USS YOLO

(aka USS LST 677 and APB 43)

Welcome Shipmates!

:

November 15, 2008
Trevor Hiat
 "My name is Trevor Hiat and I was a member of the crew of the LST 677(later USS YOLO) when she was commissioned. Went to Hawaii with her and later sent back to the states to go to school"

Welcome aboard Trevor!
:

July 30, 2008
It is with deep regret that I must announce the passing of
LeRoy Reinhardt.

Ensign Reinhardt again stands on the YOLO with his former shipmates in the company of The Lord

Sorry Brad for your loss

:

 

July 14, 2008
Sadly we have to report the passing of Homer's wife Mary Jane. She died peacefully in her sleep.
The Lord will take care of her now just as Homer did for so many years.
:

Christmas 1945

December 10, 2007

GOOD NEWS - We have found another shipmate!
Excerpt from YOLO History Page 18
 "November was marked by numerous changes in personnel. On 5 November, M.H. Nolte, JR., Ensign USNR reported aboard for duty as an additional deck officer"

Welcome aboard
Ensign Nolte!
  MNolte7048@aol.com

December 10, 2007  I received an email from Richard Nolte. Richard is the son of M. H. Nolte. Ensign Nolte
 lives in Ocala Florida. Richard has sent in some photos.
  Click Here
 

Here is some more from Richard on his dad

My father had completed the Navy V-12 program and midshipman training and was commissioned as an Ensign, USNR on July 30, 1945. He was at the training facility in Abbott Hall, Northwestern University in Chicago. From there he was ordered to North Carolina State for diesel engineering but when he arrived the Navy had closed the school and he was ordered to report to the USS Yolo “somewhere in the Pacific”. He flew to San Francisco and reported in to the Navy office telling them his ship was in Japan. Three to four days later he was ordered to a transport ship, the Marine Cardinal, and started his voyage to Japan. The trip included a stop in Manila for a short time, but he really wanted to get to his ship. Finally, November 5, 1945, he arrived in the Yokohama harbor and was up in the comm. tower searching with binoculars for the Yolo. Once located he had the signalman address the Yolo, and requested they send over a small boat as MH Nolte was reporting for duty. He stayed on the Yolo in Japan and as it traveled back to the yard in Norfolk, VA. He was even able to visit an uncle he had never met while they had a stopover in Panama. His Uncle George had left the US at a young age to work on the building of the Panama Canal and this was the only time my father ever saw him.

:

SHIP'S LOG (HTML)
  (Click here PDF)

Thanks to Homer, Harold and Ken

:

September 13, 2007.

Good news and bad news I am afraid, I am pleased to announce that we have found another shipmate!

Felix Swiderski
(Click here to see pictures PDF)
I received an email from Dan Swiderski. Dan is the son of the ship's barber Felix Swiderski. Sadly Felix passed away on December 1, 1969 at the age of 46. Felix's bride has also passed and Dan going through artifacts of the war years sent me some pictures of his father and the ship. Thanks Dan, welcome aboard the USS YOLO!

:

While it can be said that it is good news we have found another shipmate, it is sad to report that

HERBERT HOLMBERG

Passed away in 1994. He is buried in  Fort Snelling National Cemetery

We now  welcome his bride Margaret Holmberg

:

July 14-18, 1944
"Still at Panama City going through shakedown....This day, as all others, was filled with instructional sessions.  At 1040 Ensign L. J. Reinhardt reported for duty."
Welcome Aboard LeRoy J. Reinhardt
:

25 June 1944
Excerpt from a document entitled "U.S. S. YOLO, A History of," written by Commanding Officer Kinley USS YOLO to The Secretary of the Navy on 1 January 1946.  ..."The down river voyage ended 3 July 1944 as the ship moored alongside the pier in Naval Section Base, Algiers, Louisiana, in berth 15. Immediately upon mooring P.M. Belmont, Ensign USNR, and H. E. Selke, Ensign, USNR reported aboard for duty from Amphibious Training [...] Camp, Pierce, Florida, with four boat crews of sixteen men."...

DINING AT CAPTAIN BAST'S TABLE
 Here are a couple of photos taken in the ward room of the YOLO 1945
 Photos were taken by Willis Deits

Special thanks to Harold's son Ken for getting in touch with us putting us in touch with Harold - God bless the heroes!
:

This site is dedicated to the men serving on the USS YOLO


 
Foreword: On December 7, 2003 Peter Belmont, Lt.(jg)  USNR was reflecting on that fateful day in 1941. Alone with his thoughts and armed with his computer and the Internet, he was able to locate the phone number for the YOLO's commanding officer Homer Bast. Homer was delighted to hear from Peter and this contact has kindled a new friendship and has sparked a reconstruction of those memories, those times and those people. To that end, I dedicate this website to those men who served on the USS YOLO and to all men who put themselves in harms way to defend the freedom we have come to take for granted - John McNeil. 

