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Indianapolis(CA-35)
It is with great
sadness that I report to you the passing of the USS St. Louis
Association President Emeritus, CDR Adolph L. (Al) Seton, USN
(ret). Al was a great source of help to me in the creation of
this web site with the mountain of information he shared with me
related to the Hubble-Bubble and the campaign to save the "Lucky
Lou". I had numerous phone conversations with him, and he sent me
numerous photos, old Hubble-Bubbles and other items which I will
always treasure. I am proud to have counted him as a friend, and he
will be greatly missed. Our sympathies and prayers go out to
Al's entire family.
Below is the newspaper obituary that Al's Daughter, Jeannie
Seton-McDonough so kindly shared with me. It was written by her
brother-in-law for the local paper. I can't think of a better
tribute than to share it with all of you here: Dave
Al Seton, 79, Pearl
Harbor survivor, worked in the early days of television.
02/12/01
Adolph L. (Al) Seton, a veteran of three wars and a sailor aboard
the only major warship to make it to the open sea during the attack
on Pearl Harbor, died yesterday in St. Vincent's Medical Center,
West Brighton. The retired television executive from New Dorp, who
became an eloquent spokesman against the scuttling of the vessel,
the USS St. Louis, was 79.
Mr. Seton's military career spanned six decades, with active
stints during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War
framed by service in the Naval Reserve. He enlisted in the Navy in
1939 and rose to the rank of commander in the Reserve before
retiring in 1981.
His civilian endeavors followed a similar upward arc. A
journalist by training, he joined ABC during television's infancy
and rose to the executive rank of publicity manager. He was a
charter member of the New York Chapter of the Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences, the organization that runs the Emmy Awards.
But Mr. Seton was best known, on Staten Island at least, for his
exploits during the Pearl Harbor attack, and for his later
championing the plight of the USS St. Louis, the storied warship
that was sold after the war to Brazil.
On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the 20-year-old petty officer was
below decks on the St. Louis, a 10,000-ton light cruiser moored not
far from "Battleship Row." Most of her crew had gone ashore for the
weekend and the young man was getting a suit ready for his upcoming
liberty.
"I was living in the gunnery office so I knew this wasn't a
drill," recalled Mr. Seton in a 1991 Advance retrospective on the
infamous attack, one of dozens of interviews he gave on Pearl Harbor
in his lifetime.
Coming topside, "I could see this ugly olive-drab plane with a
meatball on it about as big as a moon and the pilot was bent over
the stick and intensely interested in what he was doing. My thought
was he was berserk and had somehow gotten into the harbor and was
thumbing his nose at the U.S. Navy ... As I went up my field of
vision became greater, and I could see the sky just covered with
planes making attacks, I could see one of our battleships rolling
over, the Arizona in flames.
"I stopped and looked around and saw the whole damn defeated
fleet and there was nothing between us and California." The St.
Louis' crew, which had for weeks been drilling for such scenarios,
got the vessel under way within two minutes. It downed six planes as
it steamed out of the harbor at 25 knots, guns blazing while the
ship dodged torpedoes, the burning hulks of American gunships and
the shallow reefs near Diamond Head. It also is credited with
destroying a mini-submarine.
In a 1975 Advance interview, Mr. Seton vividly recalled the
devastation: "Never in my life have I witnessed such rapid
destruction, pollution of every kind and description, and needless
loss of life as took place."
Equally riveting was Mr. Seton's description of the St. Louis'
return to port several days later, and the shock registered on the
faces of thousands of sailors who had heard an erroneous report that
the ship had been torpedoed.
"This one ship became the entire Pacific fleet in pursuit of the
attacking Japanese fleet. When the St. Louis returned to Pearl
Harbor ... all top-side work stopped in the Naval base. Cheers
roared out in one of the greatest, spontaneous ovations anyone has
ever seen."
The "Lucky Lou" the nickname earned that day went on to fight in
10 more Pacific battles and campaigns. It was sold to the Brazilian
Navy in 1951. In 1976, when he heard of Brazil's plans to sell the
vessel for scrap, Mr. Seton, the editor of a monthly newsletter for
his former St. Louis shipmates, started a campaign to save the ship.
He became the crew's most eloquent spokesman in a four-year lobbying
battle with American officials and Brazilian diplomats.
He also fought on the frontline of public opinion, flooding
newspapers with press releases and opinion letters. One 1976
missive, to the editor of the Advance, described the ship almost
lovingly: "The USS St. Louis is a museum piece in every sense of the
term. Slim, fast and beautiful, she is the last of the world's true
gunships and considered by many to be the finest cruiser every
built. Built on a 10 to 1 ratio of length to beam, she is slimmer
than even some destroyers. Designed to battle it out in surprise gun
duels under cover of darkness or low visibility with enemy ships of
larger tonnage, heavier guns and longer range, she mounts a forest
of turrets ... bristling with guns."
