BETTER COPY just added August 17 at
web p. 102 photo #1482 - Sharper and with Chester Peake, + Nelsons visible
at right.Party for Captain and Mrs. Robert Hinckley of HANNIBAL, Panama City
May 31, l934 p 13-101
|
P_A-N-A-M-A ___ Sophie
and Jack Barrett are sitting at left of front row. Jack was Executive
officer of survey ship HANNIBAL October l933 to September l935. Next to
Sophie is guest of honor Captain Robert M. Hinckley, who was being relieved
by Captain Gresham, who is next to him, then Mrs. Hinckley. Lieutenants
Richard Visser and Mervin Halstead and Benny Crosser were in the group.Photo
was taken in Panama City. Better original copy with additional portion at
right of photo has been added to webpage 102 photo # 1482. According to
following 1989 letter of Admiral Visser, photos of Jean and Paul Nelson
appear in right segment: "postmark August 30 1989 Rear Admiral and Mrs.
Richard Gerben Visser United States Navy Retired : Madrid Sunday 27 August
'89 Dear John, Thank you for sending the pictures of Captain Hinckley's
farewell party,- they bring back treasured memories. Except for commanding
the SS DALY (DD519) during World War II, I think my tour on survey duty in
the HANNIBAL was the most interesting and self satisfying of my naval
career.As young officers we were given the responsibility we wanted, and we
could see the results of our work. I reported to the ship just after New
Years Day in 1934 and served nearly two years until October, 1935,before
being transferred. To identify some of the people:- (1)standing in the aisle
holding up his drink is Lieutenant jg "Red" Akin US Naval Academy 1929 a
classmate; (2) beside him on his right is Mervin Halstead USNA 1930;(3) I am
standing just behind Akin. I don't see Dr. Smith in the picture.4 Commander
Gresham with the swollen left arm is Hinckley's relief and sitting between
Commander and Mrs. Hinckley. (5) Sitting beside Mrs. Hinckley is Helen Akin,
Red's wife; next (6) is Lieutenant C.B. Peake the Supply Officer. I forget
the name of the attractive girl next. I dated her, and she was the sister of
a flyer (Army Air Corps) at Albrook Field. Jean Nelson is the last girl
seated, and her husband Paul is standing behind her. He is a classmate also.
I hope you sent these pictures to Halstead, too, for he will appreciate them
as do I. This year is the sixtieth anniversary of my USNA class of 1929, and
we are celebrating our reunion on 25 and 26 October in Annapolis with
homecoming following on the 27th and 28th.We're meeting with our daughter
and grandson and cousins, so it should be a great reunion. Many thanks again
for sending the pictures.I shall write to the Halsteads.I'm sorry they live
out in California - too far to visit. Joanna joins in sending best
regards.-- Dick Visser. In front row from left of picture are Jack and
Sophie Barrett, Captain Robert Hinckley, his successor Captain Gresham, Mrs.
Hinckley,Mrs. Helen Akin, Chester Peake, and unidentified lady, and Mrs.
Gene Nelson, whose husband then-Lieutenant Paul Nelson is standing behind
her. Lieutenants Red Akin, Richard Visser, and Mervin Halstead are standing
in an aisle toward left of photo, Akin identifiable holding up a glass,
Visser behind Akin, and Halstead next to Akin probably to photo-left, Akin's
right.The following 1989 letter from Read Admiral Richard G. Visser
identifies several other persons in the photo and lists Annapolis year of
several.Year: 1934,May 31____ P_A-N-A-M-A ___ Sophie and Jack Barrett are
sitting at left of front row. Jack was Executive officer of survey ship
HANNIBAL October l933 to September l935. Next to Sophie is guest of honor
Captain Robert M. Hinckley, who was being relieved by Captain Gresham, who
is next to him, then Mrs. Hinckley. Lieutenants Richard Visser and Mervin
Halstead and Benny Crosser were in the group.Photo was taken in Panama City.
Additional portion at right of photo is in existence and will be added to
website. According to following 1989 letter of Admiral Visser, photos of
Jean and Paul Nelson appear in right segment: "postmark August 30 1989 Rear
Admiral and Mrs. Richard Gerben Visser United States Navy Retired : Madrid
Sunday 27 August '89 Dear John, Thank you for sending the pictures of
Captain Hinckley's farewell party,- they bring back treasured memories.
Except for commanding the SS DALY (DD519) during World War II, I think my
tour on survey duty in the HANNIBAL was the most interesting and self
satisfying of my naval career.As young officers we were given the
responsibility we wanted, and we could see the results of our work. I
reported to the ship just after New Years Day in 1934 and served nearly two
years until October, 1935,before being transferred. To identify some of the
people:- (1)standing in the aisle holding up his drink is Lieutenant jg
"Red" Akin US Naval Academy 1929 a classmate; (2) beside him on his right is
Mervin Halstead USNA 1930;(3) I am standing just behind Akin. I don't see
Dr. Smith in the picture.4 Commander Gresham with the swollen left arm is
Hinckley's relief and sitting between Commander and Mrs. Hinckley. (5)
Sitting beside Mrs. Hinckley is Helen Akin, Red's wife; next (6) is
Lieutenant C.B. Peake the Supply Officer. I forget the name of the
attractive girl next. I dated her, and she was the sister of a flyer (Army
Air Corps) at Albrook Field. Jean Nelson is the last girl seated, and her
husband Paul is standing behind her. He is a classmate also. I hope you sent
these pictures to Halstead, too, for he will appreciate them as do I. This
year is the sixtieth anniversary of my USNA class of 1929, and we are
celebrating our reunion on 25 and 26 October in Annapolis with homecoming
following on the 27th and 28th.We're meeting with our daughter and grandson
and cousins, so it should be a great reunion. Many thanks again for sending
the pictures.I shall write to the Halsteads.I'm sorry they live out in
California - too far to visit. Joanna joins in sending best regards.-- Dick
Visser.P___A___N___A___M___A part i --- HANNIBAL main text P-A-N-A-M-A
chapter In l933 in Boston Jack was at first disappointed when he received
orders as Executive Officer of survey ship HANNIBAL operating on the west
coast of Panama for eight months a year and spending four months in Norfolk,
Virginia for repairs, smooth work on reports,and leave and liberty for the
crew.For two years he had been a Lieutenant Commander on shore duty in
Boston where he had command of the Reserve training ship EAGLE l9,before
which he had been gunnery officer of the gunboat TULSA in TIENTSIN, China. a
ship that had been at the dock much of the time,and now he wanted command of
a combatant ship to help him qualify eventually for promotion to Commander.
