Asheville,NC - USS Asheville

When the Asheville was launched in 1918 the sponsoring party consisted of Edith Vanderbilt and her daughter along with all the city rulers at that time. This is what has drawn Bill Cecil into our reunion sponsorship and further has brought one sponsorship from the Rotary Club and should be a reason for the whole city to sponsor it. Secondly: Some time before 1918 Dr. Green from the Rotary Club suggested naming a warship after our city. They aroused the city fathers and politicians and went to the Secretary of the Navy Joseph Daniels and he awarded the gunboat being built at Charleston Navy Yard to be named USS ASHEVILLE-PG21.
The reunion is based on the Memorial to the former Asiatic Fleet for which the USS ASHEVILLE PG21 was a part and the heroic stand they made following the disaster at Pearl Harbor. They were the only U.S.Navy force available to delay the hoardes of modern overwhelming navy from their rush to obtain the oil rich Dutch East Indies. Even though they consisted mostly WWI vintage ships they put up a courages fight in spite of their complete lack of air cover and it is well known now that they were EXPENDABLE without ANY PROMISED REINfORCEMENTS. The lack of any recognition was due to the fact that their outcome was a complete failure, as expected, and due to the Pearl Harbor disaster the navy did not want to throw another blow to the country already reeling from the surprse attack death roll.