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SHARKHUNTERS proudly announces our Board of Advisors:
These are the Members who guide us forward in preserving submarine history:
Günther Heinrich Wayne Pickels
WAYNE PICKELS, Member #768-1988, serving until 2004
Wayne was in the original group of eight men who tumbled down the hatch of U-505 to capture that boat.
He was decorated with the Silver Star.
BOB PANAZZE, Member #457-1988, serving until 2005
Bob is a sincere historian.
Captain PETER CHELEMEDOS, Member #3619-1994, serving until 2005
Peter was a Merchant Marine officer and Skipper - sunk in the Atlantic by a German U-boat then in the
Pacific by a Japanese I-Boat.
Major LOU MARI, Member #546-1988, serving until 2006
Combat veteran of the Vietnam war - a Green Beret major.
Oberleutnant zur See PETER HANSEN, Member #251-LIFE-1987, serving until 2006
Officially, Peter was an Oberleutnant in the U-Bootwaffe but in reality, he was a highly placed Abwehr
agent with a great amount of knowledge of the 'spook' world in World War II. He reveals more and more
of this shadow world in each issue of our KTB Magazine.
DETLEV ZIMMERMANN, Member #247-LIFE-1987, serving until 2007
Detlev was a diving planesman on U-315 through the end of the war.
BRIAN ORLANDO, Member #807-1988, serving until 2007
Diver, historian, one of our researchers.
JOE BURGES, Member #605-A/LIFE-1988, serving until 2008
A transplanted Brit, Joe served aboard USS BLOWER.
EMILIE CALDWELL STEWART, Member #2480-1992, serving until 2008
Emilie is a world-renowned historian and her book "Signatures of the Third Reich" is one of the definitive
works on autographs of these people. Emilie is also our first female Board Member.
BILL OLSEN, Member #2431-LIFE-1992, serving until 2009
Bill is an avid historian and hard-working Member.
Major RICHARD SMITH, Member #1213-LIFE-1989, serving until 2009
Dick is a former professional airline pilot, international auto racer and avid historian.
Oberleutnant zur See GÜNTHER HEINRICH, Member #1945-LIFE-1991, serving until 2010
'Heini' as he likes to be called, was Skipper of U-960, the very last U-boat to make it through the 'Gates
of Hell' (Straits of Gibraltar) in WW II. He told us how he did it, and it was in our KTB Magazine.
MYRON BLAHY, Member #5432-C-1997, serving until 2010
Myron is an avid historian and hard worker.
WILLIAM NAPIER, Member #2290-C/LIFE-1992, serving until 2010
Bill is a Marine Corps Sergeant with two combat tours in Vietnam
JOHN BUCK, Member #3884-LIFE-1994, serving until 2011
John is an avid historian, and worked tirelessly for weeks at 'Ground Zero' in Manhattan.
Maßmann Dietrich
Captain 'HAI' MASSMANN, Member #4522-LIFE-1995, serving until 2011
Skipper of U-409 through the war.
TILMAN HESS, Member #5817-LIFE-1999, serving until 2011
Son of the youngest combat submarine Skipper of World War II, Tilman is an accomplished attorney.
JOHN ZARO, Member #5480-1998, serving until 2012
Historian, re-enactor
C. J. CHRIST, Member #47-1984, Serving until 2012
World renowned historian
GERHARD DIETRICH, Member #5923-LIFE-1999, Serving until 2013
Cannoneer with von Mannstein through the Crimea
DAVID MOBLEY, Member #417-LIFE-1987, Serving until 2013
Former Deputy Sheriff, now City Manager
DAVID SAVADYGA, Member #1020-LIFE-1989, Serving until 2013
Extremely dedicated Member of Sharkhunters
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Past Advisors
These Members served SHARKHUNTERS as advisors during their term and are still called upon for advice.
Hans-Georg Hess Edward L. Beach Otto Kretschmer Eugene Fluckey
JOHN KAMMERER, Member #653-LIFE-1988, served until 1989
He rode USS BARB, SSN 596.
Captain ROBERT THEW, Member #333-+-1987, served until 1990
Bob was with Naval Intelligence then into NSA, America's most secret 'spook' outfit. He gave us some
great stories before he began his 'Eternal Patrol'.
JOHN RYAN, Member #401-+-1987, served until 1990
John served the navy in Vietnam, blowing up downed American aircraft for the enemy could not get them.
Oberleutnant zur See HANS-GEORG HESS, Member #125-LIFE-1985, served until 1991
Hess took command of U-995 just past his 21st birthday, thus becoming the Youngest Combat Submarine
Skipper of World War II - any navy. He brought his submarine and his men back from five successful war
patrols at a time when 9 out of 10 German U-boats were lost on their first patrol. He was decorated with
the Knights Cross and the Combat Submarine Badge and today is a Doctor of Law.