Peter Belmont, Lt.(jg)
onboard the USS YOLO 1944

 

 

special thanks to Albert Moore at mrfa@charter.net for supplying information

http://www.mrfa.org/yolo.htm

 

CLICK HERE
A history of  
USS YOLO 
1 January 1946

yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo  

yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo

yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo yolo

USS YOLO APB-43 – Last known contact information

 

 

Donald F. Anton

6736 Tama Rd. LaPorte City, IA. 50651. 319-342-3123
   

Robert Barnard

13 Red Oak Dr. Hamburg, NJ. 07419. 973-209-4677
   

Homer Bast 

218 Locust Ave. Salem, Va. 24153.
   

Peter Belmont bosbelmont@aol.com

160 Riveredge Road, Tinton Falls, New Jersey 07724 732-741-3112

   

Elmer W. Berge 

30 Meadow Gln. Fairport, NY. 14450. 582-223-9038

 

 

Roger Bolks

1107 1st Av. Sioux Center, IA. 51250. 712-722-0779 ?????

 

 

Leroy Breeloch

191 Florence Rd.  New Brighton, PA. 15066.  724-843-5444

 

 

Marshall M. Cochran

3808 Survey Cir. Bonita Springs, FL. 34134.. 239-949-1232

 

 

Jesse S. Davidson 

(TN) 731-885-8922 / 731-265-0473

 

 

Willis I. Deits
 

Sadly Willis passed away on May 28, 1994
Katie Diets
336 Golfview Road
North Palm Beach, FL 33408
www.katied.com
Tel: 561-351-7904

 

 

Sam Efthemon

2745 N. Thorne Av. Fresno, CA. 93704. 559-222-6447

 

 

George Elegan  

Seattle, WA. 206-329-0690

 

 

Richard Ernest

P.O. Bx 83 Minnesota Lake, MN. 56068. 507-462-3259

 

 

Richard Haggard

(OK)  918-469-2452

 

 

Sam Hays 

(TN) 901-276-0039 / 901-385-4868

 

 

Herbert Holmberg

Herbert died in 1994 and is buried in Fort Snelling National Cemetery. 612 724-8618

 

 

Thomas Holt 

48665 Stanford Dr. Shelby Township, MI. 48317. 586-739-5230

 

 

Robert Kesler

129 Hass Ln. Sellersburg, IN. 47172. 812-246-4896

 

 

Wilburn C. King

1403 Lexington St. Vernon, TX. 76384. 940-552-7720

 

 

Frank E. Kuczarski

77 Winding Ln. Springfield, MA. 01118. 413-783-8273

 

 

John R. Kukula

15957 Galemore Dr. Cleveland, OH. 44130. 216-696-0242

 

 

Sam (sid) Grigler 

108 Langston CV.  Starksville, MS. 39759. 662-323-4060

 

 

Donald E. Langley

(ME) 207-724-3764 / 207-666-5554

 

 

Richard B. Lerch 

317-291-3550 / 219-762-3112

 

 

Robert J. McCarthy

105 12th Av. Polson, MT. 59860. 406-883-2845

 

 

James J. Morrison 

504-861-0439

 

 

Richard C. Nelson

1631 Jung Trl. Astor, FL. 32102. 386-749-4293

 

 

James Ochs

2633 Rambling Way. Bloomfield Hills, MI. 48302. 248-334-6121

 

 

John Opella

137 W 15th St. NY. NY, 10011  

 

 

Vito Polizzi

15 Villa Dr. Callicoon, NY. 12723. 845-857-4294

 

 

Peter J. Puleo

2566 Nelson Dr. Seaford, NY. 11783. 516-781-4811

 

 

 

LeRoy J. Reinhardt

 

13155 West Shaw Avenue Kerman, California  93630 phone(559)275-0749
   

A Quillopo 

Monterey, CA. 831-384-3273
   

Harold E. Selke

haroldselke@gmail.com.   

6333 Briar Rose, Houston, TX  77057, 713-782-4628

 

 

William A. Simmerman

537 Harding Way. Galion, OH. 44833   419-462-3233

 

 

Ivan Spears 

(KY) 270-360-1872

 

 

Roland F. Stagni 

412 Wisteria St. Thibodaux, LA. 70301. 985-447-2350

 

 

Karl Stasko

821 Jane Av. Charleroi, PA. 15022. 724-483-0554

 

 

Arthur E. Steele

1109 SW Plass Av. Topeka, KS. 66604. 785-232-1074

 

 

Ralph Stredwick

5505 W. Wernett Pl. Pasco, WA. 99301. 509-545-3061

 

 

Charles Teegarden 

14221 S. Locust St. Olathe, KS. 66062. 913-829-2354

 

 

Gilbert E. Troyer 

14912 Dover Rd. Baltimore, MD. 21136. 410-429-5221

 

 

Charles A. Vaniman

23 Cantey PL. NW. Atlanta, GA. 30327. 404-352-1540

 

 

Thomas F. West 

Wheeling, WV. 304-233-1027

 

 

Melvin A. Wilde

656 N. 2865 E. Roberts, ID. 83444. 208-228-3631 

 

 

Leslie C. Wilson

(TX) 512-258-2337

 

 

 

 

 

Webmaster John McNeil email jmcneil@cacvibe.com