Facebook is a magnet for opinions. You either like it, hate
it, are somewhere in between or never want anything to do with it. I personally
have had a love/hate relationship with fb.
I am currently on Facebook. I quit once and, must say, I missed
seeing what my “friends” were saying and joined again. Though I rarely post, when
I do you will most likely see photos of my puppy or snapshots from vacation.
So, you can only imagine my surprise when I found my uncle’s
naval ship on
Facebook! My Uncle Dick enlisted in the Navy on 7 February 1952 and was
assigned to the
U.S.S. Washburn as an apprentice seaman. His naval career
was short-lived due to a non-combat accident that resulted in his death on 3
October 1952. My brothers, sister and I never had the opportunity to meet our
mother’s only sibling.
How did I find it? My nephew Tyler’s on a one-of-a-kind homework
assignment. On 2 October 1952, Uncle Dick ended his last letter home from the
U.S.S. Washburn with the words “I love
you and don’t you ever forget it.” Sadly, he died the following morning
just hours after posting the letter.
Through an internet search of the U.S.S. Washburn, my nephew
and his mother discovered a new Facebook page dedicated to the ship! Why would
the ship have a newly created Facebook page all these years later?
The answer is simple. The U.S.S. Washburn was having a
reunion on 19 September 2013 in San Diego and the organizers understood the
importance of social media.
My sister contacted the owner of the Facebook page and
reunion organizer to ask if anyone remembered our uncle, Richard “Dick” Dollen,
and, if so, could they contact us. Veterans are a special group of people and quickly
spread the word. Soon, our request was answered.
Two men named Charlie McCorkendale and Bob Hall responded.
Yes, they remembered Dick and they remembered his death, as well. Our pulse
quickened, not only because of their response, but also because Bob Hall’s name
was frequently mentioned in our uncle’s letters. Uncle Dick considered Bob Hall
his good friend… and we had just found him.
Bob told us what life was like on the ship for two “new
boots” on the Deck Division, including their first cruise, a supply run to
Point Barrow Navy Base in Alaska. Once supplies were offloaded (Uncle Dick’s
assignment), the U.S.S. Washburn headed into The Long Beach Naval Shipyard for
routine maintenance. The shipyard was also the location of our uncle’s fatal
accident. Bob explained the circumstance around Dick’s working conditions and
his death.
My sister and I never anticipated hearing from our Uncle
Dick’s best buddy who kindly answered all our questions. I must say, we are very
grateful for Facebook; without it, the connection would have never have been
made and our questions would have remained unanswered.
Facebook also provided us with the opportunity to see photos
of the ship. We saw where our uncle slept, the deck on which he worked and
much, much more. It also provided informational links to Wikipedia, Naval
Amphibious Photo Archives, A Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and the
U.S.S. Washburn Commanding Officers.
In this instance, Facebook provided quality genealogical
information. The first-hand recollections of two sailors stationed onboard the
ship provided consistent information: Charlie McCorkendale rushed to Uncle
Dick’s aid and Bob Hall recounted the story of a short friendship and detailed
explanation of everything that occurred between boarding the U.S.S. Washburn on
Saturday, 24 May 1952 through our uncle’s death on
3 October 1952. The informational links were extremely helpful
in learning about the history of the U.S.S. Washburn. It you are interested,
please visit the U.S.S. Washburn on Facebook and see the potential of social
media.
