Click on the yellow box below to go back to the main page of the Range Rat Introduction page where you will find information about downrange people, where they worked, where they are now, their email address (if they wanted it published), what stations/ships they worked on, and news about those who have died etc etc.

I now have a Range Rat Sign-in book, to be used exclusively by Range Rats (and their famlies) that you can leave a comment of your experience on the range, where you worked, etc, etc. (See the other entrys in this book for examples, if you leave a comment or message not relating to the range the entry will eventually be deleted, for instance a "Howdy" does not qualify as an entry!). You can give your email address (its not required but its requested) so that other range rats can contact you.

Please do NOT use my "GUEST BOOK" to sign in, that book is for collectors who visit my website, and that is why I made a seperate book for use by Range Rats, called the Range Rat Sign In Book.

Perhaps you are looking for someone who you used to work with that you lost contact with, you could include it in your message in the sign-in book, or better yet send me an email and I can include it on this page.

See the entry of 03 APR. 2010 below for the details. Details are also on the Range Rat Reunion page.

• Bill Lewis of Acworth GA provided this info. in Feb 2010:
  
  "I notice you referred to Range Rats and Ship Rats as though there is a difference. Aboard the USNS Arnold, we all considered ourselves Range Rats, though some said you were not truly a Range Rat until you had made a hundred dollars in one day (a tidy sum back then) and blown it all that night!
  There was one time however when we called ourselves Ship's Rats. Although alcohol was verboten aboard ship, many techs brought it aboard and threw parties in their rooms at night. This required ice from one of the two ice machines. During one of the early Tiger Prowl missions, one of the ice machines broke down and the Chief Engineer posted a sign saying that the remaining ice machine couldn't handle the load. Ice would be available only for meals.
  Parties continued and ice continued to be taken to support same. So the Chief Engineer put a padlock on the ice machine. By the next morning someone had cut the padlock and taken some of his precious ice. Forget missiles! The Chief Engineer went ballistic! He posted a sign stating that the padlock was government property... destruction of same amounted to sabotage... since we were at war (Viet Nam), this was a capital offense! He offered a two hundred dollar reward for the 'Dirty Lousy Ship's Rat' who sabotaged the padlock!
  The next morning a new sign appeared offering a two hundred dollar reward for a chief engineer who could fix the ice machine! And it was signed 'The Dirty Lousy Ship's Rat' !!! Morale improved immediately as all aboard took sides, techs against crew. The Dirty Lousy Ship's Rat Club was formed. I believe I might still have my DLSRC T-shirt packed away somewhere! Ah, the good old days."
• Thanx Bill for this info., when I started these Range Rat pages and produced one especially for ships I wanted to differentiate it from the people who worked on the tracking stations and so I started using the words "Ship Rats", I really didn't know if this is what rats on the ships called themselves!

  Has anybody out there who worked on ships used this term for your identity? Would like to get some different opinions and/or views on this. Send me an email.

• I've lost my diaries but as best I can remember I was on Golf in 1961-62, about a year I think. Were you on board when we were in Recife, off Ascension, and in the Gambia, where we were doing underwater sound, picking up impacts off ASC? I don't know what happened to the ship after that. I do remember the crew catching a pretty big shark off Ascension. They gutted it, then took some of the teeth for necklaces. The cook cut some steaks out of it, and the next day someone went back for more teeth and the "dead" shark almost took his arm off, snapping those jaws by reflex I guess. The other thing I remember is being sick too, every time, the first few days out of port. If we had a mission I had to work the console from a cot with a wastebasket at one end for the upchucking. After three days at sea I was fine."


• Phil emailed me the above info. since I knew he was on the "Golf", one of the small tracking ships that I also worked on it for a few months in 1960 so I wasn't on it the same time as Phil was. I asked him to try and remember something about duty aboard the ship, and the above is what he wrote in Dec. 2009. My seasickness lasted over a week, and I lived mostly on soda crackers and milk and spent a lot of time at the rail. I too had to work a mission while being sick. which was no fun. I do remember we only had salt water showers (ugh!). After being out at sea for over a month, due to mission scrubs and rescheduling I couldn't wait to get back to Port Canaveral and get my mail. I was and am still a stamp and first day cover (envelope) collector and did a lot of trading with other collectors through the mail and when we arrived at Port Canaveral there was someone at the dock waiting for our ship to arrive with our mail. I don't recall who it was but he was complaining and wanted to know who the heck was Frasketi, as he dragged a huge mail sack full of mail just for me!
• I'd like to hear from anyone one else who worked on the ship GOLF and can recall anything about it.

