USS Samuel B. Roberts painting

It's a wonderful thing to honor such a noble action. Is Ulithi still active on the forum? I wonder how much he'd charge for a commission of another WWII vessel I have in mind?

 

I have quite a circle of shipmates who proudly served aboard the ugly old gal below. Storis is the second most famous (and beloved) ship the USCG ever had, beaten out only by the Cutter Bear. Bear was special in a number of ways. In 1885 "Hell Roaring" Mike Healy was appointed skipper and as skipper of the Bear he was in effect, the territorial governor of Alaska since the actual politically appointed governors were a series of non-entities who lived down in Seattle. Healy was the Skipper of the Bear for twenty years and ruled Alaska with a firm but kindly hand for that entire period. He would sail up and down the coast (the Alaska coast is longer than both lower 48 coasts put together) hold trials, hang those found guilty, marry those who needed it and feed those who were hungry. It was his idea to sail to Russia and buy herds of reindeer for introduction into some of the hungrier areas in NW Alaska (native wild caribou can't be tamed or herded). Those reindeer are still there and still feeding people. The most interesting thing about Healy was that he was black, the son of a slave woman who married her owner, an Irish immigrant - he set her free of course, whereupon like most married men, he became the slave. Anyway, pretty neat that a black man, or a half black man was made a Revenue Service officer in 1864 and climbed the ranks to be given such power by 1885.

Sorry for the detour on Bear, but after WWII Storis came off her Greenland Patrol duties and took over for Bear, which had finally been decommissioned in 1944. Storis came off the slipways in 1942 and after Greenland, served in Alaska until 2007. She was a sturdy old riveted construction pig that stayed active until 2007, a service life of over 64 years. The gubmint got their money's worth out of her.

I'm writing all of this background to entice Ulithi into a painting. Maybe with a new family member he could use the money...?

It would be an honor (and quite easy I think) to raise the money for a portrait of her. Everybody who served on Storis was kind of honored to do so. It would be easy to raise whatever is needed. The painting would be donated to the US Coast Guard Museum in New London, Connecticut.

Below is Storis in her WWII war garb in Greenland.

 

Thanks, Otto!

 

Hey Kodiak and all,
As Otto so kindly explained, I have been blessed with my first child a few weeks ago. I might be interested in this a few months down the line when the sleep gets caught up a little. I never know what to charge for my art. It wouldn't be much, especially for veterans. I did a painting for my friend to give to his grandfather for Christmas who served on the USS Denver a few years ago. I was so honored that I felt guilty for charging for it. But they insisted. We can talk down the road on the details. Maybe we could even raise money to donate to the site here.
Got to go for now, baby is waking up.

 

Great news. Hope the new kidlet is healthy and happy. The first months are nice. They sleep a lot...so cute. ..but then, something happens. ..experienced fathers know, but don't really want to talk aboot it...kind of like 'Nam.

 

Wow! Ace, the Sammy B. painting is a tremendous artistic achievement! I hope to see more of your work on the forum. Great job.

 

A " Samuel B. Roberts" was hit by an Iranian Mine on April 14, 1988 ...

if possible, draw that ship too.

thanks in advance.

 

It would be interesting to hear an Iranians' view on the mine incident, MrTIRDAD.

 

ofcourse, that was an accident...

we were not fighting with US Army or e. g. German army...

we were fighting with iraqi armed forces and a small group of traitors, called "MKO" or "MEK"...

but shoting down our aircraft (IRAN AIR Flight No. 655) is a war crime and is unforgivable.