Welcome Kapitan Himstedt

We have long enjoyed a good relationship with the office of the German Naval Attache(1066-1989) in Washington DC. Many fine officers have served in this capacity over the years and we are pleased to announce that Kapitan zS Richard Himstedt has replaced Kapitan zS Friedrich Jacobi there in Washington DC. Welcome to the USA Kapitan and Welcome to SHARKHUNTERS.

Far East Yoya

We are pleased to appoint YOYA KAWAMURA (1739-LIFE-1991) to the position of SHARKHUNTERS International Far East Correspondent. YOYA has contributed many outstanding historical articles and facts already, and we look forward to many, many more articles in the future.

Globe-Trotting Yoya

Some time in the middle of 1998, our Far Eastern Correspondent YOYA KAWAMURA (1739-LIFE-1991) was on his magic carpet again, this time visiting the islands of Kiska, Attu and Shamshu in the northern Kuriles off the coast of Alaska. This was a very busy place for a short while during World War II, and that is why YOYA came there.

In this letter, he says: 'The passengers on the boat were avid bird watchers from Germany and England. They did not even know there was a war in the Aleutians, and I stood out like a Martian among them.' He sent us a photo of him standing at the site of the Japanese HQ on Attu on the 55th anniversary of the last change of this garrison.

Membership Contest 1998: Final Results

We have reached the Checkered Flag for the 1998 Membership Contest. We sincerely and deeply thank each and every Member who participated. Here is how they finished:

JEFF KINGSTON (4340-1995) : 12
This brings JEFF's total new Members to 13, and with his efforts for 1998, he wins TWO more years of Membership - FREE!

GEORGE LOGUE (1879-LIFE-1991) : 5
This brings GEORGE's total new Members to 7, and with his efforts in 1998, he wins one more year of Membership - FREE! But GEORGE, you are a LIFE Member. Either you must promise to live one year longer, or we will give this year to whomever you say. Drop us a note.

PAUL GAUDETTE (EH 672-1997) : 2

There are more Members who participated in our 1998 Membership Contest but we cannot list them all on this page.

Members who recruited one new Member each are'.

MARC COHEN (166-A/ILIFE-1986) who now has a total of 27 new Members recruited
BUD DANA (245-A/LILFE-1987~ who now has a total of 6 new Members recruited-,
'Torpedoman'MIKE AMMAN (424-1988)
JOE BURGES (605-A/LIFE-1988), who now has a whopping total of 82 new Members recruited!
VERCIL SENSEMAN (692-1988)
Capt. EDWARD L. BEACH (1163-LIFE-1989)
RAY WADDEY (1238-1989)
LOU vanderSTREET (2246-A/LIFE-1992) who now has a total of 36 new Members recruited-,
GEORGE LINZMAYER (4555-LIFE-1995)

To all who took part in this 1998 Membership Contest, thank you very much. We are glad to see two winners, but would like to see many, many more win more years of Membership. Let's come out of the gate in a great hurry with the 1999 Membership Contest!

Computer Fund

As you know, we have upgraded our computer equipment over the years as necessary, to keep up with ever-changing technology. A few years ago, we went into debt to buy the latest (at that time) state of the art Pentium computer. Thanks to the computer store owned by BILL CUSTER (1764-1991), we were able to get quite a bargain on our computer needs. However, there was still a bunch of money put on credit for our new computer and equipment; more than $3,000 over a year or so. Thanks to our Members' donations over the years, we paid off more and more of this debt. Towards the end of 1998 we still owed $681 on this debt. Then we received:

$50 from NILS-MARTIN JERGENSEN (4747-1996)
$75 from JIM VERDOLINI (480-1988); former radioman from USS GUADALCANAL when they captured 6-505,
$100 from YOYA KAWAMURA (1739-LIFE-1991)
$20 from FRANK GORTHY (5121-1997)
$25 from ADOLF ZIESSENISS (2428-1992)
DM 100 from Kplt HORST von HORSTIG (3767-1994)
$ 100 from LARRY HAGENAH (1232-C/LIFE- 1989)
DM 200 from KARL-HEINZ HARTMANN (1211-1989
DM 100 from OTTO von BtLOW (305-LIFE-1987), Skipper of U-404, KNIGHTS CROSS with OAK LEAF
$25 from MICHAEL BROCZSKI (3741-A-1994)
$50 from JIM VIZIGIAN (29-1984)
$20 from GUNTHER HOLLDORFF (207-1986) from H-416

Many thanks to these Members and to all Members who've helped. If you have done the math, you will see that we are no longer in debt -- in fact, we have a whopping $4 in the account now! That is not a lot of course, but we deeply appreciate all the help from our Members in the past to retire this debt.

