• Vol. 4, No. 10, October 2008

    This month I'm working on upgrading the Subchaser Archives site software. This might result in some strange page formatting here and there. If you see something that isn't right, please let me know.

    Among the main objectives is better presentation of the large images. In the old page theme, wide images "broke out" of the page, even when the site was viewed on a large monitor. Since showing large scans of historical images strikes me as a valuable undertaking, I'm redesigning the site theme to allow it to stretch to whatever browser window width you are using, so that those site visitors who have a large monitor can see the full image nicely formatted in the page.

    It might have the unintended corollary result of making the site look worse on a low-resolution monitor (so, again, let me know if something looks broken or wrong, so I can address it).

    On Sunday, October 19, 2008 I will be speaking at USSVI (United States Submarine Veterans, Inc.) in Augusta, Maine. I think this will be a variation of a presentation on the life of crewmen on submarine chasers.

    --Todd Woofenden, editor. 

     

  • Sale of Vessels Document Added

    October 2008 Just posted is a complete document on the sale of U.S.N. vessels after the war. The 110' chasers were among a large number of small craft that were sold, since the U.S.N. didn't have any need for them. Some of the chasers were retained for training purposes or transferred to the Coast Guard or other armed services, but most were sold to private buyers for conversion to fishing or pleasure boats.

    Sale of VesselsThis booklet, Sale of Vessels by the Navy, provides details of the pending sales. (Chaser listings start on page 10.)

    Vessels listed:

    Steam Yachts

    • Wasp
    • Pawnee (SP 699)
    • Sylvia
    • Onward (SP 311)
    • Corona (SP 813)
    • Margaret (SP 527)

    Motor Boats and Motor Yachts

    • Bayocean (SP 2640)
    • Patrol No. 10 (SP 85)
    • Atlantic (SP 3286)
    • Russ (SP 1151)
    • Relief
    • Raven III (SP 103)
    • Shadow III (SP 102)

    Miscellaneous Craft

    • Fearless (SP 724)
    • James H. Clark (SP 759)
    • Ardent (SP 680)
    • Chase S. Osborne (SP 1121)
    • Harbor Tug No. 64
    • Breakwater (SP 681)
    • Standish
    • Raleigh
    • USS Cincinnati
    • Winthrop (SP 3297)
    • Frances G. Conwell (SP 3215)
    • Supply
    • USS Marblehead, Castine

    110' Subchasers: 146 vessels for sale (see pages 14 - 15 for lists by region). 

    Thanks to Jim Pasquill for donating the booklet to The Subchaser Archives.

  • John Fabris Portrait Posted

    John FabrisOctober 2008 Machinist's Mate John Fabris earned the Navy Cross for his actions in the bombardment of Durazzo Harbor on 2 October 1918, when he kept an engine of SC 179 running by holding a part in place even though it resulted in a severe burn.

    While most chaser commanding officers received the Navy Cross, Fabris is one of very few crewmen to receive the honor.

    An interesting source that mentions this incident is a novel by chaser crewman Alfred Loomis, Walt Henley Overseas, a fictional account of experiences on a chaser. In the book notes, Loomis credits John Fabris as the machinist's mate in that incident.

    A portrait photo of John Fabris, submitted by Gene Hultgreen, has been added to the Chaser Crews section of the site.

    (See a photo set of the bombardment of Durazzo here. And read Hilary Chambers' account here.)

  • New Hull Number Photos

    October 2008 Added to the SC 218 page is another shot of this chaser, shown underway. Note the Hotchkiss deck gun forward.

    The SC 179 page image has been replaced with a closer/larger scan of the boat. (This is John Fabris' chaser, shown returning from the Durazzo bombardment.)

    Added to the SC 285 page is a post-war photo showing this chaser alongside Ford Eagle boat no. 4.


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