He told me that duty on the HANNIBAL would sidetrack him, hurt his chances
of selection for promotion especially because of his age in grade overage
because he was thirty-three when he received his first Regular Navy
commission as Lieutenant. In the fall of l933 we went to Norfolk to report
to the HANNIBAL, where his disappointment did not last long.He was
challenged when the Executive officer he relieved told him, "You can spend a
lot of time in your bunk. This ship runs itself." Jack was amazed to find
that the civilian hydrographer and ship's officers usurped the Captain's
cabin every evening for "conferences" on the next day's work.Immediately
Jack reorganized the ship - he liked and admired Captain Robert Hinckley,
the captain of the ship.Every afternoon Jack met with the Captain and the
chief hydrographer- the Jack wrote out the orders for the next day, and
there were no more evening meetings in the Captain's cabin.Thus the Captain
and other ships' officers could have the evening to themselves for rest and
relaxation.[NBK 2 p 249] Officially the home port of the HANNIBAL was
Portsmouth, Virginia, but in fact the ship was there only in the fall and
very early winter. for repair work and transcription of the year's survey
results and for leave and liberty. Most of the year the ship was in waters
on the Pacific coast of Panma and Costa Rica surveying largely uncharted
waters.which were becoming of interest to the national governments and
American commercial interests. The officers and crew were Reugular Navy, and
the civilian hydrographic engineers from the Naval Hydrographic office
supervised the surveying.Commander Robert Hinckley was the Commanding
Officer of the HANNIBAL, Lieutenant Commander Jack Barrett was the Executive
officer, Dr. Clarence Nickerson Smith was the medical officer, Lieutenant
Commnader Chester Peake was the Supply Officer, Dan Candler was the
navigator and a senior watch officer, and the small boats were run by
Clarence Boyd, Ted Ascherfeld, Dutch Woefel, Paul Nelson, Dick Visser,
Mervin Halstead, and "Red" Aiken. Benny Crosser was also aboard as First
Lieutenant and a watch officer. Commander Gresham relieved Commander
Hinckley was was then relieved by Jack and then by Commander John Garfield
Stevens. Jack considered his Boatswain Pittman very capable. After we left,
Pittman subsequently drowned in 1936. I planned to live in the Canal zone in
Panama when the ship was down there, because the HANNIBAL came into Balboa
every month or six weeks and stayed in Balboa about ten days. My husband
inquired about military transportation for me, but as Portsmouth was the
home port, we had to pay for the transportation 251 where I occupied a house
reserved for a civilian family due to arrive in about a month. The only
furnishings were the basic furniture and dishes supplied by the federal
government to all civilian households in the Canal Zone. The house was
overrun with cockroaches and giant spiders, and the iguanas lived on the
roof. Clarence Boyd skipper of one of the small boats and his wife Mary who
could find no place to live, stayed with us on Plant Street but soon found a
place of their own in Ancon. They had a lively wire haired terrier named
Mischief. On Plant St with nothing to do in that empty house I read
Culbertson bridge book from cover to cover, really studying it and also read
two large volumes on "The Life of John Marshall" The first Saturday night
there Jack and I went to the Union Club with Captain and Mrs. Hinckley, with
Navy friends the Foggs and with Army friends Major and Mrs. Robb. The Union
Club in Panama City is a most romantic spot where you drink and dance under
the moon and stars and where you and your money are soon separated. One Navy
friend, after an evening there drove his car right onto the grass of a mid
town Open monument square! When the family arrived to claim its home on
Plant St I moved into the small bachelor quarters of a woman telephone
operator who was going to the mainland for three months. Mary Boyd, Mary
Ascherfeld, and I spent nearly every afternoon at Fort Amador an Army fort
where we could swim because Army wire kept the sharks out of the area. One
evening late in l933 [or early in l934] Jack and I were having dinner at the
Heart of Ghent Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia, shortly before I sailed for
Panama.Jack happened to look over to the far side of the dining room,jumped
up suddenly, and rushed off with a happy smile on his face. For some time he
talked animatedly with a couple who seemed as glad to see him as he was to
see them.When he returned to the table he told me the man was a Revenue
Cutter cadet at the same time he was- Commander William Keester of the Class
of l9l0. Only five cadets were graduated in the class of l9l0, and Bill
Keester was one of Jack's good friends.The next evening we went by
invitation to see the Keesters at their home in Norfolk, and they spent
several happy hours with Jack talking about the subsequent careers of their
contemporaries. Jack saw Keester later in Washington when Jack went there to
inquire about small Coast Guard boats for the USS HANNIBAL's survey work.
Jack got two dories from the Coast Guard- boats that were invaluable in the
treacherous surf in shallow survey areas on the western coast of Panama and
Costa Rica.Jack found a fine group of officers on the HANNIBAL when he
joined the ship in Norfolk October l933. Captain Hinckley was very well
qualified. He was able, even-tempered, friendly, appreciative of the work of
his officers and men and had a "happy" ship. In letters from many of the
ships' officers including Dan Candler, Dick Visser,Mervin Halstead, Jack
Agnew, Harry Ferguson, Paul Lehman, Lafayette Jones, Woelfel-they all agree
that they worked hard on the HANNIBAL but considered those years among the
happiest of their naval careers- they worked hard at sea and played hard
when they came ashore in Panama.Dan Candler, the navigator had a jolly
disposition, and no amount of painstaking works was too much for him.Dr.
Clarence Nickerson Smith, had a real interest in tropical medicine and
diseases and a most challenging job to keep the officers and men free of
malaria and other tropical diseases. An efficient paymaster, Chester Peake,
was liked by everyone and gave us an awful scare when he was desperately
sick in a Panama hospital suffering from a severe case of malaria. Clarence
Boyd, Ted Ascherfeld, Dick Visser,Mervin Halstead,Paul Nelson, "Red" Aiken
were among the young officers who ran the small boats- motor launches, sub
chasers, and dories. Harry Ferguson relieved Boileau as Engineer Officer.
Mervin Halstead owned a small pit bear, cut down a poisonous tree which
almost cost him his eyesight, and he discovered a previously uncharted
pinnacle rock which they temporarily termed "Hinckley Rock", and later it
was permanently named Heradura rock on the charts.It was a dangerous rock
only six feet below the surface of the water.Captain Hinckley wrote from
Washington DC in l970 that discovery of that "Pinnacle Rock" was the
greatest thrill he had while aboard the HANNIBAL.Very soon after the first
of the year in l934 I went to Panama on the SS CRISTOBAL where Ethel Smith
shared a cabin with me.It was pleasant aboard, especially as Ethel knew a
young Army officer.One night he was in the cabin when I wanted to go to bed,
and I sensed that Ethel would be glad to have him leave.So I said, "Mr.
