Pop Kerns bowling alley in Coronado was the West Coast hangout for frogmen during the late 40’s and early 50’s. The bowling alley only had four lanes, lockers for civies and a long bar. I don’t remember ever seeing anyone bowl- just drink. The facility sat beside the Amphib base on the Coronado side jetting into San Diego Bay.

Pop’s was strictly a Frog hangout. Strangers entered at their own risk. All the local girls who hung there had UDT stenciled on their butts.  Pop carried a tab for most guys. He would lend you money in a pinch and stowed our private vehicles when ops were extended. Many UDT private vehicles were buried at sea off the rocks behind Pop’s into San Diego bay. Such happenings usually took place on the last night in Diego when you shipped out to Korea. I have often wondered how long Pop’s served in the same capacity. I know it was there when I left in 1952,. However, it was gone when I returned in ’03. If someone out there has any later details or info on Pop’s, Please share. Thanks, Phil Carrico.

phil

Wanted to point an error on my part. I saw while looking at your website an error on the bulletin board in my article: "Memories of an Old Frog"…There wee (9) white hats, one chief, and the LT for a total of 11 individuals. (in that article , in error, I had 10 and 12). Remember the unknown in the after raid picture? He was the problem and that guy drove me crazy for months because I could not believe there was someone in that small squad I didn’t remember. (He turned out to be a member of the ship’s company and a friend of some of the guys and not a squad member). Thought you would to know…Editor: Thanks , it helps to be accurate.

Bobby: The article below is from the Captain (Frank McCallum) of one of my ships, the USS Kirkpatrick, DDR 318. I have been lucky some folks remember me. —Don

This did in fact bring back memories! I. too. was at sea on the Dew Line during Christmas of 1959, commanding the USS Calcaterra DER 390. By Christmas Day we must have been in the (relatively) balmy waters of Station 4, closest to the Azores. But two events of that winter bear recounting. We had severe icing, as reported, and I spent one night braced on the deck of the sea cabin, timing the rolls with a stop watch and the stability curves, hoping to be able to hang on until relieved. We re-entered Argentina, and it took all hands some 8 hours to get the ice off the ship. Sure wish I had a picture of the ship as an ice castle! It actually had icicles growing from the overhead inside the sea cabin.

I also experienced "statistical wave" that winter. Fortunately, it was daylight and I was on the bridge and saw it in time to turn the ship about 90 degrees to meet it. Wouldn’t have been a big deal except that, as in the email account , it broke just as it reached us, crashing into the forecastle. The biggest damage was that the 3"50 gun mount was a piece of junk, and train ring and all had to be replaced in the yard. My Commodore was not happy, sniffing "I’ve been in lots of storms and I never lost a gun!’

The Calcaterra was one of the last DERs to remain in commission, I understand. I’m in a computer user group with a former Navy LT who served aboard her some fifteen years after my tour, decommissioned it in 1975. It must have been a very tired ship.