January 2014 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 9. USS Mahan Honors DD-364 United States Navy News
By Story by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Karen E. Cozza, SURFLANT Public Affairs
NORFOLK (NNS) -- The crew of USS Ma- han (DDG 72) held a memorial ceremony December 6th in honor of the 69th anniver- sary of the Battle of Ormoc Bay in which USS Mahan (DD-364) lost 6 crewmembers. One offi cer and fi ve enlisted Sailors were mortally wounded on December 7th, 1944, during the battle off the coast of Leyte, Philippines. Today the ship rang bells for each Sailor lost and played “Taps” to honor their memory.
“There is no regulation that says we
Maine Maritime Academy Receives $93,605 Grant to Conduct Rockweed Research
CASTINE—Maine Maritime Academy has received a research grant in the amount of $93,605 from the Maine Economic Im- provement Fund Small Campus Initiative to conduct rockweed research. Dr. Jessica Muhlin, Associate Professor of Marine Biology, will direct the project to conduct fi eld and laboratory research on two types of seaweed: the commercially harvested Ascophyllum nodosum and the prevalent Fucus vesiculosus in order to understand their contributions to the near-shore food web and ecosystem. “We know these two foundational spe- cies are important and utilized resources in near-shore environments,” said Dr. Muhlin, “but we want to learn more about their role in the food web. These seaweeds are so constantly under our feet we barely notice them, but they are vitally important to the intertidal ecosystem.”
Field research will focus on character-
izing the near-shore food web to understand which organisms feed on rockweed repro- ductive material. This research will include collaboration with Dr. Kenneth H. Dunton of the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Dun- ton is one of the world’s leading specialists in stable isotope ecology. Dr. Brian Beal, Professor of Marine Ecology at the Univer- sity of Maine at Machias, will collaborate on lab research to learn the importance of the two rockweeds’ reproductive material to the Mytilus edulis (blue mussel) diet. The 18-month research project will involve
must be connected to Sailors from some 70-odd years ago, from a ship that bears the same name as ours, yet we are, because it is right and we must honor those that came before us,” said Cmdr. Zoah Scheneman, the ship’s commanding offi cer. “We are the caretaker of the “364” story and we must steel ourselves for the future and learn the lessons they taught us in their service. Scheneman read excerpts from surviv- ing “364” crewmember accounts of that day. The ship had traveled through the Suriago Straits to Ormac Bay when they were at- tacked.
“All hell broke loose,” wrote Jim Pratt. “We were hit by three Japanese suicide
A C A D E M Y N E W S
students from Maine Maritime Academy and the University of Maine at Machias. Proposed locations for fi eld research include Holbrook Island, Schoodic Point and Great Wass Island. Ultimately, the research will inform the
scientifi c community and policy managers, such as the Maine Department of Marine Resources, of the contribution of surplus reproductive material for commercial- ly-harvested rockweed; provide insight into rearing M. edulis in shellfi sh hatcheries; and provide substantial preliminary data for a competitive submission for federal funds. “Maine Maritime Academy’s Ocean Studies program has offered faculty and stu- dents the opportunity to conduct intertidal research over the p ast 25 years,” said Dr. John Barlow, Vice President for Academic Affairs. “We are excited to lead this project, which could have signifi cant impact on the knowledge base and on marine management locally and regionally.”
The Maine Economic Improvement Fund Small Campus Initiative is funded through an annual State appropriation and periodically augmented through voter-ap- proved bond referenda, the Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) provides uni- versity-based researchers with the capital necessary to leverage federal and private sector research grants and contracts. Those grants and contracts, in turn, create and sustain economic development through new jobs, products, technologies, companies, and opportunities. For information, visit
http://umaine.edu/meif/welcome/
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planes. One plane hit the superstructure so hard the mast was dragging in the water on the port side.”
In a letter sent to the ship just a few days before the ceremony, surviving crewmem- ber Wilfred (Bill) Sumner relates a story about the rescue of a special member of the crew.
“Capt. Scotty [Campbell] realized our ship was a wreck and, with no help from other ships to put out the fi res and control the exploding ammunition, he ordered ‘abandon ship’. I remembered that our ship’s mascot, a cocker spaniel named Butch was below decks in a stern compartment. I went below, called him to me, returned topside and we went overboard together. Most crewmembers had life jackets and I found one for Butch. We drifted together with our shipmates for about two hours before the de- stroyer USS Walke (DD-416) approached. None of us would board the Walke until a bucket was lowered and Butch landed on deck.”
“We have stories from our shipmates and we must hold on to them and learn from them,” said Scheneman. He concluded by reminding the crew that they are bound together with their predecessors by a single name - Mahan.
When asked what the defi nition of a shipmate was, 88-year old survivor Edwin Young stated in a letter to the ship, “A shipmate is someone who can count on you and someone you can count on when in the worst of circumstances; it is knowing the other person will do his best to do his job and complete the mission no matter what the cost.”
The second USS Mahan (DD-364) was the lead ship of the Mahan-class destroyers in the United States Navy. She was named for Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, a 19th-century naval historian and strategic theorist. Mahan began her Navy service in
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1936. DD-364 did not sink on its own. The Walke fi red a torpedo into her hull after Capt. Scott Campbell decided it would be too dangerous to attempt saving her. There are currently 13 surviving members of DD 364.
USS Theodore Roosevelt Launches New Aircraft
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katie Lash, USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, At Sea (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) launched and recov- ered E-2D Hawkeyes, from the Tiger Tails of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125, for the fi rst time, Dec. 3. With notable improvements and new features, the E-2D is a major advancement from the E-2C Hawkeye. “The E-2D brings a signifi cant number of improvements to the older E-2C,” said Cmdr. Paul Lanzilotta, commanding offi cer of VAW-125. “The biggest thing is the sen- sor and radar systems. They are much more advanced in the E-2D. The E-2D is capable of seeing much farther and it is far more capable of detecting targets on the surface and in the air. This helps ensure the carrier strike group is adequately defended, even hundreds of miles away. We can see it all.” Other improvements include a fully integrated-all-glass-tactical cockpit, ad- vanced identifi cation friend-or-foe system, a new radar with both mechanical and electronic scanning capabilities, electronic support measures enhancements, new mis- sion computers and tactical workstations. “Along with the many technological advances, the E-2D is also a much smoother fl ying aircraft now,” said Lanzilotta. “These aircraft are brand new. They still have that
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