USS SOMERS (DD~947/DDG~34)
More Crewmember Photos
This section is dedicated to photos of Somers Crewmembers. As with other photos, if you have any good crewmember photos, drop me a line, and I will add them to the page.
Photos 51-66 were contributed by FTG1 Royce Branning
Picture 51: 7 Mar 65 FTG1 Royce Branning & FTG2 John O'Brien at Subic Bay
Picture 52: 8 Aug 63 After colliding with the USS Coral Sea while refueling, L-R FTG3 Earl Gray FTSN Stanley Sluder & FTG3 John O'Brien
Picture 53: 8 Aug 63 TMSN Donald Dorrell cleaning up oil spill after colliding with the USS Coral Sea while refueling
Picture 54: 22 Apr 63 C.O. CDR Vincent Maynard on table of Royal Doctor as CO's escort the Royal Devil (GMG3 Donald Smith) looks on.
Picture 55: 22 Apr 63 C.O. CDR Vincent Maynard emerging from slop chute
Picture 56: 22 Apr 63 Pollywog breakfast L-R FTSN William McDonald & SO3 Stephen Miller
Picture 57: 22 Apr 63 Pollywog Stan Sluder answering Royal Judge(MMCM T.A. Johnson) as Royal Scribe(FN Martin Dunn) helps him with answer
Picture 58 22 Apr 63 Pollywog Twist Contest l-r Ens. Weldon McDonald Ens. Carl Bender & Ltjg James Miller
Picture 59: 22 Apr 63 Wogs L-R FTG3 Carl Privette FTSN Kippy Eisele FTG3 Earl Gray & FTSN Stanley Sluder
Picture 60: 28 Jul 65 Lily Bar Yokosuka L-R FTG3 Kippy Eisele FTG1 Royce Branning FICO engineer & FTC Ret. Roy Bagwell FTG2 John O' Brien
Picture 61: 1963 G.Q. in Plot. A quick haircut FTC Daniel Boatright & FTG3 Earl Gray
Picture 62: 1963 Hard day at the computer for FTG3 Earl Gray in foreground & FTSN Kippy Eisele
Picture 63: Mar 65 Fwd re-fueling station Tonkin Gulf SK3 Dennis Kennedy on phones
Picture 64: May 63 Good beer in Brisbane L-R GMG3 Eddie Beard FTG3 Kippy Eisele & SO3 Stephen Miller
Picture 65: Toilet paper & helmet liner provide for nature's call for GMSN Boyce Langston after he injured his back during Ops in Viet Nam waters 1965
Picture 66: Tonkin Gulf Barber shop annex in Plot. L-R seated FTG3 Clifford Patrick FTG3 Kippy Eisele Shirtless FTG3 William McDonald & FTG3 James Appelt wclippers
Picture 67: James "Jim" Roberson, a painter out of shop 71, Hunter's Point. While not technically a member of the crew, he apparently worked on the Somers conversion, as his daughter had a Somers button that a member of the crew must have given to him.
Picture 68: The USS Somers button given to Mr. Roberson. (Both the button and the photo provided by his daughter, Belva Benvanidez.)
Picture 69: Couple of cooks and a deckape just resting in Thailand. Smitty far left.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Daugherty)
.jpg){kind=link}
Picture 70: Bangkok Thailand 1960 Jerry Daugherty.
(Photo courtesy of Jerry Daugherty)
.jpg){kind=link}
Picture 71:
Four plank owners on a postcard from
Boston, 1959.
I'm not certain if the guy on the left is
named Green or Graham, but here's Mike Leeds, Bob Shattuck and Rob Browne.
(Photo courtesy of
Rob Browne)
Picture 72: Rob Browne aboard the spiffy, new ship engaging in a popular pastime of the day.
Picture 73:
Photo of the Somers on her first trip
across the Atlantic, inviting dignitaries aboard with Capt. Cummings during
Kiel Week in Kiel, Germany. BSN Mate Ball (closest to us w/ back
to camera, probably piping the Captain aboard) and I think the MM or BM with
the white belt is named Jeffries (but uncertain).
