Raymond L. Rimer anchor
Raymond L. Rimer, GM Striker
USS Salt Lake City CA25
Jul. 1934-Mar. 1938

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USS SLC...Enlisted Navy...Raymond L. Rimer, GM Striker
US FLAG Raymond passed away on Jan. 7th, 2009.
Information from dau. & son in law, Terry Rimer & Todd Germann

Raymond L. Rimer Todd has created a lovely Memorial website for Ray for you to visit.
To view the video interviews of Ray, you may need to download a
flash player if you don't already have one. If you need one, scroll to
the bottom of the page on his site and download the free software.

This picture was taken at the USS SLC CA25 Reunion in 2007
in Tulsa, OK. at the Cherokee Casino Resort







June 5th, 2007

Served under the following Commanding Officers
Capt. Lewis Coxe, Capt. Isaac C. Johnson, Jr., Capt. Allan S. Farquhar[Later Admiral]

4th Division - GM Striker

Born: February 12, 1914 in Ohio

I enlisted March 12th, 1934 at Lima, OH. Sent to Norfolk, VA. for boot training. From boot camp went to the ship at Hampton Roads, VA.

Good Will Tour
The next morning we upped anchor and headed up the coast [Summer, 1934] on an extended Good Will Tour. First up the Delaware River to Philadelphia. Thence to Brooklyn Navy Yard for some minor fixes. Thence to Newport R.I. We anchored out and got to witness the Americas Cup Race. then Provincetown, MA., Portsmonth, NH, and Rockport, ME. Most every place we put in some local society would give a clam bake.

Raining Worms
The ship was scheduled (Fall, 1934) to join another heavy cruiser division for war maneuvers, so the next destination was the Caribbean area. Before our rendezvous we encountered a very severe hurricane. I had no idea what category of storm (the green horn that I was I thought the storm was humongous). The ship was battened down for several hours. When we were allowed to go back topside the teak deck was covered with thousands of red fish worms (1-2 1/2 inches long). We tried to squeegee them but that merely crused the worms. So we cleaned the deck with high pressure water hose.

Raymond L. Rimer

Rifle Team
We put in at Gitmo for an extended stay. While there I fired several matches with the Scouting Force Rifle team. Our other stops in the Caribbean were Kingston, Jamaica and Porta Prince, Haiti. Thence through the Panama Canal. Our destination Long Beach, CA. which was considered our home port.

De-Barnacle
The ship went into dry dock several times to de-barnacle the bottom. I specifically remember Mare Island, Bremerton, WA., Pearl Harbor (twice). August, 1935 we were in Puget Sound, Seattle.

Will Rogers & Wiley Post
We witnessed the take off of Will Rogers and Wiley Post on what was to be an around the world fight. Sadly they crashed and were both killed the next day at Pt. Barrow, AK. on August 15, 1935. The Salt Lake City had headed for Alaska also. After the sad news the scuttle butt was that the SLC would return the bodies. However, that was soon squelched and the mission went to the Coast Guard Cutter North Star.

USS MACON
We were on maneuvers off Pt. Sur, CA. when the airship USS MACON (Airship Dirigible) went down in the Pacific. On the date February 12, 1935 (my birthday) I was a crewman member of a motor launch (one of many) that picked up any floatable debris. Several fairly large pieces (aluminum frame work) were being held afloat by other floatable material. Of a crew of 84 I think there were only 3-4 causalities. When the USS AKRON crashed the causalities were reversed.

Shellback Initiation
The ship would join up with other ships at various times for war maneuvers -- usually 2-3 times a year. usually at the end of maneuvers we would make Good Will stays. Such as Frisco, Portland, Seattle, Alaska, Hawaii (3 times), Valpariso, Chile. Leaving Panama we headed for and crossed the equator on May 20th, 1936 at 8 a.m. and, of course, the initiation to become a shellback.

Amelia Earhart
July 2, 1937 we were in Peal Harbor when the news arrived about Amelia Earhart. My memory says the SLC, Chester, Lexington, 3 or 4 destroyers, fueled up, took on other supplies and departed on a week search for any evidence of same.

Discharged
Nearing time for the end of my enlistment, March 12, 1938, I was transferred to an Army Transport headed for Frisco. The SLC was in Pearl Harbor when I left the same. After a week at Goat Islands, CA. I was trained to Great Lakes for discharge on March 8, 1938.

Re-Enlisted
March 30, 1942 I enlilsted in Naval Reserves. Sent to Norfolk again. Of course I did not take training again. I was assigned to a ship that was in Portsmonth Navy Yard and did not expect to get to sea for 2 or 3 months. Meanwhile I was a chauffeur for the Commander of Receiving Station (Captain J. J. McCoy). Having been a GM striker on SLC, I was immediately made GM3c.

Raymond L. Rimer

Saved by Sea Sickness
During my chauffeuring in the Spring of 1942, the Captain was constantly quizzing me about my precious enlistment. I had told him of my severe sea sickness. One day I had driven him to AATTC at Dam Neck, VA., which was a training center for Armed Guard crews for merchant ships. On the way back to the Naval base, the captain said "Rimer, since you got sea sick - how would you like to go to Dam Neck and be an instructor?" I jumped at the opportunity. He said, "I'll fix it up". Two days later I was at Dam Neck. The ship I had been assigned to, the USS BENJAMIN HARRISON, was torpedoed on its maiden cruise across the south Atlantic. As an instructor my students included Bob Feller and Cesar Romero.

After Service
Being a reservist, I was discharged Sept. 1, 1945. Then I was a letter carrier for 31 years in Lima, OH. I've been retired for 30 years. I was married for 52 years to Evelyn Mobouck (1942-1994). I am currently living with my daughter and son-in-law in St. Petersburg, FL. and here I am today!

Raymond L. Rimer


"The Rope Yarn", Small Arms Firing Results, 4th Div. 1934
Remembered by ball-red-02 Deceased John Baeumel
2007 SLC Reunion

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A Spare Moment for Laundry

Raymond L. Rimer
Liberty

Raymond L. Rimer
Liberty, Waikiki Beach

Raymond L. Rimer

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Raymond L. Rimer A Letter Home

Raymond L. Rimer

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