Volume 12, Issue 3
July 2007
COORDINATOR'S MESSAGE
Theme." Be sure and
dress up with your best
Western Attire. There'll
be a prize for the
best outfit. We'll also be
going to Fredericks-
burg, which is about 60
miles from San Antonio,
where we'll be visiting
the city sites along with
the "Admiral Nimitz" Museum.
If you're looking for
a new pair of Cowboy/
Cowgirl boots, Texas is
the place to buy
them. Put your thinking
caps on for our Saturday
afternoon meeting
on where to go for the
2009 BC reunion. Remember
the 2008 reunion
will be held in Portland
Oregon. Also, we'll be
holding the 2nd AnA
NEWSLETTER SERVING FORMER CREWMEN OF USS BRYCE CANYON
Points of Special
Interest
• Mike Nesbit tells you
what you will be missing
if you don't attend
the 2007 reunion in
San Antonio. See the
cover story.
• Two "Swabbie Stories"
are on page
three. We encourage
everyone to submit
your story.
• ML&RS, Inc. wants
your memories of past
reunions. See page
five.
• James Harris supplied
some great pictures of
the BC. See pages five
and six.
nual "Gift Exchange"
Saturday night, so
bring a nice gift. This was
a lot of fun last year, so
bring something that you
would like to receive. If
you haven't sent in your
Annual $20 Association
Dues to keep the Newsletters
coming, please do
so. Send them to the Military
Locator, Attention
Bryce Canyon Newsletter
PO Drawer 11399, Hickory,
NC 28603 Each newsletter
will give you an accounting
of our Financial Statement.
I appreciate your
support. If you've had any
great experiences on the
Bryce Canyon or other
Navy Stories, write them
down and send it to our
(Continued on page 2)
Ahoy Bryce Canyon
Sailors, it's that time
again. This July newsletter
will give you all the details
regarding our San
Antonio Reunion, Oct 18-
21. I've had a lot of calls
and e-mails on this popular
spot for a reunion, so
I know we'll have another
great turnout. We'll be
staying at the beautiful
Holiday Inn on the River
Walk in San Antonio and
one of the nights we'll be
taking a boat down to the
restaurant where we'll be
eating dinner on the River
Walk. We'll also be touring
the Famous "Alamo"
where Davy Crockett
fought his last battle. On
Saturday night, we'll be
having our "Western
PAGE 2
BRYCE CANYON UPDATE
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 3
"Swabbie Stories" edition of the
newsletter. Be sure and include
your name and years on the
BC. My name is Michael Nesbit
and I'm your Association President
and Reunion Coordinator for the
Bryce canyon (69-71) Contact me at
(619) 562-5690 or thenezz@cox.net
_________
(Continued from page 1)
FINANCIAL
STATEMENT
Balance from 04/07 issue $2420.00
(Adjusted for $25.68, cost of small
envelopes in last issue)
Funds received since 04/07
$1725.00
Funds available for 07/07 issue
$4145.00
Funds expended 07/07 issue
$889.86
(6 pages/786 copies)
Postage:
$306.54
Paper:
$117.90
Envelopes: $ 39.30
Copies:
$330.12
Labor:
$
96.00
TOTAL:
$889.86
Balance Remaining for 10/07
$3255.14
Dues of $20.00 are due in
January of each year. Contact
ML&RS, Inc if you don't remember
if you have paid. Send dues to
ML&RS at address below. Be sure
to indicate that it is for the Bryce
Canyon Update.
The following is a letter sent from
the Alamo by Col. William Barret
Travis appealing for help and aid
while in the midst of fighting the army
of Santa Anna who was besieging
the Mission.
Commandacy of the Alamo
Bexar, Feb 24th, 1836
To the People of Texas & all Americans
in the world:
Fellow Citizens & Compatriots:
I am besieged by a thousand or
more of the Mexicans under Santa
Anna. I have sustained a continual
bombardment & cannonade for 24
hours and have not lost a man.
The enemy has demanded a surrender
at discretion, otherwise the
garrison are to be put to the sword if
the fort is taken. I have answered the
demand with a cannon shot, and our
flag still waves proudly from the
walls.
