Sunday, December 3, 2000

Story and photos by Scott Schonauer
Rota bureau

Lauren Whiting, 77, checks out a broken engine Thursday aboard the LST-325 at Gibraltar.

GIBRALTAR — A rusty World War II ship with a maze of greasy ladders and slippery decks is no place for senior citizens with enlarged prostates and bad hearts.

But there they are, men in their 60s and 70s, climbing up and around this amphibious ship getting ready for the final leg of their voyage.

Skeptics, including the U.S. government and their own family members, didn’t think these grandfathers would get this far. Even some of the hardened Navy veterans driving the 57-year-old ship from Crete to the United States admit the odyssey is a little crazy, perhaps dangerous, for a crew with the average age of 72.

But almost halfway home, all 32 of them are working like they did more than 55 years ago, and with the same enthusiasm.

“Nobody understands why we are doing this,” said Joe Sadlier, 73, the ship’s chef. “But we do, and we’re having the time of our lives.”

These men say they have rediscovered their youth on the remarkable and risky trip at a time when many World War II vets are fading.

Most of these sailors have worked aboard similar amphibious ships like the LST-325, the one they are taking to Mobile, Ala. The group wants to make the warship a floating museum.

Some of the men, like John Calvin, 75, who served during World War II and Korea before retiring in 1968, have worked non-stop for nearly four months to get the 325-foot ship in shape. The 3,400-ton vessel, which delivered troops to Normandy during the D-Day invasion, needed a lot of repairs, more than initially thought.

“We’re proud we’ve gotten this far,” Calvin said.

But the journey has not been easy. One of the men flew back to the United States because of heart problems. He later died of a heart attack at John F. Kennedy Airport on his way home.

And bureaucratic red tape nearly sunk the group’s hopes last month.

The Navy decommissioned the ship in 1946 and loaned it to the Greek navy in 1964. Greek officials agreed to hand over the ship to the group earlier this month, but confusion over the registration of the vessel delayed the project.

During their cruise through the Mediterranean, they lost an engine and later were forced to manually steer the ship. They also ran into two severe storms that caused a couple of the crew members to get seasick. One man cut his head and required stitches. Another sliced open his foot near the gangway and needed first aid.

A makeshift sign proclaiming the ship's crew as "the oldest sailors in the world" greets visitors to the World War II amphibious ship, LST-325.

The crew, which includes veterans from World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, arrived in the British territory of Gibraltar on Thursday, much later than scheduled because of several equipment problems. They could be there a week fixing the ship, shattering hopes of getting home in time for Christmas.

World War II vet Hike Nedeff, 75, of Huber Heights, Ohio, said many of the men had no idea the trip would turn out the way it has.

“I think a lot of the fellas knew that it was going to be hard work, but some of them didn’t expect this much,” he said.

That doesn’t mean the crew is giving up. They are motivated, if not stubborn. Once they get their engine fixed, they plan to make it to the U.S. in about 22 days.

The group has received more than $70,000 in private donations to repair the ship and convert it into a museum. Each veteran on board paid $2,100 to cover food, fuel and other costs on the trip. British Petroleum Co. donated 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel and Phillips Oil Co. pledged between $20,000 and $40,000 to cover additional fuel costs if needed.

Those on board said they realize the risk they are taking by embarking on the voyage. At least four of the men have had open-heart surgery. They stocked up on all the medications they need and help each other out whenever possible. If someone is in trouble, they blow a whistle, signaling everyone on board that a man needs aid.

With just a medic on board, the men realize they only will receive basic medical treatment.

“If something happens, that’s it,” said Albert White, 73, of Roswell, N.M. White, who has only one lung and works as the laundry man on the ship. “We understand the danger in this.”

So far, the crew has reported no major health problems. In fact, many say they feel better than they have in years.

Sadlier, a retired bus driver from Alaska, said the reason the guys are so healthy is because they’re getting plenty of exercise and eating a good diet. He said one of the crewmembers who is diabetic used to need an insulin shot twice a day. Now, he needs only one every nine days.

“Every one of them is climbing up and down ladders going around the ship,” he said. “It’s incredible when you stop to think about it.”

Jack Carter, foreground, stands with the crew aboard the amphibious ship LST-325 Thursday at Gibraltar.

Jack Carter, 71, of Los Angeles, said he is feeling better now than he has in 12 years. He said these men can motivate other senior citizens to embark on their own journeys.

“I think there’s a message for senior citizens,” said Carter, a retired electrical engineer who is the executive officer of the ship. “These guys are pursuing a dream just like a younger person. They’re doing it.”

Cmdr. Christopher Melhuish, the U.S. Navy liaison officer in Gibraltar who greeted the crew when they arrived in port, said the men can be an inspiration to everyone.

“One of the things that makes Americans distinct from other countries is that we are able to do difficult things,” he said. “There are plenty of examples in our history. And I think here’s another example of private American citizens who have a dream, are able to articulate it and they want to see it fulfilled.”

When Donald Lockas, 73, told his family he was going to go on the trip, some asked why. “Why take the risk?” they said.

But he wants to show them what he did in the war and preserve the amphibious ship’s legacy for generations.

“The only way we can keep that alive for your generation is for people to actually see an LST,” said Lockus, a retired superintendent of a glass company in Ottawa, Ill. “They need to see how it works, how it goes.”

The crew pulled into Gibraltar and met the governor of “The Rock.” The gray-haired veterans stood on the deck of the ship in rumpled khaki uniforms with bellies protruding and shoulders sagging just a little. They would be a perfect bunch of deck hands for a “Geriatric Navy,” if there ever were one.

Many said they were tired and weary from the trip. But mentally, they felt like 18- or 19-years-olds. To some, the trip has been like taking a dip in the fountain of youth.

Ronald Maranto of New Orleans said he will never forget the voyage, but he admits he doesn’t think his 68-year-old body could take another.

“It’s been a nice experience, but I wouldn’t do it again,” he said. “It’s been pretty hard. It’s been pretty rough.”

But he would never trade the experience for anything.

“Not for a million dollars,” Maranto said.

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