Alexander Kamakeeaina

In early May 2009 I came upon a letter in a U.S. Navy Communication writen in 1951 which spoke of many things, but one piece of information in particular caught my eye, that being a snipit about a sailor refered only as Kamakeeaina. In quick order I wrote to the individual who maintains the website dedicated to the ship from which this letter came from and received the following response. The response and the sailor that the letter refers to is in regard to uncle Alex.

Post #2You wrote26 minutes ago

Mystery Solved:

I wrote to the individual who maintains the website devoted to the U.S.S. Tiru and her crew and here is his response. The individuals he refers to are uncle Alex (Alexander) K. Kamakeeaina and uncle Eddy (Edward) K. Kamakeeaina. This is a wonderful discovery and a testimony to our ohana's service which sometimes goes unnoticed.

The email I received:

Mr. Kamakeeaina,

Our database (taken from old microfilms) shows an Alexander K. Kamakeeaina reporting to USS Tiru SS-416 on 1 June 1951. His service number was listed as 9954629. He came aboard as a Seaman Recruit and was promoted to Seaman Apprentice on 1 June 1951, then to Seaman 6 May 1952. He qualified in submarines on 3 July 1952. Kamakeeaina was transferred from Tiru to the Pacific Reserve Fleet on 27 October 1952 as a Torpedoman SN (SS).

Tiru Operations from June 1951 to October 1952:

9 Jun 51: TIRU sailed for the Far East and her first Western Pacific (WestPac) deployment. While in Asiatic waters, she operated in support of United Nations forces engaged in combating communist aggression in Korea. TIRU conducted two war patrols in Korean waters during this deployment. During this period TIRU made rendezvous with the USS Volador (SS-490) and the USS Ronquil (SS-396) to exchange patrol reports and other intelligence.

12 Jun 51: Crossed 180th meridian.

2 Jul 51: Reassigned to Submarine Division Seventy-One.

30 Jul 51: Completed First Korean War Patrol.

15 Oct 51: Completed Second Korean War Patrol.

26 Nov 51: Departed Yokosuka, Japan.

6 Dec 51: Arrived at Pearl Harbor.

Dec 51--Feb 52: Operations in the Hawaiian area.

19 Mar 52: TIRU was visited by the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Dan A. Kimball.

28 Jun 52: Commander Cappello relieved Commander Gray as Commanding Officer.

12 Jul 52: Commenced regular overhaul at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

9 Dec 52: Completed overhaul at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

We have found an Alexander K. Kamakeeaina, Torpedoman 2nd class (SS), on the commissioning crew of USS Sargo SSN-583, commissioned on 1 October 1958.

Uncle Eddy (refered to in the copy of the original letter above that I received) also served on the USS Sargo SSN-583 in 1964. Uncle Eddy (Edward K. Kamakeeaina) was uncle Alex's brother. A list of the individuals who served on the USS Sargo SSN-583 can be found at the following link. There you will see both uncle Alex and uncle Eddy listed one after the other. You will also be able to click on uncle Eddy's picture and see his service picture from his time served on the ship:

http://www.ssn583.com/CrewName.htm