Maurice spends almost 40 hours a week at the VA and he does it all for free. He is quite a person.

Did you try to catch up with Stephen Lawrence up in East Hartford about joining the USCS

Got a notice back from the Tucson VA Hospital that they had received all three boxes (60lbs) of stamps and stamp collecting supplies, that were donate by members of both Stampoffers.com & E-Bay stamp collecting communities.
Letter was signed by Maurice Storck, guess he's the Pres. of the VA Stamp & Coin club there.
Guess your friend will keep busy for a few days.

Checked in and waiting to board in the Singapore airport. The long day begins.

Don't know about FLK. Can't remember his family. They lived in millis ma. Don't send the article to that ship

Haven't seen the press release.

Interesting new names. New York is an lpd. Hard to think of a new Missouri. Not a new Iowa or new jersey. Election impact?

Larry

Keeping in the tradition of naming Virginia-class subs after states, Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter announced the next three boats will be named Missouri, California and Mississippi, the service said Wednesday.

Those subs will join the already delivered USS Virginia, USS Texas and USS Hawaii; and three others under construction: North Carolina, New Hampshire and New Mexico.

Click on USCS LOG-Society Journal at left

you have a good nite, gonna let you get back to your reading

I hear you, but found out the hard way, becausemy health failed fast and forced me to retire early.
The bills are still there, but I just don't let them get to me anymore, make do with what we have and be thankfull I'm still can see the light in the morning.

Thanks,
Larry

We want you around for a few more years, so you best start slowing down on the work load??

Good luck, Steve , S.

larry

CC Jake, Good evening.

Larry

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (NNS) -- Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Makin Island (LHD 8) currently under construction by Northrop-Grumman Ship Systems is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy Nov. 14, 2008 in Pascagoula.

The ship will ultimately be homeported in San Diego, and is scheduled to arrive in spring 2009.

"Ship's production is approximately 87 percent complete," said Chief Engineer, Cmdr. Walter Banks. "Upcoming crucial production milestones include electric generator testing, the first gas turbine start-up in February and the second engine start-up in March."

Upon completion of all equipment and system testing, the contractor will commence dock trials, similar to what the Navy refers to as a fast cruise. The ship is scheduled to leave the pier for its first underway period in June. This underway period, called builders' trials, is necessary in order to test each system and piece of equipment on the ship. Once this process is complete, the ship will get underway for a two-month acceptance trial period. These trials are conducted to prove that the ship has been built to meet the design standards set forth by the Navy.

PCU Makin Island will house a crew of around 1,200 Sailors, and will be able to transport approximately 1,700 Marines.

PCU Makin Island is 844 feet in length with a 106-foot beam. It is the first amphibious assault ship to incorporate "all electric" auxiliary systems and a hybrid gas turbine-electric propulsion system. PCU Makin Island's 70,000 horsepower engine is capable of carrying this 42,800 ton vessel to speeds in excess of 20 knots.

For more news from Pre-Commissioning Unit Makin Island, visit www.navy.mil/local/lhd8/.

SHANGHAI - Severe snowstorms over broad swaths of eastern and central China have wreaked havoc on traffic throughout the country, creating gigantic passenger backups, spawning accidents and leaving at least 24 people dead, according to state news reports.
In many areas, where snow has continued falling for several days, the accumulation has been described as the heaviest in as many as five decades. The impact of the severe weather was complicated by the timing of the storms, which arrived just before the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, when Chinese return to their family homes by the hundreds of millions.
On Monday, the government announced a severe weather warning for the days ahead, as forecasts suggested that the snowfall would continue in many areas, including Shanghai, which is unaccustomed to severe winter weather.
"Due to the rain, snow and frost, plus increased winter use of coal and electricity and the peak travel season, the job of ensuring coal, electricity and oil supplies and adequate transportation has become quite severe," Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said in a statement issued late Sunday.
"More heavy snow is expected," Mr. Wen warned. "All government departments must prepare for this increasingly grim situation and urgently take action."
The Ministry of Civil Affairs estimates the direct economic cost of the weather so far to be $3.2 billion and the number of people affected to be 78 million, including 827,000 emergency evacuees.
The country's transportation problems have been deepened by power brownouts in about half of the 31 provinces. Officials said Monday that the supply of coal for electricity had dropped to 21 million tons, less than half the normal levels at this time of year. As a result, 17 provinces were rationing power by Monday.

Guess you folks up North got spared on this last storm, but know you've had your share so far this winter

Know in some spots it would measure more due to the high winds, but right around here, wasn't to bad, due to the fact it was a heaavy wet snow and lots hoses to block it. But around the airports, where there was enough area for it to blow across the fields, it measured a lot more..

Larry

Adm Timothy Keating said he had been able to improve understanding with China to enable the visit.

China's refusal of entry to the USS Kitty Hawk in 2007 angered navy personnel and sparked a diplomatic row.

Blue Ridge's Commanding Officer, Capt David Lausman, said the sailors would spend several days in Hong Kong for rest and relaxation.

"Hong Kong is one of the crown jewels for our sailors," he said in a press statement.

"We continue to look forward to many future opportunities to visit this special place."

He said the refusal of docking permission to USS Kitty Hawk and its accompanying fleet had been "unfortunate" but was now being handled "at a much higher level".

The incident was seen as potentially damaging to US-Chinese relations.

Access was finally granted but the ships were already returning to their Japan base, disappointing the 8,000 sailors on board and family members who had flown to Hong Kong to meet them for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Beijing has previously blamed the refusal on the US, saying it had "harmed" bilateral relations through its arms sales to Taiwan and the awarding of a medal to the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Last time NYc had a snow free winter was 1933. I'm starting to pray for a blizzard.

Maybe you have to "acquire" the taste.

Not sure if you found this web site on the Lake Champlain
http://users.adelphia.net/~rogerjette/
But maybe you can contact someonr there to help you out with the dates you are looking for on her four trips she made for Magic Carpet

Another good site is the Naval Cover Museum. The site has covers by ship and cachet maker illustrated.

Good luck and welcome to our hobby.

Jones' attorney, John Whitehead, answers Starr's subpoena with several documents, possibly including Clinton's deposition in the Jones suit. Currie testifies before the grand jury. First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton says in a broadcast interview that a "vast right-wing conspiracy" is behind the charges against her husband. A Portland, Ore., man, Andy Bleiler, alleges he had a five-year affair with Lewinsky, and his lawyer promises to turn over documents and items to Starr's investigators. Clinton delivers his State of the Union address, making no mention of the scandal.

Clinton forcefully repeats his denial, saying, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Ginsburg offers Starr a summary of what Lewinsky is prepared to say to the grand jury in exchange for a grant of immunity from the prosecution.

From the Navy News Service

1942 - USS Gudgeon is the first U.S. sub to sink an enemy submarine in action, Japanese I-173.

1945 - Commissioning of USS Higbee (DD 806), the first U.S. Navy ship named after a women member of the U.S. Navy.

1967 - Fire in a command module at Cape Kennedy during simulation countdown. Lunar module pilot Lt. Cmdr. Roger B. Chaffee and two other crew members died.

1973 - Paris Peace Accords signed, ending U.S. participation in the Vietnam War.

Greg Ciesielski Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 1:3:50 65.184.47.158
At the CVN-77 website this address is given -
PRECOMUNIT GEORGE H W BUSH (CVN-77)
4101 WASHINGTON AVE., BLDG. 2
NEWPORT NEWS , VA. 23607-2787

Larry, there is a Budwieser brewery in Wuhan so does that qualify as chicom beer or American beer?

Went to a dinner last night celebrating the upcoming Year of the Mouse (Rat). Shin Nien Kwai Luh or Happy New Year.

Enjoy and safe trip
Larry

The fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut will join sister ship USS Seawolf at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton on Tuesday.

Both had been based in Groton, Conn., but were transferred to Bremerton as part of the Navy's shift of 60 percent of its firepower to the Pacific Ocean. Seawolf left Connecticut on June 15 and arrived on July 22. USS Connecticut departed shortly after, but completed a six-month deployment before reporting here.

From the Navy News Service

1922 - Cruiser USS Galveston (CL 19) lands her Marine Corps detachment at Corinto, Nicaragua, to reinforce the Managua legation guard during a period of political tension.

1945 - Navy surface forces bombard Japanese positions at Iwo Jima.

1963 - The 1st Seabee Technical Assistance Team arrives in Vietnam.

According to Kemp Tolley in his book, "Yangtze Patro," the River Patrol went as far up the river and beyond Chungking.

His book is a very facinating book and I would reccommend it to anyone who is interested in Yangtze River and Naval Cachets. It was written in 1971. One of the best books I have ever read!

Don

The good news is my daughter is going to be an intern at sports illustrated. Is our hobby a sport?

Larry

Anyone know if the Yangtze Patrol sailed as far as Wuhan? I saw the river yesterday and it is extremely wide. My guess is they went that far.

1942 - Battle of Makassar Strait, destroyer attack on Japanese convoy in first surface action in the Pacific during World War II

1991 - Helos from USS Leftwich and USS Nicholas recapture first Kuwaiti territory from Iraqis

Steve, good luck in the PRC. Enjoy the beer.

Dan, I don't know if PCU CVN 77 has a post office. Is it listed in the January LOG?

Larry

Drifter buoys move with ocean currents and collect data such as sea surface temperature. Data is transmitted via satellite and distributed to meteorological services and made available to researchers worldwide.

The Global Drifter Program is managed by NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), which worked closely with Swift to provide training prior to the ship's deployment Jan. 4 to join APS.

"After learning how vital the drifter data is in Africa and around the world, it's a good feeling to help," said Mineman 2nd Class Matthew Rishovd, a Swift (Blue) crew member who visited AOML's Miami facility in December for training.

Rishovd is now training other crew members and overseeing the four-month project.

Drifters consist of a surface float and a 15-meter drogue, or sea anchor attached by a thin tether. The first large-scale deployments of modern drifters took place in 1988, in the Pacific, according to information available on the AOML Web site. The effort was extended worldwide and made it to the tropical and South Atlantic Ocean by 2004. Drifters can last and transmit data for years.

In addition to improving short-term weather forecasts in the region, data collected from drifters can assist with longer term forecasts of droughts and floods, according to Rick Lumpkin, an AOML research scientist.

Swift is carrying a total of 70 drifting buoys and 10 Argo floats, which also collect and transmit data such as temperature and salinity. Swift crew will deploy the drifters and floats at AOML-provided positions as the ship transits to various APS ports in West and Central Africa.

Dedicated time has also been built into the APS schedule for Swift to support AOML in specific areas of the Gulf of Guinea where little data is routinely available. The first five APS buoys were deployed when Swift crossed latitudes 33, 25, 22, 19 and 17 degrees north while transiting to Dakar.

"I volunteered because it seemed interesting and sounded like it could be fun," Rishovd said.

After having overseen the first buoy deployments during APS and based on what he learned during his visit with AOML in Miami, Rishovd acknowledged the fun factor while recognizing the significance of what he's doing.

"The data is important and affects people," he said.

During an upcoming APS visit to Ghana, Swift will host a four-day AOML-led training seminar for regional researches in buoy deployment and data usage that includes time at sea for practical demonstrations.

The ultimate goal is to generate regional partners in various African countries who can continue to deploy drifters as gaps develop, Lumpkin noted.

"The upwelling regions off Africa's west coast, particularly off Senegal and in the Gulf of Guinea (eastern sides of the North and South Tropical Atlantic) are persistently under sampled," Lumpkin said. "We are encouraged by any efforts to help generate partnerships in this region, and excited to reopen collaboration with the U.S. Navy."

During APS, Swift is supporting several APS initiatives in partnership with NOAA. These include serving as a training venue for the National Marine Fisheries Service and its fisheries observer course for Ghana's Fisheries Ministry, as well as conducting maintenance on moored ocean buoys in the Gulf of Guinea on behalf of the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy will christen the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Dewey (DDG 105), Jan. 26, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula, Miss.

