REUNIONS

USS HOUSTON CA-30 SURVIVORS ASSOCIATION
& NEXT GENERATIONS REUNION
March 4-5, 2011
Hyatt Regency Houston
1200 Louisiana St.
Houston, TX 77002
Telephone: 713-654-1234 Fax: 713-375-4699

Reservations can be made by calling toll free 888-421-1442 or 402-592-6464 or online at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/USSHoustonCA30

2011 Registration Form

Reunion 2010 Photos courtesy of the Flynn and Ranger Families

Survivors in Attendance: Left to right: David Flynn, Marvin Sizemore, Clarence "Skip" Schilperoort, Basil Bunyard

U.S. Navy Cruiser Sailors Assn
16 – 21 May, 2010
Rapid City, S. Dakota
Contact Robert Patrick 360-387-9257

Lost Battalion Reunion

August 13-14, 2010

Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West (www.omnihotels.com)
1590 LBJ Freeway (Hwy 635 @ Luna Rd)
Dallas, TX 75234
Telephone: 1-800-843-6664 – PLEASE CALL THE HOTEL DIRECTLY FOR YOUR RESERVATION.
Special LBA rate: $89.00 per night.

2010 Lost Battalion Registration Form

For Questions or any other help at all Contact:
Becke Freitas: email rlr_freitas@yahoo.com
Telephone: 817-291-6817 Cell phone

Asiatic Fleet Reunion
August 25-29, 2010
Welk Resort
Branson, MO

Managed by Gray Line of the Ozarks - 417 334-5463  www.bransongrayline.com
 
Phone or email for information/registration form and Code number
$50 per person deposit - balance 30 days prior -- each guest is sent a confirmation letter.

Contact Ray Kester if in doubt 703 451-2520  or raykstr@verizon.net

34th Annual  USS Houston CA 30 - CL 81
Sept. 14-19, 2010
Hilton Garden Inn, 441 International Center Drive (Richmond area).
Sandston, VA 23150  1-877-782-9444

Contact: Donna Rogers, 3949 Little John Drive, York, PA 17408
717-792-9113       dlr7110@yahoo.com

FIRST

USNA FOUNDATION PERMANENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNER ANNOUNCED

At the 2009 Reunion, the Scholarship Committee announced the establishment of a PERMANENT scholarship with the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation which will be awarded FOREVER. The ‘USS Houston CA-30 Memorial Scholarship’ will be awarded biennially. This scholarship affords a prospective candidate to the U.S. Naval Academy a complete year of preparatory cadet school training prior to entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy. With the additional academic year, the graduation success rate for an Officer in the US Navy/Marines during the subsequent four years at the Naval Academy is significantly increased. What a fitting, everlasting memorial to the sacrifices made by the brave men of the USS Houston CA-30! We appreciate the generosity of the USS Houston CA-30 Survivors Association & Next Generations members and others who so unselfishly donated funds in the drive to establish this permanent scholarship.

The USS Houston CA-30 Memorial Scholarship, established by the Houston CA-30 Survivors Association in memory of the ship and her men, "Still Standing Watch Over Sunda Strait," is Stephen J. Scales, a graduate of Texas High School in Texarkana, TX. Stephen graduated Magna Cum Laude, a distinguished graduate and scholar. Stephen was a member of the National Honor Society, Calculus Club, Chess Club, Risk Club, Senior Student Council, Tiger Vision, UIL Science Team, Varsity Soccer and Swin Team. He was awarded the Most Scholastic Academic All State for soccer. He was nominated for the National Society of High School Scholars to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy. He was selected as Who's Who Among American High School Students. Stephen was a member of the Fellowship Bible Church in Texarkana, TX, where he taught and served with Project Serve and Young Life. Stephen attended Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University in Kerrville, TX, in 2009 under Foundation sponsorship. He made the President's List and was Vice-President of Greystone Prep School. Click here to read more about USNA Athletic and Scholarship Programs

Send Scholarship donations to:

