26 December, 2015
  • This will be the last update for 2015.  It isn't really related to the site perse, but I will be deleting the Captain.Kirk@TheBigNickel.ORG email address today.  Please update your email address book(s) to use Captain.Kirk@TheBigNickel.NAVY instead.  If you find any email links on the site that still reference the ORG address, please notify me ASAP.
  • Unfortunately I have had to increase the price on regular hats by $6.  This is effective immediately and is reflected in the Ship's Store Order Form.  Sorry about that, but embroidery costs have gone up.
15 October, 2015
  • Made/making some minor changes to various pages throughout the site.  If you find something that isn't quite right or doesn't work, please let me know.
14 September, 2015
  • I have removed the button to take you to the DDG-5 Mailing List Opt-in page since I am moving to a new, and in my opinion, easier email newsletter provider.  I have a preliminary email that I will be sending out in the next week or so to everyone that I have a valid email address for (i.e., an email address that has not bounced back to me from sending out the July 2015 newsletter). 
  • If you did not get an emailed PDF of the July 2015 newsletter, please make sure that you have updated your email address.  Check the Registered Members with Bad Email Addresses to see if your name/address is listed.  If it is, please contact Captain Kirk ASAP to get things updated.

29 August, 2015
  • I have received notice from a shipmate that he has had problems with filling out one of the on-line 2016 Reunion Registration forms.  I have put up a link to a ZIP file that contains all 3 forms that you can download to your desktop, extract, and open the form of choice using Adobe Reader (available here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ ).
  • I have tested the forms using Firefox, IE11, Chrome, and Opera.  Mac users, please let me know if you have problems since I can't test Safari since Apple stopped making a Windows version.  I can get the forms to open in Microsoft's new Edge browser, but they don't come up so that you can fill them out on-line so if you're using Edge, your best bet is to download the ZIP file or have a standby browser (like Firefox) available when Edge doesn't do what you want.
18 August, 2015
  • Added 2016 Reunion Registration forms to the 2016 Reunion page.  There are 3 different PDF forms:
  1. Print the form, manually fill it out, mail it in with your payment;
  2. Fill the form out on-line, print the form, mail it in with your payment;
  3. Fill out the form on-line, send a copy to Captain.Kirk@TheBigNickel.navy, make your payment via PayPal.
If you have questions or problems with any of the forms, please contact me ASAP!

16 August, 2015
  • Added BT3 Dennis "Bozo" Brzozowski to the Taps Page.
14 August, 2015
  • Updated 2016 Reunion Hotel Reservation information.  You can now make your room reservations using the special DDG-5 Crew Members Association page the hotel created for us.  Contact me if you have any problems or issues.
  • The 2016 Reunion Registraton Forms will be availble in the next week or so. 
18 July, 2015
  • Made some minor updates to the Home Port page, resizing a couple of buttons and regrouping them.
19 June, 2015
  • Added LCDR Lee Donald King (member of the 1989 decommissioning crew) to the Crewmembers Taps Page.
28 May, 2015
  • Update with information about the now active 501(c)(3) non-profit status of the DDG-5 Crew Members Association.
27 May, 2015
  • Updated the Taps Page with links to Carl Slacks obituary and a summary of his 20 year naval career.
12 May, 2015
1 May, 2015
  • Updated the 2016 Reunion Scuttlebutt page with more information about next years reunion.  Include a 2016 Reunion Survey that you can fill out if you are planning on attending so that the reunion committee can start getting a handle on things for planning purposes.  If you do fill out the survey and find you made a mistake, notify me and I will reset your information so you can redo the survey.  Registration forms are not yet available as pricing is still being worked. 
14 April, 2015
  • Added a photograpic tribute to Carl Slack.
  • Added a 2016 Reunion Scuttlebutt button to the Home Port page.  The 2016 Reunion page currently contains preliminary/tentative information about the reuion.  The dates, 12 - 15 May, 2016 and hotel, Crowne Plaza Jacksonville-Riverfront, are solid.  Note the the Crowne Plaza will be rebranded DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jacksonville Riverfront on September 1, 2015.
April 9, 2015
  • Sadly added FTM1 Carl W. Slack (1963 - 1964) to the Taps Page.  Carl was the DDG-5 Crew Members Association Executive Director since the formation of the Association at the 2009 Reunion in Jacksonville, Florida.  Carl was also the Reunion Coordinator and was the driving force behind the 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014 reunions.  He will be greatly missed.
April 5, 2015
  • Effective today the DDG-5 Crew Members Assocation Executive Council has appointed Glenn Johnson (BT2, 1964  1968) is now the DDG-5 Crew Members Association Executive Director, replacing Carl Slack (FTM1, 1963 - 1968). 
April 4, 2015
  • Added the mother of FTGC Rodney Click to the Family Taps Page.
March 30, 2015
  • Added a "Binnacle List" button which will take you to a page listing those shipmates currently ill.  Currently only Carl Slack is listed.  If you know of or would like to be listed, let me know.
February 25, 2015
  • Removed the MMD comment page.  Not enough action and I continue to get spam input.  If any MMD crew members would like to add a comment, send your comment to me and I will make sure it is recorded.
February 14, 2015
  • Added EW1 Kermit "Ed" Williams to the Taps Page.  If you knew Kermit, please contact me with any information you may have about his time onboard.
January 17, 2015
January 8, 2015
  • Added Suffix to the name entry on the registration form.  This is for those of you who are a Jr., Sr., or whatever.  If you would like to update your registration information, just follow the directions in the Big Red Button (How To Change/Update Your Registration Info).  Note that your suffix will not show up in the Crew Roster other than by clicking on your name for more detail.  Any questions/problems, contact me.
  • Moved the Site Updates from most of last year (2014) into the archieves.  If you would like to see them, you can go here.
January 2, 2015
  • Hopefully I've fixed the main issues I created when I updated the site New Years eve.  I thought I had found a way to simplify adding the navigation menu, but I didn't take into account use in different browsers and other things that caused problems moving from page to page.  There are still some issues with some of the slide shows from the current and past reunions which I will correct over the next few days.  Sorry about this, but I'm pretty sure most of you didn't even visit the site during this FUBAR exercise :)
January 1, 2015
  • I've updated the site to primarily use the *.Navy domain extension.  There were issues mixing the *.org and *.Navy extensions, especially if you logged into the site on one domain and then got moved to the other.  You should notice that I'm implemented a new header which now contains the dates of service of the Biddle and the Ricketts and a title.  The navigation menu has been updated to point to the *.Navy domain.  I've also changed how I implement the navigation menu so if you see where there is a problem, please let me know ASAP.
  • I have not (yet) optimized the web pages for mobile devices so if you use your phone or tablet to view the site you will probably see things offset.  I'll work this, but it isn't at the top of my priority list so don't expect changes to happen quickly, as if changes ever happen quickly on the site :-)
  • Other minor changes on various pages have also been implemented and you may need to look closely to see them.
  • I've tried to QA all the changes, but as usual I can't see the forest because I'm too close so if you find/see anything that goes sideways, please let me know ASAP.
  • Sadly added RD1 Rush B. "Zeke" Horton to the Crew Taps List.
The Big Nickel Site Updates
for 2015