READY FOR INSPECTION

Prior to the banquet, we had several photographs taken. One was of the crew "ready for inspection". Here is that picture with the names. If I got the wrong name on a person, let me know and I will correct it.

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian

HAZELWOOD CAKE ??? !!!

At the banquet on April 29, Rich Ernst arranged for a surprise dessert that really surprised everyone. We were all treated to a cake made into the Hazelwood as it was configured after the DASH conversion. There was a helicopter hanger and platform and all the trimmings.

And even though it looked like the ship, it was delicious also. The forward part of the ship was chocolate and the after part was yellow cake. The superstructure was built up using rice crispies. Here is a view from the front. The cake was made by a local gal who has a full time job but does specialty cakes on the side. Her name is Irene Buonaccorsi and we thank her so much for the wonderful cake.

You may be wondering what was in all of the gift bags on the table. They contained a set of four glass coffee mugs inscribed with same pattern that is used on our caps and shirts. Since the glass is clear it was difficult to get a good picture, but here is the best I could do! 

The red tissue is in the glass so you could see the pattern which is on both sides of the cup.

 

This reunion has been so great that it will be a tough act to follow!!

 

Smooth sailing, Jim julian

 

 

 

HAZELWOOD MODEL DONATED

During our recent reunion the model of the Hazelwood was donated to the Battleship cove Museum in Fall River, MA. The model was built by John Hankins, Jr. for his father John, Sr. who served during the Kamikaze attack and survived. John Sr. has since passed away.
The model was always a welcome feature at the reunions but it was a major chore to have hauled from one reunion to the next. At the Jacksonville (2011) reunion the group agreed to have it donated to an appropriate museum. Battleship Cove seemed appropriate because if it's proximity to Newport where DD531 was home-ported a number of years.
Battleship Cove said they could guarantee that the model would be safely stored when not on display. They have a number of models and display them on a rotating basis. They also informed us that if we have a reunion nearby, they would allow us to borrow the model.

The donation was of enough interest to local TV stations that we got coverage. I do not know how long this link will be good, but if you go to this site you can see the TV coverage.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/wwii-destroyer-returns-to-new-england

 

Smooth sailing, Jim julian

NORFOLK, HERE WE COME

The 2013 Hazelwood reunion is history now. If you were not there, this site will be posting various items of the reunion over the coming weeks so you can see how much fun we had.
At the business meeting held at the Battleship Cove luncheon, we decided to have the 2015 reunion in Norfolk VA.  Of course the dates will be in late April and the banquet and commemoration ceremony will be on April 29, 2015. Specific details will be coming in the future, but you can mark your calendar and plan to be there.

We hope you are in the picture next time.

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian