THE FIRST EVER USS TIDEWATER REUNION
was at
Charleston, SC Town & Country Inn and Conference Center
October 21-24, 2004

Thursday, October 21 - Tidewater Sailors checked in and visited the Hospitality Room. Lots of room for memorabilia on the tables in the back of the room. Tide Ashtrays, Cruise Books, Photo Albums, old issues of High Tide, wall plaques, belt buckles, lighters. The memories flooded back as we gazed at these AD31 momentos.

Some of the artifacts and momentos were items that attendees had with them when they left the ship after their tour of duty. Others were obtained in later years. Many were shopped for on E-Bay, a popular online auction website.

The photo at the right represents but a small selection of items that were on display. Eight-foot-long tables were placed end to end against a wall approximately 50 feet in length at one end of the room. All the tables were jammed with momentos and there was plenty to see. The momentos were on display through Sunday morning.

Friday, October 22 - We were scheduled to do a historical tour of Charleston, but the bus company didn't show up, and so we rescheduled the tour for Saturday. Everybody found something to do, though - some went into downtown Charleston and found the Marketplace, others ventured over to Patriot's Point to see the USS Yorktown and some of the other restored ships tied up there. There were trips to the Plantation, Fort Sumter and tours through some of Charleston's restored homes that have historical significance, some for the Civil War (War of Northern Aggression, we learned it's called there) and some for the Revolutionary War.

Friday evening included an open bar, provided by the Association, and a terrific buffet spread provided by the hotel.

Saturday, October 23 - This was tour day (instead of Friday) and the bus company came through with a comforable tour bus which included a head in the back for those of us who had weak kidneys. The tour guide was a Southern Gentle Lady by the name of Cathy Hinson, and she knew just about everything about everything we wanted to know about. We asked lots of questions, and we learned about the War of Northern Aggression, the history of the Citadel, Fort Sumter, the grand waterfront homes along the river, the Battery, St. James Cathedral, The Marketplace and many other sites along the way. The tour lasted about 5 hours with stops and we found many places that we'd want to return to for another visit sometime in the near future.

The evening featured an outstanding banquet at the hotel with a drop dead delicious meal with a peach cobbler dessert to die for on white tablecloths with real silverware! No trays this time!

It ran a little long with a short business meeting to decide the next reunion and several speakers scheduled. But the saving grace was that the speakers were all interesting and had something to say that was either very germane to our evening or they entertained beyond our wildest expectations.

We broke up in time to see the last inning of the first game of the World Series. Boston beat St. Louis in a squeaker.

Sunday, October 24 - Dismissed! Our thanks to Lou Spatholt and Bob Hall for a memorable first Tidewater Reunion Ever. We broke up into small groups for farewell breakfasts at various restaurants before leaving for home, vowing never to miss an AD31 reunion ever and to bring someone new to the next one.

You have been warned!