. We always rented a large Van to get people without cars to and from the various venues we planned. Some of those trips really showed off my "amazing" driving skills. There were many hours of pleasure spent together I can tell you. It is sad to report the passing of friends, but part of the job I assumed. We started out with about 80 known who had served aboard the Ship. Not all of them however participated in any of the things planned. I guess that was because they either did not stay aboard very long, or were part of those who made up the Company for the "Flag Ship" that the "330" was during the build up for the invasion of Japan. Toward the end of the War in the Pacific men were rotated out by "points" determined by how long they had served. This ment a great deal of shifting of assignments over a short space of time as the men rotated to go home. I believe there were only a handful left aboard when the ship arrived in New Orleans to be de-commissioned. Jay was one of 7 at that time. He returned home to California on a Troup Train.
The saddest part of this story is the USS LSM 55 that was so carefully restored and so expensively gained by the National Association was never able to find a permanent home. She was shifted from Freedom Park in Omaha, Nebraska to Cherry Point the North Carolina and I believe even moved one other time before it was impossible to find a permanent home for the last remaining LSM afloat. She has been scraped like all her Sister Ships. A part of History lost forever, except in our Book of Remembrance and the Video that was so loveingly made and in the care of those who served aboard the "330".
Oh! and a copy of the Book has been sent to and now resides in the Library of Congress.
Written this 3 day of December 2009
by: Eileen Rosenberg
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