Amateur call N0EFV belongs to William J Eimer and expires in 2006.

Repose arrived at Chu Lai in Vietnam on February 14, 1966 and returned to her home port of Alameda April 30, 1970.  The MARS station was served by both Navy and Marine Corps personnel in Radio III.

Dan Gannon, RM2, USN

USS Repose AH 16

I was aboard during 1968-69 as an RM2 in Radio Central.  I'm also a Ham Operator and I helped Cpl.  Mike Linger (USMC) with phone patches and MARS when my watch schedule allowed.

Capt. Drew was Skipper of the ship, and Capt.  Holloway was CO of the Hospital command most of the time I was aboard.

That was Capt. Drew's twilight cruise.  When he left in the Spring of 1969 he went home to Hawaii and retirement.  He used to come to Radio Central late at night on the Mid Watch to drink coffee with the Radiomen -- he said we had the best coffee on the ship and he'd rather drink our coffee than the stuff his Stewards made.  First time he walked in and I saw him, I called out, "Captain on Deck" and he grinned as said something like, "Cut that shit out, I just stopped by for some coffee." He'd sit there at 0200 in the morning and drink coffee and shoot the bull just like he was one of us -- which, he was.  He was a great CO and there were not many dry eyes aboard that ship the day he left.

I recall my favorite quote of all time on the Repose.

To set the stage, here we were in the South China Sea with a whole boat load of brand new Ensigns and JG's, and they all knew how the Skipper loved to party on the beach and how all the nurses and other round eyes on the beach loved to go to the Captain's parties.

So, one bright sunny day we are steaming away up on station, when the Old Man comes on the 1MC and announces: "All officers desiring to attend a party should report to the flight deck in ten minutes."

Anyone that was aboard for that might recall how all those young officers ran up to the flight deck in their best dress whites, just as the supply ship pulls along side for the VERTREP (Vertical Replenishment).

Of course, the Skipper shows up in some old worn out khakis and boondockers and is laughing his ass off as he introduces his new young officers to the concept of "working party" just as the first chopper drops a full cargo net almost on top of them on the flight deck.

That was even better than the Sunday afternoon he ran up on the Bridge in his swim trunks and ordered ALL STOP and told the OOD to ring him off as he dove off the Bridge and screamed, "Swim Call."

Ding Ding...Ding Ding...."Repose Departing" just as he hit the water...

And those are no sea stories either....

What a ship -- What a Navy !!

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