74.
Jan. 11, 2007
Subject: Superb Site

Dear Michael:
Have just stumbled across your site and it is superb!! Am amazed at some of the images – well done. Can tell you the location of the image of HMS Hood on Page one at the bottom with people on a wharf in the foreground – it’s Fremantle Western Australian in 1924.

Very Best,
Geoffrey Thomas
Perth, Australia

73.
Jan. 10, 2007
Subject: Your Website

I would like to congratulate you on a well laid out, informative site. The photos are excellent and I look forward to spending more time looking. Well Done !

Thank you,
Murray Hewitt

72.
Dec. 22, 2006
Subject: Amazing Site

I was lucky enough to come across this site yesterday and have spent hours amazed at the TITANIC pics. I'm a TITANIC enthusiast and have tried without luck in finding the absolutely amazing pictures like your site has. I was begriming to think that they just didn't exist. The photos, the art, WOW....keep up the fantastic work, and thank you for your amazing efforts.

Regards,
Steve
Australia

71.
Dec. 12, 2006
Subject: MaritimeQuest

Dear Sir,

I have the pleasure of visiting your excellent site recently. I must write to express my appreciation of your efforts in setting up this excellent site, which is a great asset to all maritime researcher and ship lovers. Please keep up your efforts.

S.K. Wong,
Hong Kong

70.
Dec. 7, 2006

Richard D. Duffy was my uncle, he died before I was born. My older brother had the privilege of wearing his name. We were both sailors.

I am 60 years old now, but I still think and wonder about him. A lot of what I am, is because of my respect for him.

James F. Lafayette
Whitehall, New York

69.
December 2, 2006
Subject: My Father was on this ship

Hello, I have been curious about my fathers past a lot lately, maybe because I am getting older. He has passed away now, but I know he was on the USS New Mexico, I have a picture of him and the others on the ship but all the picture says is 132 J.C. Rich Csp (A) San Diego. ?? If this means anything to anyone I would like to know more. His name was Joseph Peltier and I was told he boxed during his time on the ship. Thanks for anything you can share with me about this time in his life.

Vicki

68.
November 27, 2006
Subject: Met an old crewmember today

Hello,
I am a retired Navy Senior Chief. I just retired in 2004. But I love talking to WWII Navy vets when I meet them. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Coho (First name maybe James or John I think). He was a crewmember on the New York during the attack on Iwo Jima. He worked in the CIC, and I think he said he was the CIC Officer. He told a great story about a couple of busted screws and a new floating drydock repair. He continued and told the story about heading to Iwo Jima and that they bombarded the shore for 78 straight days.
He was giving tours at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland. My 17 year old son was with me and we both shook his hand and thanked him for the great story. Museums are great, but there is nothing like a real sea story.

Douglas Stewart,
CTRCS(SW/SS), USN(Ret)

67.
November 27, 2006
Subject: Royal Navy

I love ships and your site is wonderful. HMS Vanguard, Diana, Adamant Fearless and others ..

Pat McDonald

66.
November 25, 2006

I discovered your web site today - it is quite fascinating. Thank you for all the hard work in putting it together and maintaining it.

Best wishes,
John Tait.

65.
November 20, 2006
Subject: SERVED ABOARD USS JOHN F KENNEDY 1972 THRU 1975

I REALLY AM ENJOYING YOUR NAVY WEB SITE. WAS KINDA FUN LOOKING AT MY OLE SHIP. I SERVED ABOARD THE USS JON F. KENNEDY CV67 FROM 1972 THRU 1975 , I WORKED ON THE WAIST CATAPULTS (CAT 4) AS A JBD OPERATOR . THOSE WERE SOME WILD AND CRAZY TIMES BACK THEN VIETNAM WAS ENDING. I THINK AT THE TIME IN 1973 WE THE KENNEDY WAS THE ONLY CARRIER AT THE TIME THAT DID NOT GO WEST PAC, OR VIETNAM CRUISE, WE WERE ONCE ORDERED TO GO THERE BUT THE WAR ENDED RIGHT BEFORE WE WERE TO LEAVE. ANYWAY A GREAT WEBSITE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

THANKS,
MIKE TOOLEY
OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY

64.
November 18, 2006

One of the best sites I have found, thanks.

DAVE

63.
November 16, 2006
Subject: Guestbook

First I want to thank all persons making this site possible. I never found another site having this amount of amazing pictures anywhere! Great job!

I used to browse this site when I was working in my old job. Unfortunately I didn't sent the URL to my private mail account so I couldn't remember it in my new job. I finally found the site using google in the middle of the 10th page. A site like this should show up on 1st page!

Best Regards,
Navi Yzarc

62.
Nov. 8, 2006
Subject: Fantastic Website!

Dear Maritime Quest Crew!

I really like you web site, especially because I am an Ocean Liners "freak" (specially about "TITANIC" since the age of 9)! I really appreciate your pictures and all of so many other ships. I think I am going to visit your site much more often.

Olivier-François De Bastos,
Luxemburg

61.
Nov. 5, 2006

I have in my possession a Midshipman's journal dated 2nd June 1923 to 20th September 1925. The Midshipman's name is J FRIZELLE and he served in HMS AJAX, VALIANT (twice) & VANSITTART. He names the Captains and D.O.'s of the ships and the journal contains many, many photographs, detailed drawings an maps.
I am curious as to what became of him and if his journal is of interest to anyone, perhaps his descendants.

Stephen Bodycote
(Lt., RN Ret.)

