Newsletters
The Dabbler, The Abboteer & Stork Sheets
During World War II, The Abbot Dabbler was Abbot’s monthly (and most substantial) ship’s newsletter. Another newsletter, The Abboteer, was issued twice weekly and had current news taken from radio broadcasts plus light features such as contests and promotion lists.
Only a few editions of The Abboteer are known. The Dabbler was issued as war conditions and paper supplies allowed from 1943 to 1945. Also, a series of daily one-page Stork Sheets carried brief profiles of crew members who were celebrating birthdays; editions are known to exist only for early 1944.
These mimeographed newsletters were saved by Vic Loranger, a yeoman aboard Abbot and one of the people responsible for their production. They were graciously made available from the collection of Jeff Bittner.
Note that pages are missing from some of the editions posted here.
- 2 October 1943 Dabbler Miscellaneous ship’s news.
- 16 October 1943 Dabbler Boxing match versus USS Erben; comparison of Japanese destroyers.
- Christmas season 1943 Dabbler Exact issue day unknown, heavily damaged; contains some news reports.
- 24 December 1943 Dabbler Preparing to the equator; Christmas Eve.
- 25 December 1943 Dabbler Crossing the equator.
- 1 February 1944 Dabbler Know Your Enemy; various cartoons
- 6 February 1944 Stork Sheet E.W. Johnston and J.A. Campbell.
- 11 February 1944 Stork Sheet J.E. Richardson, N.E. Noshier and R.T. Craine.
- 12 February 1944 Stork Sheet A.E. Johnson and S. Ragan.
- 15 February 1944 Stork Sheet R.F. Montijo and A.F. Pisapia.
- 19 February 1944 Stork Sheet I.J. McKenzie.
- 1 March 1944 Abboteer War news; promotions.
- 5 March 1944 Stork Sheet M.H. Reeves, C.A. Hatfield, O.S. Haynes
- 5 March 1944 Abboteer Profile of Lt. Cmdr. John S.C. Gabbert, the XO.
- 17 March 1944 Stork Sheet R.H. Folis, J. Joyce and G.R. Flaugher.
- 5 April 1944 Stork Sheet M.F. Pellegrino, C.E. Dundon and N.P. Mack
- 23 April 1944 Dabbler Abbot’s 1st birthday.
- 9 May 1944 Dabbler A walk through the ship, and world news.
- 30 September 1944 Dabbler Partial issue. Crossing the equator.
- 01 October 1944 Dabbler Pacific war news.
- 02 October 1944 Dabbler Crossing the equator and Pacific war news.
- 26 April 1945 Dabbler War news and a poem.
- 30 July 1945 Dabbler Departure of Lt. Walter Baranger, the executive officer.