Gaffney

OK, First the Important Stuff!

• MBD's dress is at the fitter's requiring minimal alterations.  As is Mrs J's.
• Dance lessons for mois are scheduled to begin this week.  
• While I think I dance like this.
  
  
• I really look like this. (and dance and sing) 
  
  
• I'll probably end up still looking like Frankenstein.
• The rest of the wedding stuff is coming together nicely.

So we might just get through this after all.

In other news,  my computational device has failed.  It freezes a couple of minutes after logging in, and requires a hard shutdown to recover.  It's 6 years old, so probably time for a new one.  

In case anyone is asking, I'm writing this from the computer in my office at work.  Yes, I'm working.

Or rather Powershell and Sql Server are working, querying every computer in the district for their name and service tag.  We'll be using that information to rename every computer in the district with a new naming convention which will, of course, make everything "bigger, better, faster".

Or so they say.

Dang, juvat! What an exciting job you've got!  Nothing boring like this.

Ahhh...Those were the days.

Sarge forwarded an email from Ox saying that he also had been a passenger onboard the USNS Hugh J. Gaffey a few years earlier than I.  Which led me to do some Binging on her history (sounds kinda weird saying "her" on a ship named for a guy, but I'm Air Force... wadooino?)

Anyhoo, here's the info packet distributed to passengers on the ship.

Source

Copied, almost verbatim, from this site.  The Gaffney was a Admiral W. S. Benson Class Transport:

Laid down, 15 December 1942, as a Maritime Commission type (P2-SE2-R1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 679), at Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard Inc., Alameda, CA.

Launched, 20 February 1944

Acquired by the US Navy from the Maritime Commission, 18 September 1944

Originally commissioned USS Admiral W. L. Capps (AP-121), 18 September 1944, CAPT. Niels S. Haugen, USCG, in command

During World War II USS Admiral W. L. Capps operated in both the Asiatic-Pacific and the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theaters

Following World War II USS Admiral W. L. Capps was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
22 to 29 January 1946
20 to 25 March 1946

Decommissioned, 8 May 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown

Returned to the Maritime Commission for transferred to the US Army Transportation Service, renamed USAT General Hugh J. Gaffey

Reacquired by the Navy, 1 March 1950 and placed in service by the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) as USNS General Hugh J. Gaffey (T-AP-121)

In 1956, a 10 month old boy saved the ship by reporting an Iceberg while enroute to Okinawa.

Placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register, 9 October 1969

Transferred to the Maritime Administration for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet

Reacquired and reinstated in the Naval Register, 1 November 1978

Placed in service as a barracks hulk, redesignated Miscellaneous Unclassified IX-507

Laid up in the NISMF Pearl Harbor, HI., date unknown

Struck from the Naval Register, 25 October 1993

Given that she was laid up in Pearl Harbor at least until '93, I've probably laid eyes on her again since the area where those ships were stored was visible from my off base house when first assigned to Camp Smith.  Small World.
Apparently, on June 16, 2000, she had a rendezvous with a missile and can now be found about 2700 fathoms down as a reef.

Source

"Hugh Joseph Gaffey, born 18 November 1895, in Hartford, Conn., attended Officers Training School at Fort Niagara, N.Y., and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery Reserve 15August 1917. Assigned to the 312th Field Artillery at Fort Meade, Md., he went to Europe in August 1918 and served in France and Germany before returning to the United States in August 1919. During the next two decades he served at various posts in the United States and served with the 15th and 18th Field Artillery and the 7th Cavalry Brigade. Assigned to the I Armored Corps in July 1940, he served with them until July 1942 when he was assigned to the 2d Armored Division. Appointed Brigadier General 5 August 1942, he was sent to the European Theater in November. From 1943 to 1944 he was the Commanding General of the 2nd Armored Division. In April 1944, he was designated Chief of Staff for General Patton's 3d Army fighting in France. He then assumed command of the 4th Armored Division in December. From 1945 to 1946 he was the Commandant of the Armored School. Major General Gaffey was killed in a B-25 crash at Goodman Field, Ky., June 1946." 

Source