Very sad day: Capt. Zeb Alford passes away

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

FADM Gryphon, that is a beautiful tribute image...

That was a great Christmas Day story loved it. And I also remember well being in the back seat of the family 1952 Ford Stationwaggon on 11 trips back and forth across the US quite a while ago. I will keep an eye out for Tonto when travelling in the future

Oberon, i agree, Capt Alford was at the cutting edge of some of the major changes and developments and doing some research on line last night I found this detailed and fascinating account he shared about the tragic loss of the USS Thresher due to an Engine Room Flooding accident, i think this is a worthy reminder of the critical and remarkable work that Capt Alford did in his career, and the perils that all sub men face and face bravely every day they go to sea...

Subject: Today in History - April 10
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 02:55:34 +0000
I got the following e-mail about the loss of USS Thresher from Zeb Alford, retired Navy captain and Cavalla Historical Foundation board member. __
Ron Harter
Cavalla Historical Foundation Public Information Officer

rharter@...
40 for freedom, 1 for training
Dear John,
Your remembrance of the loss of USS THRESHER brought back many poignant memories of mine. I was CO USS SHARK at that time and on a special op. I couldn't believe the msg. we received. The CO USS THRESHER, Wes Harvey, was a close friend and one of the most qualified nuclear engineers I ever had the honor to serve with. We put the TULLIBEE nuclear prototype and USS TULLIBEE, our first nuclear SSK, in commission. Wes was the engineer for both, Dick Jortberg was CO, and I was XO. I never served on any nuclear submarine with a more qualified wardroom and crew than TULLIBEE--that's saying something!

In November Admiral Rickover had me ordered to the pentagon to OP 31. Admiral Dennis Wilkerson was my boss there. The task he assigned me, among others, was to get together all the information pertinent to the loss of THRESHER, and write the presentation to Congress by Admiral Red Ramage (OP 03) concerning loss of THRESHER. I was also assigned project manager for the SUBSAFE program for CNO.=2 0My saddest memory was listening to the tapes of the underwater phone conversations between Wes and the submarine rescue vessel ,which was his escort for his sea trials, after a major overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Wes had relieved as CO while the sub was in the shipyard. The first conversation that I remember well was Wes telling the sub rescue vessel "stand clear, emergency surfacing from test depth, flooding in the engine room". His voice was calm, and easily recognized. I could hear the air blow start and the screw speeding up. In less than a minute, the emergency blow trailed off and the screw started slowing down. Wes's last report was "attempting to blow" . Wes knew and I knew that were no orders that started with "attempting". His voice was still calm even though he knew by then his sub was lost. I believe till this day that he was telling us something was wrong with the air blow system. Even someone as good an engineer as Wes couldn't figure out why the air blow stopped. The next thing on the tape some minutes later was the collapse of the first bulkhead, followed shortly after with the others collapsing. Calculations later estimated the sub reached 300-400 feet depth before the flooding stopped her ascent. Six weeks later when she was located, the bow was buried about thirty feet deep at 12000 feet depth. Calculations show she was going over 100 knots when she bottomed. The front half of the sub was vertical. The su b broke in two at the reactor compartment. I could read the name of the next to last reactor watch officer on the log sheet on the bottom of the ocean from the hundreds of pics made.


Before I had arrived in the pentagon, the submarine force had conducted alongside blowing of the air blow system on sister subs. All the valves froze from adiabatic expansion causing freezing of the small amount of moisture in the compressed air.. Other subs had samples taken from their saltwater engine room cooling system. The silver brazing joints were destructively tested and the bonding ranged from 100 %(few) down to 10%. The reactor safety systems had shut down the reactor from the flooding and spray in the engine room. We knew what the problems were, and the fixes were quickly decided on and implemented. By pass systems were installed on the reactor safety systems within months on all the operating and building nuclear subs. To get the other fixes, the subs had to get shipyard availabilities or overhauls as the designs and equipment became available. When I left the pentagon in 1965, I requested to be assigne d to the first submarine that would get the complete SUBSAFE FIX during its overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. That submarine was USS SAM HOUSTON. I had one polaris patrol before going through a year and a half overhaul at Portsmouth. This involved a core replacement as well as the SUBSAFE FIX. I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT EVERYTHING WORKED. I'm still here and we have never lost a sub that had the SUBSAFE FIX installed.

In conclusion I was lucky to play a small part in a major effort where the Navy made a complex military system work. Admirals Ramage, Rickover, and Moorer had the complete confidence of the Secretary of the Navy and the Congress. They reported the findings of the Board of Investigation to the Congress as soon as it was completed. They reported all the things the Navy planned to do to make sure that problem wouldn't happen again, and finally they reported what the costs would be--several billions of dollars. The Congress accepted their reports and approved the money for the program. The rest is history. I believe the loss of THRESHER will be remembered as long as there are submariners.
captnzeb sends
@4-11-09.

re the stories Patti, you might even set up an e mail address and put a little notice in the memorial program to invite ppl to submit stories of your dad's or about him, and you girls could assemble a memorial book and share it in PDF format, or maybe set up a website for your dad. I plan to do a site for my father, who is 88 and a poet with some remarkable life experiences but he dosnet want it while he is around..... but those are ways to share and to help others honour your dad.

[Onkel Neal]

Here is one of the earlier e-mails from Capt. Zeb to the volunteers who began the Cavalla Historical Foundation. This decisiveness and energy was typical of Zeb, he had focus and he knew how to get things done.

To Exec. Committee:
Attached are the Articles of incorporation for the CAVALLA Historical Foundation. I did not sign this last Sat. since I wanted input from all of you. Please look this over and be set to suggest changes and to decide who should be on the board at our next meeting. We need to get this done ASAP since this is what's holding us up from starting our fundraising with the various foundations. I do not agree with Art.13 and told Renee' to have the lawyer change it to have a simple majority vote able to take action.

Dave Stoops, please set the next Exec. Committee meeting as early as you can get a majority of us together--this week for sure. If it's not convenient to hold at your home pick a spot. Other items I think we should cover include the representatives on the board from the Dallas group, the questions raised about painting inside CAVALLA, and any other items any of you want to bring up.

captnzeb sends@6-20-99.

The mention of the Dallas group is significant. This group of SubVets would venture down once a month. Out of this group came our current curator and the main engine behind the day-to-day work on Cavalla, Chief John McMichael.

[Arclight]

He doesn't seem to be one to beat around the bush, a stand up guy indeed.

[heartc]

Thank you for your service to the Free World, and Rest in Peace.

<S>

[Baby Katie]

Ok -here is a classic Capt Zeb story. I was the only daughter who lived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Gitmo) when Dad was the Commander of the Naval Station there. Well the ratio was 50 males to one female, so as a 16 year old girl - naturally I loved it. Well Dad allowed me to date a sailor( who was his Captains private Boat Bosen-or whatever they are called) and one nite my best girlfriend and I snuck into the Male Barracks to visit the twin brothers we were dating and we had some WAVES or WHACKS (Not sure what those females in the navy were called) with us so they were doing something not allowed also. Well the SP's ( Military Police) heard we were up there and barged into the room and we hid in their lockers all swished so when we could, my girlfriend and I ran as fast as we could right past the SP's to our get away car at the bottom of a long dirt hill. We had bought some beater station wagon from some German sailor for us to use while living in Gitmo and we had to manually lift the front hood and pump the carburator or some fuel pump with my hand while Lisa would start it. All this with the police chasing us; but we drove away with dust flying and I vaguely recalled hearing the police say "Hey - wasn't that Capt Alford's daughter?"
So I end up with the Whacky Waves (female sailors) and my girlfriend in Dad's Naval Office all standing at attention and he dictated the punishments for the Active duty women and then he looked at me and could barely maintain his laughter and said "Katie-I will take care of you at home" When they all left the office I stayed behind and we broke into laughter and he just thought the whole thing was too funny -so he said 'You are not allowed on the barrack grounds for 30 days" or some lame punishment. See- he knew I was such a good girl and would never do anything to discredit or disrespect him so he knew I was just up to some minor mischief. (Sounds like a good reason - huh?)

[geetrue]

That's the first sea story I have ever heard a girl tell ...

Your alright Katie ... I don't care what Zeb said about you ...

