2025 Reunion Portland Maine
The 2025 reunion was in Portland, Maine from September 14th through September 17th. This year the Amphibious Ships Reunion Group officially joined the AAFA, American Amphibious Force Association. There were just under 100 people in attendance. Half of the attendees were from the Amphibious Ships Reunion group which is a good sign going forward.
Sunday was arrival day and time to get reacquainted with old shipmates as well as meet some new ones. The hospitality room was large enough that we were able to use it for all our needs including breakfast daily just for our group.
Monday was the only tour day and it started early. We boarded the busses at 8:00 AM to start our day with a trip to the Bath Iron Works where many US Navy ships are built. We had a guided tour of the Maine Maritime Museum and learned much of the history of shipbuilding. We then had a boat tour of Bath Iron Works from the river and saw several ships in the building process. After our tour we went to Freeport Village, home of the L.L. Bean flagship store. Unfortunately the store was undergoing major remodeling so most of us just found a restaurant for a nice lunch and walked around the town. Back at the hotel we had a cheese, wine and beer reception to finish off the day.
Tuesday and Wednesday we were on our own to tour Maine or just hang out in the hospitality room. Many found different things to do and I was fortunate enough that Paul Smith lives in Maine so we took in many of the local sites and excellent places for lunch.
Tuesday night was a pizza party and meeting to decide the location for next years reunion. Many sites were nominated but in the end Savannah Georgia was chosen by the democratic process of a show of hands. No dates are set but will be sometime in September if possible. The meeting was followed by an auction of lots of navy stuff. The auctioneer was Bobbie Miller who is very entertaining and keeps everyone laughing.
Wednesday night was the annual banquet and the end of the reunion. The guest speaker was Al LeGrow, Capt. USN Retired. He was an intelligence officer and served for 27 years. Needless to say he had some interesting stories. This ended the reunion with everyone saying goodbye until next year in Savannah.
Sunday was arrival day and time to get reacquainted with old shipmates as well as meet some new ones. The hospitality room was large enough that we were able to use it for all our needs including breakfast daily just for our group.
Monday was the only tour day and it started early. We boarded the busses at 8:00 AM to start our day with a trip to the Bath Iron Works where many US Navy ships are built. We had a guided tour of the Maine Maritime Museum and learned much of the history of shipbuilding. We then had a boat tour of Bath Iron Works from the river and saw several ships in the building process. After our tour we went to Freeport Village, home of the L.L. Bean flagship store. Unfortunately the store was undergoing major remodeling so most of us just found a restaurant for a nice lunch and walked around the town. Back at the hotel we had a cheese, wine and beer reception to finish off the day.
Tuesday and Wednesday we were on our own to tour Maine or just hang out in the hospitality room. Many found different things to do and I was fortunate enough that Paul Smith lives in Maine so we took in many of the local sites and excellent places for lunch.
Tuesday night was a pizza party and meeting to decide the location for next years reunion. Many sites were nominated but in the end Savannah Georgia was chosen by the democratic process of a show of hands. No dates are set but will be sometime in September if possible. The meeting was followed by an auction of lots of navy stuff. The auctioneer was Bobbie Miller who is very entertaining and keeps everyone laughing.
Wednesday night was the annual banquet and the end of the reunion. The guest speaker was Al LeGrow, Capt. USN Retired. He was an intelligence officer and served for 27 years. Needless to say he had some interesting stories. This ended the reunion with everyone saying goodbye until next year in Savannah.
