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International Submariner-USA
The International Submariners Association/USA is aligned with countries
that have associations representing their submarine veterans. Our purpose is to promote brotherhood among submarine veterans of all nations and to remember lost submariners.
OFFICERS
President
Jack Messersmith
(928) 759-9544
[email protected]
Vice President
Dan Moss
(602) 866-8506
[email protected]
Secretary
Steve Day
(602) 677-0764
[email protected]
Treasurer
Bern Juracka
(928) 648-0102
sailorbern@@yahoo.com
Member at Large
John Bud Cunnally, Jr
(352) 729-4097
[email protected]
Standby Member at Large
Tim Moore
(602) 574-3286
[email protected]
Past President
Ken Earls
(541) 630-0885
[email protected]
Our Creed
The Purpose of
the ISA-USA is to:
Perpetuate the
memory of those
who have lost
their lives in submarines and to
further promote
and keep alive
the spirit and
unity that exists
among all submarine crewmen,
to foster friendship and goodwill
inter nationally,
remembering always our belief in
the freedom of
thoughts, words
and
deeds.
Every
Member
shall remain loyal
to his country at
all times.
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A Message from the President
I have had a busy trip this summer. Kathy and I were on the road for five weeks.
We started the trip driving north from Prescott Valley, AZ heading for Canada. I
was leaving little rocks along the way (kidney stones), but we made it to Port Angeles, WA to catch the ferry to Victoria. We enjoyed 4 days of Canadian hospitality and events during the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Submarine Service.
There was a handful of Americans who partook in the festivities, lectures and
tours. A special treat was a visit to the USS Albuquerque which was in port.
We visited friends as we drove south to the USSVI convention in San Francisco.
We visited with Ken Earls in Eagle Point, OR and had a chance to see Sunset Crater. Ken is the past president of ISA. After leaving Oregon we headed down the
coast highway and drove by the redwoods. The giant trees are really awesome.
In San Francisco met with many ISA members. San Francisco wasn't as big a convention as Norfolk, but the folks put on a great convention. There were a lot of
tired walkers who participated in the tours. The ISA meeting was held and several amendments to the constitution were approved. Our secretary was sworn
in and the VP and MAL will be sworn in when both are available.
After returning home several ISA members met with Steven Collins of the English
ISA group. We had lunch and discussed the upcoming congress in Portsmouth,
England. Information will be provided when available.
Jack Messersmith
President ISA-USA
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51st ISA CONGRESS, MAY 2014
ATHENS, GREECE
By Dan Moss
Our Greek adventure began upon landing in Athens, the city on the Aegean that flourished in
ancient Greece from the Neolithic Period (6000 BC) through the Classical Period (400 BC) to
present day modern Athena.
Our sojourn was not only to enjoy the attributes of Greet art, history and culture, but to participate in the 51st International Submarine Congress which comprised over 350 attendees from
twenty-one nations. Sightseeing began with a trip to the Hellenic Maritime Museum which displayed a replica of an 8000 BC watercraft, personal letters from Viscount Horatio Nelson and
modern artifacts . An afternoon visit to the Temple of Poseidon, high above Cape Sounio and
an authentic Greek dinner at one of the many quaint seaside restaurants proved to be a perfect
end to a wonderful day.
The following morning was devoted to the traditional ceremony of honoring all submariners who
have been lost and are now on “Eternal Patrol.” A moving tribute with delegations from all
twenty-one nations participating. Dinner was served at the Hellenic Armed Forces Officers Club
followed by an afternoon tour of the Greek battleship Georgious Averof at the Naval Heritage
Museum. Next on our agenda was a tour of the Temple of Athena, known as the Parthenon and
Acropolis. A stunning example of Greek architecture built around 400 BC on orders from Pericles. A stop at the very impressive Acropolis Museum and wonderful Greek lunch at a local tavern in the Plaka area rounded out a full day.
A gala black tie dinner with traditional Greek music and dance ended our time with the world’s
submarine veterans, but not our time with our Greek friends. One of the highlights of our time
with the submarine veterans was when we met Helmut Romer, a 93 year old German submarine
veteran of World War II whose submarine U 575 was sunk in the Atlantic in 1944 by combined
allied forces. He was one of the lucky eighteen survivors and was incarcerated at the Arizona
Papago Indian reservation for the duration of the war.