[Polar Pablo]

From the husband of navy Junior Jane

Zeb, larger than life, an encycopedia of sea stories, a warrior whose stories will probably never be fully told. He was extraordinarily kind about being landed with a British son-in-law, possibly because he loved the eccentricity and tradition of his sub colleagues at Holy Loch. We shared a love for the sea and much time spent on it and in it, he underwater and me in the Antarctic ice. I always looked forward to sharing sea stories but we never quite got to mine, no matter his were better. One of our great joys was finding naval history books for his birthdays and Christmas which were always deeply appreciated. Memories of whimsical conversations, often revolving around his belief that if he could not have been born to be a nuclear sub skipper, he would have wanted to be a frigate captain in the RN in the Napoleonic wars, a great compliment to a limey.
We will always remember and chuckle at his sign off on countless messages for navy Junior jane and his other daughters, bah, bah babeh!
We love you we will miss you, send us tide tables for heaven!
Pablo

[FADM Gryphon]

Originally Posted by patti

Wow that is beautiful thank you so much. After waking at 4am this was a great way to start my morning. Is there anyway you can get this into something that the church may use on the program. here is the Pastors email and please ask him to call me so maybe it could be on the cover or inside of the program. bjohnson@second.org

Patti per your request and emailed the pastor. I will send you a pm with my personal email to let the Pastor look out for my email.

The pic was fun to make and what better way to honor a fellow sailor. Salute to you as well Captain.


D. Brooks ABEAN US Navy 92- 95

[FADM Gryphon]

Originally Posted by Baby Katie

Fadm Gryphon,
Your tribute was amazing-Thank-you for creating and doing that. It is so beautiful. I would love to see the subs with all their tales out of the ground where you saw that. How moving that must of been.
The poem, the picture, the concerns and from all of you is just so helpful to us all
Baby Katie

Your quite welcome. I understand your lost, as I have lost a parent as well.

Making the tribute page is my way of honoring a great man and a fellow sailor. I salute all that served. We are a family even if we never meet all the members of the family.

[urfisch]

rest in peace. naval men are always special...

[Nisgeis]

Rest in Peace.

[FIREWALL]

@ Neal

Can Capt Zeb be added to our Eternal Patrol list please ?

I think it would be fitting.

[Baby Katie]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

@ Neal

Can Capt Zeb be added to our Eternal Patrol list please ?

I think it would be fitting.

Thank-you Firewall- I went into that place and saw the list of those on Eternal Patrol. I agree with you- it would be an honor for Dad.
I kept calling it "Eternal Parole" till big sister Peggy told me -that is in Prison Katie - it is 'Eternal PATROL. I stand corrected!

Baby Katie

[peggy]

Dear Precious Friends,

I wish I could meet each and every one of you and say thank you eye to eye for your heartfelt writings and pictures for my dad. Thank you Neal, Adm. Von Gerlach, John Barber, SunValleySlim, WildHawkeII, Gunfighter...and on and on and on. You lift us up, all of you.

Here is another fun Dad story. Happened in Guantanamo Bay...Baby Kate somehow forgot I spent a year down there. I had been 2 years to college (Kate was still in high school there terrorizing the base) and I came down there for a year...I mean, it was paradise for us girls and I didn't want to miss an opportunity like that. It was Christmas and sister Jane and I were having a party for all the college kids that were home for the holiday. Well, that same time Bob Hope, Neal Armstrong, and Charlie Pride we're coming in for a USO show on the base. Neal and Charlie got in a day early, Dad picked them up from the airport and apparently said "Hey guys, there's not too much going on tonight, but 2 of my girls are having a college party and you're welcome to come over to our place and hang out". They said "sure, why not". The party was outside, warm breezes, of course a beautiful bay view, stellar sunsets...and in walks Dad with these 2 guys. We girls were giddy to say the least. We had a live band that was pretty darn bad, but we didn't care. Charlie asked if they would mind if he joined them...and sang 'Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'. It was so cooool!!! The guys in the band couldn't believe it, neither could we. Dad was just standing back and watching how happy it made everyone. Then Neal Armstrong kept pointing at the moon, and talked to many of us about his moonwalk (not like Michael Jackson's). I remember his saying how much he loved golf and how much he played whenever he could...and then he said something that made everyone take note...."As far as I know, I'm the only guy that left his balls on the moon". That pretty much brought the house down and we rocked till the wee hours of the morning. Dad loved to dance and we loved having Mom and him at our party, dancing with all of us. We all have such special memories from there. And they will never be forgotten.

God bless you all,

Peggy

[Captain Birdseye]

I'm sorry I missed this.


Rest in peace sir.