Recalling memories of times spent in Villefranche in the mid-1950s is not hard to do. Each of the five visits I made there during 1955-57 was an adventure worth remembering. Villefranche was the gem of the Mediterranean, unknown to most of the world, and tourists, particularly American, were a novelty. Those in the Sixth Fleet, however, [...]
Memoirs written by Paul White Cliquez pour Version française I was on the Des Moines from Feb. 15, 1957 until Aug. 12, 1960. We came over across the Atlantic to Villefranche-sur-Mer in mid 1958 and I was home ported there until Aug. 1960. At the time these photos were taken I was a [...]
The USS Sumter LST-1181 - written by Gilles Perez The USS Sumter LST-1181 is one of 20 Newport-class ships. It is certain that these buildings must have taken people together with their particular and unique silhouette. What good is this boat with its two large "horns" at the front? Newport-class ships are responsible for transporting and [...]
Villefranche-sur-Mer Godmother of the USS Ticonderoga CG-47 on July 14, 1990 - Written by Gilles Perez In 1990, an event finally sealed Villefranche-sur-mer's attachment to the Navy! Crossing in the Western Mediterranean, the cruiser USS Ticonderoga CG-47 released for the first time in the harbor of Villefranche from 12 to 16 July 1990 and will be [...]
Captain Edward F. Messina It is with great sadness that we have just learned of the death of Captain Edward Frederick MESSINA, retired from the U.S. Navy, on May 24, 2016 at his home in Florida after a battle with cancer. Edward F. MESSINA was born on July 3, 1940 in Somerville, Massachusetts and [...]
We all know that the USS Springfield CLG-7 was the last of the Sixth Fleet Flagships for which Villefranche served as the home port. But do you know the difference between a Flagship and a "normal" U.S. Navy ship? The Vice-Admiral aboard the Springfield commanded the Sixth Fleet, not the Springfield, which was under the direct [...]
Memoirs of Michelle Conners, daughter of Thomas G. Conners, US Navy veteran Version française March 12, 2016 My father is Thomas Gerard Conners. He was a 2nd and lst Class Yeoman and served as the Officer Personnel Yeoman on the staff of the Sixth Fleet from October 5, 1952 until March 10, 1954. He served on [...]
Photos credit : Daniel T. Mochen Daniel Thomas Mochen My father was Daniel Thomas Mochen, and he was born in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1920. His parents were from a small Tyrolean village called Dimaro in the part of Italy that was once a part of Austria (before WWI). His father (my grandfather) had [...]
