Welcome Aboard!

Welcome to the USS Spangler DE-696 web page! This website is dedicated to the shipmates that sailed aboard the USS Spangler DE-696 during her many years of service (1942 - 1958) and to the loved ones who patiently waited at home. It recognizes the many contributions these men and their families gave in service to their country during both war and peace. Above all else it pays homage to the memory of Donald H. Spangler, LTJG, for whom the ship was name and who gave his life in the Solomon Islands in 1942 in service of his country. A dedication page honoring LTJG. Spanlger can be visited David R. Rehmeyer (1943-1944), Ted Smith (1943-1945), William (Bill) Irwin (1943-1945), Ken Nolan (1943-1945), and Guy E. Thompson (1944-1946),

Photograph contributions from thirty six servicemen that served aboard the Spangler at some point dating back to 1943. The information, photographs, memorbilia and sea stories from other years and other contributors have helped make the website dynamic and enabled it to take on a "life of it's own!"

Appreciation is extended to the 1957 Cruise Book Staff (P.L. Morris GM1, G. Lavra FT2, P. Hossli TM3 and Phil Eng IC2) for providing us a lasting memory in the form of the Cruise Book. The many photographs and excellent art-work produced by Phil Eng, the ship's photographer, have been invaluable in making this website possible!

While faces and scenes have changed over the years, life aboard the Spangler was a continuum: sailors aboard in 1943 walked through the same hatches, stepped on the same decks, saw the same bulkheads, and ate in the same galley as those that served aboard in 1958. So whether they served together, or served in different years, their service aboard the Spangler creates a special kinship -- they're all "Spanglermates!"

Dave Norris (who passed away in 2015 and his close friend, Bob Ellis, played the primary role in searching out and reuniting the Spangler family through annual reunions from 2000 through 2014. Without their contributions, much of the website would not be possible. And this is also true of the host who sponsored the reunions each year. There efforts made it possible for memories to be refreshed, stories rehashed, and photos from those wonderful years gone by laid out for all to browse.