May 2008 Field Day Report

All Hands,


The Major May field Day aboard USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD850 in Fall River, MA
was accomplished with much success but went off with a bang!
That is ... the kind of bang resulting from a 21-gun salute from USS
MASSACHUSETTS's 5" gun battery in recognition of Memorial Day rememberances on
Friday, 30 May. Once again, this FRAM I Gearing class Destroyer moved closer
towards her final restored configuration and did so with many old hands and a
few new.

May major field day

Attendees:

Maury Crotteau (USS Harwood DD861)
Ed Zajkowski (USS Keppler DD765)
Al Lundgren (USS John Paul Jones DD932)
Owen Hayes (USS Waldron DD699)
Jim Mulvihill (USS Waldron DD699)
Bobby Young (USS Patterson FF-1061)
Mike Angelini (USS J.P. Kennedy Jr. DD850)
Don Furlong
Jeff Furlong
Gene Byers (USS Richard Kraus DD849)
Dennis ?
Dave Stawicki (Museum Employee)
Rich Angelini (NAVSEA)
Rob An gelini (NAVSEA)
Dan Pillie (USS J.P. Kennedy Jr. DD850)-- First Timer
Bob Kilkelly (USS Perkins DD877)
Tony Accatatta (USS Harwood DD861)
Tony's friend
Vincent Rositani (USS Fiske DD842)
Vincent Rositani Jr
Howard Swanson (USS Brownson DD868)
Carl Swanson
Chuck Schall (USS Charles Roan DD863)
Fran Schall (wife of Chuck)-- First Timer
Bob Washburn (USS William R Rush DD714)
Wayne White (USS Charles R. Ware DD865)
Bill Perkins (USS Tucker DD875)-- First Timer
Bill McDaniel (USS DD-513) -- First Timer
Tom McDaniel -- First Timer
John Lindinger (USS Vestal AR-4 at Pearl harbor 7 Dec)-- First Timer
Richie Calabro (USS Charles Roan DD853)
Bob Jensen (Submarine force)
Blair Sandri (USS Forrestal CV-59)
Phil Zeglin
Ned Dodds (USS Cone DD866)-- First Timer
Tom (USS Robert Owens DD827)-- First Timer
Dave Levesque (SeeBee's, DD850 Sea Cadet Corp)
Lee Levesque (DD850 Sea Cadet Corp)
Ben Levesque (DD850 Sea Cadet Corp)
Nate Levesque (DD850 Sea Cadet Corp)
Charlotte Levesque (DD850 Sea Cadet Corp)
Jim Caruso
Bill Hamilton (USS Barry DD932)



A partial listing of projects and museum support undertaken during the field day
included:

