[Growler]

LOL... this is before I went GWX, but try working all summer on a museum ship that actually ran as a convoy escort during WW2, and who's curator office still has (inert) hedgehogs in it, as well as a very well done model of a Flower-class corvette... When I first did some volunteer work aboard, I went down to that office and saw the (unlabeled) model, and immediately ID'ed it as a Flower-class, which earned me HUGE points with the Curator, since most normals wouldn't know a Flower-class from a high school class.

I've been throughout Taney as an employee and as a volunteer, and have spoken with many vets from both WW2 and Vietnam who served aboard her or one of her sisters. When you're standing IN the engine room, looking right at the location on this ship where her sister ex-Hamilton was torpedoed... it's chilling, really, and very awe-inspiring.

I can't say this enough to all of you lads: If you're anywhere near a museum ship that is open to the public, you owe it to yourself to put in some volunteer hours down there... it is almost always a phenomenal eye-opening experience, with the benefit of getting into the places the public rarely (if ever) goes.

I've got some pictures from some of the time I worked on Taney. I'll have to see if I can dig 'em up.