With all of this nice weather, I've spent less time at the machine and more time outdoors, so this month the bulletin is short. As always, there is more that I haven't gotten to... A happy Fourth of July to all!

Todd Woofenden, Editor


New in The Chasers >> Hull Number Photographs

Recently posted is a nice photograph of SC 279 and SC 283, which served in the Canal Zone. There are still a few chasers that served in the Canal Zone that are not shown in the Hull Number Photographs section, including SC 280, SC 281, SC 282 and SC 287. If anyone has a photograph of any of those, please send it in.


New audio content at In the Great War

Note: In the Great War is a sister-site to The Subchaser Archives, for two podcast series, one audio and one video. letters homeThe latest audio addition to the In the Great War series is a set of personal letters from the collection of subchaser radio electrician Henry Tegler, describing his experience entering the U.S. Navy and training as a radio man. Before I read these letters, the detailed sketches of the radio equipment circuits (several of which are scanned and posted in the section on Tegler's Journal) were a bit of a mystery. The working assumption was that these drawings were part of his training. The letters bear this out. Note: There are no car chases or explosions in this episode. It may come off as a bit slow-paced. But to me, these personal accounts are neat little slices of history. If you want to hear a genuine account in the words of the serviceman of his entry into the fray, it may be of interest. The interesting part to me is that this was the first generation of radio telephones used in the USN. When Tegler writes of learning theory and use, he's talking about the very first group of servicemen to learn it. [Editor's note: In the Great War is no longer active.]


New in Tactics & Equipment >> Devices

Recently I had an interesting email exchange with an individual working on a display project for the Iziko Museums in Cape Town, South Africa on the sinking of SS Mendi. He had asked about the Carley float (life rafts) in WWI, and I sent him a couple of photographs, small versions of which are posted on a new page on life rafts.