Our final days were spent visiting some of the beautiful islands in the Ionian Sea. The most
memorable of which was Hydra. The island has no personal automobiles, scooters or bicycles.
Conveyance is by foot or donkey. The only authorized motor vehicles are garbage trucks and
the UPS mode of delivery is said to be a donkey.
Eventually, the time came to return to beautiful Arizona and so we said goodbye to this treasure
on the Aegean and its magnificent people and history.
See associated photo on page 4
Editing, composition, spelling, punctuation, cartoons and pictures are all the result of the Editors. Any
and all mistakes are due to the Editor and he will accept all comments, suggestions or criticisms. You
can contact the International Submariner USA Editor at:
[email protected]
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From left to right: l-R Bern and Ruth Juracka, Jack Messersmith, Laine and Dan Moss, and Tim
Moore. All are from Arizona.
In addition to having a great visit to Athens. Greece, several ISA-USA members also attended the Canadian Submarine Centennary held in Victoria,
BC Canada.. Jack Messersmith mentioned that trip in his message on page
2 and shown here is former ISA-USA Vice President, John North at the Canadian 100 year celebration along with Paul Lang.
Getting to know you……………., yes, you can sing along as we get to know
Paul Lang:
Having joined the Royal Canadian Navy in the closing weeks of
1988, the Cold War was not yet over, the War on Terror had not yet
begun, and I didn't yet have enough sense to know that I belonged
in submarines. I languished in the surface fleet for the first 15 years
of my naval career, circumnavigating the globe twice (once in each
direction), passed through the Suez Canal once and the Panama
Canal thrice, entered King Neptune's domain three times (all in the
Pacific), set foot on six of the seven continents ………………….. See Paul
Lang continued on page 6
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Brian De-Mullet, President of the International Submariners Association (GB)
: Here is an example of one day of the Portsmouth Congress:
Tuesday 19th May
·
Breakfast at your hotel.
Full day at Arundel Castle.
·
Marquee in the castle grounds for lunch, two sittings.
·
Beer tent.
·
Guided tours of the castle by arrangement.
·
Free time to explore the town and castle.
Evening boat trip on the Solent.
·
(Two boats) dinner onboard.
Finger buffet (hot and Cold).
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Paul Lang, Continuted…...(Antarctica is a difficult one outside the scientific, research or fishing communities),
was part of the ship's boarding and search party (we don't have Marines to do this for us), had a family, lost one
wife, gained another, and then decided I was up for a challenge.
After finishing my submarine and trade's training in 2004, I joined the submarine fleet just in time for threequarters of our fleet to go into refit (we only have four boats, remember). So, guess how many submariners can sail
in a 48-person crew? I got qualified, all the same, on the one running boat, but was then marooned alongside.
After five years, I'd had enough, swallowed the anchor and started drawing the well-deserved pension cheque.
And for the past five years now I refit submarines (how's that for irony) acting as a quality assurance representative
while the boats are in a deep cycle maintenance routine with private industry.
Thank you from the Past President.
This Thank You note missed the previous edition of the "International Submariner" and I wanted to assure that it was included in this edition.
I've served as an officer of ISA-USA from November 2006 until November
2013 and during that time have had a tremendously rewarding experience.
I have met many great shipmates within our membership and have met
many submariners around the world.
All of this is unforgettable.
We hosted the first ISA Convention to
be held in the USA and it was a great
success. There are many to thank for
that and that list would be very long
and surely I would leave someone
out. Those of us who worked on that
organizing committee know who we
are and know the amount of work involved.
We lost many members, as our founding members were all WW II Submarine Veterans and as a result nearly all of them have departed to their final
reward. Despite losing so many members, our membership now numbers
twice what it was in November 2006 and again, for that I am thankful.
Many of the same individuals responsible for the wonderful ISA convention
we hosted in San Diego are also responsible for the growth in our membership.
So, I am very happy to turn the helm over to Jack Messersmith and his great
new board. Please give them your full support and please give them your
ideas about how to make your organization even better.
