OT - Hello!
 

The name is Lance. I've been playing SH4 for a couple of months now and I LOVE it. This is my first and only subsim game.

Anyway, some of you have seen me over on the Ubi forum and I want to come hang out over here with you guys too. Will you have me?

I got into submarines after my grandma passed away in May of 2007. I was helping to clean up her home (just down the street) and found a world of my grandpa's WW2 submarine service stuff. He had passed away in 1997 without me ever taking interest in his WW2 past. I suppose I just wasn't mature enough to appreciate it all. He was a plankowner of the USS Sand Lance and earned his submarine combat insignia aboard the USS Tambor before being part of her decommissioning crew. There is a link below in my signature to hear about 45 minutes of video of him talking about WW2 submarine days, broken down into 6 different back to back videos.

If any of you want to see more of the personal stuff in my collection, PM me and I'll send you a link to check out.

Here's to happy hunting, and let's all SPLICE THE MAIN BRACE TOGETHER soon! Oh, and how do I get special enough to change my own avatar here?

<edit> Nevermind, I read the FAQ about how avatars work. doh!

Welcome Aboard Snakeyez,
Your grandfathers boat was about 18 boats older then mine.......but I wasn't on her until the 60's..............Happy hunting

Welcome aboard ...and Wow! :up::up:

Of course we will! We'll have anybody, as you'll find out soon enough.:rotfl:

That's quite a story. WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:

[edit] Watching your video, I was reading the message: you called your grandfather "Papaw" too? So did I. My grandad passed away in 1962, but I still remember his workshop (he was a lifelong furniture maker).

Welcome onboard to the friendliest community :D

How are things at the Ubi kindergarden anyway? Or have they matured? ;)

Nice videos :yep:

Welcome!:up: My Grandfather passed away last year at the age of 96:o! He served in the Philippines in 44/45. He had a whole album full of pictures, which my grandmother who is 97:o has given me. I never tired of listening to his storries of his time in the Navy.

I'm also a member over at Ubi, but haven't posted over there in quite some time. They're a good bunch, but it feels more like a family over here, if you know what I mean. People will always take the time to answer a question, and are always willing to help. Once again, welcome to the neighborhood:)

Welcome aboard, Lance!
 

To the community with the friendliest, most knowledgeable, most eccentric and entertaining subsimmers in this corner of the universe. I command Admiral Lockwood's garbage scow until someone else steps out of line worse than I did (I insulted a fellow captain who turned out to be the Admiral's favorite daughter's man. Hint: don't do that). I'm also his aide, and I'd invite you to meet with him to welcome you to the fleet, but he spliced one too many mainbraces last night and is a bit ornery. You don't want a meeting with the Admiral when he's cranky.

Word to the wise: complete his missions and you can do whatever you choose for extra credit. But if you freelance without completing his missions you'll find yourself in his office. The only one I've seen go into Admiral Lockwood's office and leave with a smile has been Mush Morton.

But check out the forum. I highly recommend WernerSobe's Video Tutorials: TDC + PK Advanced thread. Ducimus' A Brief Introduction to the Pacific Submarine War is also outstanding. Watch out for that DavyJonesFootlocker guy though. He has the admiral's daughter and you don't want to cross him.:oops:

Welcome! First off I'm sorry to hear of your Grandparents passing. You may have to endure being a Stinky Bilge Rat for awhile- don't worry we all went through that stinky stage.:yep: Ask any of these fine folk here any questions and they'll be sure to oblige. I've been here not too long now and I've never met a bunch of friendly sailors anywhere on any boards.:up: I'll go check out your clips now.

P.S. RR is now the Captain of the Bilge Rat Association (BRA).

The USS Sand Lance was no joke. Welcome aboard.

Welcome aboard!

Aww thanks for the warm welcoming everyone!

Everything I know about my Papaw's WW2 service is found in the video I posted on YouTube.com. That's the saddest thing, as he was like a father to me and lived only a few minutes away as long as he was alive. I was 19 when he passed away, and I'm 30 right now. Dumb teenager is the only excuse I have.

So anyhow, the video states that he started out on the USS Sand Lance, a brand new sailor on a brand new Balao class submarine. Then, just as the Sand Lance was underway for her first patrol from Pearl, he had problems on dives with his head swelling up from a botched tooth pulling. They put him off the Sand Lance at Midway on February 15, 1944. Later, as part of the refit crew of the Tang, he was supposed to join her crew but didn't like Richard O'Kane and thought he was too reckless and on a revenge mission for Mush Morton. My papaw swapped with another EM, who later died on the Tang as you all know. Then on June 2, 1944, an old Tambor class submarine, the USS Tambor, came to Midway. He joined that crew quickly and stayed on her for her last 2 war patrols (both successful), then stayed with her while the Tambor helped train dive bombers in Puget Sound in 1945, then decommissioned her on December 10, 1945 in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. While at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, he snapped some photos of the Tambor, Tautog, and Thresher (3 of the 4 Tambor class subs being decommissioned there) and got a few pics of the U-234, which I wish I knew what role, if any, he played in THAT U-boat. He was honorably discharged less than a week after the USS Tambor was decomissioned.

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...it_cleaner.jpg

Here's the Sand Lance commissioning crew just before leaving the east coast. He's in the back-center straight under the life preserver. This is one of many of his personal pictures from the Sand Lance commissioning, hence all the scribbling on the picture.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...commission.jpg

Here he is at what I believe had to be a Royal Hawaiian visit!
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...aw/sailor5.jpg

The USS Tambor in December of 1945:
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c..._usstambor.jpg

The U-234 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in late 1945, what a risky picture to take!
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...apaw/u234d.jpg

And lastly, his original medals and ribbons. The World War Two Victory Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. You also see his Submarine Combat Patrol Pin with a bronze star, which signifies two successful patrols aboard a submarine (USS Tambor, war patrols 11 and 12). At the bottom-center is the Presidential Unit Citation ribbon with the bronze star in the middle (USS Sand Lance, war patrol 1). His Good Conduct Ribbon is missing and no one knows where it could be. Also his "Ruptured Duck" (Honorable Discharge) lapel button is missing.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...aw/medals2.jpg

Everything above had to be compiled by me. I just found a bunch of random pictures and "stuff" and had to figure it all out with the aid of the internet and a bunch of good-hearted submarine sailor veterans.

Wow! Cool pics dude! What you got is a legacy. Keep 'em forever.:up:

Thank you, and PM sent.

Mucho gracias, amigo!:up: