New Year's Deck Log USS Weiss 01/01/1969

Awards & Decorations

Jay Ward's
Naval Ships Links

Bert Kortegaard's
APD 125 & APD 127 pages

Thanks to
Tom Perry
Ex-RM2 APD-136
MCPO, USN (Retired)

The text below was offered by Gran Telfer:

Last night, as usual right after midnight on New Year's, I remember the same time in January of 1969, aboard WEISS. I knew that was going to be my last New Year's as a seagoing watchstander, and so, as Senior Watch Officer I had assigned myself as Midwatch OOD. I had always wanted to take a shot at the New Year's Deck Log, which is traditionally written in verse.

It took a day or so to polish it, and we sent it in to all the Navy publications that held contests. The Weiss entry won first place in several contests, including All Hands, the BuPers magazine. I thought it might be of interest on your web site, so I did a search and found it in the January 1970 issue, at pp 34-35. The link is:
http://www.news.navy.mil/media/allhands/acrobat/ah197001.pdf

That was, in retrospect after 39 years, one of my most memorable New Year's. We had just finished our second phase of supporting SEAL operations, and I had been very impressed by what they were doing. During that watch I decided to volunteer for BUD/S training. I went though the screening tests the next week in Subic, entered training later that year, took a SEAL Platoon to Vietnam in 1970, and served as Commanding Officer of SEAL Team One in 1974-76. I still remember the WEISS as the best ship duty ever.

Weiss was actually decommissioned in Orange, Texas, along with the other 5 LPRs, after a transit from San Diego through the Panama Canal. I served as XO during that passage, then detached for BUD/S training.

Grant Telfer

If you have a story to share or can provide information about WEISS I'd like to hear from you. email: Steven@hiwwpoh.com