Again, Thank You and I hope to see you at a future ISA Congress.
Ken Earls
Where in the world
are you?
ISA-USA has several hundred members and we move
around from time to
time.
Let your Secretary
know when and
where you are now
located. We want
to keep in touch and
only you can tell us
where you are today and will be tomorrow.
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Should we do it again?
In 2009 we hosted the ISA Convention in San Diego and it was a success. At the
next ISA Congress, the Head of Delegations will be selecting the ISA Congress location for 2018. Your officers are interested in whether you will support making a
bid to host the ISA Congress in 2018.
There are numerous places to hold the convention; should we bid for it? If we
were awarded that responsibility, where would we hold the congress? Some immediate ideas are:
·
Orlando, Florida
·
San Diego, California
·
New London, Connecticut
·
Oahu, Hawaii
·
Other?
·
Other?
What do you think? Would you support another US ISA Congress? Would you attend? Would you work on that planning committee? Jack Messersmith and his
Board need your input. Contact Jack directly or any of the ISA-USA officers to let
them know what you think. Or, send a message to [email protected] and
the editor will pass on your comments. You can send to the editor anonymously
or with your ID, either way.
All ISA Congresses are held in May. Finances are important; any place selected
needs to be both attractive as a place to visit and has to be relatively affordable. It
helps to be near salt water.
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ISA-USA
Shipmates:
You can provide financial
support to our
organization
by ordering a
box of our
Dolphin note
cards. These
note cards
are perfect
for sending personalized notes to friends and relatives and to
use as greeting cards for the upcoming Holiday Season. Order
your Dolphin Greeting Cards today!
Single boxes include 20 cards & envelopes and members can
purchase them for $25.00 per box which includes shipping and
handling.
Checks should be made payable to ISA-USA. Send your note
card orders and checks to:
Bernard Juracka, ISA-USA Treasurer
700 N Grapevine Drive
Payson, AZ 85541
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Your Board is working on a 50/50 Raffle to
adopt for ISA-USA, but in the spirit of caution,
we are making sure that we can conduct this
auction without violating any laws. It appears
that if conducted within Arizona, we are good
to go, but we are still investigating whether we
can extend to other states with this proposed
raffle. Watch for more information coming
sometime soon—hopefully.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Who brought the International Submariners Association—
USA to life? Who managed it for the first fifteen to twenty
years? Can you help us complete the listing of past officers
of ISA-USA? Below is a listing of those who we know were
involved in running this organization, but we know we are
missing numerous names and positions they filled. Please
help us complete this important historical information.
Name
Ben Benites
Jim Dunn
Ken Earls
Don Gregg
Royal Harrison
Bill Larime
John Maguire
John Markiewicz
Gil Miller
John North
Don Pyatte
Lon Schmidt
Fred Wagner
Bill Windle
Position(s) held
President ,Vice President, Recorder
Vice President
President, Secretary/Treasurer
Vice President, Member at Large
President
Vice President, Member at Large
President, Secretary/Treasurer
Member at Large
Recorder
Member at Large, Vice President
President, Vice President, Recorder
Member at Large
President, Secretary/Treasurer
Treasurer
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Don’t wash that Coffee Mug!
The obsession began over seven years ago. In 2006, I began at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum as a
wide-eyed intern, ready to take on the new and fascinating world of naval history. I thought the coffee
mess at work was reserved for staff and volunteers only. I did not feel comfortable partaking in the delicious brew until somebody told me I could. When I finally got the green light, I happily brought my coffee mug in the next day, eager to drink from the well all working class souls go to each morning.
This was my first experience with “Navy coffee.” It was hot and strong. Very strong. The thickness of it
closely resembled crude oil. It tasted both wonderful and terrible at the same time. Your mind can trick
you into believing anything. When a supreme pot of joe is brewed, many of the volunteers would call it
“Signal Bridge Coffee,” recalling the nostalgia of long nights and many cups consumed.