-- Exercised anchor windlass. (Zajkowski)
-- Installed latch on Burke main deck door. (Dodds, Perkins)
-- Repaired galley grill. (Wright, Perkins)
-- Repaired forced draft room door in B-3
-- Fabricated new screens and legs for half-barrel BBQ grills. (Sandri, Zeglin)
-- Hung warning sign on Burke visitor entrance hatch. (Dodds, Perkins)
-- Cleaned out replenishment at sea stowage on flight dk and unclogged drains.
(McDaniel , Mcdaniel , Lindinger)
-- Painted aft diesel (Kilkelly)
-- Repaired 2 circuits in steam line. (Wright, Perkins)
-- Activated toaster circuits on messdecks. (Wright, Perkins)
-- Locked propellars on 01 level display torpedos. (McDaniel , Mcda niel ,
Lindinger)
-- Fabricated and installed safety covers for AC on fantail (Sandri, Zeglin)
-- Prepared MEALS and snacks for a hungry crew (Levesque family, Hamilton,
Caruso)
-- Repaired 2 berthing compartment fans. (Hayes)
-- Standardized fittings on all air hoses and air tools. (McDaniel , Mcdaniel
, Lindinger)
-- Secured 2 loose dogs on Mt 53 (McDaniel , Mcdaniel , Lindinger)
-- 01 dk-port s--frame 119--installed working navy receptacle (Wright,
Perkins)
-- ASROC control station--installed working navy receptacle. (Wright,
Perkins)
-- Began preparation of Wooden bridge wing rails (Washburn)
-- Installed Wind speed Anemometer at top of mast (Beezer)
-- Manned and supported storeroom. (Howard Swanson)
-- Repaired defective hoses. (Howard Swanson)
-- DASH WT door, installed eyebrow (rain deflector) (Sandri, Zeglin)
-- ASROC control station--installed missing deck light, working. (Wright,
Perkins)
-- B-1 string lights installed (Wright)
-- B-2 string lights installed. (Byers)
-- Continued preparation and painting of CIC -- USB Plot work now being
undertaken. (Lundgren)
-- Quarterdecj brass polishing. (Mr + Mrs Schall)
-- Painted bridge foyer fuse boxes, doors, and electrical boxes. Polished brass
and detailed area. (Washburn, Mr + Mrs Schall)
-- Misc radio work (Crotteau, Mulvihill)
-- DASH hangar work and acquisition of new equipment from Gyrodyne.(Mike
Angelini)
-- Frame 42 mn dk, fabricated new gooseneck bracket (Sandri, Zeglin)
-- Frame 119 mn dk, fabricated new gooseneck bracket (Sandri, Zeglin)
-- B-4, replaced degausing board expanded metal (Dodds, Tom ?)
-- Aft diesel--removed leaking expansion tank and repaired (Sandri, Zeglin)
-- Aft diesel--planned piping makeover for cooling--Tom McDaniel will mail an
entire
rebuild kit shortly. (McDaniel , Mcdaniel , Lindinger)
-- Provided Haircuts. (Byers)
-- Installed original Petty Officer locker in FOX Division in original location.
(Rositani's)
-- Traced power problem to SPS-29 Radar Antenna and reactivated the system.
(Beezer)
-- Needle gunned to bare metal, wired wheeled, and primed -- overhead, fan room
door, FO Vent, bulkhead from FR ? To FR ? Port side main deck on both sides of
breakwater. (It was a disaster area before!)( Rob Angelini, Rich Angelini, Don
Furlong, Jeff Furlong, Pillie, Ben Levesques, Nate Levesque, Charlotte Levesque,
Carl Swanson)
-- Put finish coat on overhead Port side Main deck from FR ? To ? (Calabro, Jensen)
-- Mounted restoration items to almost complete CPO Head --Navy toilet seats,
towel racks, soap dishes, mirror-- (Dodds, Tom ?)
-- Began looking into and collecting electronic parts for the reactivation of
the SQS-23D Sonar Console in the SONAR Shack. Found SQS-23 Manual Volume 9
Hidden aboard ship. (Pillie)
-- Acquired the 3 missing Window Defrosters for the Bridge. (Beezer)
-- Remounted and wired in the restored Mess Decks Entertainment box. (Crotteau,
Hayes)
-- Removed Commercial wire that used to be for a jury rigged (non-Navy)
entertainment system. (Hayes)
-- Cleaned stateroom and fixed sink leak in WR SR STBD-forward- side of Wardroom
(Mike Angelini)
-- Spot primed and hit spots near MT 51 on focsle. (Rob Angelini, Rich Angelini,
Ben Levesque)

Highlights from the Field Day:

-- All Hands attended a Memorial Day service presided over by Capt. Casey aboard
the USS MASSACHUSETTS on Friday, 30 May. A 21-gun salute was rendered by the 5"
gun battery of BB59. Among those in attendence were WW2, Korea, and Vietnam era
Veterans.

-- We had seven families attend our May Major field day (Levesque's (5),
Angelini (3), Furlong (2), McDaniel (2), Schall (2), Swanson (2), and Rositani
(2))

-- We had four groups of attendee's who served on the sa me ship. They
represented the USS Charles Roan DD853 (Schall, Calabro), USS Waldron DD699
(Hayes, Mulvihill), USS Harwood DD861 (Crotteau, Accacatta), and USS J.P.
Kennedy Jr DD850 (Angelini, Pillie). Note that Pillie and Angelini actually
served aboard KENNEDY at exactly the same time..1972-1973.

