Welcome to the USS New York City SSN-696 Guestbook Forum

Years Served: Nov 1976 to Nov 1980…I remember the beginning of the city and the crew , it was a lot of hard work but great fun only because of the wonderful crew. We had great times together and will never forget them. Thanks George for arranging the reunion, sorry I didn’t get to attend. Maybe next time.

Years Served: Oct 1983 – Oct 1989…The absolute best crew and sub I served on. I also served on the Seadragon (SSN 584) and the Aspro (SSN 648) and they never even came close to how tight the crew of The City was. I went there as a QM3 and left as a QMC. I still keep in touch with a few guys from that era. Namely, The Skimmer, Hairdog, Derek Desa, Jimmy Fennessy and Zak. Unfortunately The City lost a good brother to a car accident and he went on eternal patrol – HMCM Craig DOC Carson. Rest in peace my good brother and save us a spot next to you in heaven.

Years Served: 1979-1981…Shawn Williams aka flounder

Years Served: 1979-1981…Shawn Williams aka flounder

Years Served: 1973-1976 SSBN616…As a Broklyn guy, I would have loved to serve on the NYC. Unfortunately, it wasn’t built yet when I was in the boats. Nonetheless, my

Years Served: …George, Keep up the good work, you’re doing a great job. I hope to make the reunion this year. Lucky

Years Served: Commissioning Crew COB…Good crew, good times, good memories. It was a pleasure and honor to serve during the Golden years of the US Navy Submarine Service and the cold war. There will never be another era for submarine and submariners like it was from 1960 to 1990. I began my submarine career in 1963 after schooling and with the exception one tour ashore, I was on sea duty until my retirement on Oct. 31, 1980.

Years Served: 1980-1984…The NYC was my first submarine and is where I earned my dolphins. I mostly served under the command of Commander (later Captain) Arthur Walther. Easily the best crew I had the honor to be part of during my Navy years. Would love to hear from crew mates from those years, esp. those in E-Div.

Years Served: …My dad was on the 626 in 1963. He was killed a few years back in an auto accident. His name was William Gary Gwinnett he was 54 years old when he died..I still have his stainless steel pocket knife,a launch card and an original photo of t the SSN-626 that he received while in the service..

Years Served: 1977 – 1981…If anyone is interested in being added to my distribution list for future reunions drop me an email at gdslack3@yahoo.com. I will make sure you are added and become a part of the memories of the USS New York City SSN696.

Years Served: 1977-1981…Ahoy shipmates. Was part of the commissioning crew and plank owner of our fair lady. Even though it was rough water under the commissioning skipper the crew was by far the best group of sailors a crew mate could have.

Years Served: 1977-1979…Plankowner on the USS New York City. ET1. Was a reactor operator with Gary Jester as the LPO. On the boat from about May 1977 until she left for PSA. Transferred out following the first ORSE.

Years Served: 1996…I was with the decom crew and still have some USS NYC zippos left. And have the templates for the Brass plaques.

Years Served: 1977 – 1979…Member of the Commissioning crew – Had a great time at the mini-reunion last fall, it was great to see all that were there. I note that you all looked older (except for Chief Flynn) but your personalities haven’t changed a bit. Thanks to Bob Phillips for setting up the tour of the USS Hampton, everyone seemed to enjoy it greatly…. Thanks to George for putting it together. BOBV

I came across this page while looking for Navy gift for my husband. He served on the New York City from 1991-1995 and still says it was some of the best years of his life. I’m sure he would love to hear from some of his fellow submariners! He was originally from Gettysburg, PA and we now live in FL. Feel free to email me pookiegf@gmail.com. Thank you all for your service!

On New York City SSN696 commissioning crew, also Dace SSN607, Decommissioning crew Simon Bolivar SSBN 641.
Retired 94

Best boat ever! T-bone, G-lo, Snow, E-dog, Naka, The Big Nasty, Ugly, C-Holt, Malik, Gangsta Bitch, Freeman, JD, Antonio “Boom Boom” Padilla and the list goes on. Hope y’all doing ok!

