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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Tolling of the Boats in Hayden

Tom DePew, WWII U. S. Navy submariner, rings the bell as the names of ships lost to war are read aloud during the Laying of the Wreath Ceremony, May 29, 2017, on Honeysuckle Beach in Hayden Lake, Idaho. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
Tom DePew, WWII U. S. Navy submariner, rings the bell as the names of ships lost to war are read aloud during the Laying of the Wreath Ceremony, May 29, 2017, on Honeysuckle Beach in Hayden Lake, Idaho. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

It follows a procedure established after World War II called the Tolling of the Boats, and recognizes servicemen who aren’t often discussed, those “who guard our country while serving silently under the sea,” said Jerry Parker, the master of ceremonies.

Parker joined five other submarine veterans to read the list of the 66 vessels lost in chronological order, while detailing the fate of the crew on board.

“USS Shark, SS-174, lost with all hands, 59 men on 11 February, 1942,” one entry read.

Most crewmen, some 4,000 people, went down with their submarines. Some were captured as prisoners of war. A handful were rescued and survived. Full story. Rachel Alexander/SR



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.