I shall never surrender nor retreat.
Then, I call on you in the name of
Liberty, of patriotism, and of everything
dear to the American character,
to come to our aid with all dispatch.
The enemy is receiving reinforcements
daily and will no doubt increase
to three or four thousand in
four or five days.
If this call is neglected, I am determined
to sustain myself as long as
possible and die like a soldier who
never forgets what is due to his own
honor and that of his country.
Victory or Death
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt
P.S. The Lord is on our side. When
the enemy appeared in sight we had
not three bushels of corn. We have
since found in deserted homes 80 or
90 bushels and got into the walls 20
or 30 head of Beeves.
Travis
__________
Published By:
Military Locator & Reunion Service, Inc
PO Box 11399
Hickory, NC 28603
828-256-6008 (voice)
828-256-6559 (fax)
dinamlrs@charterinternet.com
karenmlrs@charterinternet.com
Web site: www.mlrsinc.com/
brycecanyon
"Our Reunions Work So You Don't Have
To"
TAPS
The Bryce Canyon Update
learned of the following shipmates'
deaths since the last newsletter.
Every member of the Association
sends his heartfelt sympathy to the
families and friends of the deceased.
C.W. Robinson (1955)
239 Sam Davis Rd
Argyle, TX 76226
940-464-3140
Larry Scobba (1968-70) EM-2
207 Woodlyn Way
Algona, IA 50511
515-341-0317
woodlynway@netamumail.com
Michael Foster
(1965-68) SN 2nd Div
140 Smith Rd
Hermon, ME 04401
207-848-7315
fostermj@adelphia.net
__________
WELCOME MAT
Edward Black, Jr.
Died April 6, 2007
R. B. Farris
Date of death not reported
William Perez
Died December 5, 2006
Frank Ward
(1958-61) SN 2nd Div
Died March 2007
Philip G. Carlson
(1951) QM
Died March 20, 2007
__________
ALAMO HISTORY
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 3
BRYCE CANYON UPDATE
PAGE 3
Hi,
My name is Ben Baynum.
I did four years on the BC. The
years of 1952-1956.
I did three years, nine months in
the carpenter's and patternmakers
shop on the BC. I was a damage
control 2nd class when I got discharged
in Feb 1956.
The BC and our crew operated
out of Long Beach, Calif after we
left San Diego, and then we went to
Pearl Harbor on the way to Yoko-
suka for a while and did work on
destroyers and aircraft carriers. We
once worked on a submarine and
subtenders. I loved the work—very
interesting.
After leaving Yokosuka we went
to Sasebo for awhile. After 11
months altogether we went home to
Long Beach for a 30 day leave.
I made two more trips on the BC
back to Japan, took in Kobe, Hong
Kong, China.
The second trip was for nine
months and the 3rd trip was 6
months and then back to Long
Beach. I really enjoyed my time on
the BC. I believe we had about a
2,500 man crew—lots of people,
lots of shops. I don't have e-mail.
Have a cell phone. Would love to
hear from anyone, anytime from the
crew of the BC.
My hometown is Williamtown,
KY; originally Ohio, Cincinnati.
Phone #859-496-0743. Thank you.
Keep up the good work on the
newsletter.
Ben Baynum
__________
ball and brought it home live at the
start of "Monday Night Football" in
1970.
Mr. Carlson, 79, an Emmy-
winning television cameraman for
ABC-TV, died of complications from
diabetes March 20 in Condell Health
Network Center in Libertyville.
"That was his lifelong job," said
his daughter Kimberly Schnoor. "He
was a cameraman. He never had
another job."
Mr. Carlson started as a cameraman
for ABC in the early 1950s after
a tour in the U.S. Navy during the
Korean conflict. This was when television
was new and local shows
were broadcast live. Mr. Carlson
loved the work from the very start,
his daughter said.
"He had a very good eye," she
said. "He said his job was to make
the director look good. When he was
behind the camera, he was always
thinking, "What will be the next right
shot?"