---will you kindly leave so we can go to bed?" He was incensed- not because
I asked him to leave, but because I had addressed him as "Mr." He informed
me that all Army officers, even Second Lieutenants were always given a title
and told me to address him as "Lieutenant." He had no use for me the rest of
that trip.(l57) Captain Hinckley was succeeded by Captain Gresham, who
invited Jack and me to dinner aboard the HANNIBAL. Both Captain Hinckley and
his succesor Captain Gresham wrote in fitness reports that Jack was a fine
seaman, an excellent ship handler,an excellent organizer, and a highly
satisfactory Executive officer.Jack knew that Captain Gresham was affected
with cancer and did all he could for the Captain's comfort during the time
Captain Gresham was in command (about June l934-April l935).When he left,
Jack was in acting command early l935, and I remember standing on the dock
watching Jack take the"White Swan" (as the HANNIBAL was known) out of Balboa
bound for the survey area. It was done with skill and with consideration for
his officers and men.I was pleased when the Chief Hydrographer in Washington
wrote that the HANNIBAL had done its work well during the periods of Jack's
command. While I was still in the telephone operator's apartment just before
I went to live with Mary in Ancon (where we had the luncheon for the Freeman
girls) the Pacific fleet came to Balboa. A constant stream of white-
uniformed sailors passed my house to and from the YMCA which was right next
door to me.In the evening I could hear he band music until the "Y" closed
about eleven o;clock. I wrote to Jack, who was out in the Survey area when
the Fleet came in - on April 24, l934, " When most of the taxis, buses, and
trolleys bearing the one o'clock liberty parties departed Balboa for Panama
City,I walked to the Post Office where I found a fat letter for me in Box
208.It was a happy girl who opened that letter, then sat down on the Post
Office steps to spend some time with you.Although there are so many demands
on your time and attention in that dangerous work,you make time to write to
me.If appreciation counts, you are well rewarded.If I were busy, the time
might not seem so long, but there is little for me to do when I have no
husband to serve and such a good maid to serve me.Mary Boyd is all excited..
she got a message from Clarence saying they would leave on the ANCON in May
for Annapolis, where Clarence will go to Post Graduate School.She is
delighted to be going home. My good friend Helen Miller writes asking me to
invite her to Panama in June as she wants to make a cruise from New York
City. The powers-that-be have changed their minds about the length of the
stay of the Fleet on this side of the Canal. Consequently the hostesses on
this side of the Canal are wild with rage.It makes no difference to me
because without you parties and receptions have no charm. They decided night
before last to push the ships through the Canal as fast as possible in order
to find out how long it would take in case of war.Ships started through
early yesterday morning.The word is that all of them will have gone through
before six o'clock tomorrow morning.Since the fleet officers have to be
ready to leave or have already left,all receptions and parties remaining on
the schedule have been cancelled.You and I were invited to dance at the
governor's reception and to the dance at Fort Amador.The arrival of the
Fleet last Saturday has made very little difference in my life.Mary Boyd
refused all parties involving fleet officers- says Clarence would not
approve.On Saturday morning Mrs. Corbin drove Mary and me to Fort Amador to
watch the battleships PENNSYLVANIA and CALIFORNIA come in, followed by many
other ships.That afternoon in the heat and blazing sun,hundreds of sailors
in clean white uniforms passed our house.They came back before six o'clock,
sober, quiet, cheerful, none the worse for wear.Saturday evening Mrs. Corbin
drove me to the Union Club- as an extra lady.There were only a few Naval
officers in her party- mostly senior officers.Sunday afternoon thousands of
sailors passed our house.I suppose they were glad to be ashore, but I was
sorry for them in the heat and glare.Since the arrival of the Fleet, I
haven't taken the car out., as the traffic is wild.I am most interested in
what you say about the performance of the self-bailer and of the dory -
guess you are proud of them.-Sophie Barrett" In May I rented a large house
until I was scheduled to go North in September l934.Helen Miller a New York
City secretary who had worked with me at the Division of Publications of the
Commonwealth Fund under Mary Augusta Clark a l903 Mount Holyoke alumna,
visited me there.There was a big party at the hope of Captain Crapo the
afternoon Helen arrived. Although Helen met many naval people, she was
land-sick after travel. Soon the HANNIBAL came into port, and our paymaster
helped us entertain her. ..l62 In September or October l934 I returned to
Portsmouth, Virginia via the CRISTOBAL. We found an unattractive furnished
apartment with a dark kitchen, but it had two bedrooms.Pa Barrett came down
from Boston by train, stayed a week and went back by boat.We still have the
enthusiastic account he wrote about his boat trip home.He and Jack drove
around the Virginia countryside. They liked to talk with the peanut farmers,
one of whom picked a handful of peanuts for Pa Barrett.He invited him to
come back and pick all he wanted to take home with him to Boston, but Pa
Barrett had trouble chewing peanuts with the few teeth he had left when he
was almost eighty years old. The peanut-fed pigs were used to produce hams
with a special flavor.Jack remembered about the indignation of the farmers
when the New Deal and Henry Wallace "plowed little pigs under" to reduce
production and support prices. On Friday of that week we bought a whole
fish, which Pa Barrett cleaned, prepared and cooked. Pa Barrett enjoyed
going aboard the HANNIBAL when she was in port and had lunch there with Jack
a few times.In May l934 Mollie Barrett and her grade school classmate
Gertrude Granville visited Jacksonville Florida and sent photographs from
the Manson Hotel there to us in Panama.Now in the fall October l934 Mollie
and her cousin Eileen Lane of Melrose were traveling on the Merchant and
Miners Line boat from Boston to Norfolk.Jack met them at the boat in Norfolk
and drove them to our apartment in Norfolk for lunch.Then the went by bus to
Washington to see their second cousin John Lambert who worked as an
editorial writer for a Washington newspaper. He had been many years a
reporter in Portsmouth New Hampshire and was a friend of President Calvin
Coolidge. One Naval officer in Portsmouth had a large family. "All I have to
do is look at my wife, and she gets pregnant," he explained. 'l65About this
time I drove to Baltimore to see my doctor brother Pete, his wife Jen, and
their infant son Arthur, who died of appendicitis at age four. My brother
Pete, whom I hadn't seen for five years, was building up his pediatric
practice also doing a great deal of free work for the Salvation Army. MaNY
YEARS LATER WHEN MY BROTHER'S DAUGHTER DEBBY (Deborah BORN 1935) was married
in June l957 to Alfred Sonnenstrahl, the Salvation Army sent a
representative to the wedding to honor my brother for the countless hours of
free service he had given to the Salvation Army. -54''- #54' Now I am
entering into Jack's memoirs some greatly prized letters sent to me from his
HANNIBAL shipmates in response to our queries relating to Jack and the
HANNIBAL. We had an amazing and rewarding response from every officer of
that ship to whom we wrote.It was gratifying that they seemed to enjoy
reviving the old memories. We kept in touch with several up to 1986. The
consensus of opinion was that Jack was an outstanding Executive Officer for
that survey work and a good shipmate under sometimes trying
conditions.Commander Dan Candler of Dallas Texas wrote on 14 March l970:
"Dear Sophie': Your letter arrived yesterday. Please ask your son John to
forgive my delay in answering his letter.The reason was merely laziness, but
my excuse was that I wanted time to get my thoughts together.I was sorry to
hear of Jack's death as I had always considered him to be one of my best