Designated DDG 105, the new destroyer honors Adm. George Dewey (1837-1917) who commanded the Asiatic Station from the cruiser Olympia. Shortly after the onset of the Spanish-American War, Dewey led his squadron of warships into Manila Bay on April 30, 1898.

The next morning, his squadron destroyed the Spanish fleet in only two hours without a single American loss. A widely popular hero of his day, Dewey was commissioned admiral of the Navy, a rank created for him, in March 1903.

Two previous ships have proudly carried his name. The first was a destroyer (DD 349) that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and went on to receive 13 battle stars for World War II service. The second was a destroyer commissioned as a guided-missile frigate (DLG 14) before being reclassified as a guided-missile destroyer (DDG 45).

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. His wife, Deborah, will serve as sponsor of the ship. In accordance with Navy tradition, she will break a bottle of champagne across the ship's bow and christen the ship.

Dewey is the 55th of 62 Arleigh Burke class destroyers. The ship will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Dewey will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense.

This is in keeping with "A Cooperative Strategy of 21st Century Seapower," the new maritime strategy that postures the sea services to apply maritime power to protect U.S. vital interests in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.

Cmdr. Warren R. Buller, of Concord, Mass., is the prospective commanding officer of the ship and will lead the crew of 292 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Dewey is being built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Pascagoula, Miss.

My thanks on behalf of the USCS to the Honeyman Committee members, George Saqaal, John Young and John Beirne, for the thorough and expeditious job.

Paul Helman
USCS President

York, PA, you are right, it is the York County Stamp Show. It is a fairly big regional show, with a good selection of dealers and a fairly large number of exhibits.

Postal History award to Larry Brennan for his article in the November 2007 issue entitled "Loss Of The USS SERPENS AK-97"

Naval History Award to Glenn Smith for his article in the January 2007 issue of the LOG entitled "Screw Steamer PENSACOLA"

The Special Recognition Award to Robert Rawlins for his article in the May 2007 issue of the LOG
entitled "The Tragedy Of The USS MAINE And John Matza"

Did you get the High Winds with it, we sure did.

From the Navy News Service

1960 - The Bathyscaph Trieste descends to the deepest part of the ocean -- the Marianas Trench.

1968 - USS Pueblo (AGER 2) is seized by North Korean forces in the Sea of Japan. (Doesn't seem like 40 years ago, does it.)

1991 - Navy A-6 Intruders sink an Iraqi tanker and accompanying hovercraft that were monitoring allied air activity over the northern Persian Gulf.

The Navy announced Tuesday the destroyer Porter and the cruiser Carr will return Friday to Norfolk.

The amphibious transport dock Ponce and the dock landing ship Gunston Hall, from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, will pull in next Tuesday.

The Kearsarge is scheduled to arrive pierside on Feb. 1.

What has is funny, that Elli got to a super bowl a lot quicker than his brother

I like the shirts and was joking about colors. Tatoos would be an option but not for most of us.

At the risk of reopening an old subject, I have a USN "Squirrel Hunters" shirt from a friend who was CO of a co-located unit. We literally chased a squirrel or two in doors at Naval Weapons Station Earle. BTW, Huckabee has spoken repeatedly about his enjoyment of cooked squirrel.

Larry

I'm flexible. I'm used to hats from the Navy and think that they can be seen but shirts would be great.

I assume that the USCS could license our logo for use by member.

Navy Blue for Navy, Red for USMC and our USAF friends could like powder blue.

Larry

The USS John C. Stennis is back in the water for the first time since entering dry dock in September.

The Navy aircraft carrier had been on land for nearly four months at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for maintenance.

It went into dry dock in late September after being deployed to the Middle East in January 2007.

Workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard started flooding the dry dock on Wednesday, and the Stennis returned to the water on Friday.

Although the Stennis is back in the water, the ship's maintenance period is scheduled to last until March

PS I thought you were too modest to be the seller.

Dave are you going to identify the special cover when the bidding closes?