He won a 1961-1962 Emmy
Award for "Best cameraman, live or
tape" for his local work. While at
WLS-Channel 7, he became friends
with ABC's legendary producer/
director Roone Arledge, who would
call for Mr. Carlson's work on the first
"Monday Night Football" broadcast
and the start of "Wide World of
Sports."
Mr. Carlson was also assigned to
shoot many "Game of the Week"
shows for Major League Baseball
and the National Basketball Association.
In 1962, he televised the America's
Cup yachting races.
The same year, he was aboard
the aircraft carrier USS Antietam
when Glenn splashed down in the
Atlantic Ocean following his space
flight into orbit. This was particularly
satisfying for Mr. Carlson, his daughter
said, because he loved the sea
and was a scuba diver.
Born Dec. 13, 1927, in Chicago,
Mr. Carlson made an early exit from
Carl Schurz High School to enlist in
the Navy during World War II. He
ended up in the Pacific, building aircraft
landing strips in the Admiralty
Islands. Then at the outbreak of Ko-
(Continued on page 4)
Bryce Canyon Update,
I served on the Bryce Canyon in
the R-1 Division weld shop from late
1953 to September 1955 as a shipfitter
2nd class. I am interested in
finding where the troops are now
that served weld shop with me.
These are the men that I served
with: Chief Lucas, Alabama; Chief
Garrett; PO 1 John Olds; PO 2
David Cox; Lees Summit, Missouri;
PO 2 Herrig, Havre, Montana; Nick
Horanian, California; Jimmy Carl,
Detroit, Michigan; Dick Yoder,
Hemet, California.
These were the best welders
that I have ever worked with. When
I went aboard, I thought that I could
weld. The first test weld that they
had me do on a CMO high pressure
steam fitting looked like a lawn
soaker when it was pressure tested.
The last time that I saw Chief
Lucas, he was teaching at the welding
school in San Diego, and he
liked chickens. He raised fighting
cocks. The last time I saw John
Olds he was serving on the destroyer
tender USS Hamul, as a
master chief.
I look forward to seeing as many
of you as I can at the Bryce Canyon
reunion in Portland, Oregon in
2008.
Donald Milligan, HTCS (ret)
461 Sacre Lane N
Monmouth, OR 97361-1241
Cell: 503-931-3581
EM: dcmilligan@minetfiber.com
__________
PHILIP G. CARLSON 1927-2007
Emmy-winning ABC-TV camera-
man
Sports, Glenn, Oprah among
peaks in 40-year career
By: Larry Finley
Philip G. Carlson saw 40 years
of history through the sharp focus of
an ABC-TV camera lens.
He recorded John Glenn's
splashdown from the first manned
space flight in 1962. He smelled the
gas and caught the violence of the
1968 Democratic National Conventional.
He was ready for some foot-
SWABBIE
STORIES
BRYCE CANYON UPDATE
PAGE 4
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 3
rea in 1951, he re-enlisted and
became a quartermaster on the
USS Bryce Canyon, a destroyer
tender.
Despite being part of the beginning
of Chicago television, Mr.
Carlson was turned off on the set
when he got home, his daughter
said.
"My dad was a TV snob," she
said. "Thirty years ago, we didn't
have a color TV set. My friends
would tease me. We had a little
black-and-white set. He said, 'I'll
get a color television when they
come out with 3-D.' He called it
'the boob tube.'
"He had thousands of books,
Schnoor said. "This was a man
who took pleasure in reading the
works of Cicero.
"He was really never much of a
sports fan, either," she said. "He
thought his job was to bring sports
to people in ways where they could
see the most exciting and poignant
parts of it."
Mr. Carlson's son Craig remembers
his dad's long trips and exciting
stories of games and star ath-
letes.
"He would be gone for three
weeks at a time going to major
sporting events," his son said. "We
watched Channel 7 because we
knew he was on one of the cameras
that was televising something
like the pro golf tour with Arnold
Palmer.
"He was there at the inception
of 'Monday Night Football'," Craig
Carlson said.
The cameraman would bring
some souvenirs, his son said.
"He was at a Minnesota Vikings
game in 1969 and missed my
brother's birthday," Craig Carlson
said. "One of the players gave him
a football because he knew my
dad missed his kids birthday. It
might have had an autograph; I
forget. But if it did, it wore off because
we played with it."