After that first morning of coffee, I went to the break room to wash my cup and let it dry for the next
day’s angry fix. As I washed out my cup, I felt the sting of glaring eyes from behind my back. I’m sure
whoever it was, they could sense my hesitation. I turned around to see GMC Dana Martin, the museum’s
active duty OIC. He had a puzzled, concerned look on his face. Chief Martin was grizzled and salty. He
was by far one of the saltiest sailors I have ever met. He grabbled my arm washing the cup. My hesitation grew to fear. He leaned in close and told me to “never wash it again,” staring back down at my cup
and back to me. I looked at him, puzzled with fascination and disbelief. Although I drink my coffee black,
my mind struggled to find reason in the practice.
“I don’t understand,” I told him. “I need to clean my cup.” I was merely doing what I was taught. Bills
should be paid on time. Five minutes early is five minutes late. Coffee mugs should be washed out after
use. Simple, right? Wrong. I held my breath and found out just how wrong I really was.
He leaned in again, this time more relaxed (and less confrontational). “I know you are just starting out
here, but I want to let you in on a little secret.” He was almost whispering. “If you intend to stay here at
the museum, you can impress the Navy guys with your mug.” He went on to explain to me the significance of an unwashed or “seasoned” coffee mug, particularly in the Navy Chief community. “And keep it
as tarry black as possible,” he added. “Sometimes it’s the only way you can drink this swill. But you will
grow to love it and depend on the taste.” I would never think I would believe him. Boy, was I wrong.
Old coffee in a cup signifies seniority and stature in the military, particularly on deployment. As one blogger noted, “You may not be able to embrace your loved ones while you are gone, but at least you can still
taste the same coffee you drank the day you left.”
To many in the military, this is nothing new. Ask anybody who served or is currently serving in the military, and they will likely give you a story about an experience involving the practice of “seasoning” their
cup. Navy Chiefs, however, are considered by many to be the most Spartan of stalwarts to the unwashed
coffee mug. I spoke to some retired CPOs who counted four or five deployments on a single unwashed
cup. The August 1949 edition of All Hands Magazine declared that coffee was the “Lifeblood of the U.S.
Navy.” The article goes on to discuss why many sailors take their coffee so seriously. The article opens
with this paragraph:
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Several recent articles about the practice surfaced on the internet on message boards and military
news blogs. One blogger from the Military Times (Broadside Blog) wrote about it this past August.
“There are only a few things you need to know about Navy coffee, and most of it involves the cup,”
the blogger writes. “You do not wash a Navy coffee cup. Ever.”
I took Chief Martin’s
advice, but not at first. For the
first few weeks following our confrontation, I
washed my cup out
after he left for the day. But I
got lazy after a while.
I starting noticing dark brown
rings inside my cup.
My mug started to look like
the inside of a tree,
and I started to like it. The mug
was white, so it was
easy to measure my progress.
The rings grew larger
and darker until the entire inside was jet back. Although I was never in the military, I felt a swelling
of pride at my Frankenstein
creation. Unfortunately, that mug did not survive. My latest and
greatest creation came about
in 2009. It has not
been washed or cleaned since
its purchase. I don’t
know if my peers understand
it. My wife surely
doesn’t. I have a similar mug at
home that she avoids looking at, and, on rare occasions, will clean when I am not looking.
Are you considering attending the Convention in Portsmouth? If you are even
thinking about it, let Jack Messersmith know and he can add you to
this mailing list for detailed information about travel to and around England.
Keep in mind, the key date of 18 February,
2015 is the deadline for
registering.
Watch the hotel rooms,
they are going quickly.
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Lignum Vitae: The
Stock That Does
Everything but
Swim
At home in water, lignum vitae helped
submarines run quietly.
An explosion rocked the humid night.
Thrown to the deck, the young Confederate crewman escaped the projectiles flying everywhere. But not all hands were as
lucky. Glancing into the boiler room, he
found the first mate lying still. Was it a
mortar shell that had felled him? It couldn't be; they were alone on the ocean.
The blow that struck the Confederate cruiser Georgia on that fateful evening in 1864 came from no enemy gunner. Instead, the awesome burst and devastating shrapnel was from shattering wood.
