Reunion Update
As reported previously, Gunner Evans will be assisting with the reunion and has volunteered his Sea Cadets for our festivities. Steve Joyce is once again stepping up to assist with other aspects of the reunion, officiating portions of it and as always keeping me in line! We would like to have a chaplain for the event and speakers to talk about their memories of our ship and their time in the Navy. Please volunteer!

The reunion will be held June 21-24, 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is a wonderful city, with a lot of history and plenty to do! You do not want to miss this!!! Please make plans to attend this event. Click here for more information (after you read the rest of this newsletter). More details will be coming shortly.

USS Gridley & USS Sterret
Our friends over at USS Gridley DLG21/CG21 are sure to be happy as USS Gridley DDG101 was commissioned on February 10, 2007 at Miami, FL. She is the fourth ship to carry the name Gridley and the fifty-first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. USS Sterret DLG31/CG31 will be celebrating on May 19, 2007 when DDG 104 is Christen at Bath iron works Maine. They’ll join USS Halsey DLG23/CG23 who celebrated USS Halsey DDG 97 when she was placed in commission in 2005. Congratulations to all in returning these important manes to the sea. For links and information, check out the new “Deck Log” (more on that below).

Now we need to USS England to return to service. Please support Operation King!!!

DLG/CG Site Goes to the Virtual Shipyard for Overhaul
We have completed the first phase of upgrades for the USS England web site. You will immediately notice the visual differences but there was also some behind the scenes clean up and some important changes.

You will notice a new lay out and graphics making the site look more modern. We’ve added some Flash graphics to the home page and will be adding more “cool stuff” as we move forward. You’re going to like it!! The goal is to have the very best of all the CG sites!

Some of you will remember that the web site started out as very small and then grew over time. It grew to contain thousands of files but most of that in a somewhat disorganized state. It was full of buttons and icons that had not be used in years and lacked an organized directory structure. Seriously, it was a mess! Those days are done and it has been cleaned up entirely, restructured and every file given a once over to ensure it is now set up correctly. From here forward it will be much easier to maintain. It will get a complete inspection again to reformat pages and correct issues as they are found. However, this first step was a big one!

Previously the USS England sites were on an old server with limited functionality and a number of problems. When it because difficult to keep e-mail functioning, we decided to upgrade. If you have sent in items over the past few months or sent e-mails and not heard back. Send them again now.

One change that you will notice is that both the old Forum and the Deck Log are gone. The forum was a cumbersome and problematic CGI/Peal based beast that did not work out well. The Desk Log was an old “guestbook” component from Microsoft’s FrontPage. It was antiquated and though a lot of people tried to use it for two way communication, it did not work.

Replacing both the old Forum and the Deck Log is a new PHP based Bulletin Board (BB) system. Simply register and then post in any of the many categories and forums available. There is a “Deck Log” section for you to post about yourself and look for shipmates. There is an off topic section for your opinion, jokes or whatever you like. There are areas to plan mini-reunions and more! We can add whatever you want. You can also send e-mails or private messages to other registered users. Please, use it to reunite on line!!! Get in there and discuss USS England today!

The old deck log has been saved. Visit the New Deck Log to find out more.

Some of the topics are only for registered users, not the casual browser. You’ll need to register to see everything! Follow the following link, click “Register,” and follow the instruction to fill in your user information. Once you are registered, stop in anytime and post!

http://forum.ussengland.org

USS Slater DE766
The WWII era battle lanterns of USS Slater are on their way and should be in Albany, NY on March 5, 2007. They were well packed and hopefully will be well received by our friends on USS Slater (http://www.ussslater.org/). If you can help with a donation, information, a little time chipping paint or anything, please step up.