THE GRAPEVINE. ...from the Board of Directors. Inside this Issue. Pine Island Cove Newsletter Volume 35 Issue 7 July 2016

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1 THE GRAPEVINE Pine Island Cove Newsletter Volume 35 Issue 7 July from the Board of Directors HELLO, from your Board of Directors June has been a great month. So far we have had nice temperatures and a little rain to green things up! It s also time to remind residents of their need to keep lawns mowed and shrubs trimmed. At this time of year your lawns need to be mowed more than every 2 weeks (or as needed). Barry will be sending a letter to all that fail to do so. Please cooperate in this matter so that we can keep the park looking great! Did you know? Old issues of The Grapevine are posted on the Pine Island Cove website - mypineislandcove.com/ Work has begun on our roads and we hope to finish in the next 2-3 weeks. I m sure this will cause some parking problems and lane closures, but we will do things as fast as possible to try and prevent any inconveniences to residents. We have also signed the contract to treat the canals, with new chemicals, and to have an aeration system installed in Faith and Hope canals. Work should start in the next week or so. Next month, work is supposed to start on the boat ramp, we will keep you informed on that. One other project that we expect to complete is to repair and seal some of the manholes that failed the smoke test last month. There will still be some left to be repaired, but funds are not available. Continued on page 2... Inside this Issue Acknowledgements.. 2 Activities, etc.... 2,3 New Neighbors... 3 Featured Article... 3 Reminders... 6 Editor s Note... 6 Service Ads... 7 Contact Info... 7 Pine Island Cove our little place in paradise 6/28/2016

2 ...from the Board of Directors (cont d) We will be repairing the worst nine manholes this year and finish next year when we have a new budget. This is an important project as thousands of gallons of water are leaking into our waste water treatment plant. With rainy season almost upon us we would wish to do it now so as to avoid any overflowing of the retention pond. That pretty much sums it all up for now. We wish you all a great summer and be safe. That s it folks! Acknowledgements I would like to thank all of the wonderful friends and neighbors that have sent cards, phone calls, prayers, delicious food, etc. wishing me a quick recovery on my recent diagnosis. As too many of you know fighting cancer in any form is an uphill battle. With so many terrific friends sending us prayers for the quickest recovery and all the love we have been shown, we know we will conquer this. NO tears except those for good news of a total remission. Again, thank you one and all. (And because he would not admit it, you should all know Gene is treating me like I am going to break any minute!!! He is being wonderful.) If anything good can come from an experience like this, it is finding out who really cares about you. We hope you all have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you when you come back "home"!...pat (and Gene) Auge Activities, Committees, Clubs and Group News Fourth Sunday Summer Social July 24 at 2:00 P.M. at the Clubhouse Ice Cream Social Bring toppings or desserts to share Golf: Ladies play on Mondays and the Men play on Wednesdays - at Alden Pines on the Island Ice Cream provided Come Join Us!...Beverly Brewer 6/28/2016 2