USS Houston Scholarship Fund
% Pam Foster
370 Lilac Lane
Lincoln, CA 95648

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Congratulations to the 2010 Scholarship winner: Kevin Swick, grandson of John Reilly

Previous scholarship winners:

• 2003-Gene Bankhead
• 2004-Katie Fort
• 2006-Gerald Agin
• 2007-Jenny Garrett
• 2008-Raymond Davis
• 2009-Alex James Joseph

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also see www.usshouston.blogspot.com

News from the USS HOUSTON Dive Team
A VideoRay Presentation: Click HERE

by Jerry Ranger

At this time I’m working on getting up another dive trip to Jakarta to finish the dive trip that was stopped in 2006. I have started to work on getting the permits that we will need to let us dive deep inside the ship to find the Officer’s stateroom that was opened by another dive team. I have been on the phone with the Navy and they are working with me to make sure nothing goes wrong on this next trip.

I have been in contact with David Phillips who was the one that controlled the VideoRay ROV on the ship. He has informed me that we can use the VideoRay equipment and possibly a side band sonar to make passes over the USS HOUSTON to give us a look at her on the bottom of the bay. This will also show the items that may be away from the ship on the bottom, like the engine from the SOC aircraft. The tuba from the band room that has been touched by a diver that I talked to over in Jakarta but he could not remove it from the sandy bottom. VideoRay has been very helpful.

I also have been in touch with Daniel in Jakarta about the trip and he is working on getting the same boat for the dive again. He also stated that he will be glad to help us when we arrive in Jakarta. Daniel has the air tanks and compressor for us to use when we get over there.

I have emailed Brad Gift in Korea, about the dive in March 2008, at this time he believes that his wife and he will be with me on the next dive trip on the USS HOUSTON. 

COUPLE SPOTS OPEN ON THE DIVE TEAM:

I wanted to ask the Houston’s family first, if there is any SCUBA diver that would like to go on this dive trip, to get in contact with me. They will have to pay there own way over (plane ticket, food and hotel, etc) and some on the dive boat. You can contact me at Ranger9@bellsouth.net this is a hard dive, with strong currents and not for the rookie diver. I will be also contacting other divers that I know that have dove on the USS HOUSTON before from around the world to help make up the team. I need a back-up divers for safety reasons.

SURVIVORS WELCOME TO JOIN THE TEAM.

IF ANY OF THE SURVIVORS THINK THAT THEY CAN MAKE THE TRIP, AND WANT TO SEE THE VIDEORAY IN ACTION OVER THE TOP OF THE USS HOUSTON CA-30. PLEASE CONTACT ME. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS SPACE ON THE BOAT FOR YOU.

SON OF SURVIVOR DIVES ON USS HOUSTON

The son of a survivor of the USS Houston, CA30, completed his dives on the ship March 6-18, 2004. The Houston was sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait the night of March 1, 1942.

Jerry Ranger is the son of John W. Ranger. John survived the battle and the ship's sinking only to be captured by the Japanese and held as as Prisoner of War for 42 months. To date, Jerry is the only son of a survivor to dive on the ship where it rests at the bottom of Sunda Strait.

The USS Houston, was the last ship of the asiatic fleet to be sunk. Its crew were the first Prisoners of World War II to be taken by the Japanese. Many of them were transported to Burma where they were forced to build the Burma-Thai Railway, also known as the Death Railway. The most famous bridge of the railrod came to known as the Bridge over the River Kwai.

Click here to see more pictures of Jerry's dives on the Houston!

Click here to see the diary Jerry kept of his journey to dive!

WEB SITES - Clay Ramsey (our USS Houston friend) has designed a great website at www.asiaticfleet.com. He entered the information about the dive at Sunda Strait http://www.asiaticfleet.com/diving_in_the_sunda_strait.htm

The Memorial Dive on the wreck coincided with the services in Houston. A phone conversation with the Divers was taped with survivors in attendance that evening. More about this dive is noted in the 'logbook' entries by the divers at the Houston Logbook site (see link to left. Those who join the site as members (no cost) may enter their own information.) A video of this is available from the Next Generation.