A piece of the U.S.S. Dyson returns
to Orange after 69 years
By Greg Hayes
The Record Orange, Texas
Published 05/25/2011 - 1:05 a.m. CST
Eugene
Goudeau can recall the torpedos flying at the U.S.S. Dyson destroyer like it
was yesterday, as well as the dark, cramped quarters that he called home
while floating on the waters of the Pacific during World War II.
He remembers it all clear as a bell … in a sense.
Approximately three years ago, Godeau was able to see the bell that was on
the U.S.S. Dyson for the first time since his service days, collecting dust
in a warehouse in Baton Rouge.
"The captain of the Dyson, named Roy Gano, was given the Navy Cross after
the war and he was also given the ship's bell," Goudeau said. "From what I
understand, he kept it in his garage until he died."
Upon his death, Gano's son took the bell to a memorial for the U.S.S. Kidd
in Baton Rouge.
"He was hoping to find someone who may have served on the Dyson," Goudeau
said. "I assume his heart skipped a beat when he found a guy at the memorial
wearing a U.S.S. Dyson Little Beaver Squadron hat."
The man under the brim of that hat was Joe Malone, who happened to volunteer
at the memorial for the U.S.S. Kidd. It wasn't long before Goudeau said he
received a contact letting him know his ship's old bell was in Baton Rouge.
"I decided I'd go over and see it so I drove over there," Goudeau said.
"When I got there I couldn't find it anywhere. So I asked a clerk and she
said that she had no idea."
After the clerk got him in touch with the director of the memorial, Goudeau
learned that they just had the bell sitting in a warehouse.
"I asked the director if I could bring the bell back to Orange, because that
is where it really belongs," Goudeau said.
The reason he says that is because the U.S.S. Dyson was built by
Consolidated Steel Corp. in Orange and was commissioned on Dec. 30, 1942.
The ship was one of 12 Fletcher-class destroyers built by the hands of
Orange shipbuilders.
"The director of the Kidd memorial said that he would check and see,"
Goudeau said. "If the bell was on loan he couldn't give it to me, but he
could if it had been donated."
Once it was found that the bell was given to the memorial, Goudeau was
allowed to come pick it up and bring it home.
"I wanted it to be displayed, but I really didn't feel like going through
all the red tape with the City of Orange," he said. "Besides, they probably
would have just stuck it in a warehouse like the memorial in Baton Rouge
did."
Goudeau contacted Ron Emmert, chairman of the Heritage Veterans Memorial,
located at 3810 Martin Luther King Drive next to the First Church of the
Nazarene, and he said that Emmert expressed an interest in having the bell
displayed there.
Emmert said that about eight months of preparation went into getting a
proper stand built for the bell, which now hangs beside the Heritage
Veterans Memorial plaza.
"This is not only a great thing for the veterans of Orange County, but also
for those who worked, or who had family that worked, in the shipyards of
Orange," Emmert said.
This Sunday at 6 p.m. will be the eighth annual tribute to county veterans
at the plaza. Emmert said that he also hopes that those somehow involved in
the shipbuilding trade during wartime are also able to attend.
"We would love to be able to honor them for their service as well," he said.
For more information on the history of service of the U.S.S. Dyson, go to
destroyers.org which is The National Association of Destroyer Veterans Web
site.
Let Freedom Ring
Tommy Mann Jr.
The Orange Leader
May 25, 2011The
Orange Leader Wed May 25, 2011, 07:00
AM CDT
ORANGE — This year’s annual Memorial Day tribute will not only honor all
Orange County veterans and active military personnel, but also the role
Orange played during World War II.
The eighth annual Memorial Day tribute to Orange County Veterans will be
held at 6 p.m., Sunday, May 29, at Heritage Veterans Memorial Plaza, 3810
MLK Drive in Orange, which is located at First Church of the Nazarene.
This
year’s event has a special tone to it as Orange native, resident and World
War II veteran, Eugene Goudeau, has made a special contribution to the plaza
- the bell from the USS Dyson.
Goudeau served aboard the USS Dyson (DD-572) in World War II from December
1942 until December 1945. This has special meaning to Goudeau because not
only is he from Orange, but the USS Dyson, a Fletcher-class destroyer, was
built at Consolidated Steel in Orange.
Goudeau obtained the bell from the ship from a “museum” type complex in
Baton Rouge, La. approximately two years ago. He knew he had to find a
location in Orange for it to be displayed in remembrance of all who served
on the ship and the city’s war effort during those years.
“I thought about calling the parks department to see if we could put it at
Ochiltree-Inman Park,” Goudeau said. “There’s an Oak tree planted there for
one of the sister ships, but it dawned on me this would be a good fit for
the veterans plaza here at First Church of the Nazarene.”
Heritage Veterans Memorial Plaza is built around the life-size bronze
sculpture “Tears from a Grateful Heart,” and now has the bell of the USS
Dyson to compliment it.
“The bell is dedicated in memory of those people who sacrificed more than
just their lives on this ship,” Goudeau continued. “They left behind their
homes and their families.”