During the early days of oceangoing steamships, shipyards made many engine cogs and shafts oflignum
vitae, an iron-tough wood so heavy it sinks in water. Unfortunately, crews found out that thewood also
comes apart under extreme pressure when combined with more than 150° heat -- as was created in the
engine room when the Georgia mate stoked the fire through the open boiler door.
Incidences such as this caused shipbuilders to abandon lignum vitae in machinery aboard surface vessels.
However, because sea water naturally lubricates the wood, lignum vitae was adopted as the material for
silent-running propeller shaft bearings in submarines and has only recently been displaced by space-age
substances.
Above sea level, lignum vitae's remarkable hardness made it perfect for chopping blocks, block-and-tackle
assemblies, and casters. Early woodworking tool manufacturers relied on the wood for mallets, plane
soles, and bandsaw guide blocks. And, should you happen on a bowling ball from the 1800s, expect that
it, too, will be rollable, rockhard lignum vitae.
Illustration: Jim Stevenson
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When God Created a Submariner
May 15th, 2012 at the Groton Sub Vets Holland Club monthly Luncheon the guest speaker was Captain Jane F. Vieira. For half of her career she has served as a submarine force Chaplain. She will be retiring at the end of the month. I think after reading what she prepared for today you will see how special she is.
When God Created a Submariner
15 May 2012
When the good Lord created a Submariner, it was almost 2300 on the sixth day. An angel appeared and said,
"You're having a lot of trouble with this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"
And the Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? It has to be able to think independently, yet be able
to take orders; have the qualities of both a scientific mind and a compassionate heart; be able to mentor juniors
and learn from seniors; run on black coffee; handle emergencies without a Damage Control Manual, respond
competently to critical incidents, decipher cryptographic codes, understand pneumatics, hydraulics and sonar,
have the patience of a saint and six pairs of hands, not to mention the strength of three its size."
The angel shook its head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands - - No way!"
And the Lord answered, "Don't worry, we'll make other Submariners to help. Besides it's not the hands which are
causing the problem. It's the heart. It must swell with pride when a Shipmate earns his Silver Dolphins - which
above all else signifies the crew members trust it with their lives, sustain the incredible hardship of life at sea in a
steel tube, beat on soundly when it's too tired to do so, and be strong enough to continue to carry on when it's
given all it had."
"Lord," said the angel touching the Lord's sleeve gently, "Stop! It's almost midnight!" "I can't," said the Lord. "I'm so
close to creating something unique. Already I have one whose hands blend knowledge with skill to perform the
most intricate procedures, yet are strong enough to patch a ruptured seawater pipe; whose ears can discern the
sonar sounds of a myriad of ocean life, yet detect the slightest shift in ventilation; whose mind can practice the
science of nuclear submarineing, yet not lose sight of the art of teamwork; and whose eyes can peer through a
periscope to identify a hull down ship, yet search within to embrace and personify honor, courage and commitment." The angel circled the model of the Submariner very slowly. "It's too serious," the angel sighed. "But tough,"
said the Lord excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this Submariner can do or endure." "Can it feel?" asked the angel. "Can it feel! It loves Ship, Shipmates and Country like no other!" Finally the angel bent over and ran a finger
across the Submariner's cheek. "There's a leak," pronounced the angel. "I told you you're trying to put too much
into this model." "That's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear." "What's it for?" asked the angel. "It's for joy, sadness,
disappointment, pain, frustration and pride!"
"You're a genius!" exclaimed the angel. The Lord looked pleased and replied, "I didn't put it there." Filled with
pride, the Lord continued, "Great things are planned for this Submariner. It will be one of many and together
they will lead a legacy of excellence like none has known before."
And with that the Lord rested. It was the seventh day.
CAPT Jane F. Vieira
Chaplain Corps, United States Navy
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More information about the 52nd ISA Congress in Portsmouth, England
·
www.isa-greatbritain-2015.com/ Click on this link to
go directly to the 52nd Congress web site. Click anywhere
on the first page to enter the web site.
·
·
·
You can register on-line now at the Registration tab. Scroll
down to the registration form.
Payment can take place later, after registration.
Portsmouth is about 90 miles from London. There are several options for travel from the airport to Portsmouth. More
details about that travel will be provided as we learn them.
