AFMM News

Click Here for the latest AFMM Mailing

Here's the latest on the LST 1166. Click on links to read letters:

April 2008

- LST Status Letter

- Letter to Coast Guard on LST

- Letter from Insurance Lawyers

- Letter from EPA

AFMM Aquires 3 Inch Deck Gun!

March 2008

The AFMM has acquired a 3 inch deck gun to add to the Museum's displays. Thanks to all those volunteers and interested parties who worked to make it happen and thanks to the National Guard for helping with its retrieval and storage. The old PT boat in the backgrond is being disassembled and shipped to a museum in New Orleans.

AFMM Awarded $20,000 Grant from the State of Oregon!!

December 2007

The AFMM has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the "Preserving Oregon Grant Fund" a program of the Heritage Programs division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Thank you State of Oregon. The money is designated to go toward hull restoration and requires matching funds. Thanks and congratulations to Dave McKay, AFMM President who worked long and hard on making this happen.

Message from Gordon Smith, AFMM Chairman of the Board

December 2007

HELLO ALL:
I HAVE BEEN OUT OF TOWN FOR A WEEK AND WANTED TO CHECK BACK IN.
THE OCCASION WAS TO BE ONE OF A CREW OF TEN TO BRING UP THE OLD NAVY TUG BOAT FROM MARE ISLAND IN SAN FRANCISCO TO VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON.
SEVEN OF US TRAVELED IN A RENTED VAN LAST WEEK TO SAN FRANCISCO. THE NAME OF THE TUG IS SAKARISSA. SHE WAS BUILT IN 1943. I WILL LOCATE AND FORWARD AN E-MAIL THAT GIVES INFORMATION ON HER HISTORY.
IT WAS A THRILL TO BE AT SEA ON A SMALL SHIP AGAIN! THE SAKARISSA HAS BEEN IDLE FOR MANY YEARS. HAROLD ELLIOT, A VERY STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE #713 PROGRAM, IS THE OWNER. HAROLD SAW TO IT THAT MAY TESTS WERE PREVIOUSLY MADE AND REPLACEMENTS MADE IN SOME INSTANCES AT CONSIDERABLE EXPENSE TO MAKE THE VOYAGE SAFE FOR THE VOLUNTEER CREW.
FOR YOU WHO HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF ENGINES, HER POWER IS A HUGE "ENTERPRISE" ENGINE. THE LAST REPORT THAT I HAVE IS THAT THE DIESEL CONSUMPTION WAS AROUND 17 GALLONS PER HOUR. THAT FIGURE WOULD ALSO INCLUDE THE GENERATOR'S CONSUMPTION OF FUEL.
FOR REVERSE, MIKE STONE WOULD HAVE TO SHUT THE ENGINE COMPLETELY DOWN. SHIFT AND THEN START THE ENGINE UP AGAIN. THIS BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF THE LCI'S AND THEIR HOLLOW SHAFTS AND CABLES TO REVERSE THE PITCH ON THE PROPS. MANEUVERING TO A DOCK IS NOT A EASY THING.
WE CRUISED AT 150 RPM! HOWEVER, THAT SEVEN FOOT PROPELLER DUG IN AND WE AVERAGED ABOUT 7.1 KNOTS.
WE HAD OUR MODERN RADAR, GPS AS WELL AS RADIO. WEATHER REPORTS COMING UP THE COAST BECAME OMINOUS SO WE PULLED IN AT NEWPORT, OREGON. THAT EVENING, WINDS BECAME 70 MPH OFF THE NEWPORT BAR AND 100 MPH FURTHER OUT.
I LOVE A GOOD STORM IN A GOOD SHIP BUT WITH OUR MIXED CREW OF TEN AND AN OLD SHIP, WE WERE WISE IN RESPECTING THE OCEAN.
WE CROSSED THE COLUMBIA RIVER BAR AT 9:00 A.M. WEDNESDAY. IT WAS A BIT ROUGH BUT NOT OF ANY CONCERN.
THE LINE WAS TOSSED TO THE VANCOUVER DOCK AT 12:55 P.M. THAT NIGHT. IN COMING UP THE COLUMBIA RIVER FOR 90 MILES FROM ASTORIA, THE RIVER WAS LIKE A LAKE AND NO RAIN. IT WAS QUITE A CONTRAST TO THE OCEAN. VOLUNTEER NIKK WHITE BECAME GLUED TO THE WHEEL AT THE BAR AND WAS AT THE HELM ALL THE WAY UP THE COLUMBIA. THE LANDING HE MADEF AT THE VANCOUVER DOCK WAS SO SMOOTH THAT HE MADE IT LOOK EASY.
WITHOUT MY SAYING IT, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT WALT JAMES WAS THERE AT 11:00 WAITING WITH A CREW TO TAKE OUR LINES WHEN WE ARRIVED AT MIDNIGHT. THEY TOOK IN THE BOW AND STERN LINES AND SUBSEQUENTLY RIGGED THE SPRING LINES AND MADE THE SHIP SNUG AND SAFE AT THE DOCK AFTER HER LONG JOURNEY OUT OF HIBERNATION.
I THOUGHT OF ALL OF YOU AND DREAMED HOW GREAT IT WOULD BE IF ALL COULD SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE. MENTALLY, I DID! THERE WERE NO SENSATIONAL SUNRISES AND SUNSETS BUT THE ROLL OF THE SEA, THE VIBRATION OF THE ENGINE AND THE CONSTANT GENERATOR NOISE ALL BLENDED INTO THE SAILOR'S DOMAIN OF THE SEA. IT WAS JUST PLAIN GREAT!
SO, SHIPMATES, IT IS BACK TO WORK ON THE #713. WE NETTED AROUND $29,000 FROM THE SALE OF A SHRIMP BOAT THAT HAD BEEN DONATED TO US. WE HAVE NEVER HAD THAT KIND OF MONEY AND IT WILL BE HOARDED AND USED AS "MATCHING FUNDS" IN THE SUBMITTED A $20,000 GRANT APPLICATION BY PRESIDENT DAVE MC KAY. THAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE STATE OF OREGON.
WE NEED TO BUILD UP TO $350,000 TO GET A NEW BOTTOM ON THE OLD GAL.
THROUGH CHUCK KELLOGG, A VERY SUPPORTIVE BOARD MEMBER, ONE OF THE FIVE CHOPPED UP 20 MM GUNS THAT WE PURCHASED AT $550 EACH PLUS $600 IN FREIGHT, HAS BEEN WELDED BACK TOGETHER AND IT LOOKS BRAND NEW!. ANOTHER GUN IS NOW IN PROCESS AND OF COURSE, WE PLAN TO HAVE ALL FIVE TOGETHER AND MOUNTS FABRICATED FOR THE 2009 NATIONAL REUNION.
WELL SHIPMATES, WILL LET THIS DO FOR NOW. YOU WILL NO DOUBT HEAR MORE ABOUT THE SAKARISSA AND NEWS OF THE #713 WILL BE COMING AS WE PROGRESS.
WE THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL MANNER. I FEEL AND ABSOLUTELY KNOW THAT WE HAVE COME SO FAR THAT THERE WILL BE NO TURNING BACK AND ONE DAY, THE LCI [L] #713 WILL ONCE AGAIN SAIL UNDER HER OWN POWER, IN HER ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION AS A TESTIMONY OF THE YOUNG MEN WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN THE TIME OF WAR ON LCI'S ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THANK YOU,
GORDON

