This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Diane Short, SA-Historian
to remember
Stribling, Grady, CWO3 USCG(Ret).
If you knew or served with this Coast Guardsman and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Best Friends EM3 Manley Newton EM1 Metzbower EM2 Plotner Others: The entire crew. with special emphasis on the Engineering Department.
Best Moment This is a hard question to answer. There were many: Completing six months of long hours and hard work during the shipyard period, a few days of R & R on the British Isle of Bermuda during the ship's" shakedown" after leaving the shipyard in Baltimore, My advancement to Second Class Petty Officer, the adventure of the Arctic experience and becoming a "Blue Nose"
Worst Moment A personal "worst moment " for me: Getting the ATKA ready for the trip to her new home port of Baltimore. One of my jobs, "bilge diving" in one of the main engine rooms. I remember crawling down through a maze of piping until I reached the bilge directly below one of the main engines. As I muddled around in the oily water, I found wrenches, some probably old as the ship. When I completed my "treasure hunt", it dawned on me that I was underneath a huge diesel engine, the size as big as a train engine and as I looked up through the maze of piping, I couldn't remember my entrance path. About this time I began to panic and experience the feeling of claustrophobia. After several attempts and help from two of my shipmates, I finally made it out along with cuts, scrapes, and my clothing ripped and torn.
Chain of Command Commanding Officer: CAPT Sumner R. Dolber Executive Officer: CDR Cletus J. Walz Engineering Officer: LCDR George Saunders Division Officer: ENS, Warren Johns Division Chief : EMCM Dahill
Other Memories The Arctic East Program was maintained by the United States with many people and ships to carry out the summer mission of resupplying Greenland's desolate military outposts. From 1967 to the end of the PROGRAM, CGC Southwind was the sole entity participating from the start to the finish. This was not a glorified Mission that gained notoriety. There were no ports to enter with pleasures of a holiday experience. Nor were there brass bands to welcome us home. Simply stated, the Mission Requirements meant hard work, long hours, and dedication from her crew. Our reward came from the bond that developed between us as we met the challenge of "Getting The Job Done".
In addition to my photos, I have provided a map of our 1967 "Arctic East" deployment along with numbered mission locations and a brief explanation of events.
For more information concerning the History and characteristics of USCGC Southwind WAGB 280: 1. Wikipedia Library 2. Arctic Combat: The Capture of the German Naval Auxiliary EXTERNSTEINE by the Coast Guard Icebreakers Eastwind & Southwind in Greenland, 1944 (http//www.uscg.mil/history/art...) 3. THE COAST GUARD & THE GREENLAND PATROL BY John A. Tilly