friends.When the chips were down, we were on the same side.That service on
the HANNIBAL has always been considered one of the happiest times of my
life.Our tours of duty covered the same period approximately, although I
left a little after your husband did, in February l936.Then I went to the
TEXAS until mid-l938 - then to mine sweeper - submarine tender in Hawaii,
the SEAGULL from l939 to June l942.We were at Maui when Pearl Harbor
occurred.I saw you all at least once in Pearl Harbor, and I remember that
Jack helped with his influence to get me some transportation- I believe that
was to help me in reporting to the CABOT - a small aircraft carrier-in
l944.I ended up the war as skipper of the repair ship CEBU in the
Philippines and Okinawa.Getting back to the HANNIBAL: I was Navigator- we
surveyed the coast of Panama from the Cape Mala I believe about
eighty-ninety miles south of the Pacific entrance to the Canal to the Costa
Rica border as well as the Gulf of Necoya in Costa Rica.. After I left they
covered a small part of the Atlantic coast.That is where Pitman was lost.We
also covered the outlying islands- the names of many of them escape me. On
one of them the old chart had a note "Caution - the island may be
erroneously located - possibly as much as two miles." We found that it was
out of position about one half mile. One of the other islands covered was
Coiba, - and Quibo, which was the penal colony of Panama. We knew the boss
man as well as some of the convicts, who were used as guides to help us in
locating the best places to put up our signals.One day the President of
Panama decided to meet us.We advised him against it, as the weather was bad-
with lots of rain- but he was adamant and came anyway. The planes just
barely made it, and at least one of them could not leave for two days until
we had time to bake their generators dry.The President might have looked
like a President in Panama City, but when he came aboard the HANNIBAL that
day, he looked like a half-drowned rat. We also wrote the sailing directions
for the area covered. "Central American Pilot" I believe the book is called.
But not having seen the chart or the sailing directions for more than twenty
years- anything said is from memory -and that is not as it once was.As to
our old friends, I remember the name (Guillermo) Medina from his connection
with the HANNIBAL or the Hydrographic Office. It was also good to have news
of Paul Lehman.Recently I read that Captain Hinckley. who with his wife had
traveled widely since retirement, had to call of a proposed jaunt due to his
hospitalization.Dick Visser and Mervin Halstead could give you more
information on the YP boats than I. The Vissers had been in Spain for ten
years- or twenty- then came back here and spent about two years traveling
and buying a house and getting located in Florida.They decided to move back
to Spain. They said their address would be c/o General Delivery APO New York
NY 09283.I have seen Dr. and Mrs. Clarence Smith over the years - in fact
saw "Surge" the month before he died- last June I believe. They had been
living around Philadelphia, and my wife Ann, comes from Philadelphia, so we
get up there once a year.You did not mention the engineer. But Boileau died
some years ago, and I believe that Harry Ferguson lives in Jacksonville,
Florida. Agnew went into the Supply Corps. I saw him when he was Supply
Officer on an Aircraft carrier.Harvey Akin, the fellow who liked to work
calculus problems as a pastime, died a few years ago in North Carolina.I saw
him last in Honolulu soon after Pearl Harbor.Benny Crosser was the First
Lieutenant, the ship's housekeeper and an exceedingly good one. CANDLER #54
preceded by p. l75: It was Dick Visser's motor launch that was lost. He was
trying to do too good a job & a wave broke too close to him & swamped his
boat and pulled it on the rocks. Boats could not be landed on that side of
the island-Cebaco Island-I'd forgotten its name until you mentioned it. So
boats landed on the lee side and men had to go up over the hogback and down
on the other side.As I remember it, the jungle was not so bad,but it was a
job to haul heavy weights like boat engines over the hill.But there never
was a crew that was in better condition than the crew on the HANNIBAL- at
that time the oldest ship in commission in the Navy.-Think that the pinnacle
you refer to was named by us 'Hinckley Reef.' I don't know whether it came
out on the chart like that or not.(Halstead later wrote, "I was the guy who
found 'Heradura Rock'- it was six feet below the surface and a hazard.") To
answer one of John's questions, I don't know whether it is history or legend
but Admiral Dewey is said to have found the HANNIBAL a collier built in
England about l896- in the South China Sea loaded with coal previous to the
attack on Manila.He bought it for the price of the coal. All of the survey
ships were ships which would not have been of much use to the Navy on any
other duty.The NIAGARA,which was working on the east coral America was a
converted yacht." (p. l76) And on the 28th of March l970 Dan Candler wrote
to John:"Dear John-I enjoyed both your & your mother's letters.I shall try
to answer your questions as well as pass on any information which may be of
interest.The notes of your Dad would be much more accurate than my memory.I
remember that tropical storm as in that storm I saw the anemometer reading
eighty-three knots,which is the highest reading I ever saw on an
instrument.We tried letting salad oil drip in the windward scuppers but as
to whether it did any good or not I can't say.We knew about the storm before
passing Guantanamo,but everyone was eager to get back to Norfolk so we did
not stay there.After that it seemed that when we were clear of land we ran
with the wind on the quarter until it passed on,which took two or three
days.I am sure that Mervin Halstead gave you a better picture of the YP
boats than I could give.There were also three - I believe- twin screw motor
launches with platforms for heaving the lead to take soundings.There is also
a platform or "chains" from which one may take soundings on most ships.Your
father knew more about small boats than anyone else on board & at his
instigation we obtained two dories, -one was a Nahant dory & I can't
remember the name of the other.l77 To get a starting point for the survey a
party was sent ashore for about a month to locate a point by taking sights
of lower magnitude stars.A base line & direction from this point was then
actually measured-which gave two points.Signals were then erected -
consisting essentially of a flag on a tripod- on conspicuous point in the
vicinity.Then by bearings these signals were located on our temporary
charts- then a boat or a YP or the HANNIBAL would take simultaneously two
sextant angles -horizontal using three signals- & a sounding which would
finally end up as a depth marking on a finished chart.Where it was difficult
to locate signals on land, we sometimes we sometimes used floaters, which
were made square - four steel drums & two by twelve timbers about fifteen
feet long.These were moored in comparatively shallow water & had signal
flags mounted on them.The hydrographic engineers would make up the rough
charts with the signals on them the night before so they would be ready for
the boats the next morning.In deeper waters the HANNIBAL ran lines of
soundings.Once we were taking bearings on the top of a hill where we had a
signal which was about eighty-five miles away.-It was not that the HANNIBAL
required such a long time for overhaul,but the time was taken up for the
hydrographic engineers to get their temporary charts & sounding records in
shape to turn over to the Hydrographic Office. Of course the time in Norfolk
was used also for rest & recreation, leave for the crew,many of whom lived
in Philadelphia & could not afford to have their families in the Canal
Zone.One of the last things to be done l78 before departure was after the
rough charts were made up-the writing of the sailing directions was my job.I
can remember working over a chart in the Norfolk Navy Yard on New Year's Day
& trying to listen to a football game on the radio.On the way to & from the
Canal Zone we were directed to take what were called "dynamic soundings".