3 Activities, Committees, Clubs and Group News (cont d) Ladies Luncheon For June, we went to the Blue Dog Restaurant in Matlacha and had 15 ladies in attendance. The TNT shrimp was excellent and everyone had a good time. For July, (the 20th), we are planning to go to the Waterfront Restaurant in St. James City. It is located at 2131 Oleander Street ( ). We will be meeting at 11:30 AM rather than our usual time of 12:30 PM. Please try to arrive at 11:30 - they open at 11:00. Directions: Come out of Pine Island Cove and make a right hand turn. Follow Stringfellow Welcome New Neighbors! Road to the Y. At the Y keep left on Oleander. The restaurant is on the right towards the end of the Island. If you go too far you will be in the water. The sign-up sheet will be posted In the Clubhouse. Put your phone number by your name if you need a ride. July and August s Ladies Luncheons will be hosted by Peggy Seiler ( ), and Barbara Johnson ( ). Marylea Ginny Nancy K. Maslen Gulfgate Lane - previously owned by Tom and Sue Brown. Nancy is from Minnesota and Hawaii. She was a Special Ed. teacher. She is a watercolor artist, and her other hobby is ukulele. Nancy rented on Cobiac for two years and has many friends in the Cove. She plans to live in the Cove the year round. Featured Article They Live Among Us Frank Furia Twenty-year old Seaman First Class Frank Furia was about 90 feet above the sea on the morning of December 18, His ship, the newly commissioned USS Monterey, CVL-26, an Independence class aircraft carrier was plowing through the biggest seas he had ever seen. Frank was at his watch station, at the top of the mast, where he was looking for Japanese planes and ships. His carrier was part of Admiral William Bull Halsey s Big Blue Third Fleet, chasing the fleeing Japanese Combined Fleet east of the Philippines. He did not know it yet, but he was about to be witness to history, the power of one of the very strongest tropical Typhoons ever recorded, and the unbelievable devastation it was to visit upon Halsey s 170 ship fleet. Continued on page /28/2016 3

4 Featured Article (cont d) They Live Among Us Frank Furia The USS Monterey was not one of today s super carriers, but was built on the frame of a light cruiser, only 622 feet in length. It carried 34 aircraft. That morning, to his profound shock, Frank saw the USS Spence, a 376 foot long first line destroyer already fully capsized, bottom up, drifting past on the port quarter as giant waves and screaming wind and rain tried to blow him off his perch. The Spence was crewed by 276 men, and all but 24 of those men rode their ship to the bottom shortly after Frank saw them passing that morning. And the Spence would not be the last ship to disappear beneath the waves that day. Frank doesn t remember being scared then, but he does remember being scared later as the storm got even worse, with mountainous waves reported at 70 feet roaring by and crashing over the flight deck of the Monterey. It became so bad he was pulled from his perch as the waves threatened to wash away anyone and anything above decks. But there was a great deal more trouble in store for the USS Monterey. About this time the Skipper of the Monterey, Captain Stuart Ingersoll, trying to keep his ship afloat sent this message to the fleet, Cannot hold present course all planes on my hangar deck are on fire. The hangar deck of the Monterey was now engulfed in a cauldron of burning aircraft fuel. Planes had broken loose from their tiedowns and were careening around, bursting into flames as their fuel stores exploded. The crew were frantically trying to jettison ammunition as the flames from the burning aircraft were sucked down air intakes to the lower decks and fires were breaking out below. The conflagration threatened the entire ship. As it happens, a young Naval officer by the name of Gerald R. Ford was aboard and he led the damage control parties that fought that blaze. That is when tragedy struck much closer to home for Frank. Some of the burning fuel leaked down below the hangar deck and exploded in another compartment, instantly killing a close friend of Frank s. Meanwhile, Frank was doing his part, ready to take his shot on the hoses with the fire fighting parties. By now, three of the Monterey s four boilers were down. The thick black, oily smoke had been sucked down into the ship s engine and boiler rooms. One engine room sailor was already dead and another thirty-three were down with asphyxiation. If she lost her last boiler she would lose pressure in the fire hoses now fighting the inferno in the hangar deck. Advised of the situation on board the USS Monterey, Admiral Halsey had decided to abandon her. Captain Ingersoll was told that two cruisers and several destroyers were going to steam abreast of the carrier to rescue survivors. Of course, that would have been nearly impossible given the sea state at the time. Meanwhile, the sea was a living, breathing monster, a dragon trying to kill them all. This description was from men who saw it The violence of the wind is terrible; it shrieks and whinnies, roars Continued on page /28/2016 4

