AFMM News
Last updated 2010-04-22
Click here for the latest print edition of the AFMM News letter (April 2010)
April 2010
20mm Gunmount installed on the Bow mount!
We finally get the 20mm gunmount that was generously donated by the crew at the USS Salem installed in the bow gun tub!. Here we have Jerry, Jerry ans John showinig off the 20mm installed on the new mount. Now if we could only get them to do some cleanup and painting on that mount....
 |
 |
|---|
March 2010
The AFMM Announces our Lifejacket Memorial Program
The AFMM and the LCI-713 need your help. As most of our membership already knows, the #713 is in dire need of a new bottom. We have been successful with obtaining two grants from the state of Oregon for $20,000 each. We were also successful in raising matching funds for each grant bringing the total available to $40,000 each. Thanks to all of you who helped make this possible. We used the first $40,000 to buy enough steel to replace the entire bottom. The second $40,000 will allow us to get the #713 out of the water and hopefully complete some of the more critical bottom repairs. We will still need to raise many more dollars to complete the process. In addition to pursuing more grants, we have announced a new program where in exchange for a $250 donation we will permanently mount a life jacket with an inscribed plaque on the 713. For details of this new program please see the Membership/Donations page or Contact us. As always, "Every penny goes to the ship!"
 |
 |
 |
|---|
March 2010
AFMM General Election Results
The final votes are all in so the AFMM welcomes its new board of directors. The new board members are: Clark Caffal, John Gillon, Jerry Gilmartin, Rick Holmes, Chuck Kellogg, Dave McKay, Gordon Smith, Mark Stevens and Jerry Ubigau. Thanks to all of our members, who did their civic duty and voted. The new board will begin their duties at the next board meeting on April 17, 2010. The first order of business for the new board will be to elect new officers. As always AFMM policy generally allows its member to attend board meetings, so for those of you who may wish to witness this event, come on down. For anyone requiring detailed results, please contact Rick Holmes, current AFMM president.
February 2010
Notice: AFMM General Member Meeting March 20,2010 at 10:00am on the LCI-713
February 2010
The AFMM Gets 2 Kubota Generators Donated!
Thanks goes out to Mark Stevens our 'go to' guy to get stuff. Mark has picked up 2 Kubota 7KW generators that were has-beens from the Oregon National Guard. Our diesel mechanic, Woody, thinks they are serviceable and we'll use one of them to run the lights. This will save us fuel cost over running our larger generator. It was a challenge getting one aboard.
 |
 |
November 2009
Cold War Submarine Skipper visits LCI 713 Project
Captain Don Ulmer, USN, (Retired) made a sentimental visit to the Amphibious Forces Memorial Museum LCI 713 restoration project. Capt. Ulmer’s older brother, D. Richard Ulmer served aboard LCI 725, built in Portland’s Commercial Iron works in 1943 and commissioned Christmas Eve of that year.
September 2009
The 713 Gets a Power Distribution Panel and other Parts from (Yard Oiler) YO 202
Thanks go to James, Gilbo, Rehder, Gillon and Gilmartin for their efforts in obtaining the salvage parts from the YO 202. The YO (Yard Oiler) arrived in Portland to be scrapped from the Bremerton shipyard where it served for many years. The YO was built in 1945 to similar standards of the 713, so many parts were applicable, the centerpiece being the Power Distribution Panel. The YO's engine room was filled with foam, so the crew had their work cut out form them!
 |
 |
September 2009
The AFFM Gets Life Jackets and a 20mm Gun Mount Donated!
Thanks go out to the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum, Home of the USS Salem for the generous donation of 230 life jackets and a 20mm Gun Mount to the AFMM with special thanks to Steve Singlar for making it all happen. Also thanks go out to Danish Marine Repair Company in Portland for accepting the delivery and transfer of the goods to a barge for delivery to the 713.
September 2009
The Portland Police SERT Team trains on the 713
The Portland Police Bureau's Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) conducted a team training exercise that utilized the LCI 713. Click here for a copy of their letter!
 |
 |
August 2009
The US Army 41st division Jungleers visit the 713!
By TOM VOGT; The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash:
When Ed Bartlien wanted a little extra spending money, he lied about his age – with the help of a wooden match – and joined the Oregon National Guard.
That was back in 1939, when the 17-year-old and some other guys in his Portland neighborhood thought earning an extra $18 a year for Guard duty sounded pretty attractive. “Five cents would get you into a movie,” Bartlien said. They sure wound up earning their money.
The 41st Infantry Division spent 3 1/2 years in the Pacific combat theater, the longest deployment of any American division during World War II. Bartlien participated in seven combat landings on Japanese-held islands. Long stretches of fighting in jungle terrain earned the soldiers a distinctive nickname: the “Jungleers.” At one point, they were in combat for 76 straight days.