This consisted of getting samples of water at different depths & sending
them either to Woods Hole or Scripps Institute of Oeanography at La Jolla
California.We would probably take soundings at six locations on each
trip.There was one rather protected anchorage behind one large island & only
about one half mile from another with a good swimming beach.At first we
liked to go in swimming until someone started fishing for sharks over the
stern.After one was hooked we would shoot him.There were as many as six or
seven ten-or-twelve-foot sharks on lines over the stern at one time.Most of
us lost our interest in swimming after that.The crew was the hardest working
ever - & not baD AT PLAYING EITHER. ALL IN ALL IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST
ENJOYABLE TOURS OF DUTY I HAVE HAD.I always considered you father one of my
best friends. I admire him for going back & getting that law degree. He was
a good seagoing man and a good l79 shipmate.You may well be proud of
him.Kindly remember me to your other."- Dan Candler." (According to Mervin
Halstead, Candler's family at one time had a controlling interest in
Coca-Cola company in early days when it was very small- in later years he
was in Dallas Texas). #51 Paul Lehman hydrographic engineer Sophie
introduction: "The mess steward Machete knew that I liked curry, so when the
ship was in port (infrequently) he always told Jack when they were going to
have curry, and Javk would tell me or drive home and get me for the treat.
Aboard ship the steward goes from man to man with vegetable dishes of beef
or chicken curry, and each man helps himself.Then he serves the rice. Then
he goes to each man with a tray which contains a variety of flavorings,
chopped nuts, picadilly, chutney, coconut. I always sat next to Dr. Clarence
Smith, who piled his plate high, and we certainly enjoyed that lunch. I sat
across from Paul Lehman, the junior hydrographic engineer on the HANNIBAL.
One noon he smiled at me across the table and said, "My fiancee is just like
you, Mrs. Barrett." That was in 1934. When we returned to Balboa in 1935,
Helen was Mrs. Lehman, a new bride, and Paul was a happy man. I was very
surprised to see a girl about my height and weight, a brunette,who had her
arm in a sling. She, a new bride, had fallen and broken her wrist. I was
sympathetic, but the officer who visited with me then teasingly accused Paul
of twisting her arm." On March 24,l970 our friend the junior hydrographic
engineer,a civilian on the HANNIBAL, Paul Lehman wrote to me from
Bethesda,Maryland:"Dear Sophie-We were so glad as well as surprised to
receive your nice long interesting letter.Helen & I have thought about you &
John many times since we were all together in Panama in l934-l935.We were so
sorry to learn of Jack's passing.Our love & heartfelt sympathy go out to you
at this time.We know that it must be a great l82 comfort to you to have your
son with you.Sophie I'll do my best in answering your questions.Aboard a
survey ship there are generally three civilian engineers,one senior
hydrographic engineer & two junior hydrographic engineers. The term
hydrographer is used loosely to designate any one of the three.Actually the
real Hydrographer of the Navy is an Admiral.He never goes to the survey area
but stays in Washington as the head of the Hydrographic Office.The title of
Hydrographer of the Navy,held by an Admiral,was changed to Oceanographer of
the Navy in l962,& the name of the office was changed to U.S. Naval
Oceanographic Office & is located in Suitland,Maryland.Now as well as in
l935 one of the several nautical publications produced is the nautical
(navigational) charts.The US Coast & Geodetic Survey has the responsibility
of making nautical charts & maintaining them corrected to date for all over
the world.Many of these charts by reciprocal agreement are almost
reproductions of foreign government charts.The nations that have the means
of doing hydrographic surveying work do so for the nations that need to have
their coasts charted but do not have the means for doing so.The
International Hydrographic Bureau at Monaco monitors all of the work.In this
way chart nations do not overlap-that is-survey in the same area.Rather by
agreement they exchange information.Anyway the above somehow tells why the
USS HANNIBAL was working in Panama & in Costa Rica in l934-l935.The best
chart-making nations in the past & today are in this order: United
States,Great Britain,Germany, Japan, & France.On a ship doing hydrographic
surveying the officers,hydrographic engineers, & crew obtain l83 the basic
information needed for constructing nautical charts.These charts show the
contour of the ocean floor.You probably know that the floor of the ocean is
made up of mountains,hills, & valleys.In the ocean mountain peaks are called
pinnacles if they are below the surface of the water or islands if they are
above the surface.Before the survey ship with its sounding boats goes into
an area a definite control system has to be established to determine the
exact latitude & longitude of the area to be surveyed.This is done by the
means of building eighty foot high steel towers at various places along the
shore & up to within three or four miles behind the shoreline.Some of these
towers are built on high hills or mountains.From the top of each tower the
engineer reads angles between the other towers that are visible to him-
mountain peaks,points of land, islands.This system of control towers is
known as a "Triangulation Net." This triangulation net is drawn (or
portrayed) over a three foot by four foot piece of paper at a scale to show
about thirty,forty or fifty miles of coastline- the waters off of which are
to be surveyed.This net drawn as geometric figures (as
triangles,parallelograms) is the main control of the survey work.The towers
forming the net are colored with different-colored canvas so that they can
more readily be seen against various backgrounds- trees or sea or sky.
