Blair (DE 147) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 13 text:

RR1.C,.A?xI2 CAROL 'N XRR.AC,,ANfa.kfI Tr BA'5r Claire, Mrs. Wm., and Robert Boudreau-immediately prior to rescue by BLAIR, still cling to roof of their summer cottage which was swept into bay. Dear Lt. Cmdr. Nagle, Last Tuesday's experience now seems to have been but a terrible nightmare. Bruises and a few sleepless nights served to remind us, however, of Hurricane Carol and of what we owe to the brave men on the U.S.S. BLAIR. We shall never forget the skipper and crew who saved our lives. You will always be included in our prayers, that is the least we can do to repay you. Our very special heartfelt thank you to the five courageous men who jumped into the water after us: Torpedoman Second Class Charles Guertin, Seaman George Nash, Seaman Luigi Petrosino, Seaman Henry Halvorson, Jr., and Seaman Ernest Edelman. They risked their lives to save ours . . . The immediate medical attention my brother and I received from the Corps- man, Mr. Prescott, helped us to recover more quickly from the experience. Thanks to him, we suffered no ill effects from the exposure of more than two hours . . . Your fine hospitality, sir, while we were on board your ship, gave us quite an insight into why we ought to be proud of our Navy. Also, we'd like to thank Ensigns Copp and Palmer who patiently waited through the delays on the road and finally got us home safe and sound. It is pretty hard to express in a letter all the gratitude we feel toward the skipper and crew of the BLAIR . . . we'll never forget the ship and its men. We'll thank God for the rest of our lives that the BLAIR was in Narragansett Bay on August 31, l954. Sincerely, Claire Boudreau

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. . , .. .. .. . , -- . .. i, V NV s1w1f.s::w'wsm fIf' . rn-.Y .r.m Mf v'1 - A-- J M ' .i ,., ,I , ... J Q, ,. ,,.,fL.,,a,x . e..,., . .tu , U . ,W , .. -:::az.1.Z':f5i'f.kq-.4i'fL5f25 fffffifm . , . FSIJ.-3 -' -f-f 'U fi - Q' S .nurse s- --in '2 ksffeiiiiiefiifkl-F549 ,ez-2 f2iii:' 'Edes ved! Q9 if i., W -l J 4 . . . And tell me zuasn l the best time, that time when we were young at sea, young and luul nothing on the sea that gives nothing, except lumi knocks-aiu! it .wnnetinzes Il chance Io feel your strength? -joseph Conrad ip Despite all of the most modern advances, life at sea is not an easy one, particularly in a small ship. WVe do not believe this eternal challenge of the elements will ever be other than a constant demand for the best in ship and crew. BLAIR is a L h taut ship because it is the only 'kind of a ship in which we feel H safe to put to sea. Although she is a taut ship, paradoxically enough there is tw Q perhaps more real democracy in BLAIR than in our home 'ig 5, towns. It is an altruistic democracy of devotion to the common 1. ti welfare, the good ol the ship. asv 'il Despite all regulations ever issued, no crew will perforxn V nl as BLAIR'S has without inspiration, loyalty, and respect. These must be well earned. There is more than a mutual pride in our ship and in our crew. There is a feeling of strong friendship ' and loyalty up and clown from the Captain on the bridge to the watch in Steering Alt. It is a spirit born of patriotic de- votion to the Navy and welded by long service together far from home: by midnight landings in 40 knot squalls, freak storms off Hatteras and blizzards such as that of 16 March, 1952. This is the BLAIR Spirit! !! .4 1 0 I l ' mb li t fs 5 .5 KW- - uw- 1 1 -.s 1 ': ', . th . , lt! ll ft! 2 ' s , , I Q X' - f ' f I' - ' ,flillk '- 4 ,Lv lx' '. -'-. -,f'e 2 ,r -1 'Q li .J - 5 -2 x X 5 ' ' fl- . ' K Q! V ' N '. -1 xx .Zz 'II'-I ..-2v .I i!li'y ,,' ,' ,.,,:.'f 1. ',: Q 7' si' ' 'Nil-i' -i 2 ' 9 V ' N - UM , 5 A -' J . ,J -- ,4 Ska, 4 I E I I , .-HLS' -an , I I .

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The word that the ship was to receive a new skipper came while BLAIR lay alongside the pier at U.S. Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia. This was looked forward to with mixed emotions by Captain Charles L. Nagle, BLAIR's Commanding Officer. He was glad to be relieved after a command tour of more than two years, for the grasp of command responsibility is relentless, but at the same time he deeply regretted leaving the ship and her crew. The crew regretted losing Captain Nagle and Qas crews generally arej were somewhat skeptical of the new Captain. A farewell party was held for Cap-tain Nagle just before the prospective new Commanding Officer ar- rived onboard at which time the tedious and pr0- tracted details of relief would begin. Most un- fortunately after all the details were completed on the evening before the date scheduled for the relief ceremony Captain Nagle received serious juries in an auto accident requiring indefllilfe hospitalization and the Executive Officer was T6- quired to temporarily assume command.