After the war, Bartlien and his wife Helen settled in Vancouver, where he was a florist, until they moved to Hood River, Ore. Now the 87-year-old veteran is back in Vancouver in another role, as national president of the 41st Infantry Division Association. The group is holding its 60th reunion this week at the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay.
It’s a chance to pass around scrapbooks and introduce family members to old war buddies. The Jungleers also had a chance to get reacquainted with another veteran of Pacific combat: It’s tied up on the other side of the Columbia River.
The vintage Landing Craft Infantry ship was part of the Allies’ island-hopping campaign in the Pacific. The LCI 713 now docked at Jantzen Beach landed one company of the Sunset Division on an island in the Philippines. A chance to step aboard the 713 provided another setting for the Jungleers to swap stories Friday evening.
Click Here for more Pictures and Oregon Sentinel writeup
July 2009
AFMM Gets a New Generator!
The 10KW generator is on long term from the Oregon Army National Guard and our sincere thanks go to them. Also, thanks to the Steve Watt and Mark Stevens for making this happen. And let's not forget our thanks to Steve Greenberg of the "Military Vehicle Collectors Club of Oregon". Steve and his team of volunteers made the generator delivery to the 713 via and his WWII vintage Amphibian truck "DUKW".
June 2009
AFMM Gets a Storage trailer! Thanks to Harold Elliot. (Picture coming).
Walt finds a new anchor for the 713! Thanks to the Red Lion for the Donation.
May 2009
LCI 713 Centerpiece of 2009 Portland LCI National Reunion
By Jerry Gilmartin
May 14-17, 2009
Red Lion Inn on the Columbia
Portland, OR
“A great time was had by all.” That was the consensus after the festivities ended at the annual LCI National Reunion. LCI Veterans and their families from all over the country converged upon Portland to attend the 4 day reunion. Moored pier-side, within easy walking distance of the hotel restaurant, sat the USS LCI 713. Having the 713 present as the focus of the reunion was a great honor for the crew and members of the AFMM. They had spent countless hours tidying up the old girl so she would be ready to show off her classic good looks at what was to the last LCI National Reunion. Future reunions will be combined with the LSM National Association Reunions.
The veterans groups and their families had several outside activities arranged during the 4 day event, including a tour to the Portland Rose Test Gardens overlooking the city, and a trip to Multnomah Falls 45 miles east of town. Additionally, a tour of the Pearson Air Museum was taken in by the group. Finally, on Friday night was a Dinner Cruise on board the “Spirit of Portland” which took visitors on a sightseeing cruise along the Williamette River past downtown all the way to Lake Oswego and back. After dinner conversation and dancing was the order of the day. AFMM Chairman, Gordon Smith and his lovely wife Sharon accompanied the group on the tours, and acted as sort of a local tour guide for the LCI veterans group.
Meanwhile back on the ship, the bow doors were opened and the bow ramp extended onto a temporary flat deck barge connecting to the floating dock allowing easy access onto the LCI. Thanks to restoration manager, Walt James, for arranging the access onto the ship so that many of the aging vets could still make it up onto the well trod decks of a real LCI, similar to the ones they stood on last in 1945. The stunning appearance of the ship was improved even more by Chief Leon Gilbo, who hoisted the “Dress Ship” signal flags from bow to stern. The 713 was truly a sight to behold sitting stately and beautiful in front of the Red Lion Inn. Numerous other interested parties expressed interest in the LCI since it was within close proximity to the Interstate 5 highway bridge, where literally thousands of passers-by were able to glimpse the ship in all of her glory.
During this time, the ship was open for the LCI veterans to visit with the crew. Tom Keltner, Walt James, Richy Rich, Leon Gilbo, Jerry Gilmartin, Gordon Smith, Corey Parsons, Jerry Ubigau, Al Berg, Mark Stevens, Rick Holmes, Dave McKay, and Tom Barnett were there willing to answer questions and give tours to as many LCI veteran crewmen as showed up. The ship was also fitted out with numerous artifacts to approximate how the ship might have looked back when it was built in 1945.
Much work was done in order to get the ship into shape for the reunion. Decks were painted, bulkheads were insulated and painted, 20mm gun mounts were assembled, deck grating were fabricated, pipe racks were mounted, excess material was stored off the ship, fans were mounted, label plates were made, and electrical systems were wired all in preparation for the big event. There are too many items even to list them here. Many thanks go to welders John Rehder and Walt James in the fantastic job and many extra hours spent in fabricating and welding in new decks and gusset plates and watertight door frames. Also big thanks go to Gerry Ubigau for obtaining and then installing new glass in all of the port holes on the Bridge.
