Navy Nuclear Weapons

On a whim I searched Google maps today for the house in Albuquerque, NM that I lived in from roughly 1949 to 1952, and that search led me on an interesting and reflective journey. My father was a mustang. During WWII he was a chief yeoman [YNC] assigned to a flag staff in the SW Pacific. During his time in SWPAC, he was commissioned as an 1100 line officer. In 1949 he received orders to the Naval Administrative Unit [NAU] at Sandia Base.

I never really knew exactly what my father’s NAU job entailed other than perhaps providing administrative support for naval personnel assigned special weapons activities. After my search for my ABQ home was successful this morning, I impulsively I Googled “Naval Administrative Unit, Sandia Base, Albuquerque, NM” and discovered LCDR Mike Snyder’s jewel of analysis of NSWU Travel Order #58 dtd 24 March 1950.

No, my father was not one of the naval officers ordered to the NORVA area for approximately 12 days of TDY, but the letter gave me a tiny peek into my father’s hitherto unknown life. During our family’s ABQ years, my father embraced small arms marksmanship under the tutelage of a Marine officer attached to the unit. I went with my father out on the east mesa to practice while he honed his skills with a HiStandard .22 or a .22 model of the 1911 45. After my father retired, he trained as a gunsmith and was a licensed firearms dealer. In case I was forced to eject over the skies over North Vietnam, I carried the model 1911 .45 he bought as a dealer. It has been too many years to be certain, but I seem to recall that the marine’s name was 1st Lt. Glick, and I think he was also commissioned from the enlisted ranks in WWII.

In he past I never doubted that my father’s love of marksmanship was rooted in his love of firearms, but Mr. Snyder’s travel order investigation makes me wonder if my father’s devotion to becoming an expert marksman with the 1911 was perhaps because of a collateral duty dealing with armed security for NSWU teams and their equipment.

It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that my mother told me that she suspected that my father’s fatal encounter with cancer at 49 (my second year in college) was due to his presence at test shots at Frenchman’s Flats in Nevada. With a high school education, he certainly was not a technician or nuclear physicist so it is a bit of a mystery why he would be present for the detonation of a nuclear warhead. Perhaps it was a perk for a NAU admin guy? Based on the eclectic personnel roster of SWU [Special Weapons Unit] included Sandia Base travel order #58, it is reasonable to assume that the raison d’être of the 1950s NAU is to provide the special weapons teams with whatever they needed to carry out their mission.

While I’d like to learn more about the role of Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club in Albuquerque, it would be Herculean task to dig out sufficient details to tell the story of the NAU of 1950s, even if the records of the NAU for that era have been declassified. Oh well.

Fair winds and following seas Gunner Schmidt

Looking for a black sailor striking for nuclear weaponsman who enlisted in 1960 and was in holding company at GLNTC between July 26, 1960 and August 12, 1960. We met while I was there and had excellent discussions about science, philosophy, electronics, etc. during the time we were there. I was in Company 366 and graduated boot camp on Oct 20, 1960. Four years in service. Discharged as FTM-2 in 1964.

Is the web site down? No updates since 15 September.

Hey Gary, good to hear from you. You said only half of 1970-how about 1971 or did you leave the ship in mid-cruise? Memory not as sharp as it used to be and no way can I remember what our berthing comp was! 49 years since I left the Hanna. Drop me an email if you can

Are they really going ahead with the reunion???

D. Burkhart, As I recall Gunner Fritz was running MA1 when i got there in Summer '77. Then a jg LDO (TM) took over, after him jg Norris (LDO) ran the shop until I retired in'80.

To Paul fegan: I’m not on Facebook my e mail is davidburkhart24@yahoo.com love to hear from u

To D Burkhart. Are the same Burkhart that I was stationed with on the Kennedy??

Looks like few use this any more so thought I'd say Howdy! rosey

AUW Shop
NAS Whidbey Island
1961 to 1964

I'm Baaaack!!

That’s a m26 Pershing tank 90 mm gun

Hey Mike Morgan, if your still out there, drop me an email at p.fogal@comcast.net. Did my last 6yrs as a recruiter and Milpo in Chicago and boy did it suck!! Should have gone physical security.