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USS Ray SSN653 Photos from Rick "Angus" Cowles |
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This is the front of a postcard that I sent to my wife when we first pulled into
La Madelena in Aug., 1977 just before Ray's ill-fated trip in September. I forget
who was heading back to Charleston, but as you'll see on the back, one of the crew
was taking mail back with them.
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Someone made a trip back to Charleston just before the boat departed La Mad for
our ill-fated patrol. They took this postcard back, and mailed it to my wife. Before
we left for the Med run, she had moved back to Philly, because I had already been
assigned to the pre-com crew of the 697 boat in Groton pending completion of the
Med run. After the crash, I was one of the few who drew the short straw, and actually
got to fly back to Charleston rather than making the surface transit. I recall the
order from Sublant was that no one was to hot rack, and port-and-starboard watches
on the surface transit. I'm thinking there were 15 or 20 of us who flew back, but
don't exactly recall.
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Bob Rousseau and I were both A-gangers, and reported onboard about the same time
in '74 (after the northern run and before the yard transit down to Charleston).
This photo is from sometime in summer of 1976 at my apartment on Rivers Ave. in
N. Charleston. Bob left about the same time as me for the 696 (Philadelphia) pre-com
crew, and we spent a lot of time together in Groton. The thing I remember most about
Bob (other than he was from New York) is that his goal in life was to drive a Pepsi
truck when he got out. Last I heard from him a few years back, he was working for
Honeywell in New Jersey.
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My boot camp picture, Jan. 1974.
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I was thrilled to find this picture in Tim Patterson's collection. I'm not 100%
sure, and Tim might be able to better date / locate it, but I think it's a shot
from our post-yards weapons certs trip to Roosevelt Roads, PR.
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This is from my own collection. Don't know who took it for me, but this pic is from
a trip a bunch of us made to San Juan. I recall very little about the trip other
than I didn't indulge in any of the hookers we attracted (I was recently married,
and still honeymooning...). I won't name names of who did patronize the local working
girls. My lips are forever sealed.
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This is a fairly recent shot of me (Feb. 2008) on a party boat in Negril, Jamaica,
mon. I was soaked, having just been dipped in the water after parasailing.
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A recent profile shot of me.
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