In June of 2009 John wrote this in the Range Rat Sign-in Book (which I have now deleted from the RR sign-in Book and entered it here): "I Went to the Vandenberg sinking in Key West. We were 1500 feet away when she was sunk. Spent time with Mac Monroe and his wife, Mike Steele, Teresa (Jack Steele's widow), Rick Sherlock, Bob Sellars, Deb (Fred Waterfield's daughter), and other great people. We all had a great time attending at least two ship's parties a day with Artificial Reef of the Keys (ARK) people. Spent a lot of time at Kelly's bar, which was our official hangout. Not a very big turnout for the Vandy vet's, but we represented our old shipmates in a manner they would be proud of."

Way back in Aug. of 2008 (OK, I said I was slow getting these pages updated!) I heard this from Vince: "I really enjoyed your website. I was a 19 year old Navy Aerographers mate at Trinidad-Chaguramas from 1958-1960. The Pan-Am tracking ships were tied up near our barracks and we often socialized with the crews in our EM Club or at the outdoor movie theater. Our assignment was launching and tracking weather balloons with radiosondes, information which contributed to the range and weather forecasting. We thought we were pretty good, sometimes getting balloons as high as 90,000 feet. Ironically, there were U2 planes flying higher than some of our record balloon ascensions unknown to any of us.

• This tidbit of info. is from the Range Rat Sign-in book entry of Bob Neal, entered Dec. 2005!!) who in 2005 was living in Elkhorn Nebraska has this to say: "I worked on the Coastal Sentry for Gemini and most of Apollo RF TM , video recorders, chart recorders. Most rewarding work of my life, still have vivid memories and great respect for those who I worked with. For those who wonder and info is difficult to find, Aviation Week magazine a few years ago published a short article about the Coastal Sentry, according to that the ship caught fire and was lost in shipyards where it was being scrapped."
• I heard from Neal again in 2008 and he supplied more info about the magazine but now says it is a different magazine: "This great article in Air & Space magazine of January 2002 tells of the fate of the "CSQ" and other ETR ships. Some of those who worked on those ships will find this article very interesting."
• Neal sent me scans of part of the article written by Dan Kovalchik but maybe I can get the entire copy of that article if he still has it.

• It's past time for an update on the status of the Vandenberg, so here goes:


• (1) FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING OF THE VANDY will occur in less than two months, on Thursday the 27th of May 2010. John Gentry has suggested that a gathering in Key West to celebrate the event is in order. I completely agree with John, and am passing his suggestion on to those of you who have not heard it directly from him.

  All of those who had trouble getting to the actual sinking, when the date kept changing and moving can take heart from the fact that the anniversary date is never going to change! It will always be on 27 May, every year, so that should make your long range planning easier.
  On Thursday 27 May 2010, there will be a gathering of ship troops in Kelly's Caribbean Bar, Grill, & Brewery, 301 Whitehead Street (corner of Whitehead and Caroline) in Key West. Check out: Kelly's Caribbean Bar website. Kelly's is in the historic building that was the original headquarters of Pan American Airlines, which was connected to the ARIS program as you all know. Kelly's will treat us well, with happy hour prices all day and some specials as well.

  You will need an ID badge, so please let John Gentry know you are coming so he can arrange for an ID badge to be available. Click here to send email to John Gentry The plan is basically to greet old friends, and sit around and BS and tell sea stories, and reminisce about the Vandy. Most of us will probably get there at least a day early, and probably hang around through Friday as well, but the "official" gathering will happen on Thursday. Be advised that 27 May is the Thursday of the Memorial Day Weekend, so hotel rooms are becoming tight in Key West. I recommend that you make your reservations early.

  I really like the idea of a gathering, and at this point I plan to be there. Further, I would suggest that we just plan on gathering on the 27th of May every year, as long as there are some of us left. Let it become an annual reunion, and as Pat Utecht has suggested, possibly a "Last Man Standing" party for those who spent time at sea on the Vandy. If you can't make it this year, how about next year, or the year after??

