|
Letters
Research on the steamer Portland sunk with all hands during a gale off Gloucester, Mass in 1898 just logged onto your fabulous website from links from bismarckclass.dk. having met dr. robert ballard on 2 occasions and discussed details with him on my ongoing book research on the steamer portland sunk with all hands during a gale off gloucester, Mass in 1898, i have watched many times my tape of his expedition to ironbottom sound. i viewed with must interest the sunken remains of hmas canberra. were you a survivor of this ship? or were some of your later shipmates on shropshire the survivors? i served on destroyers in the atlantic and the med during the 60,s and am an amateur naval historian. if it wasnt for your generations sacrifice during ww2. we wouldn't have a world today. thank you so much for what we have today. in my book you are the best regards
Thank you for your kind words about AHOY, it is a combined effort with my Web Master Terry Kearns in Atlanta Georgia. He turns all my research and scribblings into the site that is up there on the web for anyone who happens to find us, log on, and hopefully find something of interest. Yes I am a survivor if the sinking of HMAS Canberra, when the Battle of Savo started I was her Officer of the Watch on the bridge, and was a very lucky 20 year old to survive, my Captain and Gunnery Officere both being killed close by. As with many other survivors I went on to serve in her replacement, HMAS Shropshire, a gift from the Royal Navy organised by Winston Churchill. In her I was present in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Japanese Surrender on board USS Missouri, and as a result my wife and I are just back from Honolulu, where we were guests of the USS Missouri Memorial Association and attended the 60th. Anniversary of that historic signing on board the MIGHTY MO. It was a wonderful morning, and we were fortunate to be a part of that day of Naval and World history. I too met Robert Ballard when he was in Australia to launch his " Lost Ships of Guadalcanal", both he and Martin Clements, the Coast Watcher who alerted the world to the fact that the Japanese had landed on the island and were close to finishing the air strip that became known as Henderson Field signed my copy of the book. Nice to hear from you. Best wishes, |
