The organization of the Battleship's World War II crew, called the USS North Carolina Battleship Association, has been meeting aboard the Battleship since 1962.

The Association was the idea of Rear Admiral William Maxwell, who served in the NORTH CAROLINA during the War and was the Memorial's first director. He wanted to stir the interest of the crew to be present at the dedication of the Memorial on 29 April 1962. With the assistance of a former crewmember, Jack Clements of Charlotte, NC an initial list was developed and inquiries mailed out.

In 1964 a former Battleship officer LCDR John Karrer, then at the Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO, began a systematic search of those records. He forwarded those crewmembers' names found to Jack Clements and another former crewmember living in Charlotte, Chuck Paty. Over the next two years, Karrer had located the names and addresses of 5,700 crewmembers but it was up to Clements and Paty - and their children - to stuff and mail the inquiries to the 5,700. By July 1968, the Karrer list had jumped to 7,243 names.

Today, shipmates are still finding out about the existence of an association dedicated to their ship. Not only does the Association endeavor to keep track of these men, so does the Battleship's Museum Department staff. The names of the crewmembers, along with useful biographical information, are entered into a computer database.

If you are a crewmember and not currently a member of the Association, the Battleship's Museum Department would like to hear from you. If you plan to visit the ship, please tell anyone at the ticket window that you are a former crewmember and ask that they call the Associate Curator or the Museum Services Director.

MISSION

The USS North Carolina Battleship Association is a non-profit, charitable organization whose mission is to bring together into an association those persons who served in the Battleship USS NORTH CAROLINA during its active service in the United States Navy, to support the continued preservation of the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA as a memorial, and to gather information pertaining to the Battleship and to the former officers and crew.

In support of their mission, the Association publishes a newsletter semi-annually, THE TARHEEL, to keep members informed about the Battleship and their shipmates.

Crewmembers or their immediate family who are interested in joining may ask for information by requesting it in the Ship's Log, by telephone or at the ticket window.

REUNIONS

The Association has been holding annual reunions since 1963. The national meeting site is usually at the Battleship in Wilmington, NC. The reunions provide the shipmates a chance to renew friendships, make new friends, and show their families what they did aboard the Battleship. In addition to lots of time onboard the Battleship, the crewmembers also attend business meetings, picnics, dances, tours, raffles/auctions, and other events.

ASSOCIATION MEMBERS' MEMORABILIA AND RECOLLECTIONS

Because of their service aboard the Battleship during World War II, Association members - officers and crew - have been most generous in donating personal items, documents, books, and other articles of the wartime period. Many have also recorded their first-person recollections of their service on audio or video tapes. The memorabilia and recollections are most valuable for two primary reasons. First, they enhance the Museum Department staff's ability to tell the Battleship's story in a more accurate and interesting manner. Second, they can be used as a resource by students, teachers and historians.

CONTINUING SERVICE TO THE BATTLESHIP

Association members have continued to serve their Battleship since she returned to Wilmingtion. Over the years, several crewmembers and their spouses have lived in the Wilmington area and have volunteered thousands of hours giving guided tours to visitors, being interviewed for the media or film, assisting the Museum Department in cataloguing and preserving artifacts, and providing other support as needed. Among many, Paul Wieser and Leo Bostwick have received numerous letters of thanks for their special tours of the ship; Chuck and Sue Paty and Gilbert and Nancee Moore have been recognized for their work in crew research and cataloguing artifacts, respectively.

Two crewmembers have served on the Battleship Commission. CAPT Ben W. Blee USN (Ret) served as the Chairman on two separate occasions, 1974 - 1977 and 1985 - 1989. Donald Canupp served as Vice Chairman from 1986 - 1989.

CAPT Blee also authored Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, the definitive history of the Battleship. He has also provided a detailed presentation of the operational history on video for use by the Battleship's Living History Crew as part of their basic training.

When the Battleship staff began to research the opening of Main and Secondary Plotting Rooms and the refurbishment of other spaces on the tour route, members of the Association have provided valuable insights into the manning and details of how the space functioned. For example: the opening of Main and Secondary Plot, Association members Stan Shefveland, Harold Smith, Jim Masie, Richard Thorner, and George Cohen, who all had battle stations in Plot, were most gracious in their assistance; for the rework of the Kingfisher aircraft, Almon Oliver and George Coen; for the refurbishment of the Executive Officer's Office, Gordon Knapp; for the opening of the Main Communications area, Chuck Paty; and for the refurbishment of the Print Shop, Charlie Foster

Association members promote the Battleship on their travels and are marvelous goodwill ambassadors.

CONTACT THE ASSOCIATION

To contact the USS North Carolina Battleship Association, please communicate with:

Harold A. Smith , President 11 Charles Circle Scarborough, ME 04074-9735 TEL: 207.883.5062