GREAT FEBRUARY MEETING!

A number of members said this was one of our best meetings in a long while.  What a timely and interesting presentation Lee Hankins gave.  Just retired from 35 years in the nuclear submarine navy he gave us an overall picture of who has submarines worldwide and the level of these threats.  He made it clear that the U.S. submarine fleet is truly the leading edge of our defense and stressed the importance continuing to build the most modern and sophisticated boats.  Thanks Lee for an outstanding presentation and for your service to the nation.

THANKS TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS WHO VOLUNTEERED!

The Navy League's booth at the Portland Boat Show was a rousing success with over 40 people showing enough interest to provide their email addresses for future activities and many becoming new members.  We hope all will be able to attend our meetings and become members.  What a great way to "spread the word".  All agreed it was a lot of fun to talk to people and let them know what Navy League is all about.

NEW 2012 OFFICERS INSTALLED

During our Annual Meeting on December 9, new officers and board members were installed for the next year.  Mike Hewlett was elected President to serve his second year in this position.  Other positions were Gary Piercy, Vice President; Hal Broughton, Treasurer; Dave Todd, Secretary; Jim Lasher, Parliamentarian; Bill Wise, Board Member; Robert Wyant, Board Member; and Joe Baney, Board Member.  About 35 members and guests enjoyed hearing Admiral Doug Asbjornsen, USN give a lively presentation on today's navy aviation.  Thanks also to our Sea Cadet color guard for presenting colors.

COAST GUARD TOUR

Many thanks to the Coast Guard for great tours of their facilities in the Astoria area!  Over 20 Navy League members and friends visited the CG Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment early Friday morning on Oct. 28.  After a short briefing where we learned that this is the only school like this in the world, we were taken aboard their 47' rescue boats for more Q&A.  The instructors said this would have been a good day for training as the wind was 25-30 knots and surf conditions were 8-12' with rain.  We were almost blown off the docks as we watched a returning boat dock; then we retreated to their mess hall for lunch.  Many thanks to Joe Baney, NL member and a CG Auxiliary member, who arranged the tour.

Our group drove over to Astoria in the afternoon to visit the CG Air Station.  We were met by Lt(jg) Zack Voytech, pilot (and collateral duty Public Affairs Officer), who gave us a rundown on the HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and their smaller HH-65C Dolphin. Probably the best part was hearing about some of the rescues even though they were very low key about these.  We then adjourned to their wardroom and broke into groups to visit the Command Center where all  the rescue and law enforcement action is managed for the Oregon and southern Washington area.  This includes Channel 16 where emergency calls are received from boaters in distress. Thanks again to the personnel who took time to show us around and explain the great things the Coast Guard does.

USCGC FIR VISITED

On their way back from Astoria, Gary Piercy and his wife stopped in for a brief visit to the Council's adopted ship USCGC Fir, ocean buoy tender based at Tongue Point. After presenting their Captain, LCDR. Jon Kreischer, with books for the ship's library and a donation to their Ship's Fund they had a quick tour of the Fir, even though the ship's company were still in the middle of conducting various drills. Best wishes for high scores on their upcoming Navy inspections! We learned that today's buoy tenders have a very broad range of missions, not just buoy tending anymore.  Hope to see the Fir and crew at the Rose Festival in June again this year!

MARITIME BALL A SUCCESS!

Thanks to James Beasley, Navy League member and a reserve officer, our Maritime Ball was a success with over 250 attendees who had a good time celebrating both Navy and Coast Guard birthdays.  James and his "crew" arranged all the ceremonies to honor the services including a massive eight foot long birthday cake.  This was cut by the oldest and youngest sailors in attendance.  Our guest speaker was Capt. Greg Wooldridge, USN (ret.) who was three-times commanding officer of the Navy's Blue Angels. 

PT BOAT VISITED

About 25 Council members and guests were given a tour of PT658, the only authentic PT boat operational.  Amazingly, almost all armament is vintage WWII equipment, including the torpedoes! Also, the three 1500hp Packard engines. Afterwards the group went next door to the Coast Guard station and had lunch and visited the Portland Station's small craft and heard about their mission on inland rivers.  Thanks to  savetheptboatinc for the great tour.

USS OREGON MEMORIAL RESTORED

In 1956, the Portland Council of the Navy League of the United States sponsored the placement of the USS Oregon's (BB3) mast in McCall Waterfront Park as a memorial to this famous ship that was instrumental in winning the Battle of Santiago and ending the Spanish-American War in 1898.  A sign near the mast explains the history of the USS Oregon.  It has aged over the years and needed refurbishing.  A few weeks ago members from the Portland Council took the sign down, sanded it, re-painted it, and had it re-lettered.  The Oregon Maritime Museum donated workspace on the nearby stern-wheeler Portland for doing the work.  Killian Signs of Gladstone also donated their labor to restore this large eye-catching sign.  It is now re-installed; we can continue to be proud that Portland Council still supports maritime traditions in the Portland area. (July 2011)

FUN WAS HAD FOR ALL AT DINNER MEETING

All who attended Friday night's dinner were entertained by Tom Jenkins' presentation on the history of Lighter-Than-Air Naval Aviation.  He revealed some little known facts about this less-than-successful venture before WWII that turned into a very important campaign against German submarines and the protection of both of our coasts during the war.  All attending will agree that this was an appropriate way to begin celebrating the 100th anniversary of Navy Aviation.   Hear personal experiences of a Columbia River pilot at our next meeting, August 19.