"Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler "Diving by Day" by Dwight Clark Shepler

United States Submarine Veterans

Mid-Atlantic Base

The United States Submarine Veterans Inc. was started by a group of United States Submarine Veterans of World War II. These men shared the vision that the sacrifices of those who gave their lives on submarines in the line of duty for their country will never be forgotten.

Early history

The foundations for Mid-Atlantic Base were laid on December 11, 1999, when six submarine veterans met at the Mason-Dixon Post of the VFW in Ocean View, Delaware. They decided to form the Mid-Atlantic Base of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. The Base Constitution and Bylaws were drawn up, duties were divided among the prospective members, and application was made with the National USSVI Office for commissioning as a base.

The base was officially chartered on January 1, 2000. Jim Harlan was elected as the first Commander of the new base, which still numbered only six members. The base began holding monthly meetings, rotating the location through the three counties in Delaware and membership began to rise.

The base finds a home in dover

Commander Jim Harlan addresses the membership at their new home in the Dover Sheraton Hotel (April 2001)

By January 1, 2001, Mid-Atlantic Base had 38 members and the membership decided to meet monthly at the Landings Club on the Dover Air Force Base. The Landings provided excellent service and a central, stable location for the base to meet. The events of September 11, 2001 resulted in the lockdown of Dover Air Force Base and Mid-Atlantic Base was forced to look elsewhere.

The Base eventually found a home at the Dover Sheraton Hotel. This turned out to be a blessing, as the new location afforded plenty of room for wives and other guests to take part in the meetings. The hotel also offered amenities not previously available to the base, particularly for its growing list of guest speakers.

The base matures

The year 2002 brought additional changes to the base. The base membership now numbered 51, meeting attendance was rising, and membership continued to grow. Changes to the Base Constitution and Bylaws saw the institution of two-year terms for Base Officers, and Base Commander Jim Harlan announced that he would not seek another term as Commander.

Base member Larry Rash walks through a blast door in Battery Smith during the Fort Miles Tour (June 2002)

Roger Reeves was elected as Commander and took office in late 2002. During the next two years, base membership rose to 75, and public outreach activities were expanded. Meeting attendance continued to climb, with the annual Holiday Social being very popular. 2003 saw the first ties between the Delaware Military Academy and Mid-Atlantic Base when cadets from the Academy volunteered to man the Base Color Guard for the Annual Newark Armed Forces Day Parade.

2004 Base Newsletter of the Year Award (December 2004)

The Mid-Atlantic Base newsletter, The Mid-Atlantic Submariner, was honored as the Newsletter of the Year for 2004 in its class. 2004 also saw the addition of another annual event to the base calendar, the annual Base Picnic.

Charlie Dauphin succeeded Roger Reeves as Base Commander in late 2004, becoming the first Vice Commander in Base history to do so. 2005 brought additional changes to the base with the first joint meeting between Mid-Atlantic Base and the Delaware Valley Chapter of the US Submarine Veterans of World War II at the Delaware Military Academy.