It was a blustery day as USS Colorado moored, but that did not damper the excitement of family and friends greeting her.

Welcome home from Second Deployment, USS Colorado!

Members of the USS Colorado FRG expressed immense gratitude to the USS Colorado Submarine Association for the support provided over the past months.  We echo their thank you to our members!

We are sorry to report the passing of one of the few remaining veterans of battleship USS Colorado (BB-45). Charlie Henry Ripper passed away yesterday (March 10) in La Grange, Texas at the age of 96. He would have turned 97 on March 20. Charlie Ripper attended the submarine Colorado christening and commissioning events with his other BB-45 shipmates.

The following information was provided by his friend, associate of the former BB-45 Alumni Association, and USS Colorado Submarine Association member Michael Reither.

Seaman 1st Class (S1C); started as S2C
Enlisted July 20, 1943
Boarded the USS Colorado in Pearl Harbor October 1943
Division: 1st Division, Deck Division, Turret #1
Battle station: operating Turret #1 (16 inch gun); hoisted 16" shells up to the firing room

Campaigns:
Gilbert Islands and Marshall Islands
Tarawa November 20, 1943
Kwajalein January 31, 1944
Eniwetok February 17, 1944
Mariannas (Saipan, Tinian, Guam) 1944

Philippines:
Leyte Gulf November 19, 1944
Mindoro December 18, 1944
Luzon January 2, 1945
Okinawa March 21, 1945

First Kamikaze attacks

On September 2, 1945 - Eyewitness to the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay from the observation tower (crow's nest) of the USS Colorado

Difficult to believe that the USS Colorado Keel Laying Ceremony took place seven years ago today!

The Keel Laying Ceremony for COLORADO (SSN 788) was held seven years ago on Saturday March 7, 2015 at General Dynamics Electric Boat Quonset facility in North Kingston, RI. A number of speakers paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of the shipbuilders of Electric Boat and Newport News as well as the officers and crew of COLORADO.

https://usscoloradocommittee.org/colorado-ssn-788-keel-laying-ceremony/

The ceremony took place next to sections of the SSN 791 DELAWARE and SSN 790 SOUTH DAKOTA.  The backdrop for the ceremony was section 8-9 (pictured above). This 100-foot, 1,600-ton module will contains COLORADO’s engine room. Later transported to the Groton shipyard, it was joined with three other hull sections to form the COLORADO.

Association President Don Price recently received the following email from the Commanding Officer, CDR Garth Storz:

Sir,

I hope this email finds you and Sheri doing well. I just wanted to check in to see how things are going and wish you all a Happy Holidays and New Year!

This year in command has flown by and I cannot believe that 2021 is coming to a close. The men have done GREAT things this deployment and continue to impress me each day.  Their resiliency is amazing and they have executed tasking each time with professionalism and tactical prowess.  USS COLORADO’s reputation and great standing in the community is due to their tireless work.

Look forward to hearing from you and planning the next time we will get together.

 V/R

Garth

Thanks to a generous donation from Cogitic, the FRG was able to distribute Cuddle Subs to some very happy children. 

CuddleSubs.mov

Wishing you and your family a Happy and Safe 2022!

Video from Commander, Submarine Forces

https://www.facebook.com/SUBLANT/videos/2077320272285083/?t=20

The FRG wanted to send out a reminder that they currently have Beanies and Scarves open for purchasing.  They have pre-ordered the items and they will arrive around January 10.  There is a limited amount of each (adult, youth, and scarf) so once they're gone, they're gone, don't miss out! 

Beanie and Scarf link:

 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbHzTfl4QPKgruNPt2xLJa6yyfNKJZOd8VffK6bJ7Y0nPUoQ/viewform

They also still have items available on the Single Sailor Welcome Home Bag wishlist.  Feel free to share with others as well, please just remember OPSEC and PERSEC! 

Single Sailor Wishlist: 

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/N2MDYS2WZYO0?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwAR0-Pnyja0dQAjPlo_NMjQX1jNWs-Lvxiinjz0g6spaO66m1Qz1eAGPPruI

Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far.  Your support means so much to the FRG and to the USS Colorado Submarine Association. 

The FRG recently sent a Thank You note to the USS Colorado Submarine Association Board and Members.  Thank you all for supporting the FRG and the Crew of the USS Colorado!  We are blessed to know you!