Lawsuit

In the 16 years SHARKHUNTERS has been in existence, we have never been sued and we have never sued anyone. That is about to change. One of our Members sent us a copy of the Sharper Image catalog. I can't remember who it was, but thank you very much for sending it. In this catalog was a listing for an item called the 'Sharkkunters Submarine'.

We immediately contacted the Sharper Image and informed them that we have already trademarked our name and our image, and said they could not use our name. The Vice President of the Sharper Image was an honorable gentleman and said that they did not know, and that this item was made by another company. He told me that the Sharper Image would immediately stop marketing this toy, and he gave me the name and address of the company that did make the toy submarine.

When I contacted the manufacturer, Nikko America with the same comments as we sent to the Sharper Image, we got back a very different response. They basically told us to go to hell and they would not stop manufacturing this toy using our name. We had no intention of getting money from them - we just wanted them to stop using our name. They refused, and so now our own friend and Member, attorney GREG SCOTT (2012-A-1991) is bringing suit against this company. Look for updated information as it comes in. We will not allow our name to be abused.

Postage Rates Going Up

We read this in KTB #136 last month, and we read that our dues would not go up. All that has not changed, but one Member called and asked if the postal rates were going up so the disgruntled clerks can afford to buy ammunition. Probably no truth to this rumor.

UXB Or Harry Goofed

Thanks to JUEL EDWARDS (1648-1990) for pointing out, in his pleasant and humble way, that I had goofed in our report of the German atomic research facility in KTB #136 last month. I said that I thought the symbol for heavy water was H2O2, which I guess is really hydrogen peroxide.

Heavy water, as JUEL so correctly points out, is shown as D2O since it is now called 'Deuterium'. As a former 'Special Weapons' expert 'in the US Air Force, I should have known that. In fact, the 'squash' area in the forward end of the hydrogen bomb, the part that changes the bomb from a mere fission atomic burst to a totally devastating fission/fusion hydrogen burst contains not only Deuterium but also Tritium. This technology is so old that I don't think I have compromised any security by printing this.

JUEL, thanks for your update, and for letting me walk back in my memory to the 98th Bomb Wing, where I spent many a freezing winter and scorching summer as a Loading Team Chief, putting these big babies in the bomb bays of B-47 STRA TOJET bombers. Doggone - I remember times when 25 below zero was the WARMEST it got for two weeks!

Celebrate History

SHARKHUNTERS will be there again, and as you have already read, HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985), youngest submarine commander of World War II and KNIGHTS CROSS winner, will be the Guest of Honor and will conduct several seminars.

April 9 - 11; South San Francisco Convention Center. We'll be there - we hope you'll be there too.

Your Dues May Be Tax-Deductible!

Check with your tax-preparer, but I believe there is a section that allows you to deduct membership dues in organizations and/or money spent for magazine subscriptions, from your taxable income.

As I said, check with your tax-preparer to be absolutely certain that this is proper - then squeeze that lemon dry!

Membership Contest!

We are off to a great start with the 1999 Membership CONTEST. Some of the familiar names are right back in the thick of the chase as we see the following scores at the end of January:

JEFF KINGSTON (4340-1995) 2
MARC COHEN (166-A/ILIFE-1986) 1
MAURICE LAARMAN (5492-1998) 1

As we said, these are some of the really busy recruiters. This brings the overall totals up very nicely. Over the years, for instance:

MARC COHEN now has a total of 28 new Members recruited;

JEFF KINGSTON has a total of 14 new Members recruited, and MAURICE LAARMAN is just getting started but he will do well.

Both MARC and JEFF are off to a great start and have a lot of new Members to their credit, but they will have to work mighty hard to top the all-time King of the recruiters that is JOE BURGES (605-A/LIFE-1988) with a current total of 82 new Members brought on board so far!

Good luck to all in the 1999 Membership CONTEST and good luck to those who would unseat the King - he will not be sitting still either. 1999 will be a spirited Membership CONTEST.

Remember, for every five new Members you bring on board, you will win one year of Membership - FREE! Good luck to all.