NEW AND IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT USS ROBERT L WILSON SHIP'S ANCHOR

PFC ROBERT L WILSON USMC (Deceased) This Photo is "What It Is All About"

Government Property. We can't get away from Government Issue. Robert's grave marker still belongs to the federal government as do all Congressional Medal of Honor grave markers. No adornments or changes in its appearance may be made.

THE USS ROBERT L WILSON DD847 SHIP'S ANCHOR HAS ARRIVED IN CENTRALIA ILLINOIS

The USS Robert L Wilson Association, in cooperation with the Centralia Area Historical Society, will move this 3200 pound naval artifact to a suitable monument in Robert's home town, where he is buried.
The USS Robert L Wilson's Port anchor will be on loan from the US Navy History and Historical Command, Navy Yard, Washiungton, DC. A loan agreement states that it must be displayed with dignity, properly maintained (periodic paint detail) and reported upon annually by suitable photograph sent to the Curator, Museums and Collections Division attesting to it's proper care and condition.  For those who are interested, here is the anchor's pedigree.
Anchor, Ship's, from the USS ROBERT L WILSON (DD 847), ca. 3200 pounds, shank 74" long, width across flukes 55", serial Number A 4744, and 7-43 found on the bottom of the fluke
Navy Department Accession Number: 77-330-A.
  This is the very same anchor referred to in our DVD section, The Anchor Story.  A history of the USS Robert L. Wilson on sale in our Ship's Store

Anchor's Aweigh, The Trip from Darby PA Near as I can  tell this is how it went.   Scott Macauley, the Post Commander cut the welded chain from the concrete pad in preparation to the transport arrival.  Arrangements were made with the compressed industrial gas company Keen a local business down the street from the Blessed Virgin Post building in Darby, PA.   The flatbed trailer was parked on their property.   The fork lift carried the anchor through street traffic to the carrier and the anchor was loaded and made fast for transport without incident.  It took less than 15 minutes.   Thanks to Scott and Karen Macauley and Keen for making it all possible.  Special thanks to shipmate Mike Loveall who arranged for Luca Transport the shipping company.   Phil Dilloway USSRLW Assn

"WE DID IT" THUMBS UP FOR THE SAFE ARRIVAL The Wilson anchor arrived safely, 13 April 2009, at the Hillcrest Memorial Cemetary in Centralia, Illinois. The welcoming party as seen in the above photo is; Margaret Loomis, Centralia Area Historical Society Museum Director and Dale Garren, Robert L Wilson's  nephew.   The anchor was offloaded and taken to the sand blasting shed where it will undergo a thorough cleaning before priming and painting. It must be "Ship Shape Bristol Fashion" before its first public debut which is scheduled for the week-end of August 1-2.  The Anchor Project continues. The next phase is to design a suitable monument that will become a dedication to the history of our ship and all of us who served in her. The museum at Centralia now becomes our Home Port.    Think about this.  It is significant that the remains of Robert L Wilson and the ship that was his namesake are united now forever.   Our donation drive continues and your past generosity is much appreciated.  Donations are to be made to the Museum and are tax deductible.   Phil Dilloway, USSRLWA

SHIPMATES, WE CAN ALL BE A PART OF THIS HISTORIC PROJECT BY DONATIONS TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED HERE Centralia Area Historical Society Museum P O Box1343 Centralia, IL 62801 *********************************************************** Yes Shipmate, you can count on me to help move our ship's anchor. Mark as :Donation to the USS Robert L. Wilson Anchor Project $10____$25_____ $50_____ $100______ Make checks payable to the Centralia Area Historical Society attention the Wilson Anchor Project.-----And send to the address above. Thank you The Museum is a 501c3 charitable organization Visit Them Here: www.centraliamuseum.org Please Provide Your Name, Address and Zip Code, Phone is Optional or Email Address ____________________________________ DO NOT SEND DONATIONS TO THE RLW ASSN

