USS Thomaston Reunion 2023

Where in 2023

Our next reunion will be in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The dates (October 3rd to 6th – Tuesday to Friday) are a little different in an attempt to experience some of the famous New England leaf color and get a better hotel rate in an area that is extremely popular to visit in the fall. You may find airfares are better too.

Your hosts this year are Chuck and Gail Firth.

Important Information Required

For those going on the tour this year, we are required by base security to submit a list of people who will enter the Navy Shipyard. We need a full name, address, and date of birth. And, each person must be a US citizen without a felony conviction in the last 10 years or a misdemeanor conviction in the last 5 years. Johnny is working on the list from the registration forms but may need to contact some people for additional information. If for any reason you can't enter the shipyard but would like to go on the rest of the tour, we'll work on an alternate stop for the time all others are on the base.

Make sure to bring a government issued ID, like a driver license, on the tour to present when we go onto the base.

Hotel

Our hotel is The Inn at Hampton (a Best Western Plus hotel), located at 815 Lafayette Road, Hampton NH, 03842, just a little south of Portsmouth on US 1. Visit their website at theinnofhampton.com. You can reserve by dialing 1 (800) 423-4561, or calling the hotel directly at 1 (603) 926-6771, or by using the online link: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.30026.html?groupId=R30JT8G3

If you call, ask for the USS Thomaston Reunion.

Room rates are $109/night for a King and $119/night for a double Queen. Rates will be good for three days prior to and after the reunion. For general information or questions about the reunion, email info@ussthomaston.com.

Dues

Dues remain $25 for shipmates, an amount that hasn’t changed in over 20 years. Even if you can’t attend, we encourage you to pay dues each year. Doing so helps us pay for food and beverages in the hospitality room, fees and expenses related to the website, name badges, and many other things that go into keeping the group running. And don’t forget to bring raffle prizes and/or an auction item. Remember too, that we have a ship’s bell that one lucky shipmate can take home for the year.

Tour – Wednesday, October 4

The Tour cost is $45. The tour will reflect the long ship building history of Portsmouth. We’ll visit the Portsmouth Navy Shipyard where the Navy’s attack submarine forces are maintained. A shipyard history tour and visit to the yard museum are on the schedule. Next, we’ll see the USS Albacore. This is a research submarine built in Portsmouth to test modern hull design and systems. (There’s an optional crawl through the sub for $8.00 for those who don’t mind cramped quarters). The grounds feature submarine artifacts and a small museum to visit. Our final stop will be at the 10-acre site of Strawberry Banke. This is a preserved pre–Revolutionary War site of houses, shops, and other buildings that made up the community then. Last, for those who want to stay in Portsmouth, we’ll drop you at Market Square for food, shopping, and sight seeing and return later for pickup and return to the hotel.

Business Meeting & More – Thursday, October 5

Business Meeting, 10:00 a.m., Hospitality Room
Light Lunch, 11:00 a.m., Hospitality Room
See the Seacoast and More, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cash Bar, 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Banquet Room
Raffle and 50/50 Drawing, 6:00 p.m.
Dinner, 7:00 p.m.
Auction, 8:00 p.m.

Dinner – Thursday, October 5

The Dinner cost is $57. We’ll do something a little different this year. We’re planning a barbeque indoor picnic featuring Hickory smoked chicken, Hickory smoked beef brisket, and St. Louis style pork ribs. Red Bliss mashed potatoes and herbed corn, and homemade mac ‘n’ cheese will be sides. Red bliss & sweet potato salad and cornbread are also on the menu, along with a choice of deserts. And, to give everyone a tasted of New England, we’ll have appetizer plates featuring bacon wrapped smoked sea scallops and silver dollar crab cakes, and smoked bacon wrapped chicken for those who prefer otherwise. Dress is casual. It’s a picnic. Plastic plates, utensils, and Red Solo cups.

  E-mail: info@ussthomaston.com

2023 Key Information	2023 Plan of the Day	2023 Registration and Payment