Welcome Aboard, Shipmate!
Our main purpose for this Association is to celebrate with pride, those who have served aboard the USS MASSEY through her nearly 30 years of duty. This has included three wars coupled with the many years of training to keep the ship and crew in a constant state of combat readiness. A special remembrance of our Association is for the man who gave his life in the Battle of Midway and then his name to the ship, LCDR Lance Massey.
We maintain these traditions through our Association’s activities like this web site and reunions. Over the past 36 years, many men and women have dedicated their time and energy to make this Association what it is today. A special thank you to Jack Zagaros who started this Association in 1988. Jack served on USS MASSEY during WWII and has attended most of our reunions.
I know all of the Association members, their families, and friends look forward to our annual reunions. Our 2023 reunion in Norfolk, VA was a great success. We had 47 shipmates and friends in attendance. Dick Pearsall and Gordon Risk put together a great schedule of events that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. This year’s reunion will take place in the Newport, RI area from September 29th thru October 3rd. We will be staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island with tours to Newport, Fall River, Massachusetts, and Mystic, Connecticut. This year’s reunion is very special because it is the 80th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS MASSEY. If you have never attended one of our reunions, please consider this one! It’s marvelous to witness the great camaraderie with the crew, wives, sons & daughters as they meet again or for the first time. We are very pleased to have welcomed back not only all our shipmates but also widows, family members, and friends of our crewmen each year.
Our web site offers the history, pictures, reunion news, and a place to find old shipmates or to ask questions. We are sure as you browse our pages, you will recall events and times that you would like to share. Join us by visiting the Join the Crew page, completing the membership form, and mailing it to our Secretary today.
Darrell Hanson, 70-72
President USS MASSEY Association