U.S.S. ABBOT  ⭑  DD 629

By George S.K. Rider

I began the 2018 reunion review story with the line, “Some of you are old enough to remember an audience participation radio show that aired in 1942, ‘Can You Top This?’ Ted Karras keeps setting the bar higher and higher with each reunion with his helpers: wife Mary Lou and their daughter Tammy and her husband, Jim Saben, Rich and Peggy Baran, and Peggy Whaley. He did it again!”

This year’s reunion would prove tougher for Ted and his team — yet once again they exceeded all hopes and expectations. A few years ago, Ted was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His spleen was removed in June 2019, and the cancer deemed curable with chemotherophy July to May 2020. They later discovered prostate cancer. It was removed and 39 radiation treatments followed, five days a week for eight weeks, the last one on in September 2021. He is now being treated for non-curable, but treatable liver cancer. A true warrior and a fearless leader for our beloved Abbot reunions.

Ted has more than proven the old adage, “Aging is not for whimps!” We shared great times at sea with a crew and Captain Deventer, which embodied the meaning of Team. The friendships formed aboard and later at the reunions, captained by Ted, have endured as our numbers dwindle and still run as deep and as strong as the plates in the Abbot’s hull, forged at her conception at the Bath Iron Works in Maine in 1943.

Ted and I have other common ground. We both have wonderful, caring daughters and sons to watch over us with wives who keep us from running aground. For this year’s reunion festivities, my daughter Jenny drove my wife Dorothy and I from Essex, Conn., to Yarmouth on Thursday.

Due to my bum hip, we decided against the day’s outing and the high-speed ferry to Nantucket. On our arrival, Jenny’s boyfriend Erik Nordahl joined us. We spent the day driving around and through Yarmouth and Hyannis including the Kennedy Compound with Erik at the wheel. We had lunch at Parker’s, a fabulous seafood restaurant, with the best clam chowder this Long Island clam digger ever tasted, so good that Dorothy and I returned Saturday for lunch.

Once back enconsced at the Hampton Inn, we wandered down to a reception area by the front desk of The Hampton Inn and joined a table of shipmates already there. Moments later, to my amazement, Dave Rodgers presented me with a large, framed, black and white picture of the Abbot at sea with the ship’s emblem, and a picture of me in my formal whites included on the borders**. I was moved to the Kleenex in my pocket. Dave has been responsible for providing many memorable photographs and other artwork. He also drives the Cadillac of assisted getters-around—the envy of his aging shipmates with orthopedic ches and pains, me first among them.

Gene and Terry Gallagher arrived shortly after our landing. Seeing him sparked memories of my battle station, manning the Mark 56 Director located high above the main deck, aft of the second stack which controlled the two 5-inch 38 gun mounts and three twin 3-inch 50 gun tubs on the stern. We joked about returning from watch after the “All Clear” with blackened arms and faces from the 2nd stack that belched black toxic smoke when the ship headed into the wind.

Gene and Brian Bremmer had some amazing stories. They were aboard the Abbot during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Brian Bremer was the GQ-OOD (General Quarters, Officer of the Deck). George Simmons, the gunnery officer, was stationed on the flying bridge above. They were in sight of each other. Gene was in command of Mount 1. The Abbot was tracking a Russian freighter entering Cuban waters, zigzagging across its bow to stop it for inspection. The Soviets ignored all warnings.

The captain ordered, “Fire across its bow!” On hearing the order, Brian shook his head. Simmons saw it and delayed relaying the order to Gene in Mount 1, just long enough for the lookout to report the freighter was backing down. he spotting churning water astern of the freighter. A “Cease Fire” order was issued. We’ll never know — thank goodness — what would have happened if Gene had “Pulled the Trigger.”

Gene and I are now known by shipmates as the “Older and Younger 1st Lieutenants*.” I served 1956 to 1957; Gene was aboard 1961 to 1963. We both had the same duties aboard.

After catching up, we moved from the lobby to our Hospitality Room, replete with banners, the American Flag, picture albums, framed Navy pictures, a bar and fridge with soft drinks, popcorn, crackers and cheese with salami was set out on the tables, enough to seat 80, all set up and overseen by Mary Lou and Peggy Whaley.

Ted and his helpers thought of everything. Our nametags featured a great shot of the Abbot at sea with a long, blue ribbon sporting “USS Abbot (DD629)” in white on a navy-blue ribbon to hang around our necks, two images to a side, with an anchor in between. What a keepsake! Each of us also received a larger-than- silver-dollar-sized challenge coin with an eagle in gold, atop a thin banner in red, which reads “2021 Cape Reunion Cape Cod,” all super-imposed on a large blue Capital “A” on one side, and on the flipside, the image of the Abbot in white at sea above the ship and below it, with the text “DD-629” against a deep black back ground.

Peggy Whaley, whose husband, shipmate Bob Whaley, passed away in 2018, traveled all the way to Cape Cod, driving 1,767 miles from Nebraska with her two daughters.

Nine members of the Vaughn family, four generations, joined the celebration, traveling from North Carolina and West Virginia to honor our shipmate Edwin Vaughn, deceased. He and his family has been fixtures at most all of the Abbot’s reunions.

