Navy veteran sees ship he served on slated for destruction

By Chris Mahon

The Brownsville Herald

When Lee Carters daughter came to South Padre Island from Kansas for Spring Break last week, the Brownsville resident naturally wanted to pay his daughter a visit. Driving to the Island to see her, Carter saw a ship docked near the Port of Brownsville that was set to be destroyed at a shipbreaking facility at the port.

He thought he recognized the ship from his Navy days, so on his way home he slowed down to get a better look.

I saw the hull number, AOE-3, and I thought, Geez, thats the Seattle, he said.

He tried to go into the port to get a closer look, but for security reasons was not allowed in.

More than 30 years ago, before he was retired, before a battle with lung cancer, before he was a Texan, Carter served as chief machinists mate aboard the USS Seattle, an ammunition oiler in the U.S. Navy.

In November 1969, Carter left Norfolk, Va., bound for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, aboard the Seattle. When he returned in July 1971, hed been to Haiti, Jamaica and Europe aboard the logistics ship.

The Seattle carried 8,000 tons of ammunition and 14 million gallons of oil, and was able to supply other Naval vessels patrolling in the Mediterranean Sea.

The 71-year-old Carter has fond memories of the Seattle and was saddened to see it set for destruction.

It kind of hurts. Its a part of my life that I wouldnt trade a million dollars for, and I wouldnt mind living again, he said.

I was away from my family, but the Seattle was my family, too. She was kind of like my mistress, Carter said with a laugh.

He dropped out of high school in Kansas in 1952 and worked his way up in rank on ships like the Seattle, and other destroyers, cruisers and an aircraft carrier.

He made two cruises around the world and to this day recalls the itinerary of those trips.

On my first trip (around the world), we left Norfolk for Bermuda, then to the Azores he said, before rattling off more than 20 other ports of call that led him through the Suez Canal, the Indian and Pacific oceans, the Panama Canal, and finally back home.

Sri Lanka was the most memorable place he ever went with the Navy, he said, because of its beautiful jungles and pleasant people. New Zealand was another favorite stop of his, also because of the people.

In 1999, Carter decided hed had enough of Kansas he retired from the Navy to his home state in 1972 so he signed the deed to his house to his son, packed up a U-Haul truck and his cocker spaniel and moved to Brownsville, where hes lived ever since.

Its hard to explain, he said of his feelings about the destruction of the Seattle.

Thats a hunk of my life thats sitting out there.

cmahon@brownsvilleherald.com