If your name does not appear on this list and you have paid your dues, please let Paul Mohawk know as soon as possible.  His e-mail address is pshawks@charter.net

Message from Tom Wagner, President of USS Plymouth Rock Association

To All Members of The Plymouth Rock Association: 

If my wife and I had to ever choose an area in which to  relocate, Charleston, SC would be  the area.  It is so rich with history, architecture and beauty.  We have been to the Charleston area several times and never miss the opportunity to return.  It is where the great rivers enter the Atlantic Ocean  but only before going through Charleston Harbor.  It is a city of once magnificent plantations, such as, Drayton, Boone and Middleton Place with their gorgeous gardens, flowers and southern architecture.  It is a city that occupies a forever permanent spot in American History as the first shots of the Civil War were fired on Fort Sumter.  It is a city of great restaurants offering different specialty and cultural foods.  Carriage rides are in abundance which will give you some of the historical background of the city.  

 Across the Ashley and Cooper Rivers is Patriot Point and area rich in Naval history.  The USS Yorktown is permanently tied-up there and one can spend several hours touring the ship as well as the other ships that are there.  There is a DD, submarine, the first nuclear powered commercial ship and others.  You can also sign up for a Charleston Harbor tour from Patriot’s Point.  There is a golf course that I have played, but you always feel like you are hitting into the wind, which tends to lead to a challenging game.  The area in which Patriot Point is located is called Mt. Pleasant and there are some great seafood restaurants available at moderate prices.  There is also a great diner for breakfast, name escapes me, but I will try to remember it before the reunion. 

So if you have never been to Charleston before, you may want to come early or stay late.  There is much to do and the weather is usually very accommodating.  SEE YOU ALL IN CHARLESTON!!! 

Tom Wagner, President
USS Plymouth Rock (LSD-29) Association

Charleston, SC Reunion Information
(Things to see in Charleston)

Date has been set for the 2010 Reunion

September 2010 from Monday the 20th thru Thursday the 23rd with check out on Friday the 24th.  You can now plan your time off to attend the reunion in Charleston.

Fort Sumter

Named after General Thomas Sumter, Revolutionary War hero, Fort Sumter was built following the War of 1812, as one of a series of fortifications on the southern U.S. coast. Construction began in 1827, and the structure was still unfinished in 1860, when the conflict began. Seventy thousand tons of granite were imported from New England to build up a sand bar in the entrance to Charleston harbor, which the site dominates; The fort was a five-sided brick structure, 170 to 190 feet (58 m) long, with walls five feet thick, standing 50 feet (15 m) over the low tide mark. It was designed to house 650 men and 135 guns in three tiers of gun emplacements, although it was never filled near its full capacities. 

The Citadel

The Citadel is a landmark in Charleston and South Carolina that is noted for its educational reputation as well as its rich history. Founded in 1842, The Citadel has an undergraduate student body of about 2,000 students who make up the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. Another 1,000 students attend The Citadel Graduate College, a civilian evening program that offers graduate and professional as well as undergraduate programs.  The Citadel is best known nationally for its Corps of Cadets which draws students from about 40 states and a dozen countries. The men and women in the Corps live and study under a classical military system that makes leadership and character training an essential part of the educational experience. About a third of the graduating classes accept military commissions.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

Founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, Magnolia Plantation has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold before it from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry, and the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870 to view the thousands of beautiful flowers and plants in its famous gardens. So join us here at Magnolia Plantation to experience the beauty of its gardens and its rich history today.

Shipmates Who Live in the State of Maine

Dave Austin	Augusta	Gary Bailey	Madawaska
Timothy Caldwell	Old Town	Ervin H. Fryman	Union
Thomas Gilpatrick	Bar Harbor	John Howland	Waldoboro
Errol Parker	Oxford	Charlie Simons	Eliot

Photos contributed by Earl Boyer, IC3.  Pictures were taken in the 1970's  NOTE:  Submarine aft of the ship.

LIBERTY - Permission to be absent from a ship or station for a period up to 48 hours. [72 hours on three-day weekends.] Anything longer than this is not liberty, but is leave charged to an individual's leave balance.

ANCHORS AWEIGH - Music written by Bandmaster Lieut. Zimmerman. In 1906, Lieut. Zimmerman was approached by Midshipman First Class Alfred Hart Miles with a request for a new march. As a member of the Class of 1907, Miles and his classmates "were eager to have a piece of music that would be inspiring, one with a swing to it so it could be used as a football marching song, and one that would live forever."

BOATSWAIN'S PIPE - No self-respecting boatswain's mate would dare admit he couldn't blow his pipe in a manner above reproach. This pipe, which is the emblem of the boatswain and his mates, has an ancient and interesting history. On the ancient row-galleys, the boatswain used his pipe to call the stroke. Later because its shrill tune could be heard above most of the activity on board, it was used to signal various happenings such as knock-off and the boarding of officials. So essential was this signaling device to the well-being of the ship, that it became a badge of office and honor in the British and American Navy of the sailing ships

CLOTHES STOPS - A small diameter cord, approximately 12 inches, used to tie laundry to a clothes line -- the early Navy clothes pin. Issued in recruit training until 1973.

JACOB'S LADDER -  Jacob's Ladder is a portable ladder made of rope or metal and used primarily as an aid in boarding a ship. Originally, the Jacob's Ladder was a network of line leading to the skysail on wooden ships. The name alludes to the biblical Jacob, reputed to have dreamed that he climbed a ladder to the sky. Anyone who has ever tried climbing a Jacob's Ladder while carrying a sea bag can appreciate the allusion. It does seem that the climb is long enough to take one into the next world.