Slow Cruise News U.S.S. Simon Lake (AS-33)
January 2006 Jacksonville, Florida

Our next reunion is planned for Jacksonville, Florida. Dates and hotel are still in the planning stage. The original plan was for the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel in downtown Jacksonville, on the St Johns River, but the reunion coordinator is having second thoughts. More later on the exact dates and location.GOOD NEWS We are both doing well. Tommy’s prostrate cancer is in remission and Gordon has had no negative reports from his doctor, passed his last full physical with flying colors.

Web Site The Simon Lake web site ( www.simonlake.org ) has been in a dormant stage for some time due to Tom’s health and business reasons. It is now up and running and you should be able to see all of the reunion pictures, plus several other improvements. We have a very intelligent young lady in Tom’s office who is assisting in getting our web site up to date. The site has been moved to a new server. The old URL: will no longer work. The only way to access the web site is to use the following URL: , nothing else will work.

If you have a dial-up connection the page will load slow and the 2003, 2004 and 2005 pictures will load very slow. They are configured to run as a slide show or one at a time. All pictures must load before you start viewing, thus the slow down. If you are using a dial-up connection with accelerator the picture quality will be degraded. The cost of hosting on the new server will be $97.00 per year. We will pay Tom’s assistant $10.00 per hour for her assistance. Any one that is in the web page business or has paid to have a page built or updated will appreciate this bargain. It is expected that the initial cost to update and revamp the page will be in the vicinity of $500.00. After that the cost will be minimal. In the very near future the members list will be passworded for security reasons. The mechanics have not been finalized yet, but it is expected that your e-mail address will be your user name and it will only be accessible to members.

The final details will be sent by e-mail. By the time you receive this, the web page should be up to date with the best information we have; however, if you find any problems such as broken links or pages that won’t load please let us know. When the Members List is passworded it will be especially important that your email address be kept current. Check the membership page now and be sure your e-mail address is correct. Phone calls, e-mail, correspondence, web page and continual updating of the roster takes much of our time. WE need your support, with reunions, change of address, change of e-mail, and member info on the web page. Look at the printed roster, and the web site roster and correct the information and/or supply any missing information. Submit a change when you move. We have lost track of several members who did not submit changes. Any information change or update on members should be e-mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it If you don’t have e-mail, mail the change to Gordon at the address on the bottom of this page. We are looking for news items, or any other information that you consider newsworthy, or that you think other members might enjoy, send it along by snail mail at the address at the end of this paper, or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also send any comments you may have, positive, negative or otherwise. Many thanks to all those who keep us up to date on our shipmates around the country. If you report a death be sure you verify the information. We buried one member who was very much alive! Dues!!! As of this date many members have not paid dues for 2003, 04, 05 and the 2006 dues are due on 1 January 2006.

Many shipmates are sending more than their required dues and their generosity is greatly appreciated. So lets all do our share in continuing to keep the Association running. As of this date we have 218 members of which 100 have paid their dues. The membership roster looks great at first glance, however, several of the people on the roster are woefully behind in their dues. In the near future the membership list will be purged and will include only those members that are up to date. After the Members Page is passworded you will no longer be able to access that page if your dues are not up to date.

When you send your dues please mark your check for years paid, or if you have received an invoice enter the invoice number in the memo section of your check. If your dues are not paid up through 2006, you will be billed in early 2006. If you don’t get a bill, you are up to date. The cost of doing business continues to rise and the expenses associated with keeping the Association going follows the trend. We have not had a dues increase since 1998. Consequently, we must, reluctantly, increase the dues to $15.00, and initiation fees to $15.00 for new members, as of January 2006. Most reunion association’s have increased their dues by 5 to 10 dollars and their dues are mostly in excess of ours. Hopefully, this slight increase in dues won’t discourage anyone from remaining or becoming a member. We can’t keep the Association going without you. If you no longer care to be a member please let us know. Surviving spouses automatically become life members and payment of dues is no longer required. Mail all dues to the Virginia Beach Address at the end of this newsletter.

If you send e-mail and don’t have Simon Lake in the subject, there is a good chance that it will get lost in the junk file. Gordon has a proposal for your consideration. He would like to place a plaque at the Navy Memorial in Washington DC. The cost of the plaque is $2,500.00. He has done this before, for another ship he served on. On that ship he donated the first $100.00 and in a period of a few hours he had the required amount. Please give this your greatest consideration. He has collected $750.00 as of the writing. The plaque will read: Dedicated to the Officers and Crew of the USS Simon Lake AS33 1964 to 1999 Our reunion in Norfolk was a success although we only had a group of 31. We had two new members join and a possible third. We also had two walk-ins. We are hoping they will join soon.

For those who didn’t come, we missed you. We were looking forward to seeing our old shipmates who we haven’t seen in a few years. We started the reunion with a Sunday afternoon gathering in the hospitality room for coffee and chit chat, followed by a very nice dinner that evening to welcome everyone. After dinner we returned to the hospitality room to renew old friendships. On Monday we toured the city using the free shuttle buses. Monday evening we car pooled and went out to an excellent seafood dinner. Tuesday we enjoyed the sights of the city on our own. Tuesday evening we went for a dinner cruise on the Sprit of Norfolk. Wednesday we car pooled to the famous Doumars for a barbecue lunch. Where can you get a great barbecue sandwich for a $1.50 these days, it was a fun afternoon.

That evening we had our banquet and a great prime rib dinner. Thursday morning we had a very nice breakfast, said our goodbye’s till next year. Hoping to see you in Jacksonville in 2006. Lord hold our troops in your loving hands, protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they preform for us in our time of need Smooth Sailing Gordon and Tommy Only you can be yourself. No one else is qualified for the job. You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

Gordon L. Sanders & Tommy Thompson