Archive:
November 2017
Author: David Baker
Taps: Honoring our former shipmates
Every year at the USS Radford Association Reunion, we honor those shipmates and family members who have left this life in the past year. For many years, Jim Moffatt, ’50s Director and Chaplain, led these memorials. As he steps down having served since 2014, we will miss Jim’s thoughtful words of remembrance. Steve Weigel, 67-68, SM3, has graciously agreed to be elected as chaplain. Below you will find names of those who have passed, listed by decade, and a list of links for the obituaries we could find. Please continue to report the news of those who have passed to Kimberly Parsons.
The Radford Museum Story
by Vane Scott, 44EM/3 Gyro, Deceased (updated by David Baker, Lt., 64-66)
When the USS Radford Association began in 1991 we had no idea of having our own museum. Almost no destroyers do, except the ones that actually still have a ship. The idea began to develop in the spring of 1995 when I put a notice in the April/May/June newsletter, stating, USS Radford Museum & Archives – How does that sound? I began to realize, after much research, that most of Radford’s history was so capsulated that even the Presidential Unit Citations were not listed. As President, I decided we needed an Archive that paid attention to the ship’s history and along with that came the necessity of a museum.
After reading our namesake’s bio, Admiral William Radford, I decided the most logical location was the small city of Radford in Virginia, near where he grew up and which was named for his family. Unfortunately, there was not enough space available so, in 1999, we had to do something else. A prime piece of corner property came up for auction, right downtown, in my hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio. A former car dealership, it had 5,446 square feet under roof and a large corner parking lot.
I contacted my Vice President, Jack Guiliano in Colorado and he advised that we should buy it for our Museum and Archives. Ended up, he financed the purchase and the following year donated the entire property to us free and clear. Through volunteer help from a friend and several Radford sailors that traveled here, we prepared the building and then customized it for the museum. Meanwhile, we had been accumulating artifacts and papers for the museum and archives. My wife Barbara & I had a spare bedroom chock full of Radford stuff. Finally, on September 28, 2001 we dedicated the museum during the 10th National Radford Reunion which was being held in nearby Canton, Ohio. We had four bus loads of former Radford shipmates and their mates.
Since that time we have had visitors from all over America and some foreign countries. The visitors from the Congressional Library in Washington stated, “This is the finest Naval Museum we have ever visited. You don’t have to take a back seat to the Smithsonian for quality.” Since then we are constantly adding more displays, including the entire 27 years of Daily Logs. And, we are adding the ships from Cactus Squadron 21, the most decorated destroyer squadron in naval history. We already have major displays for the USS Jenkins DD/DDE447, USS Nicholas DD/DDE 449, and the USS O’Bannon DD/DDE 450. And, we have major displays for cruiser USS Helena CL450 and the New Zealand cruiser HMSNZ Leander, the two ships that Radford helped rescue during the Battles in the Solomon Islands.
Note: The 2008 Reunion took place in Newcomerstown, and Walt Schuman, ET2, memorialized the event with a video of the museum and the attendees. He also interviewed RADM George Wagner, ret., at the end of the video. RADM Wagner served the Radford in the early 60s.
At the 2010 reunion in Branson, Missouri, the USS Radford Board of Directors met to discuss the future of the Radford National Naval Museum. They agreed on the importance of securing the opportunity for future generations to experience the history of this highly decorated destroyer and the men who served aboard her. To this end, they unanimously agreed to relocate the Radford Museum to the USS Orleck DD 886 and in June, 2011, the Museum contents were brought to their new home in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Orleck Museum also had difficulty funding its continued operation. Through a series of events, in 2019-2020 the team developing the Jacksonville Naval Museum reached agreement with the managers of the USS Orleck Museum to move the Orleck to Jacksonville, Florida to anchor its newly developed attraction in downtown Jacksonville.
After a series of mishaps, including surviving Hurricane Laura, the Orleck, DD 886, was refurbished and painted in Port Arthur, Texas, was towed to Jacksonville, arriving in March, 2022.
