10 YEARS AGO in our KTB

In KTB #24 we announced the new book ‘JAPAN’S SECRET WAR’ by ROBERT WILCOX (25-1984). This book told of the extensive atomic weapons project in Japan toward the end of World War II and it gave the first hints that German U-Boats were trying to reach Japan with cargoes of uranium for the Japanese bomb. BOB mentioned SHARKHUNTERS in his acknowledgments, along with Members JOHN TAYLOR (19-1993) and JIM VIZIGIAN (29-1984).

MIKE EPSTEIN (5-LIFE-1983) was checked out in the Space Shuttle. He flies everything except helicopters.

We were going at top speed to select the official emblem for our SHARKHUNTERS. We picked the one you see on our letterhead and on the front cover of each KTB Magazine. Thanks to our SHARKHUNTERS Attorney GREG SCOTT (2012-A-1991) our emblem is officially registered with the U.S. Government as our own SHARKHUNTERS trademark.

We ran an unusual picture and asked if any Member could figure out what it was. In the next issue, we revealed that it was a ‘fish graph’ picture of UC-97, the World War One German U-Boat sunk in Lake Michigan just north of Chicago. We loaned the picture to HANK KEATTS (59-1984) for his book ‘DIVING INTO HISTORY - the U-BOATS’.

We also ran a piece entitled ‘KNIGHTS’ which kind of sums up the way the wars went as well as the men who fought them. War is a terrible thing - but the people who fight the wars can be honorable men. Please see page 24 for this piece.

5 YEARS AGO in our KTB

In KTB #70 we ran the story of DOUGLAS, the pig that was captured by U-162, JüRGEN WATTENBERG (154-+-1985). We advertised our SHARKHUNTERS dive trip to Roatan. There were some comments comparing Edwin Hoyt with Buchheim. There was further information on our story that Pepsi Cola was receiving old WHISKEY Class submarines from the Russian government in payment for their product rather than cash, which the Russian government did not have. Barry Holt, the Director of Public Relations for Pepsi sent a letter in which he flatly denied that this was taking place. However, the wife of a SHARKHUNTERS Member was a Pepsi executive with the group from Pepsi who were handling these exchanges.

We gave an overview of a book entitled ‘TRACK OF THE GREY WOLF’ by Gary Gentile, which we felt was a really bad book, full of errors and half-truths as well as out & out false statements about some U-Boat Skippers. We helped KIRK STEINHOFF (441-1988) locate the grave of Fritz Steinhoff, the Skipper of U-873. We reported the impending marriage of our friend GARBAGEMAN DAVE MOBLEY (417-1987) to his Kim - she is a really nice lady. We announced new ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985); PROF. ZEL EATON (55-LIFE-1984) and EDDIE RUMPF (179-C-1986).

When KTB #70 was published, there were MEMBERS in only 25 countries. Today, there are Members in more than twice that many countries - 56 countries! KTB #70 was only 24 pages long, done on an old typewriter. The whole issue of KTB #70 would require only about 6 pages of today’s 40 page computer-set KTB.