The Southerland Scuttlebutt
President: Craig Pankop - craigpankop @ hotmail.com
Vice President/Event Coordinator - Rick Anderson - andy743 @ bellsouth.net
Webmaster - Victoria Kosub - victoriakozub @ gmail.com
Now hear this, Now hear this!
Good morning shipmates, family members, friends, and acquaintances. Coming to you live from beautiful Seneca, SC. This newsletter has been very slow in getting done. Lots of reasons for that, but I will only share a couple of them. 1. When Dianne and I arrived home on October 8th from our Portland reunion, we walked into the house around 3pm on that Friday afternoon and found our home in a state of disaster. Long story short, 4,000 + gallons of ice maker water went out on the floor. So, over the 7+ months we have had our entire main floor replaced in our home. We were distracted for a period of time. House is brand new on the first floor and we even have internet at our house which has really helped out. 2. I have been procrastinating as well. Hot tip, turn all the water off if you leave home for an extended period. Time to march forward smartly.OUR NEXT REUNION
For those in attendance at our Portland reunion the decision was made to have our next reunion at Vicksburg MS sometime during late September or early October 2023. Well, let me just say this about that. With the assistance of another shipmate several telephone calls were made to the local Vicksburg chamber, hotels, casinos and the visitor’s bureau. The response was underwhelming. The nearest airports are 1 and 2 hours away. After conferring with several shipmates, the decision was made to look elsewhere.Enter the USS Orleck DD886. A gearing class destroyer that has recently relocated to Jacksonville, FL. The decision has been made to move our next reunion to Jacksonville. I understand we are headed back to the east coast but what an opportunity to visit a gearing class destroyer and enjoy all the other exiting pleasantries the city has to offer. The ship is moored downtown and will eventually be moved to its permanent location just a couple blocks away from its present mooring. The city has so many things to offer and transportation everywhere. The airport is just 30-40 minutes from the downtown area. The US Navy is well represented in and around Jacksonville. The weather should be very mild to warm and it will be near the end of the hurricane season. You can check out the area for yourself by going to visitjacksonville.com. A decision must be made as to the dates of the reunion. Traditionally we have had our reunion the last week of September and or maybe the 1st week of October. So, looking for some feedback on that question. Another question that we need to address is possibly using a reunion planning service and maybe even plan with another gearing class destroyer group that we have common ground with. If you want to have input on these questions, please let me know at craigpankop @ hotmail.com
Looking Forward
On October 13, 2025 the 250th birthday of America’s Surface Navy, the National Museum of the Surface Navy located onboard the Battleship IOWA will open at the Port of Los Angeles, CA. Something to consider as we look forward to the years ahead.FALLEN SHIPMATES
QM1 Donald Fechtner Deceased 04/05/2022QM3 Richard Cameron Deceased 06/25/2021
STS3 Richard Lynch Deceased 05/17/2021
# If you know of other shipmates that have passed away, please let me know so the roster can be updated, Thank You.
Word for the day:
Athwartships, I always thought that was a cool word.Dues/Contact Information
In closing I remind all that your dues are $15.00 a year, $150.00 for a lifetime. Please forward your 2022 dues to me at the following address. If you have shipmates that are not receiving the newsletter please ask them to pay their dues. As you all know, maintaining this organization and moving it forward requires funding. Future newsletters will be sent via email as much as possible to save on mailing and printing expenses. If you have a new email/address, please pass it on. Lastly, a Facebook page has been established as well. It is, DD/DDR 743 USS Southerland Reunions. Thank you, Linda and Alison. Any comments/questions you can contact me at (918) 269-0836. I may not answer so please make sure you leave a message. Thank you for your continued support to this fine organization.CRAIG PANKOP, PRESIDENT
211 Pebble Creek Drive
Seneca, SC 29678-1116
craigpankop @ hotmail.com
USS SOUTHERLAND DD-DDR 743 REUNION COMMITTEE
