Welcome to the USS Vogelgesang DD-862 Guestbook Forum

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Good Ship Good Crew

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I kept a journal the entire tour

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Years Served: Air Force 1969-1974…My name is Kent McInnis, a very close family friend of the late Hugh W. Taylor, 5749015 Radarman Third Class, United States Navy, 1943-1946. I am hoping to learn more about him as a young man in the war, but before his NFL days. I also want to learn the fate of his ship after he was blown into the water by a German shell.

Served aboard USS VOGELGESANG DD-862 September 1959 through August 1961. As a USNR Seaman when I went aboard I was a SM2 (Signalman 2nd Class PO) when I left the “Vogie”. Med cruise September 1959-March 1960 and included Suez Canal and Red Sea. Lots of happy memories. First Solant Amity cruise September 1960-March 1961 to west coast of Africa and east coast of South America. This was a people-to-people cruise where we had guests aboard every port and showed movies on a screen on a screen placed on the side of the ship facing the pier for the local people to view. Became a Shellback on this cruise. Chased and searched for the Santa Maria cruise ship hijacked by pirates. Lots of tales could be told about those adventures. Our Shellback initiation on DVD transferred from 8mm silent film appears on You Tube which includes 20 minutes of film taken during this cruise. I am in touch with several Vogelgesang shipmates. Hoping this site catches on and becomes a popular place for “Vogie” Sailors. I don’t understand the first post shown here by an Air Force guy but guess I will learn more as time progresses.