Subject: USS Patterson (DE-1061)
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000
From: Jack Walden
Rank: CDR
Reported: 1969
Departed: 1971

For Mark Roberts:

It was a real thrill to come across the USS PATTERSON website and to read the e-mails.

I was her first CO. We commissioned her in Charleston in 1970 and I left her parked at the Boston Naval Shipyard in the summer of 1972 to have the new variable pitch propellor installed. I was also present at the Philadelphia Navy Yard when she was decommissioned in 1991. PATTERSON and her men were big, important parts of my life. Her decommissioning was a difficult experience. I don't want to speak of her being scrapped.

I still have the commissioning program (which lists all of the plankowners, among other things) and the cruise book from our shakedown cruise to Europe. I imagine you would like to have some of that material and I would gladly e-mail everything to you if I could figure out how to do it. Probably the best thing to do would be to use U.S. mail. Let me know.

I saw Bob Dunn's name among the e-mails. I remember him as an RDSN in our CIC gang. Also, Jerry Nuttall and Ted Dottle. Jerry was a BTFN Plankowner and Ted's father was one of our leading ET plankowners.

I retired in 1975 and live in Vienna, Virginia.

My best regards to all of my shipmates,

Jack Walden
CAPT, USN (Ret.)

P.S. I was also CO of HOOPER (DE-1026) and XO of Dealey (DE-1006). I have cruise books at least from those ships. Let me know if I can be of help in your work.

11/14/07:

Mark Roberts,

Hello Mark, Steve TenBusschen here. I served on board USS Patterson FF1061 from 1977 - 1981.

It was nice to find the web-site, I served as an FTG3, and as an ASROC Sentry guard, as did all of us in the Second Division. None of really cared for the extra watches and dutys we had as this sentry, but we did finally talk the Old Man into giving us a letter of recomendation for doing it. That and a quarter at the time got you a cup of coffee!

I have seen the names of some of my ship mates on your site, and wanted to say hello, hope your mother is doing better, Detroit is only about 2 1/2 hrs awy from me, Lake Odessa, MI.

Have a good one, and pleas add my name and info to the crew sheets.

Thanks,

Steve TenBusschen

Subject: USS Patterson FF 1061
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003
From: Dennis Deibel

I just came across your website while looking for info on my old ship. I would like to know if the ship has already been "scrapped" by Baltimore Marine Industries. I have sent an e-mail to the shipyard, but have not received a response.

I was a plank owner and was on board from 1969 - 1971 as a seaman in the deck force. I also have many pictures which I took during that time and a cruise book. I also have the book from the commissioning with a list of all the plank owners amongst other things and would be happy to contribute. I have not seen anything on the website recently and I was wondering if it was still being worked on.

Thank you for your time and I hope I will hear from you.

Dennis Deibel
Fort Myers, FL

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003
From: John W. Clemens
Rank: ET2
Reported: 1981
Departed: 1984

So glad I found this site, what a lot of lost memories. I see a few names I remember from 20 years ago. I came aboard ship just before her departure on the fifth Med cruise November 1981. The ET gang......Wheeler, Koffman, Hiller, Collis, Geyer, Eagan, ETC Rexroad. Then there were the EW's, need I say more. Randy Eller running around saying 'my career, my career'. EW's Beard, Baskins, and Beer.

Hiding out in the radioshack behind the radio racks. Tuning up those ancient UHF transceivers. Those long weeks sitting in the Red Sea. Saltwater showers when the evaps broke down, the pleasant fragrance of the berthing compartments, stacked 3 high. Who can forget Christmas in Ibiza, then Gaeta, transiting the Suez, drinking with the Brits in Gibralter, and that tourist spot of the world, Berbera Somalia (catching scorpions there). The bitter cold of being dry-docked in Bath, Maine, and living in those barracks for awhile. I remember getting an Apple computer, and alot of us playing computer games in the ET shop back then.

Went with the ship to Philly, taking the reservist's down to the Caribbean. Hitting Gitmo, the teargas and drills, watching movies at that outside theater. The short-timers chain, clipping off those beads, and saying goodbye to the Paddy boat. I still have the 1981-1982 Med/Red Sea Deployment Book, full of pics and names. If anyone is interested I can email scanned pics. Been out of the Navy for almost 20 years now, hard to believe. Would love to hear from old friends, drop a line anytime.

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003
From: SKIBO, Tim

When I found your site a flood of memories came back to me.

I served aboard the Patterson from 1987 - 1989. When I left I was a BT2. I was aboard her during two dead in the water experiences. We had to be towed into Puerto Rico by a ship from the Dutch navy one time and got a jump start from our sister ship off the coast of Cuba the other time. One of my most memorable experiences from the Patterson is when we were in Puerto Rico for 3 weeks while our diesel generators were being repaired.

Thinking back about all the people I served with aboard the Patterson is bringing back even more memories.

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1999
From: David Cox
Rank: Commander
Reported: 1976
Departed: 1977

I was CO of Patterson during her 1976 Mediterranean deployment and her subsequent overhaul at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. I took her through post-overhaul workup and the beginning of Reftra GTMO.

