Ships Log: USS Atule » Post War

USS Chivo (SS-341)

John — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:39:49 +0000

Blogged with Flock

Dad’s boat in Charleston Harbor circa 64. He reentered the Navy after the war and spent several years on the Chivo between Key West and Charleston. Go figure–I was born in one town and my sister, “T”, the other.

SST-2 USS Marlin

John — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:58:06 +0000

These are some pics of the USS Marlin (SST-2) Training Submarine. It operated out of Key West I believe while Dad was on Chivo. Used as a sonar target for exercises, I think is what he told me.

Port side view of the Marlin (SST-2), underway, late 50′s, place unknown.
US Navy photo courtesy of St. Marys Submarine Museum, submitted by Thomas Denton, Submarine Art, www.submarineart.com and courtesy of http://www.navsource.org/

This is a shot of Marlin now at Freedom Park, Omaha, NE where she is on display. I found it quite amusing to realize she was there while I was assigned to HQ Strategic Air Command at Offut AFB, NE. Kinda just down river from her. I had the opportunity one weekend to crawl through her and take some shots. I’ll scan and publish as soon as I find them.

These deisel SSTs were half again smaller than the fleet boats they sailed with out of Key West.

Marlin (SST-2), on permanant display at Freedom Park, Omaha, NE. Courtesy of Historic Naval Ships Association (hnsa.org) Photo courtesy of http://www.navsource.org/

New Pics Found!!

John — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 14:10:12 +0000

Emotional trips down memory lane have the weirdest way of sneaking up on me. During one of my rambling internet sessions (those are the ones where you don’t have anything in mind so you just “Google” around) I was entering the family name-Kilgallon. After the requisite number of hits on Irish genealogy sites. I refined the search to my father’s name: James R. Lo and behold I struck a little gold!

One of the hits took me to usschivo.org which commemorates the voyages of USS Chivo (SS 341) and those that sailed with her from 1945 to 1971. Dad’s name came up on the crew rosters from 1956 to 1959 as an EN1 (SS) and as an Ensign in 1960. This was the period he was stationed in Key West and then moved to Charleston with the boat in 1959. I was born in Key West in 1958 and my sister, Theresa, was born in Charleston in 1959.

So I began to peruse the picture galleries on the site under the Periscope Liberty link. On the Center Line page I noticed a picture (scan0042) of an unnamed sailor holding a baby dressed in blue. I looked closer and—it was Dad! If the shot was from Key West as the caption indicated then that would make the child in his arms—Me! Looking closer at the photo and details surface: Fridge and Freezer on right, baby bottle warming in saucepan on stove under the window in the rear!!!

The next page I checked was VLF Loop. And there, in scan0053 is Dad again!! The picture is captioned: scan0053 – Key West – EN1 (SS) James R. Kilgallon (56-59), holding his ass – without looking he sat down on the escape buoy, which was wet from morning dew. Others unknown (Gonzales). I fell out laughing!!

I had forgotten about his post war submarine assignments until then. I knew he was on Chivo because I have always carried in my memory box the black shoulder patch from the USS Chivo. Memories of Ice Cream on the boat and fishing off the pier in Charleston returned to me.