Despite his efforts, the St. Louis met an unceremonious demise,
sinking off the coast of South Africa as it was being towed to a
Taiwanese scrap yard. At the time of the sinking, only one other
Pearl Harbor warship the USS Phoenix, which was sold after the war
to the Argentine navy remained afloat.
Mr. Seton served aboard many other ships during his long Navy
career. In 1945, while aboard the USS Borie, he suffered burns to
his leg during a kamikaze attack. He received the Purple Heart for
the wound.
Mr. Seton eventually was offered an officer's commission and went
on to serve stateside during the Korean War, from 1951 to 1953.
In 1967, as the Vietnam War escalated, Mr. Seton, then a
commander in the Naval Reserve, requested and received a special
90-day active assignment in Vietnam.
A worried father, he
wanted to be near his son, Cpl. John Seton, who was attached to the
Marine Air Squadron near Da Nang. An Advance report at the time told
of the duo's exploits, including Mr. Seton's efforts to get his son
and his son's enlisted buddies into officers' clubs. By then, he was
moving in the exclusive circle of admirals, the report said, and was
easily able to pull rank on one club officer who resisted the lowly
sailors. He and John later met his younger son, 16-year-old Philip,
in Hawaii for R and R.
Born in West Pike Run, Penn., Mr. Seton moved to Tottenville in
1949 and few years later to New Dorp.
After World War II, he earned a bachelor's degree at Duquesne
University, Pittsburgh, and later received a master's degree from
the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Manhattan. He did
graduate work at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and Brown
University, Providence, R.I.
He had a passion for journalism, working as a teen-ager for small
Pennsylvania papers and becoming a reporter at the former Providence
(R.I.) Journal-Bulletin. In 1953, he joined the American
Broadcasting Co. as a copy chief and climbed the ladder at the
fledgling network to trade news manager and assistant publicity
manager. In 1955, he was named publicity manager.
In the late 1960s, Mr. Seton worked at Manhattan marketing and
public relations firms and in 1970 was hand-picked by the chairman
of PepsiCo, one of his corporate clients, to help get the word out
about the National Business Alliance, a program started by the
Lyndon Johnson administration and designed to encourage corporations
to hire and train the chronically unemployed. As part of his role,
Mr. Seton visited 143 American cities and once briefed President
Richard Nixon, who continued the program.
Mr. Seton was active in the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association,
the Fleet Reserve Association and the Knickerbocker Chapter of the
Retired Officers Association. As an officer in the Naval Reserve, he
commanded the former training center on the Tompkinsville
waterfront. He also was named an honorary Navy recruiter.
A parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace R.C. Church, New Dorp,
he was a member of the Holy Name Society. He was also a member of
the Manresa Council of the Knights of Columbus, New Dorp.
"When you look up the word grandpa in the dictionary you will
find it means Al Seton," said his daughter, Jeannie Seton-McDonough.
"He was 'Grandpa Seton' to so many kids. We all miss him so much
already."
Surviving in addition to his son, John, and his daughter,
Jeannie, are his wife of 55 years, the former Stella Urbanczyk; a
sister, Frances Zuchowski; seven grandchildren, and five
great-grandchildren.
His son, Philip, died in 1993.
The funeral will be tomorrow from the Hanley Funeral Home, New
Dorp, with a mass at 10:30 a.m. in Our Lady Queen of Peace Church.
Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.
2001 REUNION
INFORMATION
USS St. Louis
(CL-49) "The Lucky Lou" 1939-1946 aka Cruzador Almirante
Tamandaré (C-12) 1951-1976
Reunion: Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN, 23-26 August 2001
Days Inn Airport / by the Mall of America 1901 Killebrew
Drive Bloomington, MN 55425 (800) 558-5051
reservations (952) 854-8400
USS St. Louis (CL-49) Association Reunion Coordinators:
Larry O'Neill 31664 County Road 40 Effie, MN 56639 (218)
743-3124 loneill@bigfork.net
Robert Hohenauer 3731 Centerville Road Vadnais Heights, MN
55127-7121 (218) 429-5752 RHohenauer@cs.com
The Birth of the USS St. Louis
Newspaper The Hubble
Bubble
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Volume 1,
Number 1
Wednesday
April 15, 1942
First
Edition
A young
gunnery yeoman named A. L. Sozonovich had some experience with
a home town mimeograph newspaper. LCDR James R. McCormick,
USN, the ship's Gunnery Officer who had collateral duty as
Welfare Officer, asked Sozonovich if he was willing to edit a
ship's paper. He agreed, and permission to proceed was sought
by LCDR McCormick and granted by CAPT. George A. Rood, USN.