60.
Nov. 2, 2006
Subject: Great Site!

Have just homed in to your site. Well done and what excellent pictures! - some of which cost a packet on eBay posted by copyists.

David Hutchings

59.
October 30, 2006
Subject: USS Charles R Ware

Sir:

I was on this ship and it was built at the end of WWII and served in the East coast and Vietnam..
Do you have any information on your site?

Bryan Moss, USN
1951 to 1955, RM!

58.
October 30, 2006
Subject: Very Interesting

I enjoyed this site very much. My interest was in the Diesel Submarines, my husband was on four of them, serving twice on one of them. His name was Gary "OBIE" Oberbroeckling he served 1962 to 1973. He was assigned to the decommissioning of the Pickerel and the Trumpetfish. He was very proud to serve in the U.S. Navy.

Sharon Oberbroeckling

57.
October 28, 2006
Subject: Royal Navy WW2

My father, Herman Willie Holden, enlisted in the RN in March 1914 as a 12 year old boy and served until 31.12.1925 when he finished as a Chief Petty Officer. He served on numerous ships including Empress of Asia, Benbow, Warspite and Emperor of India. Vivid 11 and Vivid 111 are mentioned on his record – are these ships or shore bases? I remember him telling me about making two brass candlesticks from stanchions, for the Roman Catholic padre on board HMS Warspite and we have in the family possessions, two candlesticks he made for my mother. Has anyone else relations who served on these ships?

Margaret Barrett
West Yorks, UK

Reply 1.
October 29, 2006

When you joined the Royal Navy as a rating (an indeed Officers as well) you were appointed to a ship (seems reasonable doesn't it). Ratings had on their caps a band (or tally) stating their ship. OK so far but what about ratings serving at shore establishments? Well the RN had a cunning plan to ensure that even there they were "onboard ship" (and incidentally also allowing the White \Ensign to be worn (flown) whereas such flag is only allowed on the jackstaff of warships).

Each shore establishment had assigned to it an actual floating ship in commission as an HMS. Sometimes these were really modest craft but they were still ships and commissioned as HMS. Thus even although the establishment might have been miles away from the sea it was still a "ship" and ratings (and officers of course) preserved navalese in their talk and conduct. Thus the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham had attached within the naval base a ship commissioned as HMS PEMBROKE and the ratings at the barracks had HMS PEMBROKE on
their cap tallies.

The Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport (adjacent to Plymouth) was built in the late 1800s and at the time the Commander in Chief of the area had an official yacht HMS VIVID. He decided that the new barracks should take the designation HMS VIVID. It was customary for satellites of shore establishments to take the "ship name" of their parent with I or II and so on added. HMS VIVID I was the signals centre associated with the Devonport Barracks but not actually inside the perimeter. HMS VIVID II and III would have been shore units, part of the Devonport barracks, probably not actually within the perimeter but certainly within the general area of Plymouth Naval Base.

One other snippet, during the mid 1930s and a grand drunken mess night occasion someone suggested to the (?) Commander in Chief of someone similar that given the close association of Sir Francis Drake with Plymouth, wouldn't it be a good idea to rename the RN Barracks there as HMS DRAKE. So it was and thereafter a craft upon the water was commissioned HMS DRAKE and the RN Barracks ever after was known as HMS DRAKE.

Robert Edmonds
London, England

Reply 2
October 29, 2006

Hello Margaret,
My father, Archibald Boyne Shand, joined the Royal Navy as a 16 year old in 1923 and after Ganges, served on Revenge, Furious, Victory I and WARSPITE from 8 November 1928. Additionally he was on shore establishments at Columbine (South Queensferry) and Greenwich.

I am still researching his career and know that he also served on Royal Sovereign and Vampire but I do not have official confirmation yet, but have photographs of him with Vampire and Royal Sovereign's name on his colleagues hats.

Alexander Shand,
Dundee, Scotland

56.
October 26, 2006
Subject: Great Pictures

I Served onboard the IOWA May 1952 thru February 1956! Hoping the IOWA will be a Museum soon.

Dick Blair
PN2 "EX Division"

55.
October 26, 2006
Subject: USS Nimitz

Great Photos of the USS NIMITZ (CVN-68). Please inform all who sailed onboard her during all periods to check out the USS NIMITZ Association.
Thanks!

Ray "Bigs" Bigelow, '78-'81
USS Nimitz Association

Reply 1
Jan. 26, 2007

You may find what your looking for on this link. http://web.rmslusitania.info:81/pages/index.html
Hope it helps..

Peace,
Dan

52.
September 27, 2006
Subject: USS Texas

We enjoyed the pictures of the USS Texas. My father, who joined the Navy in 1901 as an Apprentice Seaman served on the Texas when it was commissioned until the end of WWI. He obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He was called back to the service in September, 1941 and was Officer in Charge of men at the Radar School in Chicago. He died before my sons were born. This summer our whole family visited the USS Texas museum in LaPorte, Texas and were able to walk on the deck where my father had walked.

Barbara (Bloom) Garnett
Duluth, Minnesota

51.
September 10, 2006
Subject: RMS Mauretania

Just found your website and pictures of RMS Mauretania (1907) for which many thanks. I am the nephew of the Mauretania's Third Engineering Officer,David Edward Arnott Clarke,born in Glasgow,Scotland on November 06 1899. David was educated at Shawlands Academy and graduated BSc (Engineering) from Glasgow's then Royal Technical College,now Strathclyde University. He died on January 14 1927,after a short illness from tuberculosis. I have a few pictures of some of his officer colleagues taken during some of Mauretania's cruises.

David Morrison