Some of the interesting events during the reunion that occurred was the use of LCI Historian Dennis Blocker’s photo collection to show photos of as many LCI Veterans ships to them as could be found. Some of the vets even found a photo of themselves on board their old ships that they had never seen before. Also there was a renewed public interest in the ship since it was so visible to the general public. Special thanks also go to President John Cummer CAPT USN (ret) who wrote a special plea to the USCG Capt of the Port in order to allow the LCI 713 to be moved in front of the Red Lion Inn for the duration of the reunion. Without his intervention, we would never have been given the permission by the USCG local Portland command to be able to move the ship.
Meanwhile, numerous friends of the LCI donated much needed money to the AFMM. Gordon estimated the organization made $5000 in sales and donated funds during the 4 day event. Yeoman service was done by Gordon and his wife Sharon and Dave McKay and Rick Holmes in manning the Ships Stores sales booth during the reunion. Especially pertinent was the exceedingly generous gift made by Mrs. Susan Dow, hailing from Tigard, OR, who donated the 42 inch model of LCI 1033 crafted by Carl Chapple, which Susan won during the 2005 LCI National Reunion in Portland OR. It is conservatively estimated the model is worth $1000, and is a beautiful working model of a LCI-351 class ship, identical to the LCI 713. She even donated the photo of Carl Chapple standing in a swimming pool “float testing” his new model! Susan remarked that she always felt that the model belonged on the LCI 713, so she brought it down on May 13th Weds night and presented it to Chief Gilbo, Walt James and Jerry Gilmartin on board the ship. The AFMM wishes to thank Mrs Susan Dow for thinking of us like her family, and we feel very very fortunate to accept her wonderful gift.
On Saturday Evening, the culmination of the event was the LCI Banquet. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and the Local VFW Post was hired to perform the Colors ceremony. We listened as the author “William McGee” of the book called “The Amphibians are Coming!” was the keynote speaker, as well as CAPT John Cummer, and had a wonderful meal. We held the traditional toasts to our missing comrades, then to each branch of the Armed Forces. Next, all Navy Cross and Silver Star, Purple Heart and other awardees were recognized. Afterwards, Rick Holmes AFMM President was recognized by the LCI National Organization for his service to LCI veterans. Then we were regaled to the newly coined song “The LCI Blues” by the sons and daughters of one of the veterans, complete with borrowed props of GQ Helmets, Dixie Cups, and fire ax from the LCI. What was especially exciting was the number of young people who were present showing a keen interest in the “Greatest Generation”. This last LCI Banquet was a resounding success.
On Sunday, a business meeting was held in the conference room for all National LCI Association Members, and then a memorial service was held out on the patio overlooking the River and the LCI 713.
The ceremony was both started and ended by a Bagpiper playing forlorn melodies as only can be played on the bagpipes. The sermon was then given by the LCI National Association’s Chaplain, which was followed by a ceremonial reading of the “The Colors of the Roses” in honor of the Rose City herself, Portland, Oregon. Next in the program was a solemn “Ringing of the Bell” ceremony held to commemorate each fallen shipmate during the past year by their LCI Hull Number. During this ceremony. a bugler posted on the foc’sle of the LCI 713 played a wonderful rendition of “Taps”. The ceremony could not have had better weather, as it was clear and in the 80’s, yet there was not a dry eye to be seen after the bugler finished playing “Taps”. The (in)famous Portland rain only became apparent on the first day of the reunion on Weds the 13th, but after that it was beautiful weather.
In conclusion, the 2009 LCI National Reunion was indeed a resounding success and both the AFMM and LCI 713 were honored to have been at the epicenter of the LCI universe for at least 4 days. We hope to be able to host future reunions by being able to get underway with a full crew of LCI veterans to man the rails. Fair winds and following seas to you all!
Click Here for some pictures of the event!
Jan 2009
Click here for the latest print edition of AFMM News!
Nov 2008
The 713 Get's Engines!
Thanks to Bill Chaplin for his generous donation of 2 very low hour 12V71 Detroit diesels with gear. The engines were recovered from a retrofitted i60's vintage Navy Torpedo Recovery boat. Thanks again Bill!!
The Engine Retrieval gang.
Sept 2008
The 713 Get's it's 20's back.
Thanks to Chuck Kellog and John Gillon we have our first 20mm gun mounted. NW Copper Works (Chuck's business) has been busy re-assembling the 20mm machine guns that were purchased after being de-militarized by being cut with a torch into several pieces. John Gillon has been working on the fabrication of new 20mm gun mounts per original spec. Their hard work shows! Don't know why we don't have pictures of Chuck and John by the guns.
 |
 |