One-foot-in-diameter holes are cut in the canvas covering to allow the wind
to go through- or rather so that the wind would not knock the tower
down.Large colored flags are flown from the tops.At the start of the net a
metal plate l84 with a cross cut thereon is set into a concrete base.Then
the exact latitude of the intersection of the cross is determined
astronomically.Hundreds of readings are taken of the stars each night & the
sun each day.Finally the exact latitude & longitude of this point is
known.Next from this point a baseline of about four or five miles in length
has to be very accurately measured.This is done along a railroad track when
possible.The iron-steel measuring tape must be under 3.5 pounds pressure
when read,& temperature readings must be taken & corrections made
accordingly.The measurement must be made three times.The results must be
within five inches of error.This measured line or distance becomes the
vertex of the triangle- which in turn becomes the first figure of the
triangulation net.By having all the angles between the towers read & knowing
the sides & angles of the first triangle, by trigonometric computation the
latitude & longitude of each tower is determined.ow the exact location of
intermediate stations is determined.The ship, sub-chasers & motor launches
then go into the area & measure the depth of the water by taking thousands
of soundings.These soundings portray the contour of the ocean floor.The
officers taking the soundings record the information on the boat
sheets.Quartermasters simultaneously read angles with sextants between these
stations,thus determining the position of the boats. Periodically small
changes in the course steered have to be made to stay on the sounding lines
drawn on the boat sheets.The location of the sounding lines & the distance
between them are designated by the engineers after a study is made of the
nature of the terrain of the ocean floor.Fathometers are used to l85
periodically measure the depth of the water.From the bottom of the sounding
boat the signal of the fathometer sends a sound wave to the ocean floor.The
time of the returning echo gives the depth of the water.The boat sheet
material is worked up onto smooth sheets when the ship is in Norfolk or
Philadelphia.The completed sheets are sent to the Oceanographic Office & are
the basic material for the making of the new charts.The senior hydrographic
engineer spends about ninety per cent of his time aboard the mother ship
joining with the Captain & Executive officer in formulating plans &
procedures for the work& they review the progress made & the accuracy of the
results obtained.In some situations a more concentrated effort in operations
must be made. Generally the Captain, Executive officer & senior hydrographic
engineer visit Port Authority officers to make sure that agreements are
understood regarding matters of right-of-way at tower & signal sites- the
clearing or cutting down of timber sites (which are often on the top of high
hills & mountain peaks) & the use of lighthouses as triangulation stations,
obtaining materials & food.At the present time junior hydrographic engineers
must be graduates in civil engineering, having been schooled in hydrography,
topography & oceanography. They have to be able to make trigonometric
computations mainly for the triangulation control net. l86 During my time on
the HANNIBAL we lost a motor whaleboat-not a motor launch.he sailors & I
were in a motor whaleboat that capsized in the surf while making a
landing.We swam to shore.one of us was injured. The boat was demolished as
it was dashed against the rocks near the shore.All that was salvaged of the
wreckage was a little piece of the side of the boat that contained the
boat's number - this I handed to Captain Hinckley when I finally got back
aboard the HANNIBAL.My last trip that Iaent ilsvice was in the 1934-1935
season when Jack a was the Executive officer,& Helen & you were in Balboa.I
hope Sophie,that some of my answers to your questions will be of help to you
& your son.Helen joins me in sending much love. -Paul Lehman."-#52 Adm.
Visser- #52 VISSER letter Hannibal l934-5 On the 25th of March l970 Rear
Admiral Richard Gerben Visser residing in Madrid,Spain- a young boat officer
on the HANNIBAL when Jack was its Executive Officer wrote:Dear Sophie & John
junior,Forgive me for not having acknowledged your letters sooner but it has
been virtually impossible.Joanne & I sold our house in Florida in January &
moved back here to Madrid,where we formerly lived from l957 to l967.My years
in the HANNIBAL are some of the treasured memories of my life.I enjoyed fine
associations with everyone on board & found the work of hydrographic
surveying to be highly interesting.As a young officer I was given a great
deal of responsbility & in the beautiful finished charts could see the final
completed products of all our united research & effort.The YP 42 was my
first command,& I learned the basics of ship handling & seamanship from this
experience.We had loads of fun in Panama- all of us together when the ship
was in port,going to the several swank beer l87 gardens in the evenings & to
the Union club on Saturday nights for dinner & dancing. On Sunday afternoon
there were the horse races which were fun to attend. Captain Hinckley was a
particularly fine captain& he & Mrs. Hinckley always joined in with us in
our social activities. I have kept up with them over the years & stopped to
see them in Washington about five years ago.I am distressed to know that he
has been hospitalized.Commander Barrett was a fine Executive Officer &
particularly well qualified for that duty.Under his direction I was given
charge of an operation to drag several hundred square miles of coastal
waters to a depth of twelve fathoms. We employed both YP's, & Mervin
Halstead worked with me.It was unique from the normal survey work &
presented a challenge to us.We did the job in three weeks & we had the
feeling of having accomplished something worthwhile.During the course of the
operation we located & charted a pinnacle which could have ripped the bottom
out of a ship.We may have named it 'Hinckley Rock' or some such name.I'm
sure you know the history of the HANNIBAL.It was a British collier & Admiral
Dewey bought it it China during the Spanish-American war.It was loaded with
coal- & to get the coal he had to buy ship & cargo. It remained on the rolls
of the Navy right up to World War II.I think its last service was as a
station ship in Norfolk.It had a wrought iron hull & one reciprocating
engine of either 300 or 600 horsepower.It had natural draft with tall stack,
fire tube boilers which l88 burned soft coal-these had to be cleaned
regularly-that is the reason we got back to port about once a month.The main
pumps,including the air pumps,were all connected to the main shaft,so
whenever we got underway we started with zero vacuum (if John junior is an
engineer he will appreciate this!)Steam was generated in the boilers &
pushed through the cylinders.As the main shaft turned over,it activated the
main air pump which began to suck a vacuum in the main condenser thus
permitting an easier flow of steam.With an engine of such low power the
efficiency was never very high & only under the best conditions of a fair
breeze were we able to obtain a maximum speed of six to seven knots!I often
remember rounding Cape Mala en route to & from the survey area on the west
coast of Panama-the current there is rather strong - two-three knots.
Invariably we would have the lighthouse bearing on the bow at sunset- & at
sunrise the next day it would still be in plain sight on the quarter. With a
ship of such low power you can readily understand that it was a dangerous
situation when we were caught in that hurricane north of Cuba (September
l935).We were fearful that, being caught in mountainous seas & 75-l00 mile
per hour winds we would be unable to maintain steerage way & might founder.
