USS Zelima AF-49

-if you know someone, drop us a note --

According to stories, on one run the ship actually cracked across the middle (port to starboard) and had to be repaired at sea. The ship earned one battle star during Korea and went on to earn another seven in the Vietnam War. Two letters below talk about the incident.

If you have pictures of the Zelima, or  memories please send us an email so we can share these with shipmates and their children.

USS Zelima Officers circa 1953

USS Zelima AF-49  at sea

Cdr. Edrington (civilian clothes) departing 
the USS Zelima with his wife Josephine  

The pictures  taken on Christmas Day, 1953 were of children invited on board by Capt. Edrington for Christmas Dinner

Christmas Card from 1953

General Quarters drill off the coast of Japan 1953
Cdr. Edrington and the OOD

Bosn. Lewis
Sasebo, Japan 1953

From: Jim Thomas [mailto:jthomas@rose.net]
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 10:03 AM
To: Tom (AF49) Edrington
Subject: Zelima officers

I found this old picture with the names of the officers on the back.  
The second one on the bottom row, "Me", is Jim Thomas.  
Hope this will update your web page.      
Jim

Editors Note: above are the front and back of the picture from Jim Thomas. 
A click will give you a full size image

       
From: L E Bronson [leb@surfbest.net] 
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2005 8:51 PM 
Subject: Zelima 
From: L. E. Bronson  USNA 1961

My Dad is the Lt Bronson identified standing next to Capt Edrington.
I remember the cracked hull event.  Dad said that they took all of the  
ladders on one side of the ship and used them to span the crack so that 
they could get to Japan where they were repaired. 

   Capt Edrington sent a letter of recommendation to USNA on my behalf.  
He started me reading the Pogo comics by Walt Kelly.  I understand that 
he and Kelly wrote to each other in "pogoese" for several years

From: Fred Neeleman [judy-fred@msn.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2004 6:54 AM
Subject: Served on the Zelima 63-67

I served on the USS Zelima 1963 through 1967. I was a gunnersmate 3rd Class
and worked on both Mount 41 and Mount 42. I'm looking for any of my
shipmates that served at the same time that I did. I was out of the Navy
for 12 years and then joined the Army. I retired in 2000. I'm very proud
to have served.

Fred Neeleman

From: Wslsdaulton@aol.com [mailto:Wslsdaulton@aol.com] 
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 7:35 AM 
Subject: USS Zelima

 
This is Wesley Daulton Shelton. I was a member of the crew from 1959 to 1961. 
If anyone else was on at that time I would like to talk. 
My e-mail is wslsdaulton@aol.com. 

Thank you Wesley Shelton

From: Kim Giery 
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2004 12:17 PM
Subject: Ltjg  Edward G. Giery Jr. USN

Greetings,

 I am the son of Ltjg Edward G. Giery Jr., who served aboard the USS Zelima 
around the years 1952-1954, although I am not certain of the exact times. 
My father passed away on March 21, 2001.I found this site on the internet 
by accident and read with interest the note about the USS Zelima suffering a 
crack while at sea.
 
My father was aboard the USS Zelima when that event took place, and always 
said it was without a doubt the scariest event in his life. He was awarded 
a commendation by the US Navy for his efforts in helping to save the ship. 
Never one to brag to others about his accomplishments in life,  he kept the 
commendation in a file in his desk.
 
In his later years, he shared with me many of the details of that near fatal 
from 1961-1985, I can't even recall a time when he set foot in any boat.
And he was very much a outdoorsman. 
 
Thanks for creating this website. I appreciate seeing these pictures. 

Sincerely,
John Giery
Lakeside, Ca

From: joe simonaro [mailto:jsym@msn.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 29, 2003 11:03 AM
Subject: zelima

I was on the zelima 1961 ,62 sfp3  it was a wake up call after being on the
uss hassayampa ao 145.
jsym@msn.com

From: David Sibley [mailto:dwsib@cox.net]
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 2:26 PM
Subject: Re: USS Zelima

Tom thanks for the info on your web page.Do you know if the Zelima has a
reunion and if so who can I contact.I seved aboard Zelima 1963-1964.
Thanks David Sibley(QM2)

From: Ed Arnold 
Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2003 12:07 AM
Subject: USS_Zelima

    This is the ship that I took a forty man work party in a LCM from 
USS Frontier AD-25 to get fresh provisions from in 1955 in Yokosuka, Japan. 
I had to scrape a very dead and very rotten wharf rat (about twenty pounds. 
It was a big sumabitch about the size of an adult bobcat!) from the top layer 
of fresh eggs. The rest of that reefer had fresh grapes and cheeze.

