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From Rage to Reef

St Thomas May 16th 2007

WWII veterans reunite with wartime ship LST-467 in St Thomas

World War 2 veterans Bill Schutz and Stu Knickerbocker were present on St Thomas for another Undersea Reunion with their wartime ship LST467 aka WIT Shoal II May 16th 2007.
The reunion was organized by Blue Island Divers and Atlantis Submarines and brought together family members of three veterans. There were a total of 33 family members in the group spanning four generations. The fun was tinged with a little melancholy as we remembered Clarence Anderson who passed away one month before the reunion. Clarence was present on the first reunion in 2004 and was part of the first crew for the journey from Vancouver to San Francisco.
Billy Hurst, Bill Schutz and Stu Knickerbocker prepare to board the submarine

Maurice Foley was a deck officer on LST-467 in the latter part of her service. Maurice passed before the reunion, But his daughter and Son took part in the memorial service.

Bill Schutz was a member of the Black Gang, working in the cramped environment of the Engine room aboard LST-467. It was Bill whom Aitch first contacted.

Stu Knickerbocker was a pharmacists mate on the LST-467, he has some interesting tales to tell of life aboard a Large Slow Target

The Training

The majority of the group arrived on Saturday the 12th of May at St Thomas Cyril King airport with other members arriving “on island” in the following days.

The dive was slated for Wednesday the 16th May with Thursday the 17th of May as a backup day if there were any problems on the Wednesday.

Six of the group wanted to dive the old warship so they carried out the patented Blue Island Divers “Boot Camp Certification Program (BCCP)” in order to be ready for the big day. “Master Sergeant” Deirdre and “Gunny” James assembled the squad on Saturday night and “Camp commandant” Aitch read them the riot act

“A scuba diver is not here to enjoy himself”

“If he sees water he gets in it”

“If he sees compressed air he breathes it”

“You WILL get certified before Wednesday so get down and give me fifty quiz answers”

“HooHah”

Aitch reads the "Riot act" to the Boot Camp Certification Program (BCCP) "Trainees"
BCCP trainees assemble after travelling all day, and ready themselves for the course.
Many of the group had already experienced the BCCP on the last reunion in May of 2004, but were wise enough to keep their experiences a secret from the new “Trainees” The brave band of Scuba recruits rose to the challenge and finished their certification with time to spare for a practice dive on the LST-467 on Tuesday the 15th of May. Because of their outstanding performance in the face of grueling conditions they were mentioned in Dispatches (See below)

Despite arduous conditions on St Thomas (They were surrounded by the rest of the group partying) the trainees did an excellent job and all six of them were certified prior to the dive.

BCCP students assembling backpacks prior to route march along beach

LST-467

Full Com: 15 May 07

Report comm. 14 for commendation as directed by CO BID STT 1-May 07 unclass//CC F2c W.Schutz and Phmt2 S. Knickerbocker//Com 14 auth. OWD. BID. STT. Trans. PADI HQ action May 15//Following personnel performed outstanding service on BCCP//Dunning Matt. OWD//Dunning Mark. OWD//Dunning Joslin. OWD//Alexander Ty. OWD//Dunning Eric. OWD//Schutz Ryan. OWD//Info. STT end.

The Dive

The weather had been slowly deteriorating with a mild front coming through the region so the boarding of the submarine had to be carried out at Saba Island instead of over the wreck site. This made the journey in the submarine rather long bt the sight of the wreck of the LST 467 at 90 ft underwater was definitely worth the wait.

All the diving crew did a fabulous job despite missing the slack water and having to deal with a little bit of current on the site. The divers were encouraged to rub the commemorative brass plaque mounted on the bridge, for luck

Atlantis submarine travels along the starboard
side of LST-467 AT 90ft
Basia Schutz (Bills Granddaughter) and husband Chris at the plaque on the wheelhouse
Aitch prepares to hand the 60 lb plaque to Billy Hurst
The plaque was attached to the wreck by Billy Hurst who played no small part in the history of the LST 467. Clarence Anderson was one of the first sailors on the ship and Billy Hurst was definitely the last sailor on the ship. After the war LST 467 was sold to a Steel company and in 1952 was converted to a freighter named the Frank J Humphrey. In 1973 the West Indies Trading company bought the vessel and renamed her WIT Shoal II. She originally sank in Krum bay St Thomas in 1984 after Hurricane Klaus. Billy Hurst was tasked with the job of re-floating her and towing her to the yard for repairs. It was during this journey that she sank under tow at the place she now rests. Billy was the only man ever to step up to get off LST-467.
The sub operated flawlessly and gave the submariners a full tour of the ship starting at the sand and working its way up to the navigation bridge. The whole dive and reunion expedition was filmed by three media companies who are collaborating on a production. The companies are DVDiveguide with Steve Wishard and Mark Santa Maria. Paul Cater Deaton Productions Inc with Paul Cater Deaton and Happy and Free productions with Gary Christiansen. A DVD featuring the historic dive and the history of the LST 467 will be released on the 30th of June standby for news of that release from Blue Island Divers.

For previews of the DVD click here

To preorder this DVD contact us at liddles@blueislanddivers.com or
call 1-866-728-2284 340-774-2001

Sub passes the stern deck of LST-467 viewed from the rails by the stern winch gear
BCCP divers wave at the sub as it passes some of the wreckage amidships
View of the wheelhouse looking down
View of the bridge showing the vibrant colors of the coral covering LST-467

The Celebration

On Thursday the 17th of May the whole crew regrouped on Honeymoon Beach Water Island to celebrate the achievement and to share a few pints of grog while hearing the scuttlebutt from the LST crewmen. Heidi of Honeymoon Grill prepared an excellent meal on the beach and a grand time was had by all

In Memorium

A poignant moment for everyone was the Memorial service for Maurince Foley , Clarence Anderson and all the other ex LST-467 crewmembers who have passed. Mat Foley, Danny Griggs and Dan Dunning read eulogies on the beach and a wreath was placed on the ocean as we all shared a moment of silence and reflection. Follow this link to hear the readings (Courtesy of DVDiveguide).

In Memorium

Epilogue

After the party and the ferry ride back to St Thomas everyone prepared for the journey back to the states. I am sure that all involved will carry back memories of this historic reunion that will last a lifetime.

As the photos show the wreck of the LST-467 is now completely covered with Orange Cup Coral among many other types of coral and gorgonians. This whole wreck is a living reef that is home to thousands of marine animals from microscopic algae to 11foot Nurse Sharks. Whatever happens to the steel frame of this historic WW II wreck site it is comforting to know that there will always be a living coral reef in this spot of the Caribbean Sea. The LST 467 has completed her journey from the Rage of the biggest human conflict known to man to the calm and serenity of a living reef in the Caribbean sea.

For more on the history of the LST-467 click here

There will be a website published soon celebrating the life and times of the LST-467. Any veterans and families of veterans are encouraged to send information and photographs to liddles@blueislanddivers.com for inclusion on this website.

If you would like to dive the LST-467 contact us for more info.