Ah- but she was a comfortable old ship & served us well-& we loved her!To
answer a couple of John junior's questions:The HANNIBAL spent three months
in Norfolk not only for overhaul but in working up the rough data of our
season's work into smooth charts for reproduction by the Hydrographic
Office.The charts were beautiful!The last survey of the area we completed in
l934-l935 had been carried out by the British one hundred years
before-considering what they had to work with,their charts were reasonably
good. We found one rock "Pillar of Salt" only about two miles out of
position. l89 The "Morrow Puercos" operation covered an area to a
considerable distance offshore where the water was comparatively
shallow-under one hundred fathoms.To run the lines getting depths, we
extended the triangulation from known points on shore to floaters (rafts
with flags & skirts on pyramids),which we anchored in depths up to thirty
fathoms.Using these to determine the ship's position at any moment, we ran
our lines covering a wide area out of sight of land.Poor Captain Gresham had
a cancerous tumor in his arm & was not with us very long. Captain Stevens
relieved him toward the end of my last survey season, so I didn't get to
know either of them very well.The YP-42 operated independently away from the
HANNIBAL much of the time.For example I was in charge (& had Mr. Devine &
Mr. Livingston with me) of the survey of the Gulf of Nicoya on the west
coast of Costa Rica.The entrance of this gulf is about as wide as the
English Channel.It took us three months to do the job,& I didn't see the
HANNIBAL during all this time.The YP 41 brought us supplies & mail and
exchanged Livingston & Devine,who split the time between them.After all this
I hesitate to bore you further with an outline of my career during & after
the war.To sketch it briefly I graduated from the Naval War College on 2
December l94l & reported to COMINCH headquarters in Washington- Admiral
King-when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.It took a year to extricate
myself from Washington & take command of a new 2l00-ton destroyer l90 USS
DALY DD5l9 & get to sea. After a shakedown in the Atlantic operating with
other destroyers out of Argentia (Newfoundland) we went to the Pacific to
join our squadron.We participated in the Aleutian operation from August to
December l943,then went to the Southwest Pacific theater where we
participated in the forward movement of the Allied forces through New
Guinea,then Halmahera Islands & the invasion of the Philippines culminating
in the Battle of Surigao Strait (OCTOBER,L944). I had tremendous success
with the DALY, saw a lot of combat & had a wonderful crew-& no one got hurt
while I had command.From the DALY after Surigao I was ordered to the staff
of Admiral Turner Commander Amphibious Forces of the Pacific Fleet as
Assistant Operations Officer. In that capacity I helped prepare the plans
for & participated in the assault & conquest of both Iwo Jima & Okinawa. At
war's end we were in Manila working with the Sixth Army & had just competed
the plans for the invasion of the Japanese home islands.Thank God we didn't
have to carry them out!-although I sometimes wonder what chain reactions we
have inherited by having used the bomb.After the war I had various commands
in both the Destroyer & Amphibious Forces & served on major staffs.I was
also selected for & attended the National War College in Washington. I love
the Navy & have fine memories of it.From your description it appears that
Commander Barrett had a long & varied career,& his memories should prove
most interesting and worth publishing.I sincerely wish you success with it.
I would be glad to hear from you again & hope the contents of this letter
will be helpful. Sincerely, Dick Visser." #53 Halstead- #53 HALSTEAD
HANNIBAL l934 On January 25,l970 Captain Mervin Halstead who was one of
Jack's junior officers on the HANNIBAL wrote to John from Los Altos
California:" Yes I was aboard with Hinckley,Gresham,& Stevens-Candler,
Visser, Boyd,Ascherfeld & many others were there with me.Your mother was a
small, dark-haired lady then. My father General Lawrence Halstead US Army
was in command of the U.S. Army in Panama then.Being the son of a "bigshot"
I was enjoying myself plenty.I was the guy who found Heradura Rock-it was
six feet below the surface & was a hazard.I dragged for it & found it only
ONCE. Even though I took an accurate fix,the current was so swift you could
not stay over it long enough to find it again.The HANNIBAL came north during
hurricane season & damn near foundered in l935. There was another ship a
converted German yacht NOKOMIS-she was always on the east coast of
Panama.Until late in l936 the HANNIBAL operated on the west coast. The east
coast was extremely dangerous because of constant surf-waves.Boatswain
Pittman drowned in late l936.I did see your father in Hawaii. He put me
aboard a ship CAPE BLANCO to get me out before someone grabbed me & took me
out to the action area in the Pacific before I could get my thirty days
leave.I had been in action area three years plus.Very nice of him.All the
names you mention are on the chart. Cape Mala was the turning point coming
home to Balboa - it is ninety miles out. l80 I have the original of the
enclosed post card.(YP 41 illustrated)The YP 41 was painted white,with
yellow superstructure.It had two Winton air injection engines, carried l500
gallons of drinking water & sometimes as many as fifty men. It was very wide
& made the trip from Norfolk to Panama easily.It had wooden deck & one half
inch thick steel hull.There was a sister ship GALLATIN YP 42. Lieutenant jg
Dick Visser commanded it. Neither Visser nor Halstead (me) took promotion
exams until l938.The note 'Halstead & Visser better read up' referred to the
two of us commanding such boats as these. These boats ran survey lines as
many miles as possible from "can't see to can't see" eight am to dark -as
many as thirty thousand miles per year.Glossy water, teeming with sharks,
barracudas,crocodiles.(Pictureshows Halstead marked by arrows showing
compensated magnetic compass,search light,port holes, fenders to keep from
bumping, patent anchors - atmosphere very hot & wet- picture of where
Halstead was stationed -also Boatswain Warrell,Seaman Peyton, CPO Engineer
Hall, & AFFIRM flag meaning "We are coming alongside,PORT side." It is a
picture of YP 4l the MAHONING,which was given to the Navy by the Coast Guard
for survey work.It was 2l0 tons & made ten knots.It had one of the first
depth finding appliances aboard.At the time of the picture it was coming
aboard the USS HANNIBAL,which was the mother ship on which Barrett was the
Executive Officer.The HANNIBAL made eight knots.This particular picture was
made in l935 off Aufuera Island,Panama Pacific coast -Sophie Barrett note)
"Yes there were three civilians you named l8l & another one arrived in
l936.They plotted our stuff.Devine was in charge.I found the largest
scorpion in the world one day on the east coast of Panama.He is in
Smithsonian now.Big as a crab. I chopped down a manzanilla tree & got
poisoned as Lord Nelson had done a century before.Almost lost my eyes. The
doctor was 'Cyanide' Smith. Gresham died of cancer.He was going place in the
Navy when he came down with it.They didn't know what it was- so sent him to
the HANNIBAL to rest.Ship spent about thirty days out (then) ten days in
Balboa.I went to US Naval Academy postgraduate school from HANNIBAL. I got
twelve hours notice to be ready to get off to USS HERBERT DDl60 as we passed
through canal.(When I arrived,Ascherfeld picked me up in a sub chaser that
YP 4l replaced later & took me out to the HANNIBAL. Very interesting
duty-but so long ago- 36 years.We spent October,November, &December in