• (2) A MUSEUM EXHIBIT FOR THE VANDY AND THE ARNOLD: A request/favor, if you please. We have started an effort to document the cruises of the Vandy and the Arnold, in order to provide a record for a museum exhibit in Key West. I will be writing some FOIA requests, in hopes of getting some of the old documents declassified, but in the meantime, if any of you have old personal logs/notes/travel records and such squirreled away that can provide documentation of dates for ports-of-call, shipyard periods, TSP periods, missions supported, with Test numbers, missile types, and any other such information that you would be willing to share with me I would appreciate it if you would do so. Click here to Email Mac Monroe or you can write to me at 1365 Pineapple Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32935. Remember that it has been 20 years since the Cold War ended, and all of the missile systems which the ship supported are long since obsolete and out of service, so I don't expect there to be any problems from on high about any information we reveal at this point.
• (3) ADDITIONAL NEWS: The Vandy is apparently turning into a great reef and a great tourist attraction. She is attracting all sorts of plant and animal life, and is off to a great start on her new career. It will be interesting to see some of the impact she is having. I understand that there are a couple of new dive boat operations in Key West now, just as a result of the sinking.

  There is an effort underway to produce a one hour TV documentary on the Vandy, intended for PBS-TV. The documntary is expected to be completed in time for the second anniversary of the sinking, on 27 May 2011. As a part of that effort, there may be a cameraman at Kelly's for the gathering on the 27th. If the camera does show up, it's your chance for 15 seconds of fame! Thanks in advance for any help you can give me in reconstructing the lives of both ARIS.

• Some of these pictures were taken by the crew of the Lighthouse Tender USCS Lilac (see 01 Nov. 2009 entry below), and some taken by others. View pictures by clicking here. (Don't know why these photo album links change from time to time).

In March 2010 Dave sent scans of the Apollo Ships handbook and a scan of the ships patch which is shown here:



The USNS Vanguard patch for the Skylab missions.

NASA232 aircraft flying over the USNS Vanguard.
(Photo supplied by Len Brown, see comments below).

• In Sept '09 I heard from "Jeff", a crew member of the Lighthouse Tender USCS Lilac, which is being restored. Jeff & others had just returned from the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia, they were aboard the USNS Range Sentinel & the USNS Vanguard scavenging for parts. The maritime admin. allows restoration projects to get parts from ships ready to be scrapped.
  Jeff told me when they were on the Range Sentinel, it looked like the crew had just walked off the ship and he also said it has been sent out to bid. The USNS Vanguard had a lot of parts on board that they needed and she is next to be let out to bid for scrap.
• Jeff had asked me two questions about the USNS Vanguard: 1. Why the two bridges and 2. What was the 400hz MG sets used for? I then contacted those who signed the Range Rat Sign-in Book and had listed being aboard that ship. A single email went out to 13 ship rats and I received 8 answers. Thanks guys!
• Q. Why the two bridges? A.The USNS Mercury, Redstone, & Vanguard were originally T2 tankers. Each ship was modified by seperating the bow and stern sections and adding a mid section (that contained the instrumentation and living quarters), ending up with the rear bridge. When they added the antenna dishes, the view from the rear bridge was obstructed and the Maritime Commission ordered a forward bridge to be added. Both bridges were functional.
  Q. What was the 400 hz MG sets used for? A. The 400 hz Motor Generators were for the Univac computers in the computer room. They used 400 hz to reduce the size of the power supply components in the computers. The ship had two 1218 computers that were for the updata buffer and three 1230 computers was for the tracking processing, one telemetry and one command computer.
• I even received a informative reply from Len Brown (a ship rat who has yet to sign the Range Rat sign-in book) who received my email from one of the 13, and Len also sent me the above photo of the USNS Vanguard taken prior to having the forward bridge installed.
• Can anyone send me a photo of the ship showing the forward bridge?





(See comments below about this special envelope).

• The above commemorative envelope (called a cover by stamp collectors) was issued on 09 Sept. 1965 for the launching of the new Apollo Tracking Ship, the USNS Vanguard (TAGM-19). Whoever made the design on the left side of the envelope (called a cachet by stamp collectors) had used the previous name of the ship.

  The printing on the above envelope reads as follows: "Apollo Instrumentation Ship, "Moon Shot Tracker", Muscle Shoals (which is crossed out and the correct name VANGUARD inserted), TAGM-19 Launching. (Formerly T-2 Tanker Mission San Fernando) Lengthened and converted by Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics, Quincy Massachusetts."

• Here is a partial history of this ship:
• On 01 Oct.1949 this ship was placed in service as USNS Mission San Fernando (T-AO-122)
• On 28 Sept. 1964 it was reacquired by the Navy to be converted to a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship (AGM) at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA.
• It was renamed and reclassified as USNS Mussel Shoals (T-AGM-19) while undergoing conversion.
• The ship was renamed the USNS Vanguard (TAGM-19) 01 Sept. 1965, and on 09 Sept. 1965 the ship was launched.

