Subject: CVS-20 Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 20:21:18 -0500 From: "Thomas J. Peltin" To: jkpires@capecod.net Joseph: Saw your post on our bulletin board and thought I'd send greetings. I well remember your ship as we operated with her on and off during the 1965-68 timeframe. I probably have some photos somewhere I can scan and send. Somewhere along the line I came in contact with a chief (now deceased) from Bennington. I told him that I once did something bad to his ship... We (USS Epperson, DD-719) carried a couple of aircraft radios while off Vietnam so we could communicate with planes. One broke and we ETs said we could not do anything about it as we had no manuals, parts, etc. Well, there sat CVS-20 about 1/2 mile from us at Yokosuka (or was it Sasebo?). Someone arranged for an exchange. I picked the thing up, put it on my shoulder, and lugged it to the carrier. When we got to the ET Shop, we were told where to put the bad one and which good one to take. "Damn," I remarked to the guy I was with, "I'd swear this one is heavier than the one we brought over." The next day my chief said the Captain was mad as hell at the stunt we had pulled. My expression must have conveyed the fact that I didn't know what he was talking about. Well, it seems that some other ETs on our ship had stripped many good parts out of the radio I had taken to the Bennington. No one had told me that, of course. The good folks on Bennington chewed my Captain for this transgression. He then chewed my chief who, of course, came to find me. I'm not sure what happened after that but it didn't involve me. About fifteen years ago while tracking down shipmates, I somehow ended up corresponding with (I think I have this name right) Ralph Morley, a retired chief from Bennington. I told him the story and, lo and behold, he said he remembered the incident well. It seems that radio I delivered went to his shop. Anyway, we exchanged Christmas cards for years and then one year his wife wrote and said he had died. I'm just glad he and I communicated as well as we did for as long as we did. Nice man. Must have been a good shipmate. Now, I must tell you that he did forgive me for my error so the Bennington Association cannot collect damages from this old Tin Can Sailor! My best wishes to all the CVS-20 vets. She was a fine ship and I hope you perpetuate her memory. Tom Peltin, President Tin Can Sailors