No, the Portsmouth
ISA Congress will not
be like this shown on
the left. More than
likely, it will be more
like this shown on the
right.
Moscow! St. Petersburg!
Gdynia! Istanbul! San Diego! Kiev! Portsmouth!
Haifa! Pula! Istanbul!
Where in the world have you been? The cities listed above are some of the recent, or soon to be, locations for the annual ISA conventions. They are great experiences with tours and treats arranged by the host county’s submarine veterans. Accommodations are almost always very nice, meals are always great and
the tours are beyond anything you would get if you traveled there on your own.
Maybe you won’t make a trip every year, but I guarantee that if you attend one
ISA Convention, you will begin planning for the next one.
Begin planning for Portsmouth in May 2015. Or, begin planning for the ISA Convention in Pula, Croatia. It is on the coast of the Adriatic Sea and is possibly in
one of the most beautiful locations in the world.
Bring in a USSVI Shipmate. It is always a surprise to find submarine veterans who have never heard of the International Submariners Association. The Life dues is reasonable and the Annual dues are even less expensive. Belonging to the ISA-USA gives you access to travel and experiences that will astound you. Are you retired now? Do you have a
friend looking for something special for next year or next major anniversary? Introduce your friends and shipmates to ISA-USA. Most of our
members are USA Qualified Submarine Veterans, but not all. We have
wives as members and we have foreign submarine veterans as members. Go here for membership information www.isausa.org
ISA-USA Meeting Minutes
Annual Meeting at the USSVI 50th Anniversary Convention
The annual meeting of the ISA-USA delegation attending the USSVI 50th Anniversary Convention was held at the Hyatt
Regency in Burlingame, CA on 5 September 2014. The meeting was called to order at 1704 by President Jack Messersmith. Members in attendance included;
Jack Messersmith
Carl N Haglund
Charles F Heckman
Gil Houston
Mike Williamson
Bob Liland
John North
Tim Moore
Walter Haglund
Warren Branges
Al Sabatino
Phillip Giambri
Ed Farley
Bill Larime
Ed Brooks
Erol Aikin
Rocky Rockers
Ed Alexander
John Stanford
Ken Earls
Terry Moore
Howard Chatham
John O Gallegos
Everett “Brick” Noyes
Michael L Johnson
There were some additional members who came in after the meeting started who did not sign in on the Sailing List.
Jack Messersmith opened the meeting with some introductory remarks stating that the primary purpose of the ISA-USA
was to enjoy life and participate in international travel attending congresses and meeting submarine sailors from all over
the world. He also said we would like to have more of the membership participate if they can. And lastly he mentioned
that we had a number of items for a silent auction as an ISA-USA fund raiser. These items are available at the ISA-USA
table in the vendor section of the hospitality suite.
As the first order of business, the minutes from the meeting at the 51st ISA Congress held Athens, Greece were read.
This meeting was held at the Hilton Hotel Athens on Saturday, 31 May 2014.
Included in those minutes was the suggestion by Tim Moore that the immediate past president be considered as a voting
member of the BOD of the ISA-USA. Jack asked Tim to read his proposed constitutional amendment. This proposal
would have the most current past president serve on the BOD until the next presidential election at which time the most
current immediate past president will succeed him as a board member. The proposal was read to the membership. Jack
announced that there are a total of four proposals for changes to the bylaws that will be read and voted upon one at a
time.
Included in these minutes were comments about some of the strenuous and late night activities related to the 51st congress. Jack completed the reading of the minutes which included the recommendation that participants write down
what they thought was good about this congress and submit their comments back to the Greek delegation.
Bill Larime commented on some of the strenuous activities and the impact they had on some of our older members. Additional comments included a suggestion that at future Congresses, the sponsoring countries should consider listing activities and rating them on how strenuous they may be i.e., “easy, moderate, or very strenuous” or some other such rating
scheme so that those in attendance would know what to expect.
Jack commented on the most recent election stating that there were three offices for which we have the election results.
