USS BELKNAP Association

Newsletter 2006

An Open Letter to the USS BELKNAP Crews

Dear Mr. Cook,

I was twelve years old living in Naples, Italy in the early and mid-seventies with my parents and three sisters. My father was a civilian working for the 3M Corporation, which had a manufacturing plant north of Naples. When we discovered USS BELKNAP was in port, we contacted a family friend, Admiral Parker, to see if we could find out more about the ship and possibly get a tour. A tour was arranges and our family was treated like royalty on our visit. The visit was sometime during the year before the crash. As a young boy at the time, I still have fond memories of the ship and the crew. I still have the USS BELKNAP baseball hat and pencils (unused) I was given that evening. My youngest sister, Kathy, age five at the time, only ate peanut butter sandwiches. At the dinner on board the ship that evening the captain ordered her a custom made peanut butter sandwich from the kitchen after she would not eat the dinner that had been prepared for us. We were impressed.

Another thing that stuck in my mind was the ship’s mascot, a praying mantis. I am fairly certain her name was Henrietta. I remember hearing that she had died not in the fire, but in the attempt to put out the fire, by drowning.

My parents, Rowan and Karen Belknap, who are both still alive and in their late sixties, had a dinner party for the officers at our apartment in Naples after the crash just before they were going to tow the ship back to the states for repair. Somewhere in their things are slides of that dinner party with all the officers. I remember the courtesy and respect the officers all had that night at our home. I also remember the appetites they had. I guess it had been a while since they had had a good home cooked meal.

Reginald Rowan Belknap is a distant relative of ours. I cannot put my hands on the genealogy book my grandfather published to see exactly the lineage, but at the time of our visit to the USS BELKNAP, we were able to show the captain this book and the relationship.

I often look on eBay for USS BELKNAP items. Not too many out there. I think anyone with souvenirs from the ship are keeping them. Sad to hear the navy used her for target practice after her retirement.

I send my greetings to the crews of the USS BELKNAP and hope the reunion is a fun one.

Daniel Belknap

Belknap Descendant Send Regards to Crew

Mr. Daniel Belknap, a descendant of Reginald Rowan Belknap, one of the admirals for whom the USS BELKNAP (DLG/CG-26) was named. He was invited to attend this reunion as a special guest of the BELKNAP Association, he informed me that he would be unable to attend, but wanted to send this letter to let us know that the USS BELKNAP, and the crews that manned her, hold a special place in the hearts of him and his family...

Stephen J. Cook