This is a bit different, not really a sea story, but i am seeking some answers to a troubling question i have.

In 1974, the Navy took three old Fletcher class destroyers out of the mothball fleet and towed them into Naval Base Long Beach, mooring them to the quay wall aft of where my ship, the USS Hollister (DD 788) also was moored. We learned they were to be further towed to the Pacific Missile Test Range off of Port Hueneme to be used as targets in missile exercises. Learning of this and surreptitiously going aboard (don’t tell anyone), i found it a trove of supplies we and the other ships in Destroyer Squadron (DESRON 27) could use and save greatly on our Operational Target (OPTAR) budget. Fire hoses, P250 pumps, even boiler burner plates, and many other parts and supplies.

i contacted our squadron maintenance officer and we went aboard to check it out. He arranged with someone managing these ships and gained approval for our ships to go aboard and scavenge for useful parts and supplies while being monitored for not exceeding understandable limits like taking something that would negatively impact watertight integrity. Seeing a wonderful opportunity to collect some wonderful artifacts that would be pretty useless in the depths of the Pacific, i took a large compass and an Engine Order Telegraph repeater.

As we were well entrenched into our salvaging effort, US Pacific Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral St. George came to San Diego from his Makalapa Headquarters above Pearl Harbor. A meeting of all chief engineers and squadron maintenance officers was set for the admiral to brief us on the upcoming changes to engineering. i sat toward the back of the hall with the squadron maintenance officer. The speech centered on how good engineering practices were going to be enforced fleet wide. The two of us applauded this new approach.

Then, as usual, the question and answer period followed. The usual innocuous attention-seeking — did i say vapid? — questions came about. Then, another chief engineer from our squadron, a rather pompous attention getter, was given the microphone. He explained to the admiral the scavenging effort and questioned why wasn’t more being done to strip the soon to be sunk tin cans.

The maintenance officer and i looked at each other and said simultaneously, “Oh shit,” adding. “He just screwed us.”

The admiral was startled such supplies were going to be sunk, and told the pompous one, he would get with his staff to improve the situation.

Two days later, the results were in. COMPACFLT and the missile test range put out an edict that the old cans were off limits and any scavenger efforts were prohibited.

But i had some fire hose, boiler burner plates for my ship and two prizes for me.

i carried the the compass and the EOT across the country four times and five commands. When we reached our final home in the Southwest corner, i made a rough mount for the compass, and my wife put it among her potted plants in our courtyard. The weather has given it a “weathered look” to the point, i can’t read the compass.

Today, i finally assembled the EOT in a manner i like. i still have some finishing touches including figuring out where and how to display it, and i may eventually straighten up the display, but, i like it:

Now comes the intriguing part. The nameplate notes thip EOT repeater states it is from the USS Twiggs (DD 591). i wished to add a description on the back of the ship from whence it came. But the Twiggs could not have been one of those destroyers in Long Beach, later sunk as targets.

The first Twiggs was (DD 127) commissioned in 1918, sold to Britain and subsequently sold to Russia and later returned to Britain to be the ship featured in the movie “A Gift Horse” depicting the British Saint Nazaire Raid in WWI.

The USS Twiggs (DD 591) received a torpedo hit off of Okinawa in WWII before the attacking Kamikaze aircraft self destructed into the ship. There were 188 survivors rescued out if a ship’s complement of 273.

So how did i end up with an EOT repeater from the USS Twiggs (DD 591)? How did it get from a ship sunk off Okinawa in 1945 to a ship about to be sunk in a missile ex in 1974?

i feel a bit eerie. You see, i wandered through officer’s country and came upon a stateroom, not unlike mine on the Hawkins and Hollister. i pulled down the desktop from its secure position and opened the drawer above the desk. There was a letter, unfinished, un mailed, to a girl friend from a junior officer. It was a bit haunting. Now even more so.

Any idea of how i could have ended up with the Twiggs EOT would be appreciated.