If you would like to email me directly, rather than leaving a comment, please feel free to drop me a line at ed (the @ sign goes here) usswalton.com I have to write the email address this way to try and stop the spam bots. You write the email address just like you always write email addresses. I’m sure you understand.
I try to respond to all comments or emails and am always trying to encourage crewmembers to submit sea stories or names of shipmates who may not know about this site or the Walton Reunions.
I truely loook forward to hearing from you.
Hay, that color gunfire photo is MINE, not Bob’s. Sorry, could not help giving you a bad time.
The site looks great Ed. Do you plan to post more photos?
Where have you been hiding? My emails to you have been getting bounced for months. Was about to try and call you.
Cheers!
Herb
Those CD’s I promised got put on hold when my hard drive crashed and I lost all the pictures. As soon as I can get them all together, I shall go back to work running them through my slide scanner again and get them copied on to CD’s. Should be sometime this year…
Nice site, good job.
JW
You’ve done a great job and a lot of work preparing this web site. I had what I considered good fortune to spend about the first 16 1/2 years of my 30 years of naval service in the tin can navy. Eight of those years were on Destroyer Escorts, the USS Walton (1960 – 1962), USS McGinty, and the USS Whitehurst, with the remainding years on the USS Cowell, USS Brush, USS Braine and the USS Wallace L. Lind. The men who served on the DE’s should be very proud of their service because when compared to Destroyers, the Destroyer Escorts were inferior ships with inferior equipment. The tasks and missions for both types of ships were almost similar yet the DE’s were asked to do those tasks and missions with the inferior ships and equipment, and with fewer men. I think we can stand tall in that we were able to do what was asked of us in a very respectable manner. Whenever I meet someone who proudly indicates they were a “tin can sailor”, I know they are someone who I would like to have served with on any ship, anywhere, and anytime.
Thanks for bringing back some memories of the days on the Walton.
Thank you for the positive feedback. It’s been a fun, but time consuming project. It has brought back a lot of fond memories. I have many more photos to put up as soon as I can reduce many of the pictures down to a managable size. I’m sure you will see many people you remember. It has allowed me to reconnect with several of my old shipmates, and that has given me reason enough to keep the site going. As far as a DE doing the same job as a full size DD with less equipment, I take great pleasure in remembering the the USS England (DE 635) sank more subs in WWII than anyother ship in the Navy. Be well!
Ed, hope remember a person who went by a nickname of” Mayor of Skidrow”. I believe he was a deckape. Cruising through carribean websites there was a picture on (www.orientbeach.com ) home page looks like that person.Beware it a nude picture, not pornographic. I remember this being a party type of person and quite a big fan following.
Hi D.J.,
Well, looking at the photo on the web, I’m pretty sure you’re talking about Jon Kelsey (SN), who was indeed, a deck ape. He was also known for his “attributes” so I don’t think the guy in the photo is him. Then again, I could be wrong, it’s been along time. He was a funny, outgoing guy who did have quite a few friends. If you go to the “Cruise Book” page on this website, there’s a picture of the 1st Division and he’s in the last row, just to the right of the flag. He’s wearing glasses. Good memory.
I have just learned from the Navy Department a few of the particulars regarding the sinking of USS Walton, and want to share them with you.
She was sunk at 1300T (1:00 pm PDT) on 7 AUG 1969 “after utilization as a test bed for Project Harpoon Wart.” The coordinates of the sinking are latitude 33-09N, longitude 118-50W.
My unofficial guess is that after Walton was hit and damaged by the Harpoon missile, she was then sunk to dispose of the hulk. And by my very crude calculations, working from the coordinates supplied by the Navy, she now rests on the bottom of the Pacific in about 265 fathoms (some 1600 feet) of water in the southern corner of an “explosives dumping area” approximately 72 nautical miles west (256 degrees magnetic) of Oceanside, California and approximately 14 nm northwest (293 degrees magnetic) of San Clemente Island. I can’t be any more exact than this because I lack detailed coordinates and a good West Coast navigation chart.
I also do not know from what platform the Harpoon was fired. As you may know, that missile can be launched from aircraft (AGM-84) such as the F/A-18 and P-3C, surface ships (RGM-84) and submarines (UGM-84) against surface targets. Presumably, Walton was expended as a target for a Harpoon warhead test.
Wish I could tell you more but at least now we know where our ship ended up and how she got there.
Best regards,
k~
Hello Gentlemen,
My Father was aboard the Walton from 51-54.His name was Delwin (Buzz) Sell. He was a Cook on the Boat. I was just wondering if there was anybody out there that might have known Him or possibly if there was anyway a person could get ahold of maybe some crew photo’s if there was such a thing.
I Hope somebody can help me out or point me in the right direction anyway.
Thanks for all you did for our Freedom,
Sincerely, Bill Sell
Hello Bill,
We do have some crewmembers who were on board around that time. Maybe some of them will read your comment and get in touch with you. If you remember any stories he told you, pass them on. It might jog someone’s memory. Thanks for reading the Walton blog.
Hello Ed,
First off Sir, Thank-you for Replying to my request.
Dad never really talked much about his time on the Boat. Maybe I never really asked that many questions.
The one story that I do really remember is that when he got his first cooking duty, it was making Corned Beef. He puts the Beef in the ovens and goes about other duties in the Kitchen. Well, it was quite a few hours later and the CO came in the kitchen and asked Dad what the hell was going on. Sailors were waiting to eat and there was no food. Dad told Him that the Meat was still pink inside and didn’t think it was done yet. The CO said that it was Corned Beef and that it is always pink when cooked. He proceded to tell Dad that it would be Tougher then shoe leather, but at the time there was nothing else they could do. Guess the Mates ate it but probably were not to happy about it.
Bill
Ed, any idea how many are going to show up in San Diego for there union? I’ve lived here for over 25 years in El Cajon and love it. I was on another page and left a comment trying to see if anyone remembers leaving a sailor behind in Manila at a bar called the RED ROOSTER. Can’t remember who my buddys were then but I missed the ship movement to Hong Kong and was picked up by the SP’s, put on a plane , flew over the ship and had a bumpy ride on a C-47 back to Subic Bay to await the ships return.
Any way if anybody remembers let me know, I ran the evaps making fresh water and also engineman on the motor whale boat. maybe this will get some minds working. If I can stay out of the hospital long enough maybe Ill see some of you old salty dogs. Thanks, Vic Brown ENFN
Hi Victor,
No, I don’t know how many are going this year. We’re hoping that having it on the west coast and in San Diego will bring out more of our shipmates. Obviously, you should attend, it’s right next door and there may not be a better chance than this one.
Man, getting drunk and missing the ship. What did they do to you for that? I do remember you since I started out on the Walton as a BT striker.
Mary and Jerry Hudson are putting this thing together. If you write her, she may know how many are going. She’s also the one who takes the money, etc.
Go to the Reunion page and there will be all the information on how to contact her. We’re all getting older so stay well and we’ll see you in San Diego in Oct.