USS Shannon DM-25 call sign NUHQ
My first taste of sea duty. Reported on board early January 1947 and remained a crewmember until my obligated service was up in May 1948. This was to be my first tour aboard Shannon.

Believe it or not, I was sea sick before we got out of sight of land en route from Charleston, SC to New Orleans and on to Colon, CZ in early 1947. All during both my tours, Shannon served as the flagship of Commander, MinDiv2 flagship

My first permanent job aboard Shannon was as a messcook....known to Beetle Bailey as "kp". In fact, of my first 7 months of naval service after finishing boot camp was....you guessed it...Messcooking. I thought I was never gonna get outa there. Finally I did and was transferred to the Auxilliary Gang...where I was just a warm body, and engine room watch-stander..a "gopher". During this period, we made a trip to Africa via Recife, Brasil to celebrate Liberia's 100th anniversary. We arrived in Monrovia and was amazed that people live in the squalor and filth that most of these people did...At this time, indoor toilet facilities was maybe a hole in the floor, and I am not kidding...At one bar close to the capital building in Monrovia, I witnessed and used this "facility" after drinking a few beers...bottled of course. We drank no water there...only bottled drinks, and believe me, I ate all my meals aboard ship.

We spent a week there and then left for Dakar, Senegal (French West Africa) and spent a few days learning more about Africa.

We returned home to Charleston, and remained in port the remainder of my time aboard. Just before my service ended, I was transferred TAD to USS Fitch DMS-25, who was shorthanded. We went to KeyWest and on to New Orleans for a few days of their Mardi Gras, then overnight we steamed to Mobile Alabama to help them celebrate their Mardi Gras week. While there, I boarded the L&N's Hummingbird and took an overnight trip to Birmingham to visit my Uncle Joe and Aunt Margaret. Sure surprised them...but was only able to stay 4 hours then back on a train to Mobile again. (Who said kids weren't crazy??...but then I was only barely 21). We had a great time in Mobile, and we did put down lots of beer. Then back to Charleston and discharge.

When I left ship upon the completion of my 2 year enlistment, shortened to 20 months for "downsizing", I was still Seaman Apprentice (SA)...the lowest of the lowly.

I went home with my $300 mustering-out pay...happy to be away from making $50 a month for lots of paint chipping, gophering and messcooking...and believe me, all those jobs are HARD, monotonous jobs. Went back to Alabama to spend the summer with my mom and relatives, and just chilled out...doing nothing but drawing my unemployment.

Come September, I went back to enroll in Berea College for my sophomore year, finding my old room-mate Harry Shaw and all my other friends were now Seniors....and also that my girlfriend, Mary Lou Smith was now enthralled with someone else. Not to worry..I was now a world traveler, having been to the bright lights of far-away foreign ports of call...Recife,Brasil, Monrovia Liberia Santos, and

History

USS Shannon, a 2200-ton Robert H. Smith class light minelayer, was built at Bath, Maine. Begun as a destroyer (designated DD-737), she was converted to a minelayer while under construction and was commissioned in September 1944. Shannon was sent to the Pacific in November 1944, following her shakedown. During 1945, she took part in the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns and assisted with post-war minesweeping activities before returning to the United States late in the year.

Arriving in Chesapeake Bay in April 1946, she continued limited operations under ComDesLant and ComSubLant into June. She then proceeded to Charleston for duty in MinDiv 2. During 1947, her operations were extended. On the last day of June, we departed Hampton Roads escorting Palau (CVE-122); steamed to Recife, Brazil then proceeded on to the African port of Monrovia for a courtesy and good-will visit during Liberia's centennial celebration. After stopping at Dakar, Senegal, she returned to the east coast on 16 August. Availability and limited operations followed that cruise; then, from November 1947 into August 1948, she remained immobilized at Charleston. In August 1948, she resumed operations with Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet which she continued for the next seven years. During that time she participated in various exercises type, fleet, and international, conducted midshipmen cruises, and deployed to the Mediterranean once, from September 1950 to January 1951. Ordered inactivated in 1955, she joined the Charleston Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, on 7 July and was decommissioned on 24 October. Reclassified MMD-25 on 14 August 1968, she remained in the reserve fleet until struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1970. She was subsequently sold for scrapping to the Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, Md., and was delivered to that firm in May 1973.

Shannon earned four battle stars during World War

USS Shannon was named in honor of Colonel Harold D. Shannon, USMC, who commanded Marine shore defenses during the Battle of Midway.

Robert H. Smith Class Minelayer:
Displacement: 3,104 tons
Length: 376'6"
Beam: 40'10"
Draft: 14'
Speed: 33 knots
Armament: 6 5"/38 DP, 2x4 40mm, 6 20mm, 100+ mines
Complement: 363
Geared turbine engines, twin screws, 60,000 shaft hp

	"You're under arrest!!" Russ Hill on the right with a Very Pistol funning with a buddy.
	Me on the right, Russ in the center...on the beach in Frederickstaad, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
	Me on the fantail of Shannon
	Me in front of port 40mm cannon just aft of the bridge
	Me practicing my semaphore...a brand new QMSN