I had 3 great years on board all three TAGS. It was really hard to get used to the real Navy after the Michelson and Dutton. Definitely saw a lot of both oceans during those three years. A lot of good ports, also.

The longest year of my life...the first week on board we were in an Atlantic storm, only time in my 22 year Navy career that I was ever sea sick...

I am the son of Richard Vibelius. As far as I know he was on all 3 ships at one time or another. I am hoping that someone may have some pictures of him. THANKS

Just looking things over. Thanks for the site.

NAU DE HSWW
-- Comms to Puerto Rico were always ZRE5!
Best duty I ever had.
Have lots of photos and Spittoons to digitize!

Aboard the Dutton when Bowditch was struck by a ship in Rio de Janerio, lost all sonar. Also on board when Dutton ran aground in Curacao. Went through the Panama Canal, 2 crossing of the Equator Ceremonies, Order of the Dragon. Met lots of good people and lots of good rum!

This site brought back old memories. I see that there was another Don Parker that is on the roster (not USN). The ports we hit were Copenhaugen, New Castle, and Amsterdam. We hit some of these ports several times and were in the ship yards of New Castle in the winter of 1969.

I was one of the original crew members of the Joliet Victory now USNS Michelson. I am a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I joined the USMMA in Jan 1945 and took basic training in an Mateo, CA. In June 1945 I was assigned to sea duty aboard the SS Joliet Victory, which was built in Richmond, CA. I went on the trial run before commissioning. We sailed out of San Francisco in July 1945 to Saipan, Mariana Islands to await the invasion of Japan. In August the nuclear bomb was dropped on Japan and the war was over. The Joliet Victory picked up military equipment in Guadacanal (52 jeeps and 2 PT boats). We took them to Yokohama and our crew celebrated Christmas 1945 in Tokyo. We were then sent to Calcutta, India to load 10,000 tons of 75mm artillery shells. We took the cargo to Charleston, SC in April 1946 and the ship went to New York. I left the Joliet Victory to complete my training at the Academy at Kings Point, L.I, NY. I graduated in Dec 1947 and sailed on various merchant ships until 1951. I am now retired and live in Santa Barbara, CA.

I traveled on the Bowditch and the Dutton working both in gravity and bathymetry. I have wonderful memories of people and places. Fair winds and following seas to all that walked their decks.
Andrea "Lefort" Seals