The skipper was seriously concerned with morale aboard the
ship following the months of Japanese gains and U. S. losses
during the first five months of the war. LCDR McCormick
searched the dictionary and as his eyes fell on the word
"hubble bubble - a noisy chatter" the paper had it's name. The
date was 13 April 1942.
The ship had a daily news sheet copied from the Radio Press
Circuit by the radio shack. Yeoman Sozonovich worked out of
the gunnery office as editor with the Radio Officer, Lt.(jg)
R. W. Morrill, USNR, as Officer Advisor. The radio shack
mimeograph was used and yeomen were assigned to type the
paper, run it off and distribute it to the crew. A
contribution box was put up on the bulkhead outside of the
gunnery office for items and suggestions for the paper.
On Wednesday, 15 April 1942, while on war patrol in the
Pacific, the first daily issue of the Hubble Bubble began to
crank into history the incredible saga of the "Lucky Lou" -
the "Mystery Ship" of the 1941 Manila visit. Although the
paper could only be distributed on board ship due to
censorship regulations at that time, it was a great success.
As the crew got into it they had a lot of fun and a lot of
good issues were published.
One of the most original
regular columns submitted through the contribution box was
signed "Joe de Mountaineer". It was also one of the very
favorite columns written, and no one ever knew who was
actually writing it. Speculation ran from the Captain himself
down through the ranks. Traps were set in an attempt to learn
his identity. Lookouts were posted in the engineer's washroom
and the supply office, the two compartments adjacent to the
gunnery office, with negative results. No one on board the St.
Louis ever learned "Joe's" identity. "Joe's" column from the
19 May 1942 Special Anniversary Issue appears above. The other
columns also appeared in that issue.
When the Hubble Bubble began the Command structure of the
ship was as follows:
CAPT. George A. Rood,
USN ************ Commanding Officer CDR C. K. Fink, USN
****************** Executive Officer LCDR A. M. Townsend,
USN ************ First Lieutenant LCDR J. E. Florance, USN
************** Navigator LCDR G. C. Gill, USN
***************** Engineering Officer LCDR J. R. McCormick,
USN *********** Gunnery Officer LCDR (MC) C. L. Bozart, USN
*********** Medical Officer Lt. (SC) L. M. Detweiler, USN
*********** Supply Officer
The Hubble Bubble Staff
listed in the 19 May 1942 Special Anniversary Issue were as
follows:
Lt.(jg) R. W. Morrill,
USNR ********** Officer Advisor A. L. Sozonovich Y2/c, USN
********** Editor B. P. Savage Y2/c, USN *************
Sports G. C. Adams Y3/c, USN ************* Sports P.
Lancioni RM3/c, USNR ********** Press Radioman T. E.
Leonard S1/c, USN ************Press Radioman
Columnists:
W. H. Baxter CSK, USN
************** "The Sea Lawyer" H. B. Benedict Rm3/c, USNR
********** "Over the Joe Pot" E. F. Stuckey WT1/c, USN
************ "Vapors from the engineers" "Joe de
Mountaineer" **************** "Strictly
Regulations"
Artists:
K. C. Stevens SK2/c,
USNR H. L. Gregory GM3/c, USN B. Blevins SK3/c,
USN J. J. Steadman Bkr3/c, USN G. L. Andrews S2/c,
USN P. Lopez S2/c, USNR
Press Duty
Yeomen:
E. C. Clapsaddle Y2/c,
USN G. R. Fabrizio Y2/c, USNR M. E. Schachtebach Y2/c,
USNR B. R. Yantz Y3/c, USN G. C. Hoyt Y3/c, USN G. M.
Makovy Y3/c, USN C. L. Parrott Y3/c, USN G. L. Brien
Y3/c, USN R. W. Blaubke S1/c, USNR C. M. Gordon S1/c,
USN O. L. Campbell s1/c, USN
When the Hubble Bubble
resumed publication on 2 November 1977, "Joe's" stenographer
admitted his part in the column and offerred to continue to
send "Joe's" letters to the paper. " It was humor you could
always count on", whether aboard ship or in the later campaign
to save the ship, no matter how difficult a situation
was. Before the war's end, Sozonovich was commissioned from
the ranks as an Ensign and transferred to a destroyer, but the
paper continued on
The Hubble Bubble is recognized as one of the great
shipboard newspapers of World War II, published in combat and
still going strong after nearly 60 years. It still serves the
Association in five basic ways: 1) Creates among all an
awareness of the Association's goals, long term and
short. 2) Keeps all informed on significant developments
that effect the Association and each member. 3) Increases
the effectiveness of our shipmates, families and friends as
ambassadors to tell the incredible story of the "Lucky Lou" in
all places where there is an audience or readership. 4)
Encourages a favorable attitude in the staff and membership of
the Association. 5) Satisfies the desire of all to be kept
informed about what is going on in the Association Management,
what plans are being considered and gives the membership free
and easy access for input before decisions are made.