The Vice-President was won by Don Gregg who passed away the day after the election results were announced. The
Secretary position was won by Stephen Day who was not available for this meeting. The MAL (Member-at-Large) was
won by Bud Cunnally who was not present at this convention. None of the elected members were available for an induction ceremony.
With the passing of Don Gregg the election for the position of Vice President was null and void because he could not
serve his term. We researched Robert’s Rules of Order and found that if there is a provision in the bylaws to cover the
passing of an elected official, you may proceed without having another election. Since we have no provision in our bylaws, we called for a special election. Tim Moore set up the timeline for and ran the special election. The two candidates,
both of whom were very well qualified to run for Vice President, were Bob Miller and Dan Moss. The race was quite
close with Dan Moss winning with 55.1% of the vote. 31% of the membership participated in the special election process. Tim stated the Chuck Emmett, the Communications Officer for Perch Base and Editor of the American Submariner,
verified the election results.
Ken Earls presented the Treasurer’s Report as of August 31, 2014 which was submitted by Bern Juracka.
A motion made and seconded that both the minutes for the Athens meeting and the current Treasurer’s Report be approved as presented. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
Old Business
The next two congresses coming up include the 2014 52nd ISA Congress in Portsmouth, England next May and the 53rd
ISA Congress in Pula, Croatia in May of 2016. These will be followed by the 54th ISA Congress in St. Petersburg, Russia in
May of 2017. The location of the 55th Congress in 2018 will be determined next May at 52nd ISA Congress in Portsmouth, England.
The issue of concerns related to the last congress was brought up and whether or not they were communicated to the
Greek Delegation. Jack indicated that he has done that. He also mentioned that he needs to write a procedure for how
we conduct our participation in the memorial ceremonies at future congresses.
New Business
We had four proposals for changes to the bylaws which we need to vote on one at a time.
The first was the one from the 51st Congress which is to have the immediate Past President be a voting member of the
BOD until the next Presidential election. After some deliberation, a motion was made, seconded and approved by unanimous voice vote. There was no opposition.
The second proposal was for amendments or changes to the constitution may only be made by resolution formerly proposed to the BOD in writing or by e-mail at least 45 days before the association’s annual meeting. The BOD must review
the proposed amendment which be given to the Secretary for distribution to the membership by e-mail. These will be
discussed and voted upon by the membership at the annual meeting. Originally the lead time was only 14 days which
was not enough time for proper review by the board and distribution to the membership prior to the annual meeting. A
motion was made, seconded and approved by a unanimous voice vote. There was no opposition.
The third amendment is that for future elections a Nominating Committee and Elections Committee Chairman will be
appointed by the President on March 1 of each election year. The Nominating Committee will submit from 1 to 3 nominees for each position in the annual association election. The nominees shall be listed on a ballot prepared by the Election Committee Chairman. Any member in good standing, with the exception of the conditions of Paragraph 6a, may
volunteer to be placed on the ballot in addition those promulgated by the Nominations Committee. The ballots will contain the names and brief comments on the candidate’s qualifications. Any nominated member must have the facilities
and capabilities to properly execute the duties of the positions in question. All members occupying any executive board
position must be functional with the use of the internet and e-mail capabilities. A copy of the ballot shall be sent by email or first class mail to each member in good standing and posted on the association’s website. The ballots shall be
mailed or posted no later than sixty (60) days prior to the annual election of the association. Campaigning by candidates
is not required but encouraged. Ballots will contain an election statement to be distributed with the election documents.
Additional candidate statements must be submitted to the BOD prior to distribution to the membership. Each member
in good standing shall be entitled to one vote in the annual election. Members voting in the annual election shall elect
officers of the association. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote in such an election. Members
may vote by submitting their ballot by the postal service or by e-mail. The Elections Committee Chairman must receive all
ballots no later than thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting. The timing for the nomination period and election
process shall take place allowing for the necessary time for conducting the Change-of-Command at the annual meeting
conducted at the USSVI Convention. The Elections Committee Chairman will compile the results and send and elections
results report to the BOD within 15 days after the close of the election cycle. The President shall inform the nominees of
the election results prior to the Secretary sending an official statement to the membership detailing these results. The
President shall install the new officers at the annual association meeting. The Elections Committee Chairman shall maintain a record of the election and shall make the election returns, electronic and paper, available to the Executive Board
upon request. All ballots submitted will be destroyed upon certification of the election results by the Executive Board or
as otherwise directed by the Executive Board. After the election results are completed and before the general meeting, if
an elected member declines or is unable to take office, the candidate with the next highest vote count for that office will
be considered the winner and installed at the next meeting. After some deliberation and revisions as recommended by
members attending this meeting, a motion was made, seconded and approved by unanimous voice vote. There was no
opposition.