After his days on the road were
over, Mr. Carlson did studio work,
including the premiere of Oprah
(Continued from page 3)
Winfrey on "AM Chicago" in 1984. Mr.
Carlson's final job at WLS before his
retirement in 1991 was to head the
telecine department, which transferred
news and entertainment from the oldstyle
movie film to the new videotape.
Other survivors include his wife,
Sandra; another daughter, Gayle Mo-
die, two other sons, Glenn and Kurt;
eight grandchildren, and three stepsons,
Andrew, Douglas and John
Green.
__________
The UPDATE is the official publication
of the USS BRYCE CANYON
Association. From now on it will be
published quarterly in January,
April, July and October, subject to
receiving sufficient funding. The
Newsletter is funded by voluntary
contributions from the membership.
All members are encouraged to
support the voice of the BRYCE
CANYON. A financial statement
appears in each issue of the news-
letter.
The newsletter is intended to be
a vehicle for the members to express
opinions, make suggestions
and especially share experiences.
Unless otherwise stated, the
views and opinions printed in the
newsletter are those of the article's
writer, and do not necessarily represent
the opinion of the Association
leadership or the Editor of the
Newsletter.
All letters and stories submitted
will be considered for publication,
except unsigned letters will not be
published. Letters requesting the
writer's name be withheld will be
honored, but published on a space
available basis. Signed letters with
no restrictions will be given priority.
Letters demeaning to another
shipmate will not be printed; letters
espousing a political position will not
be printed.
ML&RS, Inc. is not responsible
for the accuracy of article submitted
for publication. It would be impossible
to check each story. Therefore,
we rely on the submitter to research
each article.
The editor reserves the right to
edit letters to conform to space limitations
and grammar.
You are encouraged to actively
participate in the newsletter family,
by submitting your stories and sug-
gestions.
STATEMENT OF
PUBLICATION
This newsletter can also be accessed
at the web site
www.mlrsinc.com/brycecanyon .
2007
USS BRYCE
CANYON
REUNION
OCT 18-21
SAN ANTONIO, TX
HOLIDAY INN RIVERWALK
When you think of San Antonio, two
things automatically come to mind: the
Alamo and the River Walk. The River
Walk was conceived in 1929. Downtown
had serious flood problems, and
Robert Hugman suggested that the city
turn the San Antonio River into an asset
rather than a hindrance. Hugman's
brainchild has since become the essence
of the city. The city's most popular
attraction, it is often crowded and
filled with children, partygoers, tourists
and locals. In the heart of the River
Walk is an area filled with restaurants,
shops and nightclubs, punctuated by
fountains and flowering Cypress trees.
There is no guardrail, so be careful
(although the river is shallow enough
that you can stand in it).
__________
RIVER WALK
SAN ANTONIO
BRYCE CANYON UPDATE
PAGE 5
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 3
A Crewmember had borrowed
$20.00 from a shipmate, and one or
the other left the ship before the
money was repaid. When they saw
each other at the reunion, the debt
was paid (in public at the banquet no
less).
Two former WW II POW's escaped
from a POW Camp in Germany,
became separated in the night
and never knew what happened to
the other - until the first reunion.
Both survived and attended the first
reunion - what a greeting when they
first recognized each other.
A reservation got messed up and
when a couple arrived at the reunion
they had no room. The hotel was
sold out so the hotel manager put up
a bed in the "board room" to get
them thru the night. (Hint, think
Omaha)
A lady married to a shipmate discovered
she and another shipmate
had dated years ago. Then it gets
complicated.
Two former Officers nearly got into
a fight because they remembered
the same incident so differently.
These kinds of memories are
treasures - don't let them die. For
this book we're not interested in
what happened while you were in
the military - just things you remember
from the reunions. Each one of
you that has ever attended a reunion
has a memory. Please share it
with us. Sending us the memory will
also give your permission for us to
use it in the book.
Again, please take a little time
and think about the good times (or if
you were unhappy about something)
write them down and if you have e-
mail send it to:
elainemlrs@charterinternet.com
If no e-mail you can either fax it to
828-256-6559 or mail it to:
ML & RS, Inc
ATTN: Elaine
PO Box 11399
Hickory, NC 28603
Your annual reunions have been
going on now for many years, and
just like your shipboard days each
reunion has created its own memories.
Those memories need to be
shared with everyone. Think back,
what are some of your favorite reunion
memories?
Before the 2008 reunion, we
would like to publish a book of USS
BRYCE CANYON reunion history
and memories. We'll take care of the
history part, but we need your help
with the memories. Please take the
time to think a little while and write
down some of your favorite memories
and send them to us. They don't
have to be humorous, they can be
nostalgic, sentimental, or whatever
you remember best. If you can remember
which reunion the memory
occurred in, that would be great. To
get you started, here are a couple
memories (not necessarily from your
ship) that we feel someone (if they
are still living) will remember.
YOUR REUNION MEMORIES WANTED
PHOTOS OF USS BRYCE CANYON
SUBMITTED BY JAMES HARRIS
USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) at sea
USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) in the Philippines
BRYCE CANYON UPDATE
PAGE 6
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 3
HISTORY
(Bryce Canyon is a national park
in Utah.) Bryce Canyon (AD-36)
was launched 7 March 1946 by
Charleston Navy Yard and sponsored
by Mrs. William J. Carter,
wife of Rear Admiral Carter. Little
additional work was done on her
until after the outbreak of hostilities
in Korea. Charleston Navy Shipyard
then completed the tender
and she was commissioned 15
September 1950, Captain M.R.
Gerin in command.
Bryce Canyon transited the Panama
Canal 5 December and reported
to the Pacific Fleet. On 26
March 1951 she got underway
from San Diego for the Far East.
Arriving at Yokosuka, Japan, 12
April 1951, she spent the next
seven months in Japanese waters
repairing and servicing vessels
based at Yokosuka and Sasebo.
Bryce Canyon left Japan 4 November
1951 and arrived at San Diego
18 November 1951.
She got underway, via Pearl
Harbor, for her second Western
Pacific cruise 27 June 1952. This
cruise was completed 16 February
1953 when she arrived at Long
Beach, CA. On 26 September 1953
she again sailed for Sasebo where
she arrived 16 October. Bryce Canyon
provided tender service in Sa-
sebo, Yokosuka, Nagoya, and Kobe
during this tour. She returned to the
United States 17 June 1954.
Her fourth Western Pacific tour
commenced 25 February 1955. She
serviced vessels at Subic Bay, Luzon,
between 16 March and 28 April and
then proceeded to Yokosuka, arriving
11 May 1955. Bryce Canyon returned
to Long Beach 11 August 1955. On 9
December 1955 she departed California
on her fifth Western Pacific tour
which ended at Long Beach 26 October
1956. Between Far Eastern
cruises Bryce Canyon has operated
along the west coast.
Bryce Canyon received one battle
star for her service to the forces afloat
in the Korean combat area.
FACTS
• Shanandoah Class Destroyer
Tender
• Laid down at Charleston Navy
Yard, Charleston, SC (the last
ship to be built by the yard)
• Launched 7 March 1946
• Commissioned USS Bryce Canyon
(AD-36), 15 September
1950
• Decommissioned (date unknown)
at Naval Station Pearl
Harbor, HI
• Struck from the Naval Register,
30 June 1981
• Custody transferred to the Maritime
Administration, for disposal
• Final Disposition, sold by MA-
RAD 1 April 1982, fate unknown
• Bryce Canyon received one
battle star for her service in the
Korean War
SPECIFICATIONS
• Displacement: 8,091 t. (lt)
• Length: 492'
• Beam: 70'
• Draft: 28'
• Speed: 18 knots
• Complement: 859
• Armament: one single 5"/38
dual purpose gun mount
• Propulsion system unknown
__________
USS BRYCE CANYON (AD-36) HISTORY AND FACTS
Submitted by James Harris
USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) at sea in Hawaii, past
Diamond Head Volcano, HI
USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) in Long Beach, CA
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