Gonzalez I cook for the crew of the NYC 696 from 1989-1992 it was good times in the galley and good food at the Big Apple. I’m in San Antonio alive and kiking

Quick Notes on NYC 696 crew of late 1979 thru 81… Tim Belty died at 56 years of age, found on SSIndex, but feel free to prove me wrong. Wild Mild Will Chapoton was involved Motion Pictures (More or Less) Dwane “Tex” Odom is hiding out in Dallas TX after adventures in the swimming pool industry in The Woodlands TX where I live at the moment… Dwane, I was kidding about the money you never paid back to my parents, God Kid, I was “the bank of the boat” but never GD Wells Fargo bank! Call sometime.

I was assigned to the USS Samuel N. Moore (DD-747) from June 1959 to May 1962, a destroyer home-ported in Long Beach, CA and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 23 (DesRon-23). This was my first shipboard duty in my career. The first time underway was my first time of “absolute sea-sickness”. I spent the first day underway “manning the rails”. Once I got that out of my system, never was sea-sick again (well, maybe a little “woozy” when riding out a typhoon or two).

I first started out in the Deck Division for several months. This was the low-life duties of chipping paint, painting “Red Lead” primer, and painting lots of “Haze Grey” and “Deck Grey” throughout the ship. I also got the great duty assignments of “Scullery duty” and “KP duty”, not to mention the cleaning of “Heads” (Navy Restrooms).

I was later offered an option to get into the medical division as a corpsman striker, working under HMC “Doc” Ben Mayotte until his retirement in 1960. Since I was so fed up with the Deck Division duties, I absolutely said “YES” to the inter-division switch, knowing it had to be a much better “racket”.

During my duties in the Medical Division, I learned quite a lot in First Aid, Minor Surgery, Pharmaceuticals, and Microscopic Biological Research. I learned to make some of the best “Terpin Hydrate” Cough Syrup on the west coast, 190-proof. Seems there was a lot of demand for my “special cough syrup” when at sea. Any time we deployed overseas, I assisted in giving all the necessary shots to the crew, like Typhoid, Tetanus, DTP, Chickenpox, etc. I never did like needles. The first time giving shots, I thought I was going to pass out, but later I got over it. I really got good at giving penicillin shots in some of the shipmates rear-ends while we were overseas.

Towards the expiration of my first enlistment, I was offered Hospital Corpsman School in San Diego if I re-enlisted for another 4-year term. I thought it over and determined that this was not for me; that I wanted to get into electronics.

Since there were no open billets in the “ET” (Electronic Technician) gang, the next best thing was to get into the “Radioman” gang.

The last few months that I was attached to the USS Moore, I joined the communications division as a radioman striker. Since my main interest was electronics, this was as close as I was going to get into the electronics field. I eventually “shipped-over” (re-enlisted) under the STAR program that guaranteed an “A” School for me, and if I graduated in the top 10%, I would be advanced to pay grade E-4. I re-enlisted and it got me the orders to Radioman “A” School in San Diego upon completion of my tour of duty on the Moore.

During my duty on this ship, we made two WestPac deployments of about 6 to 7 months each, visiting Hawaii and the countries of Japan, Okinawa, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Hong Kong was a great liberty port. I had a couple of custom-made suits and a “white sport-coat” made on my first visit there, that were very inexpensive. Visited the “Tiger Balm Gardens” that was a very impressive Chinese “fantasy land”.

We also made trips up to Seattle and Everett, WA; and operations at sea off the coast of Mexico. We also conducted cold weather operations off the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

While attached to the Moore, we participated in a couple of 1962 nuclear tests, designated “Operation Dominic I” in the Pacific. One of the tests was conducted near Christmas Island & the second was off the coast of southern California.