Commander Ron Stowe and his lovely wife Leanore traveled from Maryland for the big event. Ron rose from the enlisted ranks to top a distinguished career as Commander, one of the most inspiring stories and a most inspiring person I’ve ever met. Ever the leader and friend, he helped push my wheelchair to and from dinner a short distance and to and from the tent set up across from the hotel, something I am especially grateful for.

Fellow Long Islander Rich Baran, with his wife Peggy, organized the Friday night raffle consisting of 21 individual, fancy baskets of wine, liquor, and keepsakes, Navy and otherwise. He emceed the drawing in a laugh packed hour and a half production, assisted by Tammy’s husband, the suave Jim Saben. What a great job. We also had a 50/50 raffle.

I was reminded of my favorite Rich story. Decades before, while serving on the Abbot, my brother Ken and I were headed home to Long Island one weekend from Newport in the old Dodge that Dad and Mom gave us when we were in college. We always stopped at the gate and asked if anyone wanted a ride to Long Island. Richie Baran got in and we were off. It started to snow heavily, so heavily that Ken said, “Let’s pull over.” We were passing The Meadows on Route 9 in Framingham, Vaughn Monroe’s restaurant, and nightclub. The three of us spent several hours at the bar before carefully making our way to Richie’s home in Bay Shore and then to ours. We picked him up Sunday for the return trip. Great friendships were formed that night!

Saturday’s highlight was an amazing seafood dinner, with lobster, steak, clams, and corn on the cob, feeding almost 90 happy, hungry, celebrants, held outdoors under a tent set up for the occasion. Desert consisted of a huge cake decorated NAVY style held back in the hospitality room. What a night!

None of this would have taken place without Ted’s friendship with Brenna Attanasio, the general manager of the Hampton Inn. They teamed to produce our great 2018 reunion, calling for this year’s encore. After dinner she was introduced by Ted and presented with a very large spotted, white piggybank for their daughter the bright smiling very young Arabella she held in her arms. Along with the piggybank, Ted presented Brenna with a check for Arabella’s college fund on behalf of the reunion attendees and shipmates, so grateful for Brenna’s commitment and hard work on our behalf. Brenna’s remarks thanking us while holding her lovely daughter were incredibly gracious and touched all of our hearts.

Ted then introduced 6’foot 8” Tim Whalen ex-Marine, state trooper and current Massachusetts representative who grabbed the mike and proceeded to rouse the crowd by singing the Marine Corp’s, “From the halls of Montezuma…,” ending with a devilish grin. He thanked us for our service in a brief, patriotic speech.

He was followed by Yarmouth Selectwoman Tracy Post who read a proclamation naming the town that Saturday “USS Abbot Day.”

The chamber of commerce gave each of us a gift bag. On the Chamber’s front lawn, a large sign was displayed reading, “Welcome Crew of the USS Abbot. Thank you for your service.”

Ted invited Bill Jolliff to join us. He served aboard the tanker Allagash (AO-97), responsible for fueling the Abbot. Bill took a video of the Abbot in heavy seas, rough enough to have squeamish viewers reach for the Dramamine**. By the end of the weekend Bill was now an honorary veteran of the Abbot as well as the Allagash!

Bill was not the only great photographer at the reunion, Charlie Spain snapped away from the Abbot. He took great pictures of the sub tender USS Orion (AS 18), and several of the USS Sullivan (DD-537) underway. My favorite is a picture of her off our starboard quarter with the sun glistening on the sea between us, and our starboard depth charge rack clearly visible. Charlie and his wife Barbara brightened the reunion. They are also known as “Dusty and Bones!”

Overlooking and participating in everything, the “Life of the Party Award” goes to 94-year-old Dave Dumas whose two sons drove him from Michigan. He was the ladies’ favorite with a twinkle in his eye, boundless energy and great stories about being aboard in the Pacific as World War II came to an end. He motored around on a fancy scooter and honked its horn to clear a path.

On Saturday, Ensign Nick Dandy joined us. He graduated from Harvard in 2020 and his current billet is intelligence officer. Nick is writing a book about the Abbot and interviewed many of us over the two days. What a tribute he is to his family, Harvard (although they are no doubt oblivious), and the US Navy and the country for which he serves! He was an amazing addition he was to the weekend’s festivities and became an instant friend.

Throughout the weekend and the planning before, memories of my brother Ken and our unique experience serving together aboard the Abbot made it feel like he would be joining us there at the reunion. We were hockey and lacrosse teammates at Andover, lifeguarded together, and shared the love of our doting parents who were with us at every turn. Ken died in 1995. But I carry him in my heart.

My personal highlights include having Dorothy, Jenny and Erik to share with me the wonderful four days with shipmates and their families, the framed picture presented to me by Dave Rodgers, and the rekindled memories that will last me a lifetime. Farewell and following seas until next time! Fair winds and following seas, till we meet again.

— George S.K. Rider, Oldest 1st Lieutenant (1st Lieutenant is a job description aboard, not a rank.)