January 2026
USS
SENNET (SS-408)
All Hands Newsletter
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Looking Back As we enjoy Christmas and New Years, it is appropriate to remember that many of our brethren will not be home for the holidays. Instead, they are following in our footsteps and continuing the tradition of duty, honor, and sacrifice to protect America's freedom. While we sleep, warm and secure, they will be patrolling the oceans of the world and keeping the faith. They've earned their dolphins and wear them with pride. . .just like we did.
Looking Ahead - Mark Your Calendars Our 2026 reunion will be at the Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach on October 18-21, 2026. That's three days starting Sunday afternoon and ending Wednesday morning. They have a variety of rooms at really great prices. Ocean front rooms with a king bed or two doubles are $82 night ($104 incl). At the high end an oceanfront deluxe king 1 bedroom combo is $105 night ($130 incl). And the economy interior room is just $55 night ($74 incl). Inclusive prices include all resort fees, parking, taxes, etc.
There will be free snacks and beverages in our hospitality room. Lots of navy memorabilia and you might want to bring some of your own to display. Plus, I've booked great weather for touring around Myrtle Beach. Who could ask for more? There is nothing you need to do right now, just mark your calendars and save those dates. I will publish the reunion registration forms and hotel registration information starting in March or April. Something New This Time - Sharing Because our numbers are shrinking we are going to share our reunion with another diesel boat. This reduces the overhead costs and doubles the sea stories. We will share our hospitality room, our Memorial Service and our banquet. Registrations for each boat will be handled separately, and since individuals make their own hotel reservations, hot bunking will not be necessary. There is really no downside to sharing, and when we get to the business meeting at our 2026 reunion we will vote if we want to continue sharing. One Unsolved Issue I have a contract for the hotel, the rooms are blocked, the hospitality room is planned, and the banquet is ordered. All the big pieces are in place. Smaller details like name tags, snacks, beverages, etc will come much later, and I will take care of those too. The big, unsolved issue is that there is no back-up for me. I need one volunteer from each boat. You will not need to do anything unless something happens to me. In the meantime, I will submit your name and contact information to the hotel and each boat's treasurer as my alternate contact. And I will keep you informed of all pertinent reunion details and arrangements. From The Quartermaster's Notebook Donations . . . Contributions from our generous supporters help make our newsletters, website and reunions possible. Simply said, they reunite friends. Special Thanks to: EM2(SS) Michael "Greg" Jones (1968 decom). Make your check payable to: USS Sennet SS-408 Reunion Fund and mail to Ralph Luther. His address is below in the Ship's Store information. Ship's Store . . . Ralph Luther stocks a limited supply of Sennet unique submarine items like: T-Shirts - Size XXL only - Navy blue shirts with the Sennet logo embroidered above the pocket and a submarine veteran screen print on the back - $22 Prices do not include postage. Contact Ralph Luther by email for availability and total cost. All revenue goes 100% into the Reunion Fund. Make checks payable to: USS Sennet SS-408 Reunion Fund and mail to: USS Sennet SS-408 Eternal Patrol . . . Recently we learned of the passing of: EN3(SS) Ronald B.Geer 1959-1961) departed May 28, 2017. Special thanks to Ron & Connie Bycroft (1966-68) who send condolence cards to the families of recently deceased crew members. Binnacle List . . . These shipmates are facing some serious challenges and would like to hear from you. A simple email, card or phone call means so much to them. Find out more info about your friends on the Sennet web site page Binnacle List. RM2(SS) Robert J. Mullin (1958-1960) has Alzheimer's and lives in a memory care facility in Rutland, VT. Cards or letters may be sent to his son, and he will share them with Bob. Pollyanna . . . the Submarine Reindeer In summer 1941, the British submarine, HMS Trident, docked at base in Polyarnoe in Russia. Hitler had just launched an invasion against the Soviet Union, and the Russians were keen to show their appreciation to the British, and so in August the crew of the HMS Trident received a gift from a Soviet admiral; a reindeer. The unusual choice of gift comes through a story that the British captain of the ship had been talking to a Russian admiral when he mentioned that his wife had difficulty pushing her pram through the snow in England. The admiral exclaimed in response, "what you need is a reindeer!" and thus he procured one for the captain. The British did not wish to refuse a gift from their allies, and so they took the female reindeer into their care, naming her Pollyanna after the Russian base. Getting a reindeer onto a submarine is no easy feat, and Pollyanna was lowered into the vessel via the torpedo loading hatch. The Russians also provided a barrel of moss to feed her during the voyage. It was initially thought that Pollyanna could be kept in the torpedo and food store, but trying to tell a reindeer what to do proved futile. In the end, she chose to sleep underneath the captain's bed. The HMS Trident was required to stay at sea for 6 weeks to patrol the sea off Norway following rumors that the German fleet was on the move. Pollyanna quickly became a member of the team, with crew mates later recalling fond memories of her time with them. There were 56 crew on board and as Pollyanna soon ate all the moss, the crew would feed her with their leftover vegetables and cans of condensed milk. This was not always enough for the reindeer, and there were stories of her eating several navigation charts! Pollyanna certainly ruled the submarine, and whenever the boat would surface for air she would barge through the corridors to make sure she was one of the first ones at the main hatch where she could breathe some fresh air. Finally, the submarine returned to England and docked at Blyth in Northumberland. Pollyanna could finally be free of her metal home - but all the food the crew had given her meant that she had put on weight. They could not fit her out in the torpedo hatch, and so a dockside winch had to be used to squeeze her out of the main hatch. In the end, Pollyanna did not pull the pram of the captain's wife. She was gifted to Regents Park Zoo in London where she lived out the rest of her days. She died in 1946 within a week of HMS Trident being decommissioned and scrapped, in a poetic end to the story. She had lived an experience very few reindeer could claim to have, and had raised the morale of a British submarine crew during a time of war. Green Board, Stan Pollard
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