(Photo courtesy of
Rob Browne)
Picture 74:
Photo of our Atlantic cruise in June
of 1959. I'm not certain of the guy's name on the left (maybe Manny?)
The late Dave Scougal in the middle and Rob Browne the right.
(Photo courtesy of
Rob Browne)
Picture 75:
Photo of John Kennedy being advanced to OS3 by Cdr. Thomas Kenneally on 16
Oct 1982. Ops div in the background... This may have
been during decommissioning ceremony.
(Photo courtesy of
John Kennedy)
Picture 76:
Photo's of Mike Leeds,
1958-1961. Jennifer Leeds"daughter." My dad passed away two years ago from injuries
resulting from a tragic car accident. We buried him in the military cemetery in Palm Beach Florida. He never stopped talkin about the USS Somers. I think it was the greatest time in his life!
(Photo courtesy of
Mike Leeds daughter Jennifer)
Picture 77:
Photo's of Gene Brusacoram and a few "Somers"
crewmembers.
(Photo courtesy of
Gene Brusacoram)
Picture 78:
Four Sailors in pre-com scol
Naval Base Newport, R.I. for USS SOMERS DD-947 February 1959, 2 months
before commissioning on April 3, 1959.
Left
to right SN Zadlock, {can't remember the next sailor, RDSN}, SN Smith, the
guy with the finger thru the hole in his white hat, SN Posey.All four of us
and all the others served the Somers well.
(Photo courtesy of
C. Henry Posey, USN Ret.)
Picture 79:
Photo's of Darren
Haycock/USS
Somers visiting Penang around 1970.
(Photo courtesy of
Darren Haycock)
Picture 80:
Photo's were taken during the 1965 WestPac Cruise by Chas Murtomaki.
(Photos courtesy of
Chas Murtomaki, David Anderson &
Jack Grubb)
Picture
81:
Somersmen on
liberty. If anyone can identify these individuals, email
myself or
Bob Plante.
(Photo
courtesy of
Philip H. Red Eagle)
Picture
82:
Somersmen on
liberty. If anyone can identify these individuals, email
myself or
Bob Plante.
(Photo
courtesy of
Philip H. Red Eagle)
Picture
82:
Photo of
Reicher, Kubicek, Martin & Malcom was taken on the way to Denmark a little
after midnight as the sun was coming up in the land of the midnight sun.
(Photo
courtesy of Jerry Daugherty, BT, DD947,
59-60, Plank Owner)
Picture
83:
Photo of Somers DD947 first
crossing of the equator in 1960, with polywogs Ensigns Krol, Karas, Poxon &
McDonald.
(Photo
courtesy of Jerry Daugherty, BT, DD947,
59-60, Plank Owner)
Picture 84: Photo of a few Wild an Crazy Guys. The Aussies are dressed in or Navy uniforms. In the Aussies uniforms: Left to Right. Harry Gall, Freddie Jerry Daugherty. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Daugherty)
Picture
85:
Photo of Capt. Cummins first
time crossing the Equator in 1959.
(Photo
courtesy of Jerry Daugherty)
Picture
86:
Photos of Jerry Daugherty,
Harry Gall back in 1960 & again in 2015.
(Photos
courtesy of Jerry Daugherty)
Picture 87: Photos courtesy of Mike Beauchesne.
Video
88: Pollywog to Shellback, crossing the equator 1961.
(Video courtesy of Fred Reicher)
Picture
89: 50th anniversary celebration held in California May 8-12, 2018. Photo of crewmembers present for the 1967 Commissioning Wardroom from DDG34.
(Photo courtesy of Bob Plante)
Picture 90: Photo's of Joseph R. "Ray" Smith along with serveral other crewmembers.
(Photos courtesy of Joseph R. "Ray" Smith)
Picture 91: In Memorian Captain Howard L. Pabst USN.
(Courtesy of Joseph R. "Ray" Smith)
Click here to see some pictures of the last crew of the Somers