There was a great deal of discussion related to the Secretary and his duties, responsibilities and his role in disseminating
information to the membership. Some of the Secretarial duties have been modified with more control given to the President who may delegate some of these responsibilities to other Executive Committee members as he deems necessary
and/or appropriate. After this discussion was concluded, there was a motion made that the amendment should read; A
Nominating Committee (NC) and Elections Chairperson shall be appointed by the President by March 1 of each election
year. The motion seconded and approved by unanimous voice vote. There was no opposition.
Having had the recommended specific changes to this proposal approved by members at this meeting, a motion was
made and seconded that the entire amendment be approved as revised. The motion was approved by unanimous voice
vote. There was no opposition.
The final proposal is for a change to the provision stating that a member of the Executive Board may be removed from
office for cause or without cause by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership in good standing in the association. Jack went on to say that in the infrequent and unanticipated situation in which a board is not functioning properly
the President and Executive Board must address this situation. In the event the Executive Board is not working properly
due to the lack of teamwork by any one board member the President may call an Executive Board meeting for the purposes of addressing this situation including reprimand or dismissal from office of the offending officer by a majority vote
of the Executive Board. The USSVI and many of the bases have similar articles in their respective constitutions. There
was some controversy about the exact wording of this provision under Article 4G. of our Constitution and Bylaws and
how it should be applied.
Because of the scheduled USSVI Tolling of the Boats Ceremony, this discussion had to be delayed. It was moved and
seconded that this discussion be tabled until after the Tolling Ceremony. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote.
The meeting was temporarily adjourned at 1755.
The meeting was reconvened at 1935. Jack began by reading a letter from John Markiewicz (with his permission). John
is an ISA-USA member and recently elected USSVI National Senior Vice Commander. Basically his letter stated, and I paraphrase, that the controversial correspondence relating to rants, internal squabbles and dirty laundry being aired about
the relationship between the elected officers and the secretary that are being sent out and solicited by the secretary, are
issues that need to be discussed and dealt with by the board, that is why they were elected. There was consensus
among the members in attendance that these are BOD issues. Jack went on to say that all decisions are made with consensus from the BOD and not by any one individual. Jack re-read the proposal as stated two paragraphs above. Again
paragraph 4G. of our Constitution and Bylaws was quoted. There was more discussion about the amendment to paragraph 4G. and how it should be applied. Consensus could not be reached so a motion was made and seconded to table
any further discussion about this proposed amendment. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. The final decision
and consensus of the members attending this meeting was to have a committee headed by Steve Day and consisting of
Ed Alexander, Howard Chatham and John Stanford review the Constitution and Bylaws, and Operations Manual, and
come up with recommendations for revisions and/or changes including a proposed amendment addressing the issue of
dealing with a disruptive Executive Board member(s)-.
Jack reiterated that in taking on the position as President of our organization, his goals included increasing membership,
getting people to better understand what we do and why we participate in international travel. Those who have experienced these congresses have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Good of the Order
Tim Moore mentioned that we made up some Note Cards to be sold at the ISA-USA Vendor Table with some of the proceeds being designated as a fundraiser for our treasury. Tim invited the members to come by our vendor table and pick
up a complimentary card with the idea that we will put out an e-mail memo to the membership so that members might
purchase them to support our treasury.
All business having been concluded, it was moved and seconded that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried by
a unanimous voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 1956.
Submitted by,
Tim Moore
Standby Member-at-Large
P.S. On Saturday, 07 Sep 2014, Stephen Day took the Oath of Office and was sworn in as Secretary for the ISA-USA.
International Submariner-USA
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