• Does anyone know where tracking ship patches can be purchased? If so please send me an email. My request is for ANY of the the tracking ships. I am sure others would be interested in this information. Can you help?
• If I get any information it will be published here.


• Adolphus M. Sams of Decatur GA recently emailed me that he is looking for a patch from the USNS Vandenberg. I also had a similar request way down the page on 6 July 2006 but never received any info. so am asking again.

• The Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg sank at approximately 10:24 a.m. Wednesday, 27 May, successfully concluding a 13-year-project to convert the decommissioned military missile-tracking ship into a new artificial reef off Key West.


• Unfortunately the live broadcast at the Sink the Vandenberg website, experienced difficulty, and this was their comment: "we regret that many viewers were unable to experience our historic live webcast of the sinking of the Vandenberg on May 27th. While our web hosting company assured us they could handle the traffic, the response was so overwhelming that the server experienced a CPU failure which ultimately blocked access to the website. In order to successfully meet the traffic demands of our viewers, we are switching web host servers and expect to be activated and fully accessible soon with our first on-demand videos for you to enjoy."


• The sinking was also shown this morning on the Fox News Cable Channel and on the NBC evening news channel. This link gives a different prospective as viewed from the vantage point of the air and sea, at the Florida Keys Official Tourism Website.


• The best video that I've seen so far of the actual sinking from the air can be viewed at this link from: Keysnews website (The Florida Keys & Key West Daily Online News).


• The Keysnews link above was provided by Michael Ritter on the message board of Collect Space website. I had posted a message there on 24 May about the sinking giving a link to this webpage, and in just two days there have been over 500 hits to my webpage, where I normally get anywhere from 5 to 15 hits from Range Rats.


• No doubt there will be other video's and still photos available on the sinking, and they will be reported here. There is currently one video on YouTube its a little rough to view with the bobbing of the boat. A few still photographs on the sinking can be viewed at the: Florida Keys Official Tourism Website.

• "I'm heading down to Key West tomorrow, Sunday 24 May, and will probably be disconnected from the internet after that, so this may be my last email. I will try to communicate from Key West, but.......


• 1) A 'nominal' sink time of 1000 AM on Wednesday the 27th of May has been set. Makes perfect sense, if the ship is towed out on the 26th as currently planned, and has been sitting in position overnight. No sense in waiting for afternoon breezes and/or thunderstorms to build up and impede the sinking. OTOH, if there are any glitches, there's a lot of daylight left, in which to get past the glitches and get the job done.
  
  If you are not going to Key West, and do want to watch the sinking, the URL is: Sink the Vandenberg which should be streaming live video of the event. I don't know when it will go live, but I'm sure it will be up in plenty of time for a 1000 AM sinking. The countdown clock on that web site is still counting to noon on the 27th. but I'm sure that will get adjusted to 1000 before then.


• 2) If you are going to Key West, and plan to ride the glass bottom boat Discovery, you will need to do one more thing when you get to Key West. Please call Sheri Lohr on her cell at 305-304-6090 to arrange to pick up your credential/ID/badge to identify yourself as a Vandenberg Veteran. You will need the ID/Badge to get the discount on your boat tickets. Apparently a lot of folks have been making reservations and claiming to be Vandy veterans. I hope they all are, but the folks in Key West are finding that they have to take this one precaution.
  
  If you are coming to the sinking, and have not told me (that's fine) and if you are not on the updated contact list attached to this email as a word document, please contact Sheri either by email (sheri@bigshipwrecks.com) or give her a call, so that she can have an ID ready for you. Family members count, so if you are bringing your wife, child, or whatever, they should get the discount too.


• 3) If you get your ID from Sheri, it will also entitle you to happy hour prices all day, and 10% off any food you eat, at Kelly's Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery at 301 Whitehead St. click here for their website, Kelly's is located in the building that is the original home of Pan American Airlines, and has a lot of Pan Am memorabilia on the premises. Fred Tilman, the owner of Kelly's has been a big supporter of the Vandenberg reef project and understands the Pan Am and Vandy connection. Fred is happy to make Kelly's available as the Vandy vets unofficial watering hole. Hopefully I will see some of you there at some point in the next few days.


• 4) For those of us who have lost comrades from our Vandenberg days, on May 29th at 9:00 AM a military burial ceremony with full honors will be conducted for Jack Steele and other Vandenberg veterans at the USS Mohawk. The Mohawk is a WW-2 Coast Guard Cutter which is now a museum in Key West, moored in the Truman Annex. The event is open to the public and there is plenty of free parking. The Mohawk is next to the berth which the Vandenberg at that point will have just vacated. Following the service family members will have a private ceremony on the deck of the ship and flowers and a wreath will be placed.

