Thirty Members of the USS Seattle (AOE 3) Veteran’s Association celebrated their 2010 reunion in Bremerton, h. Aug. 26 through 29.

“It’s been 41 years since I’ve been here, and it was great coming back,” former Radioman 3rd Class Chick Smaldino said.

Many of those who attended the reunion, including Smaldino, were plankowners/crew members who were assigned to Seattle when she was placed in commission.

“I was the third person to report to USS Seattle, and when I checked aboard, it was just a hull,” former Yeoman 2nd Class Jim Pease said. “I got to watch all the plankowners check in, and the other folks check in as time went along.”

The reunion included tours of Naval Base Kitsap, the Naval Undersea Museum at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport and USS Turner Joy (DD 951).

Although Seattle was decommissioned in 2005 and scrapped in 2007, former crew members and guests were able to tour USNS Bridge (T AOE 10), a modern day example of the AOE class of ships.

“Going over to see the AOE 10 was fantastic because I haven’t seen a ship like ours since I was medically discharged from the Navy in 1970,” former Engineman 3rd Class Keith Jones said. “I remember working with great people and running all over the ship, from emergency diesel down to the stern. We covered quite an area.”

Following a busy day of tours, the Veteran’s Association members were greeted at lunch on Friday with a visit from Naval Base Kitsap’s Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Olson and Bremerton Mayor, Patty Lent.

“This is the reunion for very special ship for us because USS Seattle was named for the city,” Olson said. “It was built here in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and was a workhorse throughout many conflicts — Vietnam and Korea most specifically. It was really poignant to have [the USS Seattle Veteran’s Association] come back and have their reunion here.”

The Veteran’s Association members boarded the Bremerton ferry Friday night for dinner across Puget Sound, in the namesake city of their beloved ship.

Olympic Lodge hosted a banquet for the former Seattle crew members the last night of their visit, at which former and retired USS Seattle Commanding Officer Capt. Marland Townsend delivered a speech.

“Coming back as civilians, where rank was not an issue, has allowed us to share all our experiences from our own viewpoint with the others; it’s a wonderful exchange,” Townsend said. “It means a great deal to me to come back after all these years.”

The USS Seattle Veteran’s Association bridges generations. There are members who were present at the commissioning in 1969, the decommissioning in 2005, and the 36 years in between. No matter where they fit on the timeline, these former crew members are like a family.

“As the years have progressed, we’ve become a very close-knit group,” Pease said. “I vacation with and communicate with some of these people on a weekly basis.

To get to come back to Bremerton and be with Sailors I served with years ago was such an honor and privilege,” he added.