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001
From: George Jackson
Rank: YNC
Reported: 1972
Departed: 1973

Served Aboard Patty Boat for (2) good years. would like to hear from anyone who served aboard between 72-73. Looking for any YN/PN who were aboard then

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001
From: Jay Ekelman
Rank: BT3
Reported: 1986
Departed: 1990

The Navy was a real test; I'll have to admit that. During my stay on the Patty Boat, fully 2/3 of all new Bt's joining our ranks were eventually "weeded" out. Most got "OTH" discharges. While the TAR Navy had something to with this, I think it was symptomatic of the Navy's emphatic "no tolerance" policy toward anyone deemed a troublemaker.

I joined the Navy in good spirits, with noble intention expecting..... Good chow, girls at every port, Rota Spain (remember that ad?) , beer, adventure, glory...

Reality soon hits after arriving at Great Lakes. Reading Naval history now, however, makes me think how lucky I was to be on the Patterson.

Times could have been worse.. much worse.

The other night I went to bed thinking about how it would be like to die a slow death; Japanese guns closing in on our doomed oiler in the Coral Sea.

Cdr. JJ Quinn - skipper of FF 1061 from 1989-90- made the ship a safe haven. We rode the black , death filled ocean with the confidence that coming back intact was almost guaranteed.

Some of our other shipmates, however, did not have the same "deal" we had. They died fighting the Japanese, Germans or whoever. There was a war going on, and JJ Quinn was not quite old enough to direct their vessel out of harm's way.

Instead death came as sure as the next sunrise. In the morning the Japanese Admiral had his tea wondering who his next target would be.

Scary stuff I know.. but it's true. Now you know why I say things could have been worse... much worse.

Best wishes to all my shipmates on Patterson who there with me from 86-90. Hope you are all "turning to" a bright new horizon filled with happiness.

Jay

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: 22 Feb 2001
From: David Pearce
Rank: STG3
Reported: 1985
Departed: 1987

Checking in and looking for old shipmates.

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001
From: Don Meyer
Rank: HT2
Reported: 1971
Departed: 1973

Just found this web site, I served on The USS Patterson DE-1061, mostly during her stay at the Boston Naval Ship Yard for the new variable Pitch screw which she was the first to receive. We spent months testing it. I was involved in many drydock inspections, and underway testing of same.

If I can be of any help just ask!

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001
From: Ed Propst
Rank: STG1
Reported: 1977
Departed: 1981

I was happy to run across the web site. I will have to go through my old pictures to see what I have that I may contribute.

I reported onboard the PattyBoat just after she got out of the yards from a major overhaul. So my 1st time underway was a trip to Port Everglades and then back to Mayport for a few days and then off to GITMO. Seems like we were "haze gray and underway" all the time. Reading some of the posted emails brings back memories. Yeah, I remember being in the Persian Gulf during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. I also remember being there over Christmas and finding out that the next Christmas we were to be back in the Med again. BOHICA! Not everything was bad though. There were good people and good times. I remember making phone calls from the boat in the Med on SMC Vince Roebucks ham radio which was in a compartment just across from Sonar Control. Vince helped make over 1061 calls on one cruise!.

Would like to here from old shipmates especially anyone from the AS division.

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: 5 Dec 2000
From: Tom Snyder
Rank: YN1
Reported: 1983
Departed: 1986

It was great to see a few familiar names in the e-mail section. I am presently employed at Global Associates, NISMF, Philadelphia, PA. I had the sad experience to see Patterson towed out of Philly to her final destination. I did have the pleasure to work on her and prepare her for tow.

Again it's great to see a couple of names. Hope to see more in the future.

Subject: USS Patterson (DE-1061)
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2000
From: Guy Wilson
Rank: SK3
Reported: 1977
Departed: 1979

I served the remainder of my enlistment after being removed from the Submarine Service. I had the chance to see Europe during a Med Cruise. I had some good times on her! I've been looking for Chris Durney ever since leaving in February of 1979.

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000
From: Dean Oliver
Rank: BMSN
Reported: 1971
Departed: 1973

LOOKING FOR OLD SHIPMATE MICHEAL BROWN. LAST KNOWN RATE AND RANK WAS PETTY OFFICER 3rd CLASS SHIP SERVICEMAN.

Subject: USS Patterson (FF-1061)
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
From: Chuck Herberger
Rank: OS2 (SW)
Reported: 1980
Departed: 1984

What a delight to find the Patterson web site!

I served from 80-84 and my memories of my time on "the Patty-Boat" will be with me always. I must admit when I saw the picture of her going to the shipyard to be dismantled I felt a bit saddened. I remember hurricane relief at St. Lucia, the gas chamber at GITMO, 81-82 MED/Red Sea/IO deployment with the hostage patrolling duty in the Persian Gulf. I remember how rude I thought the Navy was sending us from Mayport, FL to Bath, ME for overhaul instead of MS. just in time for winter. The weather was brutal cold but the locals were very warm.

When I left Patterson she had been transferred to the Reserve Fleet in Philly. I will always remember the OS crew, especially Dave Charleson (Tiny), OSCS (Super Chief) P.J. Gray, OS1 Miller, PNC Whitehead, LCDR Sabadie (XO), and the deadly stare of J.J. Chernesky (CAPT). At various times I was the Command DAPA, closed circuit TV operator, and Catholic lay leader. I would love to hear from any former crew members.