Norfolk Naval Shipyard each year. On YP 41 I had a Keysote bear (crotommi)
named Oscar that bit you pa & he wanted me to get rid of him - not really
(joke). Very truly yours-Mervin Halstead." #16 Agnew Letter Panama l933=l935
#16 And on May l, l97l Commander Jack Agnew who was one of the junior
officers on the HANNIBAL when we joined her in l933 wrote from Dover,
Delaware,"Dear Mrs. Barrett, It was good to hear from you after so many
years. At almost sixty-two years of age I suppose my memory of the early
'Thirties is not as good as it should be.For example I could not have told
you the name of the Boatswain who succeeded Mr. Fry - until you mentioned
Pittman. But of course Agnes and I both remember you and your fine husband,
such a gentleman, fine seaman, and good administrator! We were so sorry to
hear of your great loss.Since my retirement in l960, I have had no time for
nostalgia about the Navy, dearly as I love it.After all it took me as a kid
of sixteen, through the Academy and thirty years of subsequent service.But
even before the actual date of retirement, I was in a classroom getting my
teaching credentials, and the next year I started teaching full time. I am
now teaching Spanish at Wesley College here.But back to the HANNIBAL- the
"White Swan of the Carribean". We have many fond memories. Of course it was
personally nice duty for us because of Balboa being Agnes's home town and
having her mother still down there at that time. We greatly enjoyed the
times when the ship was in port, whether we went to the Union Club, or the
beer garden, - golfing at Amador, driving up into the interior- and that
wonderful time when our wives joined us in Puntarenas (Costa Rica) and we
had a spectacular trip up to San Jose where we spent about four days.-That
ambassador's champagne party when Captain Hinckley kept hovering over us to
make sure we did not imbibe too much! I understand that Costa Rica has a
fine new banana port which we surveyed before moving into the Gulf of
Necoya.Puntarenas was not too interesting, and the only way we could get
cold beer was to go aboard a German ship. Quepos Point on the other hand,
was wild virgin territory when we moved in.How well I remember the Easter
Sunday morning when I had a bunch of natives well inland on top of a high
hill, clearing away the underbrush and cutting down trees so that the Tower
party could put up one of their structures.That was where I learned that the
male monkey comes chattering through the trees loudly so that one does not
notice the female and the young going through a little further away.I never
felt too good at cutting my way through those tropical jungles, nor did any
of the others- I am sure- realizing that if a deadly fer-de-lance (snake)
was around and bit a person, it would probably be the end of him.One bad
thing about the Costa Rica work was that we were so far from Balboa and
could not go in and out as we had when working in Panama.It was off Panama
southeast of Bahia Honda I believe that the incident of finding the pinnacle
rock of which you spoke occurred and if that was the same incident, it was
my boat that found it.And when we did find it, -oh boy- the HANNIBAL was
coming right for it.She might have had her bottom ripped off if we had not
stopped her. My crew would not go back to work until they let us come
alongside and collect the prize which the skipper had offered- a box of
cigars, I believe! It was also off Panama nearby where I caught my most
satisfactory fish, a forty-five pound red snapper, slowly trawling around a
rock offshore.We had a lot of fun fishing.One would have thought we were
nuts, running lines of soundings,putting up markers offshore and ashore,for
six days a week and then taking a boat out fishing on Sunday!And all the
sounding boat engineers kept a line astern when we were working and
frequently gave us freshly caught and grilled mackerel to augment our
lunch.Of course the work had its dangerous side out in the boats and in
landing - both. I remember the time I ran my boat aground, but fortunately
it was in Manzanillo Bay on the Atlantic side on my first time out, and
there was no surf. But when Dick Visser did (the same thing), it was on a
wild coast, and the boat was lost.I remember that he had all the little
radios, which they were trying out for us to use in the sounding boats,out
testing them, and of course they went, too.On one landing in a whale boat
putting a beach party ashore, Mr. Fry lost his glasses and was nearly
killed, as his successor Pitman was later (1936). Good old 'Shorty' Candler!
I remember I could never make the chili hot enough for him and had to
provide him with extra chili powder when he would have dinner with us in
Balboa.. Poor 'Shorty' - the time when - early in his time aboard, he got
too much sun, , and with his fair complexion he was quite badly off.
Somebody told him crude oil would help, so he put some on in the
shower.-what a mess! We had enough junior officers to man two World War I
sub chasers and four sounding boats as I remember.As to the enlisted men, I
have a most vague memory except for my boat captain, whose name was I
believe, Edwards and who though only a seaman, was the better of any
boatswain's mate I was to come across later.It was our great pleasure to
host Captain and Mrs. Hinckley and several of the ex-"HANNIBALites" at a
party at the Sub Base, Pearl Harbor late l937. I'll bet Marion and Bob
(Hinckley) never forgot the ride back to their hotel, for I believe I had
"too many martoonis." When I left the HANNIBAL, I had only been thinking
about the Supply Corps, but after a year on the "black gang" as Boiler
Division officer on the PORTLAND, I had made up my mind. After a short but
wholly satisfactory interlude as Second Division officer and No. 2 turret
officer (my turret won the "E" the week after I left) I went to Supply
School in Philadelphia Navy Yard. There followed duties at Pearl Harbor,
Norfolk Navy Yard, Patoka, Naval Aviation School Patuxent, and the carrier
WASP- then ashore for good I went to Naval Aviation School San Diego, Naval
Storehouse Gulfport-Assistant Fleet Supply Officer, Atlantic- Logistics
Officer for Admiral Blandy- the Logistics course at the Naval War College,-
Regional Accounting Office Philadelphia. Well there you have a thumbnail
sketch of what I remember of the good old HANNIBAL and of our lives since.
If you have any specific questions,I should be most glad to answer them.At
any rate. it has been grand to be back in touch with someone from the"White
Swan" and I hope we can keep in touch.Agnes joins me in affectionate
greetings.Most sincerely, - Jack Agnew."In September l97l I received a
letter from Captain J.C. Woefel of Long Beach California" Dear Mrs. Barrett,
Your letter arrived just as we returned from a lot of traveling.I am sorry
to learn of Dan Candler's passing. He was always such a jolly person.I
joined the HANNIBAL in l933 in time to go South, and then left her as soon
as we got to Panama. I never returned to her. While I knew Commander Barrett
briefly, I do remember that he was well read and had many interests and was
most co-operative.He was most helpful in getting my survey party off on my
second trip to Alaska. I next saw him in l944 at Pearl Harbor when he
arranged my transportation to the states after I relinquished command of my
destroyer.He went out of his way to get me headed for home, which I greatly
appreciated.After leaving the HANNIBAL, I worked in Panama and Costa Rica
and then on to Alaska.From there I went to combatant ships. In l935 I was
married just before going to Post Graduate School at Annapolis. We have
three children. I retired from the Navy in l955 and went with Richmond Oil
Company- retired now- Best - "Dutch" Woefel |