-- This field day also brought aboard 8 First Major field day attendees. They
were Dan Pillie, John McDaniel, Tom McDaniel, Frances Schall, Ned Dodds, Tom
from DD827, John Lindinger, and Bill Perkins.

-- The ship had two needle guns running on the Port side for two days
continuous.

-- The ship's wind anemoneter is finally flying high in the breeze for the first
time since 1972!

-- The ship's crew enjoyed a old fashioned Navy cookout using charcoal and half
barrels for dinner on Saturday night. Thanks to the cooking crew for all their
hard work during this weekend!

-- The person who travelled the farthest for o ur field day was Ned Dodds of the
USS Cone who flew in from California.

-- Saturday night dinner conversation became sort of a roast as we went around
the mess decks introducing ourselves, discussing our achievements, and plenty of
good sarcasm. The line for the weekend was : "Is this your first time on a
ship?". New Volunteers T-shirts designed by Rich Angelini and Lee Levesque were
passed out to all hands and we thank Capt Casey and the museum for their support
in providing these symbols of appreciation. Many crewmembers stood up, passed
their appreciation for being allowed to work on this Gearing class destroyer,
and passed along what it meant to them. We hope to see all in Sept.

Weekly Projects

-- Our last email newsletter mentioned that we had just sent a SPA-4 Radar
Repeater to our Swansea Radar Repeater Restoration Shop in the hopes of getting
it back online sometime before the Fall. Well, Bob Ledux and John Bis bano
reported a mere 3 days after that newsletter went out that the SPA-4 is up,
running, and ready to come back to KENNEDY for final installation in CIC. Maybe
we should start contracting the Swansea shop out for other museum ships?

-- What Bobby Young is to the ship in painting the outside, Al Lundgren is to
painting the inside. Al comes down to the ship some 2-3 times a week now and
you remember that SONAR Shack painting project that we had discussed just
starting recently? Yeah.. Well that whole room is done. The Sonar Console,
speakers, Weapons Distribution switchboard, spot lights, etc have all been
cleaned up, missing items added, and the shack is now just waiting for seat
upholstery. Dan Pillie is looking into getting the SQS-23D console to power up
for simulation and helped acquire a newer Control Performance Indicator from USS
Connolly to be modified to work/replicate the original that is the last piece of
equipment missing from SONAR.

-- Now slowing Al down is almost impossible and that is also a great thing for
DD850. Al told me about a week ago that he was going to paint just the overhead
of USB Plot (Undersea Battlespace) that is adjacent to SONAR in CIC. Well, on
my next return visit to the ship..USB is pretty much completed and will be
getting its final touches for complete restoration within weeks. That will
enable us to complete the ASW area of CIC by the end of June.

-- The missing window defrosters that KENNEDY has needed since anyone can
remember have been acquired by Brown Beezer from the USS Fort Fisher and have
been cleaned up for installation by Al Lundgren. We surely look forward to
having them finally installed.

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Notes:

1. The June field day is coming soon. The dates are 20-21-22 June. Please let
us know if you plan to
attend and l et's make preparations for getting underway!

2. Battleship Cove held a Volunteer Appreciation social aboard BB59 once again
this year and KENNEDY was well represented. Bob Kilkelly presented Rich
Angelini with a presentation plaque for exhibition on KENNEDY of all the Gearing
class Destroyer built. We thank Bob for this great display piece! Enclosed is
a photo of the 850 gang at the social.

3. One of our shipmates is getting married! Bobby Young and his lovely fiance,
Paula, are getting married on 22 June 2008! Congratulations to them both and
you know it will be Navy related somehow!

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Join the effort...Please consider helping KENNEDY in any manner you can..history
and this ship depend on YOU.

Fair winds and following seas,
Rich Angelini
Assistant Curator, USS JOSEPH P KENNEDY JR DD850 http://www.ussjpkennedyjr.org