A Diodon Sailing List, Ca. 
Jun 1955 & Photo from 1957

Since 08-03-02

Provided by Don Messner

DIODON.006

 Jim - W6DBF,

Here’s a couple of more Diodon items you may want to use on the Web Site.

 1)       About the officers:

• P.J. Hannifin was the CO - became XO on the George Washington, SSBN-.598 and CO on the Lafayette, SSBN-616 (a plank owner), Retired as a Vice Admiral.

• T.F. Wellings was the XO.

• Dennis O’Connor became a state senator in Hawaii.

• Stan Neander went on to become the CO of the Clamagore, SS-343 and later retired as a Captain.

• A.A. Burki became the XO when Wellings was transferred.

• Arthur Barke made the 56-57 Westpac cruise - by then a LT.

• Eugene Beaumont has a clip on the web site. He was from Duluth.

•  Michael Fogarty - don’t know.

Click thumbnail for larger image

2)   There is a picture on the web site taken of the Diodon from  the deck of the Caiman, SS­323, as we departed Brisbane in May of ‘57. Each sub did a dive for the other sub’s crew to witness and photograph.

Here is a picture from the deck of the Diodon showing those same crew members watching the Caiman dive and surface. 

In essence, we were taking pictures of each other at the same time.  

EMC Watson Courtney is on the right with a cigarette in his hand. ETC Duke Self is the balding guy to Courtney’s right. Lt. Barke is the guy with the cigarette in his mouth. Len Reinders, EN3, and Ben Mitchell, EM1, are just in front of the sail. The rest are too difficult to ID. 

I’ve just about reconstructed a complete sailing list from the ‘56-57 Westpac cruise. Only have a few more names to fill in. Will send it when complete.

73  Don Messner, KOMES  messner@uslink.net

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