Bell Ceremony, 2014
Officiated by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean J. Stackley
FALL RIVER, Massachusetts — The retired battleship Massachusetts on 9/11 Anniversary Day was the site of a heartfelt memorial ceremony for Abbot crew members who have passed away. Sean J. Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, read the names and then recalled all those who had served aboard Abbot.
After each name was read, a ship’s bell was rung once by John Jackson. Those remembered by name were Rear Admiral Raynor A.K. Taylor; Captain Robert Norman; Lieutenant Kenneth Rider; Edwin Vaughn; Walter Baranger; William Hersey; Thaddeus Sarama; Edward Wilson; and honorary crew member Robert Delong of the Coast Guard.
Admiral Taylor was the last living Abbot veteran to reach flag rank. Captain Norman was a decorated Pearl Harbor veteran and former Abbot skipper. Walter Baranger was Abbot’s executive officer during World War II. Lieutenant Kenneth Rider was the brother of Lt. George Rider, who attended the reunion and was in the audience.
Family and friends dropped a wreath and flowers into Narragansett Bay immediately following Secretary Stackley’s speech. Ted Karras, who organized the 2014 reunion, introduced Secretary Stackley to the more than 100 Abbot veterans and family members in attendance.