Sakarissa comes to Portland

November 2007

The WWII vintage tug, YT 269 ‘Sakarissa’, after preparations extending over one year, is to depart San Francisco at the end of October. The ‘Sakarissa’ was built in Tacoma, Wash. and commissioned 12 April, 1945.
She served in the Pacific assisting in the transport of ABSD-1, an advance base sectional dock. These large dry docks capable of lifting a battle ship were used to repair ships during the war and then after for the return trip home. The ‘Sakarissa’ returned to San Francisco 22 August, 1946. She returned to ship assist duty until 1974 for the Navy and was then transferred to MARAD and served for several years tending to the ships of the Siusun Bay mothball fleet.

She now has a volunteer crew of the Amphibious Forces Museum and Cutter Alert team members. Her Captain for the trip north is Vancouver resident Gordon Smith. Mr. Smith is a WWII navy veteran who served as Quarter master aboard LCI 43 or landing craft infantry. The ‘Sakarissa’ will join the growing fleet of historic vessels in the Vancouver and Portland areas. She is a forbearer of the large diesel push and tow boats working in local waters and is intended to become an educational resource attesting to the era when shipbuilding and maritime services played a major role in the economy of the Northwest and of the labor that built ships and of those few still working to preserve that history.

LCI 713 attends Portland Heritage Festival

August, 2007

The 713 was moved to downtown Portland for the Maritime Heritage Festival at River place Marina & Docks. We enjoyed a great weekend with many visitors to see the 713!

LST 1166 Severely Damaged by Metal Salvage Vandals

September, 2007

For those of you wondering what happened to the LST 1166 and why it has been deleted from the website: The U.S.S. Washtenaw County (LST 1166) has been severely damage by metal salvage vandals. Speculation has it that these are meth addicts trying to pay for their habit. The damage is so bad that the expectation is that the 1166 is no longer feasible to restore and may be towed out and sunk.

LCI 713 attends NW LCI Reunion

September 2007

The NW LCI Association Reunion was held September 16-18 and the 713 was moved to the RedLion dock for the event. We had a great open house on the ship for all the LCI Veterans and the 713 was looking good!

AJA Donation

September 2007

The Shrimp boat AJA was recently donated to the AFFM and subsequently sold for a AFFM gain of $28,000. Thanks so much to our donor: