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Years Served: 1960-1961…Fond memories serving on the USS Colahan I only wish that I had stayed with her.

Years Served: 1960…I spent my Reserve active duty on her From 5 Mar to 18 Apr 1960. Of all of the various types of ships that I served on during my Eight Years in the Navy Reserve the Colahan was the one I wanted to stay aboard, at the end of my two weeks. To all of the regulars that I made friends with I have forgotten you names now, but I’ll never forget the shore leave I spent with you. All of you treated me like I was part of the regular crew. The only name I do remember of the regular crew is Wojtalewicz, SK 3. I sure wish that I would have kept in touch with him. I sometimes still wonder if he went back home or stayed in California. I guess another I’ll never forget this cruise, is because we off the coast of California, on maneuvers with the rest of the fleet and about 0400 HRS, we were hit by another ship. It cut a hole in our fantail just above the water line. It was the area of ET Storeroom that I had just inventoried. The next thing I know is that I’m in the storeroom with two of the regular ship’s crew shoving mattresses in the hole trying to keep the water from coming into the ship. I also remember the Doc bringing us some little bottles of medication to warm us up, but it never got to me, because they said I wasn’t old enough to drink this kind of medicine. I told them that I was 23 but they wouldn’t believe me. This was my last Sea cruise and it is one more reason while I’ll never forget my short time aboard the Colahan. God Blessed all of us that early morning, because none of the crew got hurt, and to all of us that our still around May God Bless You, and May God Bless America.

Years Served: june 1961 to jan.1962…served as a ship fitter. transfered on board after putting rodchester out of commission.