5 and shudders, beats and clutches. The sea is convulsed, diabolic; the ships are laboring -- laid over by the wind, rolling rapidly through tremendous arcs with sharp violent jerks, pounding and pitching, buried deep beneath tons of water, rising heavily, streaming foam and salt from gunwales and hawse pipes. Violent rain gusts, spin drift blown with the sting of hail, a rack of scud blot out visibility. Such was the storm known now as Typhoon Cobra. Next to disappear was the destroyer USS Monaghan, DD-354. She was blown over on her side around noon, never to right herself again. She slipped beneath the waves unseen by any except God. Only six of her crew lived to tell the story. Two hundred and fifty-six did not. The destroyer USS Hull, DD-350 followed. She was 341 feet and 1400 tons. Seven officers and 55 enlisted men survived to tell how she rolled to 70 degrees and was pinned down by a gust as the sea flooded her pilot house and poured down her stacks. As the water flooded her upper structures she rolled over and plunged to the bottom of the sea taking 202 of her crew with her. Ultimately, the heroic efforts of the USS Monterey crew saved her. The fires were put out. Of her 34 aircraft,18 burned in the hangar deck or were blown off the flight deck, and the remaining 16 were seriously damaged. But the Monterey would survive. Featured Article (cont d) They Live Among Us Frank Furia The typhoon was over in a little more than two days. Before Typhoon Cobra, Frank and the rest of the crew of the USS Monterey were dodging Japanese dive bombers during the day, Japanese torpedo bombers at night, Kamikaze s and Japanese submarines all the time. They fought in numerous campaigns and island assaults, throughout the Pacific. Almost 800 men drowned that day in seas we can read about but can't truly fathom. That was more than twice the number of sailors and airmen killed in action at the Battle of Midway, and nearly as many as at Midway and the Battle of Coral Sea combined. Yet, because of the war the public was not told of those losses. The Monterey could easily have been another statistic if the fires had not been brought under control. Life and fate have a way of placing us in events that sometimes are very memorable. So it was with Frank. He saw many things in WWII, many battles, many storms. He was there, a participant in that terrible, monumental event, when history was made on that day, and he will never forget it. He was witness to acts of courage, and desperation, strength and perseverance. Those men did not conquer the sea that day. But they did survive and they returned to tell the story. Frank was one of many, and he lives among us....submitted by Steve Russell The above article and photos are posted at 6/28/2016 5

6 Reminders Property Improvements Improvements done on your property need prior approval from the B.O.D. Please respect your neighbor s property and do not trespass. Report any violations to the PIC office. PIC Office Summer Hours: 10:00 AM 3:00 PM Monday and Tuesday Linda is in the office Thursday and Friday Connie is in the office Paper Copy of The Grapevine If you do not need a paper copy of The Grapevine please notify the Pine Island Cove Office at (We will continue to send the electronic copy to your address.) From the Editor To nominate someone for the featured article They Live Among Us send an to Steve Russell. Include the person s name and how he/ she can be contacted, such as their phone number, address, or street address in the Cove. Include information as to why you think this person should be introduced to the residents of Pine Island Cove. Please send your nominations to Steve Russell at steve73@aol.com Please submit items to be published in The Grapevine no later than the 25th of the month. Please consider limiting the content of your item to no more than 250 words. (See the Hint...) Please include your full name with your item. I will acknowledge receipt of your item by return . Thank you for your support Note that the PICHA Board of Directors and The Grapevine editor reserve the right to edit items for the sake of brevity and clarity. If you have a change in your address please notify me by sending an to the address below. -Claudia Sitzman News articles should be long enough to cover everything and short enough to be interesting. Send your news item to picove.newsletter@gmail.com 6/28/2016 6

7 Services in the Cove Bicycle - Kent McMahan Sales, Service, Repairs Computer Help Bob Jannette Fishing Rod Repairs Mack Home Improvement Jim Henderson jhendrsn20@yahoo.com Notary Connie PIC Office Real Estate Joann Buck Joeyb1978@Gmail.com PIC Real Estate Listings The listings of For Sale and For Lease properties are available in the PIC Office and at Important Phone Numbers Lee County Sheriff PIC Office Note! Note! Note! Please save this page for your convenience. It may not be available in every issue. 6/28/2016 7