This picture was about two or three years before I went aboard in that 
working party. The eggs were crated on 20 November 1941. (My fourth birthday) 
and I was seventeen in Aug. 1955 when I went to get them.) The eggs were about 
one half very stinky water when cracked open, and the smell went from bow to stern. 
It even chased away seagulls. They were served anyway! I, however, did not eat 
any eggs for quite some time. True story!

There was four-way beef that came in cardboard boxes, and were banded with 
steel straps. It was August, and nobody wore gloves. Many men lost a lot of 
skin and flesh from their hands being frozen to those straps.
                                                                                                                

Ed Arnold ICFN

From: Jim Thomas
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 4:14 PM
Subject: Zelima AF49

I happened upon your website about the Zelima and the Edringtons.  
It brought back many happy memories of my days aboard with Capt. Edrington.  
I reported aboard as an Ensign in late 1952 and was there until mid 1954 
when I was transferred to the Rainier AE5 (An ammunition ship). In the 
picture of the ship's officers taken in 1953 I am the 2nd from the left 
on the front row.  I remember Capt. Edrington as a kind and gentle man 
with a great sense of humor.

After my discharge in 1955 I returned to my hometown  and am now retired.
Thanks for the memories!     

Jim Thomas

From: Jim Thomas
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2003 11:07 AM
Subject: Capt. Edrington (Change of Command)

I took this as Capt. Edrington left the Zelima; we sure did miss him!

From: Jim Thomas
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2003 12:34 PM
Subject: Zelima

After reviewing old slides, I believe the names of the ships officers 
(on the website) standing L-R are: Boatswain Lewis,  ? , 
LTjg Giery, Cdr. Edrington, LT Bronson, Lt. Westlake, Ens. Perwein, 
LT Bartlett.

I am also attaching a picture of Cdr. Edrington, saluting Cdr. Tredick, 
as he prepares to leave the ship after the change of command.

From: John Landes
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2003 7:07 PM
Subject: PHOTOGRAPH

I BELIEVE THE OFFICER AT THE RIGHT ON THE FIRST ROW WAS LT KRAMER, 
THE SUPPLY OFFICER.  ONE OF THE OTHERS WAS PROBABLY LTJG PERRY BENTON, 
THE ASSISTANT SUPPLY OFFICER.
JOHN LANDES

From: Jim Thomas
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 12:45 PM
Subject: Zelima Pic.

This is a General Quarters drill in 1953. Cdr. Edrington and the OOD. 
I am not sure where this was taken but probably off the coast of Japan.   
Jim

Jess Parker - 

                                                                                       
U.S.S. Zelima (AF-49) 1959. I spent a short tour on Zelima, frozen stores 
ship, a reefer. I made underway training and then a WestPac cruise. This 
was a real Navy wakeup--on the underway training we were required to 
undergo the same training as combat ships. We had one radar and two 
Radarman--me as First Class and a young Third Class. Our CIC space was 
the after part of the Chart Room so most of the General Quarters (GQ) 
crew was located in an outside passageway. We made it through the final 
battle problem, I think, and then left for WestPac. My collateral duty 
included acting as the ship's postal clerk. I had to take care of our crew a
nd all the ships alongside. As postal clerk there was a weekly audit of my 
funds and it was easier to explain a shortage then it was for an overage. 
The shortage could be taken care of with one form--the overage was three 
forms that were explained at least three times. I solved that problem by 
putting the overage in a coffee can and would take the shortage out of 
the same can. My audits always came out on the penny until a postal 
inspector asked me to explain the coffee can.

Harry W. Blendt Jr.

.....Later, he sailed on the "USS Zelima," an auxiliary freight ship, 
delivering food and related items to military personnel based on 
Pacific islands captured from the Japanese.
"We delivered to all those guys out in the islands," he says. 
"Kwajalein, Wake, Saipan, Midway, Guam, Subic Bay in the Philippines. 
After the war, we pulled right into Tokyo harbor. We'd deliver food, 
cigarettes and beer for the enlisted guys. Uncle Sam didn't know 
nothin' about the harm of cigarettes in those days. 

The boys paid 7 cents a pack.

Alstede Class Stores Ship:

• Laid down, 5 December 1944, as Golden Rocket, a Maritime Commission type (R2-S-BV1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1212), at Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA.
• Launched, 2 March 1945
• Delivered to the War Shipping Administration, 16 July 1945
• Operated by United Fruit Co. under contract to the WSA
• Returned to the Maritime Commission and acquired by the Navy in summer 1946
• Converted to a Provisions Store Ship, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA.
• Commissioned USS Zelima (AF-49), 27 July 1946
• Decommissioned, September 1969, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA.
• Transferred to MARAD for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.
• Struck from the Naval Register, 1 June1976
• Final Disposition, disposed of by MARAD sale, fate unknown
• Zelima earned one battle star during the Korean War and six battle stars for Vietnam service