To: Max Brunk, President
of Manini Dive Company Hawaii 12-5-2003
YO257 Operational Period September
16, 1963 through November 12, 1963. During
this period Coast Guard Personel were assigned
additional temporary duty aboard the Navy YO257 on loan from
the Navy.
The nature of this assignment was in connection with the establishment
of a LORAN A-C Station in Yap, Western Caroline Islands.
Prior to the Coast Guard acceptance and during the operational
deployment of the YO257, the General clean up, fitting out for
sea and maintaining the YO257 in a state of operational readiness
required extensive effort from the assigned crew.
This requirement was met with hearty spirit and willingness serve
that is in evidence in all Coast Guard operations.
(The above was taken from a letter of appreciation)
The YO257 wasn't equipped to take on the 400 mile trip from Guam
to Yap. No radar or other navigational equipmment was on board.
Each afternoon a plane would fly over and give us any course
corrections needed. The rear gun mount was sealed and a shower
head installed in order to give us water to shower with. If the
gun mount was empty, we utililized the afternoon rains. The ship
could only carry enough water for drinking. The YO257 carried
water based asphalt to be used for a runway for planes servicing
the new LORAN A-C Station. In order for the crew to have lockers
and bunks, we had to remove them from other ships moth balled
in Guam.
You can use any or all of the pictures and any of the above information
you like. If all goes well my son and his wife and my wife and
I will be in Hawaii on January 10, 2004.
We will be staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Sincerely,
Fred O. Robson
651 Shoshone Dr.
Lancaster, Ohio 43130
(click on any image
for full size)
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