Professor ZEL EATON, Member #55-LIFE-1984, served until 1992
Zel was a 'spook' during the war, and still won't talk about it.
EDWARD RUMPF, Member #179-C-1986, served until 1993
Eddie is fascinated with the U-boats that patrolled in the Arctic sea, and is one of the world's experts on
this phase of World War II.
BUD DANA, Member #245-A/LIFE-1987, served until 1994
Without question, Bud is the world's leading expert on the tunnels and bunkers built by the Germans all
over Europe and parts of Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere. He served in the U. S. Navy.
Dr. WARREN BROWN, Member #265-A-1987, served until 1995
Doc Brown was a US Navy doctor.
JUDE STACKPOLE PhD, Member #1334-+-1990,
Jude was tracking the story of the Triton (U-Boat) code that was either given or sold to the Brits when he
was tragically killed at the age of only 57.
ART AYDELOTTE, Member #787-LIFE-1988, served until 1997
U. S. Navy veteran, semi-professional historian
BILL CUSTER, Member #1764-A/LIFE-1991, served until 1997
Bill is a computer genius, formerly with IBM and served in U.S. Air Force Intelligence
Captain EDWARD L. BEACH, Member #1163-LIFE-1989, served until 1998
Captain Beach was a submarine officer during much of World War II, was Skipper of USS PIPER at the
end, took USS TRITON around the world for the first UNDERWATER circumnavigation, was decorated
with the Navy Cross, and is an accomplished author - his most famous book is 'Run Silent, Run Deep'
Fleet Admiral VLADIMIR CHERNAVIN, Member #2240-1992, served until 1998
Admiral Chernavin was the last Chief of Operations for the Soviet Navy. He is decorated with many awards including Hero of the Soviet Union and the 32 Point Brilliant Star.
JAMES KLINE, Member #300-A/LIFE-1987, served until 1999
World traveler and historian
GERHARD RICHTER, Member #214-LIFE-1986, served until 1999
Gerry helped set up the radio station at Lorient, then was radioman on U-81 when they sank the aircraft
carrier HMS ARK ROYAL and damaged the battleship HMS MALAYA, then was Skipper of his own
one-man submarine at the end of the war.
Master Chief CHRIS WILLS, Member #1935-A/LIFE-1991, served until 2000
One of the top CPOs in the US Coast Guard today.
Rear Admiral EUGENE FLUCKEY, Member #2169-LIFE-1992, served until 2000
Skipper of USS BARB, described as one of the U. S. Navy's first 'hot rod' submarine Skippers, he was
known as the 'Galloping Ghost of the China Coast'. Decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor,
four Navy Crosses and too many more awards and decorations to remember, Fluckey became the Most
Highly Decorated American submariner - ever in history!
Flotillen Admiral OTTO KRETSCHMER, Member #122-+-1985,
Known as 'Silent Otto' because of his refusal to make propaganda speeches, he commanded U-23 and
later U-99, to become the Most Successful submarine Skipper of any navy in WW II and maintained the
same average tonnage sunk per day on patrol as the most successful of all time, Lothar von Arnaud de la
Perrier of World War I. Kretschmer was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaf and Crossed Swords;
the U-Boat Combat Badge in Gold with Diamonds and many other decorations. He was a fine man, but a
tragic accident cut his life short in 1998 - he would have served until 2001.
MARC COHEN, Member #166-A/LIFE-1986, served until 2001
Serious historian and re-enactor of the Kriegsmarine, served in the U.S. Navy SeaBees.
Gerd Thäter Herbert Werner
Fregattenkapitän GERD THÄTER, Member #194-LIFE-1986, serving until 2002
Gerd was commander of U-466 & later of U-3506. He was one of a handful to go through the 'Gates of
Hell'. the Straits of Gibraltar, twice! He was decorated with the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold. He began
his "Eternal Patrol" in 2004.
Professor TOM MACKIN, Member #146-A-1985, serving until 2002
Tom is a bandmaster who had his band perform the stirring 'Kretschmer March' for the first time since
the end of World War II. It is forbidden in Germany.
EDDIE PHILLIPS, Member #220-A/LIFE-1986, serving until 2003
Eddie is an adventurer and professional salvage diver.
Oberleutnant zur See HERBERT WERNER, Member #18-C-1983, serving until 2003
Herbert was a U-boat Skipper throughout World War II - and he wrote "Iron Coffins".
Admiral FRANK KELSO, Member #2919-1993, serving until 2004
Admiral Kelso is formerly Chief of Naval Operations.
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