The USS Radford Association voted at its 2022 Reunion to donate $10,000 to the Jacksonville Naval Museum to help with the outfitting of the museum and the reservation of the artifacts from the original Radford Museum. Larry Davis, Radford Association Board member presented the check on July 19, 2022.
In 2023, the Jacksonville Naval Museum opened. However, the organization decided not to accept the artifacts from the Radford Museum, leading Larry Davis to retrieve and store many of the items and work with Kimberly Parsons to distribute them among the families and descendants of donors. Great thanks to Larry for his tireless work on behalf of his shipmates. Eventually, some of the artifacts were donated to a U.S. Military Museum of North Florida.
Stories and Videos about Radford and Destroyers
Look below to find links to the stories and videos compiled by Mike Nave over the past several years. There are some great overviews of the evolution of the destroyer, including the Fletcher Class Destroyer, and a series of videos Mike has assembled of life aboard Radford. Enjoy!! We also added a video of the U.S.S. Radford Museum visited during the 2008 Reunion in Newcomerstown, Ohio, produced by ET2 Walt Shuman, and edited by Mike Nave. Be sure to stay tuned at the end for an interview with RADM George Wagner, ret., who served on the Radford in the early 60s.
This Destroyer Did Us Proud Through Three Wars
Deliverance at Kula Gulf–Vane Scott
Radford Memories: From the Early 60s
Radford Memories: From the Mid to Late 60s
Underway Replenishment and DASH Operations
Fletcher Class Destroyers Brief
The Evolution of U.S. Navy Destroyers: A Complete Guide
A Short Commercial Break: A Tribute to All Veterans
2008 Reunion visit to the U.S.S. Radford Museum and Interview with RADM George Wagner, ret.
Roster
The roster of Radford shipmates is maintained by Kimberly Parsons. Please contact Kim at [email protected] with updates and changes. The roster was last updated on March 16, 2024.
Reunions
The USS Radford Association has hosted annual reunions for nearly every year since its founding in 1991. The only year missed was 2020, because of the pandemic. The 2022 Reunion was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan and hosted by Ralph “Skip” and Carol Young. Look here in the post-reunion newsletter for details and pictures.
The 2023 USS Radford Association reunion was held in Springfield, Missouri, September 13-17, 2023. Springfield, called the “Cultural Center of the Ozarks” turned out to be a delightful place to spend four days getting reacquainted with shipmates and their families–under blue skies and pleasant weather. Check out the 2023 Post-Reunion edition of the Radford Newsletter for details and an array of wonderful pictures.
Planning is underway for our 2024 Reunion, to be held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with tours of Gettysburg and historic Lancaster, PA. The dates are September 17-19, 2024. Check out 2024 Pre-Reunion newsletter for details and to make a hotel reservation.
Coordinating Council
The USS Radford Association’s Coordinating Council oversees the operations of the association, manages its account, supports the annual reunions, publishes the newsletter and maintains the roster and website.
The USS Radford Association has been guided over its 30 years by two presidents, Vane Scott from 1992-2014 and Chuck Parsons from 2014 to 2022. The association’s members owe a deep vote of thanks to these two shipmates for their tireless dedication to celebration of the Radford and its crew over three decades.
Rear Admiral William Radford
The Navy Destroyer Radford was commissioned in 1942 and named for Rear Admiral William Radford, who was born March 1, 1808 in Fincastle, Virginia and joined the United States Navy during 1825. He commanded the landing party from the Warren, a second-class sloop-of-war, which captured the Mexican warship Malek Adhel at Mazatlan and took part in other Pacific coast operations of the Mexican War. He was commander of the Cumberland during the Civil War, but was on board the Roanoke as a member of a Court of enquiry when the Cumberland was attacked and sunk by the CSS Virginia. Captain Radford went on to command the armored ship New Ironsides during Union attacks on Fort Fisher in December 1864 and in January 1865. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1866 and commanded the European squadron during 1869 and 1870. Rear Admiral Radford died in Washington D.C. on January 8,1890.