Hope to see a lot of you in Key West." Signed: Mac Monroe.

• 1) "As of today 21 May, the sinking of the Vandenberg is still scheduled for Wednesday the 27th of May, with the Vandy being towed out to the sink spot on Tuesday the 26th.


• 2) The glass bottom boat Discovery, with Capt. Carl Avola, is the official sink-viewing boat for visiting vets, crew or passengers of the Vandenberg/Taylor. General public ticket is $100 and includes buffet. There is a cash beer and wine bar onboard. Captain Avola will discount the price to $60 for the vets etc. The vessel’s capacity is 124.
  
  Those of you who wish to ride the glass bottom boat out to watch the sinking, need to make your own reservations. Go online to this link:Discovery Undersea Tours or call 800-262-0099 for reservations. Identify yourself as a Vandy vet to get the discount for yourself and spouse/companion. I think this should be done fairly soon, as they do expect to open sales to the public, and I'm sure that the boat will fill up.
  
  The folks in Key West are very interested in knowing how many of the Cold War veterans will be riding the glass bottom boat. If you are coming, I would appreciate your letting me know, even if you do not want to pass on any contact info such as cell phone or hotel. They want to make sure that enough space is available for all those who want to go out and watch the sinking. I don't have a hotel or an arrival date yet, but when I do I will add myself to the contact list. In the meantime, my cell is 321-258-1436.


• 3) For those that cannot get to Key West, a new website called Sink the Vandenberg is being established which will provide live video of the sinking. You should be able to go to this website to watch the sinking of the Vandenberg live from home or office on sink day. This site also has a countdown clock. You may have to download a couple of free programs to make sure the site operates OK. If you need the downloads it will tell you and instruct you on how to download.
  
  I'll send another update when I have more news."
  Signed: Mac Monroe

• Things are now moving rapidly. I keep recommending that everyone check the web page Big Ship Wrecks since Sheri is adding information daily. For those of you who have not been checking regularly, I provide the following summary.

A) The "NOMINAL" ie: if the weather be good and a cruise ship doesn't get in the way of the move from the port, sinking schedule for the Vandenberg is as follows:
• 1) On Tuesday 26 May the Vandy is scheduled to be towed out of the harbor at Key West and anchored in position about 7 miles offshore at the sinking location. I don't have a time for the departure from the harbor, but I would expect that to be mid to late morning or very early afternoon, since the tow and positioning exercise should only take 3 or 4 hours, but will require daylight. I will try and provide the scheduled castoff time, as I'm sure some of us would like to be there to wave aloha. Any delay in this departure date will almost certainly produce a similar delay in the sinking date.
  
  
• 2) The Vandy is currently scheduled to be sunk on Wednesday 27 May, after being left in position overnight with the four anchors holding it. Again, I don't have a time schedule, but I would expect that the charges will be set off sometime in the middle of the day, allowing for boats to congregate outside the one mile prohibited zone and for news aircraft and helicopters to get into position. See Item E below for the vessel that will accommodate those of us (including me, me, me!) that want to go out and watch the sinking. Don't have departure time or schedule yet, but I'm sure all will be coordinated so that the boat can be on station in plenty of time before the scheduled sinking.

DO NOTE THAT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE VANDY's ENTIRE CAREER, THESE DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS CIRCUMSTANCES DICTATE. THE FORMAL SINK WINDOW IS 26 THROUGH 31 MAY.

B) There are a whole series of "parties" and "concerts" set up starting tomorrow, 17 May 2009, in Key West, to celebrate the sinking. They have left Memorial Day weekend open, as far as formal events go, to let everyone do their own thing. Unfortunately, I suspect most of us will be arriving around Memorial Day, so we will miss some of the early parties. I am reproducing the schedule of the events listed on the website below for completeness.

• Sunday, May 17th KICK-OFF PARTY from 5pm to 8pm for $15 (includes entertainment, rum punch, light fare and a silent auction) at the HARRY S. TRUMAN LITTLE WHITE HOUSE, 111 Front Street in Truman Annex.
• Monday, May 18th at 8pm the ISLAND DOGS BAR at 505 Front Street will have LIVE ENTERTAINMENT featuring the unique Reggae sounds of the Ark Band.
• Tuesday, May 19th – HAPPY HOUR from 5pm until sunset at the WESTIN RESORT, 245 Front Street.
  
• Tuesday, May 19th WHATEVER SINKS YOUR BOAT PARTY featuring the Ark Band from 7pm to 11pm at the SCHOONER WHARF BAR located at the foot of William Street.
• Wednesday, May 20th at 9pm the GREEN PARROT will host a CLIMB ON THE ARK AND SINK THE VANDENBERG PARTY on the corner of Southard and Whitehead Street featuring the roots reggae Ark Band.
• Thursday, May 21st at 9pm, RICK’S BAR at 208 Duval Street will host a MARTINI PARTY.
  
  Note the gap here, for the Memorial Day Weekend. I'm sure those of us arriving during the weekend will be able to find things to do to amuse ourselves. The schedule resumes:
  
  
• Tuesday, May 26th at 6pm, GUY HARVEY’S ISLAND GRILL at 511 Greene Street will host a COCKTAIL PARTY.
• Tuesday, May 26th at 9pm come party at RICK’S/DURTY HARRY’S at 208 Duval Street.
• Wednesday, May 27th at 7pm the RUM BARREL at 585 Front Street will host a SINK PARTY featuring live music by HOWARD LIVINGSTON AND THE MILE MARKER 24 BAND.
• Thursday, May 28th at 7pm, come enjoy a GLAD SHE’S DOWN PARTY at DANTES OF KEY WEST, located at 955 Caroline Street featuring the music of Cool Breeze. DATE AND TIME SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

C) At least until I leave for Key West, and lose access to my email, I will try and build a list of those of us who are coming, where everyone is staying, and contact info (cell phone #s if you are willing to provide them) so that we can find each other. I will probably drive down on either Saturday or Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, but my plans are not yet firm.

More later, as things continue to develop."
Mac Monroe (Cell 321-258-1436)

• Your Range Rat Editor says look at this Florida Keys Website, and look at the far right of the webpage, you will see a box titled "Florida Keys News" click where it indicates the USNS Vandenberg where it give more picture(s) and information about the ship at Key West. (the contents of this page also changes when there is new info.)

• Mac Monroe sent me this info some months ago (see I told you I was way behind in getting the news out): Here is the initial information on the newest tracking ship, the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen, T-AGM 25. As far as Mac know, the keel was laid 13 August 2008, at Halter Marine in Pascagoula MS.
  The below information was taken from this U.S. DoD News Release:
  Navy Names Ship After Howard O. Lorenzen ‘Father Of Electronic Warfare’. The Navy announced Oct 10, 2008 that the name of the next missile range instrumentation ship will be USNS Howard O. Lorenzen. Designated T-AGM 25, the ship will honor the late Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) electrical engineer who was instrumental in the creation of our nation’s electronic intelligence capabilities. Considered by many to be the ‘Father of Electronic Warfare,’ Lorenzen’s accomplishments include developments in radar, electronic countermeasures systems, and intelligence satellite designs.
  Lorenzen led the Galactic Radiation and Background (GRAB) program, the earliest successful U.S. reconnaissance satellite program and the first electronic intelligence satellite.
  The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen will be 12,575 tons, 534 feet in length, and have a beam of 89 feet. Manned by a combined crew of 88 sailors and civilian mariners, the ship will host embarked military and civilian technicians from other U.S. government agencies. The construction contract for T-AGM 25 was awarded to VT Halter Marine Inc., in Pascagoula, Miss.
  Missile range instrumentation ships provide platforms for monitoring missile launches and collecting data that can be used to improve missile efficiency and accuracy. Like the Navy’s two current missile range instrumentation ships – USNS Observation Island and USNS Invincible – T-AGM 25 will be owned and operated by Military Sealift Command and conduct missions sponsored by the Air Force.
Click here to see a picture of the USNS Invincible, T-AGM-24, a sister ship to the new USNS Howard O. Lorenzen. The USNS Invincible is a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship operated by the Military Sealift Command. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

• Mac Monroe sent me this email yesterday: "Our local newspaper the Florida Today (ie: the mullet wrapper) carried an article on 18 December 2008 as follows:"
  "KEY WEST -- WWII ship sold at auction will be artifical reef. A bank bought a missile-tracking ship that brought World War II soldiers home from France, clearing the way for the 524-foot vessel to become an artificial reef six miles off the city.
  First State Bank of the Florida Keys bought the USNS Hoyt S. Vandenberg for $1.35 million Wednesday at a federal auction."
• That is good news by this announcement:
  NORFOLK, Va. -- First State Bank of the Florida Keys purchased the General Hoyt S. Vandenberg at auction Wednesday, making it possible for the 524-foot decommissioned Air Force missile tracking vessel to be scuttled as an artificial reef off the Florida Keys.
  Key West City Commissioner Bill Verge, a leader in the efforts to complete the long-awaited Vandenberg project, said the bank bid $1.35 million, topping other bidders including those who wanted to purchase the vessel for its scrap value or for an artificial reef in other locations.
  First State Bank stepped up to the plate to protect the interests of the county, the city and everybody involved, said Verge, who attended the auction. They thought it was the right thing to do.
  A federal judge ordered the auction of the ship after a contractor failed to complete payments to Colonna's Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., for cleanup of the vessel. The proceedings, which lasted approximately 20 minutes, took place on the steps of the federal courthouse in Norfolk.
  While the shipyard was originally owed $1.6 million, additional charges and the funds owed to other claimants brought the total debt to more than $2.2 million. According to Verge, the $1.35 million will be placed in an escrow account and distributed to the claimants in proportion to their claims, satisfying the entire debt.
  The ship is now free and clear of all debts and obligations, and there's sufficient money to complete the project," said Verge.
  Verge predicted the Vandenberg would be towed from Colonna's Shipyard to Key West in January, if weather conditions allow and Coast Guard permits are in place. The vessel's sink date has not yet been announced."

• while not a Range Rat, its always good to hear from those who sailed on the range ships. Glenn, now living in Point Pleasant NJ, worked on the USNS Vandenberg from Jan 1981 to Dec 1981 as a electrician with Rein Roots and Chief Engineer Spencer, and said "great times underway and in Recife Brazil!"

Click on above image for an enlarged view

• this picture, sent in by Bill Stewart shows the crew of the Coastal Sentry that picked up the first recovered Atlas RVX-2 nose cone, sometime in the summer of 1959. Also included in the picture are a few RCA troops from Ascension Island (in the background).
  He goes on to say that all of these range rat troops are RCA and is able to identify all but two in the picture: Standing (left to right); Wayne Pratt - RCA Ship Tech; Jerry Simpkins - RCA Ship Tech; and ???? - unknown person standing at the far right, Stewart thinks he was the Operations Coordinator at Ascension.
  Kneeling (left to right):Bob Neely - Range Photographer; I.P. Gillmer - RCA Ship tech; Jim Feick - RCA Ship CCO; Lenny Moldovan - RCA Ship Tech; Jim Wright - RCA Ship Tech; John Facker - Instrumentation Manager at Ascension; Phil Hendricks - Radar manager at Ascension; Bill Stewart - RCA Ships Leader.
• 01 NOV. 2009, UPDATE: Originally there were two unidentified range rats from Ascension in the above photo, In June 09 Wally Tubell identified Phil Hendricks, and his name is now filled in. Wally thinks the other unidentifed person looks a bit like Jim Horn. Can anyone verify this? Or if you know who the other one is (the one standing in the background to the far right) please send me an email.


• Bill relates that he was reprimanded for letting Wayne Pratt lean against the nose cone like that, as the main purpose of the test was to see how the ablative coating stood up during reentry, and there he was messing it up.
• ANOTHER SIMILAR PICTURE BUT WITH PAA RANGERATS AND DIVERS INCLUDED: Bill also sent in a picture similar to this one shown above which you can view by clicking: here.
  These individuals are:
  Standing behind the nose cone (left to right): Ed Gallagher, PAA weatherman; Jim Feick, RCA CCO; Art Ramsdell, PAA weather Supervisor (Bill said he was called Globemaster); ???, PAA diver; ???, PAA diver. Wayne Pratt, an RCA Tech is standing in front of the nose cone, and those sitting on kneeling in from of the nose cone (left to right) are: I.P. Gillmer, RCA Tech; Jerry Simpkins, RCA Tech; Lenny Moldovan, RCA Tech; Jim Wright, RCA Tech; Bill Stewart, RCA Leader.
• If you can identify the two PAA divers, where the ??? are, please send me an email.

• The photo caption reads: RCA personnel of the Coastal Crusader (ORV 1851) who were part of the team responsible for a recent successful recovery of a missile nose cone pose with P.M. Gluchowski, Manager Ship Instrumentation, Recife, after the ship returned to port. Kneeling (left to right): A.C. Reneau, J.L. Epperson, J.F. Madonna and R.A. Bowser. Standing: R.C. Patterson, Ralph N. Cron, Jack V. Tolman, K.E. Schramm, J.C. Gorden, L.M. Boyd, Leader, Ship Instrumentation; and P.M. Gluchowski. (I have put their names here just in case they do a search for their own name they will locate this page).

• I had originally wanted to know info. on the USNS Vanguard, Redstone and Mercury. Thanks to the help I've received it's whittled down to just the Redstone. Thanks Guys.
• I have information that the USNS Redstone stayed in USAF service through the 1980s and was retired. BUT WHERE IS SHE NOW? If you worked on this ship maybe you have some (any) information that you can email to me.
• 23 MAY 2007, Jed Clear emailed me that the USNS Vanguard, (which I also wanted to know her present location), was in the James River Fleet, VA as of 31 Mar 2007. Her status is now "disposal". Jed also said that the USNS Range Sentinel is also there and the status is "Historic Review".
• 01 OCTOBER 2007, "Mac" Monroe sent me some information about the USNS Mercury, it had a long life after leaving the tracking program and in 1984 it was scrapped at Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

• A friend of mine, Dr. Ross J Smith from South Hurstville, NSW, Australia is looking for this information as he is writing an article, here is what he emailed me: "One of my areas of interest is Recovery and Tracking ship covers for the US Manned Space program. I have already written a number of articles on these. I've found there is a distinct lack of information (not to mention confusion) on which tracking ships were used for which missions and were they were stationed. I was wondering if you would put a request for information on your Web site. At present I am particularly interested in the tracking involved with each of the Mercury missions".
  If you partisipated in any of the Project Mercury flights and remember which ship you were on and where the ship was stationed, please send your information to Dr. Ross, click HERE

• USNS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg (T-AGM 10),
  USNS General H. H. Arnold (T-AGM 9),
  USNS Twin Falls (T-AGM 11),
  USNS American Mariner (T-AGM 12),
  USNS Sword Knot (T-AGM 13),
  USNS Rose Knot (T-AGM 14),
  USNS Coastal Sentry (T-AGM 15),
  USNS Coastal Crusader (T-AGM 16) (Redesignated T-AGS 36),
  USNS Timber Hitch (T-AGM 17),
  USNS Sampan Hitch (T-AGM 18),
  USNS Vanguard (T-AGM 19) (Redesignated T-AG 194),
  USNS Redstone (T-AGM 20),
  USNS Mercury (T-AGM 21),
  FS Ship Echo,
  FS Ship Foxtrot,
  FS Ship Golf,
  FS Ship Hotel,
  FS Ship India,
  FS Ship Kilo.

USNS General H. H. Arnold (T-AGM 9), from a picture postcard.

• Its an article written by Dwayne Day called V is for Virus, Volkov, and Vandenberg.


• Dick Manaig sent info. on the forthcoming sinking of the USNS Vandenberg. Anyone who worked on the USNS Vandenberg would be interested in learning that it will become an artificial reef off the coast of Key West making it a unique recreational diving and fishing site.


• 01 OCTOBER 2007, Steve Matthews sent in this webpage on the "Ghost Fleet ship to become artificial reef". You can see it by clicking here.. Once you get there be sure to click on the link that says "Click to watch Sky13 Video" which is a silent video shot of the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, taken in Mar. 2007, moving it to a local shipyard and will eventually be sunk off Key West, Fl. Check the "Also Online" box too, as there is much factual information on the Vandy at those links

• I am looking for Ship Information: In 1960 I worked for a few months on one of the smaller tracking ships, the "Golf" I believe it had a designation of "FS" for "Freighter, Small" (it sure was one of the smallest of the tracking ships), however I have found NOTHING about this ship on the internet, (except a brief list of the FS ships: Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India and Kilo), if you have any info. to share, or a photo of the FS Golf or if you worked on this ship, it would be appreciated. (If you worked on any of the other FS ships please let me hear from you). Use the email link above to contact me.
• 23 FEBRUARY 2008, MORE INFO. ABOUT THE FS SHIPS::
• Stephen Wooden wrote me in DEC 07: First: the Golf and other 'FS' ships were "Fleet Service" ships also known by sailors as "garbage scows". They were used during WWII to deliver food and supplies to warships. They then removed garbage from the ship which could be used to detect the ship's position.
  Second: The last time I saw the FS Golf was 1964 or '65 when I was working for ITT Federal Electric (NASA) and was ordered down to Port Canaveral to Tropicana dock to remove telemetry receivers and antennas from the ship. It was scheduled to be sold surplus or scrapped.
• Stephen worked at the PAFB Tech Lab, Twin Falls Victory, San Salvador and later was a Capeside range rat. Now retired and living in Sarasota.

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