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USS
GYATT (DD-712 ~ DDG-1) REUNION |
Attachments (Click to download): |
Jacksonville, Florida will be the home for those attending this reunion for five days. Jacksonville houses the naval facilities known as Mayport. It was a port visited by the GYATT in the mid 1950s and the latter 1960s. It will be the facility for the USS ADAMS, DDG 2, which was actually built from the ground up so to speak, for the firing of guided missiles this ship was actually built to fire missiles. The ADAMS was twice the displacement of the GYATT and the missile for the ADAMS was one-half the size of the missile used on the GYATT. The GYATT had an oversized missile on an undersized hull. The ADAMS when it is put in place in Jacksonville, as a museum ship, will be the home for the memorabilia, accumulated by the GYATT over the years, as voted on at the business meeting for Reunion 15 in Duluth, MN. Chuck THOMASON, our treasurer, agreed to take care of the memorabilia and deliver it for viewing at GYATT reunions until transferred to the ADAMS. The ADAMS is trying to come up with ten million dollars so that it can be moved from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to its facility in the Jacksonville area The GYATT agreed to hold onto the memorabilia until the ADAMS is located in Jacksonville it may be a while. Back to Naval Station Mayport it is the home of the Fourth Fleet and houses four cruisers, four destroyers, six frigates and four helicopter squadrons. It is scheduled to house nuclear aircraft carriers in the future. Now we relate the information you have been waiting for the hotel and the schedule: Hotel: CROWNE PLAZA JACKSONVILLE AIRPORT 14670 Duval Road The USS GYATT rate for your room will be $89.00 per night plus the appropriate taxes. This rate, for a GYATT reservation will apply for a period of three days before the reunion and three days after the reunion. Reservations must be made through the hotels reservation department at 904-741-4404 or their toll free number at 1-877-559-0015. To guarantee the aforementioned rate reservations must be made by the 16 th day of August 2013 . Free shuttle service from the airport is available by calling 904-771-4404. The reunion schedule is as follows: Sunday Day 1 15 September 2013 This is sign-up (starts at 1:00pm) and get acquainted day, visiting with shipmates from past reunions and meeting those how are here for the first time or second time or even a third time. To look at the many albums that have information and photo-graphs from the decision to name the ship GYATT and its two commissionings and two decommissionings and a whole lot in between. There are also photo albums covering the previous seventeen reunions. Our hosts, C. F. & June TURK, having been to all 17 previous reunions and the only ones to do so will have some snacks and finger foods to keep you at the tables so you do not have to go out to eat. Interestingly, two couples have missed one, Tom & Jaci FULLER and Roland & Rosemary CASTILLO. Monday Day 2 16 September 2013 At 9:00am we will meet in the lobby of the hotel and 15 minutes later we will be on our way to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the new world. We will learn of pirates and priests: the Spanish and the English; forts, churches and hotels. We will have lunch on our own and our spouses will have time to shop. We should be back to the hotel around 4:00pm. Dinner is on your own. Tuesday Day 3 17 September 2013 We start one-half hour earlier (8:30am) today as we head to the third largest naval facility in the United States, where we will be given a tour of the base and then lunch at the former officer's club looking out on the Atlantic Ocean. After lunch we head to the Anheuser Brewery for a tour of their brewing operation and then spend time in the Hospitality Room tasting some popular beers. As it was on Monday we departed in time to get us back to the hotel around 4:00pm. Dinner is on your own. Wednesday Day 4 18 September 2013 We start at 9:00am again today and if all goes well we will arrive at the Veteran's Memorial Wall and be advised as to how it came about, when that is completed we will hold our memorial service. Upon completion of our memorial service we will be served lunch at a restaurant that overlooks the St. Johns River. We return to the hotel and with about 45 minutes to freshen up the shipmates should be ready for the annual business meeting. The banquet will be held at 6:30pm with a cash bar opening at 5:30pm. Thursday Day 5 19 September 2013 Reunion ends with checkout. So we hope to see you again at our next reunion. COSTS: I almost forgot all of the above is yours for only $225.00 per person. The bus rides, the tour guides, two lunches and a banquet. If you wish to attend the banquet only, the cost is $60.00/person. Please see the newsletter for additional information and contact information. Sincerely - Fred Barata (1950-1954) |