My personal thanks to you all for helping support the movement of the ship's Port anchor to Robert's gravesite.  I want to share with you a rather personal connection I have with this particular artifact.  I think you will agree it is a strange turn of events.   Phil Dilloway    THE STORY OF THE SHIP'S ANCHOR   : The anchor story    Jan-Mar 1952   We had recently arrived for a  Med deployment as part of a Hunter/Killer group operating with the carrier USS SAIPAN CVL48 and a diesel submarine.  Our port of call was a place called Mers el Kebir, a small breakwater-sheltered seaport outside of Oran, Algeria..   The carrier moored to the breakwater quay and the destroyers were in nests of three about half a  mile away in the inner harbor.  Wilson was the inboard ship, with two other destroyers outboard. The Commanding Officers and Execs were all at a meeting ashore. For whatever the reason,  the ships in our nest had their boilers shut down, except possibly  for one to provide power and steam to the others.  As the First Lieutenant,  I was on the forecastle checking the lines when I noticed dark clouds forming to the north out to sea.   Storms come up very suddenly in this part of the Mediterranean at this time of the year with little or no warning.  One such storm was about to bear down upon us. The first clue of any impending danger was the lorry I was watching drive down the quay toward the Saipan. There she was, and then she wasn't!  A wave broke over the breakwater and picked up the truck and pushed it into the bay.  A chop quickly turned into waves within the sheltered basin. The ships in the nest started to work against one another and then one of our bow lines snapped.  Then  another. Fenders between ships were being  ripped apart and ultimately we were metal to metal.   We quickly decided to light off the boilers in case we had to get underway. But with other ships alongside this didn't seem like a likelihood.  The submarine got underway and stood out to sea.  The wind had picked up considerably and, though we had doubled up our lines, we were still parting hawsers. In the mess deck was a crew from the first division, hastily splicing parted hawsers.  We would no more repair one than we would have to replace a parted one.   The nest was crushing the Wilson amidships!  I gathered a small group of bo'sunmates and crawled up to the anchor windlass.  I couldn't stand because the wind was so fierce.  The sky was black and the sea angry.  The carrier I believe had been driven from the quay and had dropped anchor to stop from drifting down upon us.   I had decided to attempt to hold the nest and ride to our anchor chain. We were moored port side to. There is a detachable link in the anchor chain a few fathoms from the harp.  It is possible to  hold the anchor in its hawse pipe  with the pelican hook chock and still disconnect the anchor from the chain.  This we quickly did, while lashing ourselves to the forecastle as best we could.  With the anchor disconnected, we payed out  the chain to the pier and lashed it around a stout bollard.  We took up slack with the windlass and rode to the chain and held the nest.   As  quickly as it started, the weather subsided.  The Wilson had held the nest but, in exchange, had suffered irreparable damage to several ribs aft of midships. We got an emergency  tender availability for repairs, but for the rest of her days the Wilson was  "wasp waisted" and this is how it all happened.   Ed note: The picture is that of the Port anchor.  We know that from the pictures of the ship before she was towed to the missile range.  There is an anchor in the Starboard hawse pipe but nothing in the Port. Go to the link below to see Photos of the Wilson's Final Days

----- Original Message ----- From: "Harold Walter"haroldwalter@gmail.com> To: "Phil Dilloway" Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 1:04 AM Subject: MORE INFO ABOUT USS ROBERT L WILSON SHIP'S ANCHOR I thank you for the information about the anchor. They were supposed to call me and tell me when the anchor arrived in Centralia but I never knew it got there and thought it probably was tied up in red tape. I have often told the story of the ship that day in Mers el Kebir. Several of us from the crew left the ship early that morning for a tour to Seddi Bel Abez, the French Foreign Leagion training post south of Oran. The storm turned into a snow storm and there was eight inches of snow on the palm trees. One old man we talked to remembered it snowing once before when he was a kid and it got almost an inch deep then. No one else had ever seen snow. The tour bus driver had no idea how to drive in it and was all over the road on the way back. They wrestled him out of his seat and one of the crew from Minessota drove us safely back .When we got to Oran all shore leave was canceled and we had to report to the ship. All the hausers had been broken and had knots tied in them and put back out. I was bos'nmate in charge of the 2nd division and spent all night putting short splices in them. We used them that way until we got to Naples where they were traded for new ones The Italian navy took them completely apart and rebuilt them into new line for their ships. When we left Mers el Kabir, we went to Cannes along side a destroyer tender where they welded the broken ribs and put us back to sea because we were one of the least injured ships. One destroyer was so damaged in Mers el Kabir they dragged it into a dry dock and decomissioned it. The carrier was the USS Tarawa. The storm hit the sea wall with such force it washed a plane off the flight deck and there were times when the Tarawa was broke free from the wall and was completely afloat even though it had out 1" steel cables Another bad storm I remember. We were anchored in the harbor at Agusta bay Sicily. When the storm struck you could not see the piles of rock that protected the harbor.. We got underway and went through the Straits of Messina to the north side of Sicily and past Stromboli when it was putting out a lot of smoke. Harold

INTERESTING BIT OF HISTORY

 John Thrailkill and Phil Dilloway reminisce events that happened on many late night quarterdeck watches together. This Photo was taken at the 1996 Reunion in Norfolk Virginia
 
John was born in Centralia Illinois, His birthday August 3rd, is the same day on which Robert L. Wilson was killed in the South Pacific

This page was updated: 10/30/2009, if you have questions or information for this site, Please email: DD847@webtv.net