In 1986, Jeff Jeffers put an ad in the American Legion Magazine in an attempt to locate his shipmates who served with him on the LCS(L) 102. The ad resulted in one reply from another former LCS(L) sailor who served on LCS(L) 100. singular response, he ran the ad again in 1987 and asked for all ex-LCS(L) menIn a short time, he was contacted by many who had served on the Mighty Midgets, and thus was born the National Association of USS LCS(L) The first convention was held in Libertyville, Illinois, during August 13-15, 1987, and was attended by 150 people. Elected to office at this first reunion were: Skipper - Jeff Jeffers, Executive Officer - Ben Kaberline, First Lieutenant - Bill Reid, Supply Officer - Bruno Campagnari, and Newsletter Editor - L. Richard Rhame. incorporated in the State of Illinois. Each year since then, the Association has held a reunion at one of the country's major cities. Attendance at the reunions has been excellent, with many members bringing not
only their wives, but also their children and grandchildren and spending extra days sightseeing. The purposes for which the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130 is organized are: (1) to locate every shipmate living, or the widows of those departed, (2) to educate the general public on our WWII contributions, (3) to establish a permanent archive and repository for memorabilia, souvenirs, and personal written or recorded accounts of events, (4) to attempt to locate one of our ships for preservation, (5) to publish a quarterly newsletter, (6) to establish an appropriate memorial dedicated to the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives for our country, (7) to encourage and promote the activities of individual LCSers, to keep and preserve the friendships made at the annual reunions. Executive Committee 2011 - 2012 Skipper - John Rooney Executive Officer - Olin Hammer - LCS 15 Secretary - Dennis Steenbergen - LCS 49
Treasurer - Bob Wage - LCS 38 Immediate Past Skipper - John Hughes - LCS 100 Director-At-Large - Gil Nadeau - LCS 45 Director-At-Large - Regina Wage - LCS 38 Director-At-Large - Ginny Rooney - LCS 82 Legal Officer - David Edstrom - LCS 47 & 28 Chaplain - Walter Longhurst - LCS 61 Historian/Archivist - Rob Rielly - LCS 61 Newsletter Editor - Regina Wage - LCS 38 Webmaster - John Wisner - LCS 37 Reunion Committee Coordinator - Ginny Rooney - LCS 82 LCS(L) 102 Committee Chair - Bill Mason - LCS 86 LCS(L) 102 Fund-Raising Committee Chair - Chris Lehman - The following are photos of the Board Members along with the people that help them the most. John Rooney - LCS 82 Committee Coordinator - Ginny Rooney Director-At-Large and Newsletter Editor - Regina Wage Immediate Past Skipper - John Hughes Editor - Regina Wage - LCS 38 LCS(L) 102 Committee Chair - Bill Mason - LCS 86 Board Member Group Photo taken during the
From left to right - Ginny Rooney, John Wisner, John Rooney, John Hughes, Gil Nadeau, Dennis Steenbergen, Olin Hammer, Regina Wage, Bob We believe in making your outdoor experience the best it can be, whether it’s out under a starry sky, at a sporting event or in your own backyard. Our gear is meticulously designed to bring the comfort of your home outside in a low-impact way. Sign Up for the Go Explore NewsletterStay up-to-date on the latest gear, deals, and outdoor tips. Accessories & Replacement PartsThe Japanese started building midget submarines in secrecy in the 1930s. They were designed for stealth. They were transported on the rear deck of reconfigured, larger I class submarines. Once the midgets were close to their destination they were released submerged. The submarines which attacked Sydney on the night of 31 May 1942 were a modified version of the Pearl Harbour midget submarines. They were Type ‘A Kai 1’ (improved version 1). They were 24 metres in length (80.5 feet);
46-7 tons and carried two 18 inch Type 97 special torpedoes, which were detonated by an inertia pistol linked to 350 kg of TNT.A fuel mix of pressure enriched air, oxygen, kerosene and seawater was used to feed the engine to propel the torpedoes. Using this combination, instead of compressed air, meant that only one-fifth of the volume of gas was needed to drive the torpedoes. pared to the Pearl Harbour midget submarines, the Sydney midget submarines had a slightly wider hull at 1.8 metres (6 feet), and were powered by 208 lead acid wet cell batteries (72 forward and 136 aft). The submarines were in three sections: the forward section, which contained the torpedo tubes, the central section, which comprised the forward battery room, conning tower and aft battery room, and the after section, which contained the motor, propeller shaft and gearing. A small chair from one of the two recovered Japanese midget submarines, possibly from Lieutenant Kieu Matsuo’s craft. AWMPOO455.004They also had an improved gyro compass, an all weather access hatch on the underside to permit enclosed crew transfers, while submerged;
a slightly longer periscope at 2.4 metres (compared to 2.1 metres); new nose and propeller guards; the distinctive net cutters at the bow and atop the conning tower, and external torpedo caps with hydraulic ram releases.Despite these improvements, the submarines were not easy to manoeuvre and had a wide turning circle.They had a normal diving depth of up to 100 metres and a collapse depth of 200 metres.Rules of engagement required the midget submarines to dive deep if they came under attack and to turn at right angles to their previous course.The submarine’s batteries could not be recharged. They had a 600 horsepower engine, which delivered a reported surface speed of up to 24 knots, and 19 knots when submerged – a staggering performance for any submarine of the era.The submarines could barely accommodate the two crew members, who were seated next to the periscope. Based on wartime records, it is thought that the submarines could remain submerged for about 12 hours in normal conditions.