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Due to the leadership and dedication of Mr. David Wood, Sea Scout
Ship 537 was a very active organization.
Community Service: In conjunction with Coral Gables Elks Club and
Wixom's Funeral Home the Scout's distributed food baskets to needy
families during the Holidays. The crew delivered American Flags
to homes throughout Dade County so they could be displayed during
the National Holidays.
Maritime: The group acquired several vessels including a 65 foot
Henry C. Grebe Cruiser and a 35 foot Matthews . The yachts were
berthed at the Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, Florida. The
Grebe was located on the east end of a Pier 5 adjacent to the south
channel and the Coconut Grove Yacht Club's anchorage. The Ships
often provided assistance to vessels in distress. The Coast Guard
recognized these efforts and sent Letters of Appreciation.
24 Hours of Sebring Gran Prix: For many years the Scout's camped
at the track during race week and provided access control services
for the Sports Car Races. The controlled areas included the box
seats above the pits and the Press tent. This allowed us to attend
the Gran Prix when such fabulous drivers as Juan Fangio, Stirling
Moss, Phil Hill and the Rodriguez brothers Ricardo and Pedro were
racing. This was the period of many fantastic factory prototypes,
Ferrari V12s, Ford's overhead cam 427 J-Cars, the Shelby Cobras,
John Hall's Vacuum Cleaner Chaparral and many other exotic and frequently
one of a kind machines.
Military Bases: Key West Naval Base was the destination for several
trips. At Key West we attended the UDT School and experienced trips
on a Torpedo Retriever and a submerged Submarine. We visited the
Mayport Navel Station's mothball fleet and an air show at Jacksonville
Navel Air Station.
The Orange Bowl Parades: While providing crowd control for the
parades we enjoyed curbside seats to the events.
Smokey Mountains: During a summer excursion to Smokmont we enjoyed
the company of the bears while camping. We also visited Sliding
Rock, Maggie Valley and Clingmans Dome.
Bahamas: Thanks to Mr. Kenneth Keyes Jr., we visited the Bahamas
on his converted PT boat. We camped on the beach at Bimini and snorkled
in crystal clear waters of the Bahamas.
Hawk Channel and the Florida Keys: Also with Mr. Keyes, we cruised
the Inland Waterway and Hawk Channel to visit Little Conch Reef
where we snorkled the Little Conch Reef, home to one of the most
famous shipwrecks of the 1733 Spanish Armada, El Infante. During
a trip ashore in a small boat we were accompanied by a rather large
Hammerhead Shark.
Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas: We traveled 70 miles west
of Key West to a cluster of islands, coral reefs and sand called
the Dry Tortugas. We camped inside historic Fort Jefferson located
on one of those islands, Garden Key. The construction of this massive
fortress began in 1846, with over 16 million bricks this is America’s
largest coastal fort. Construction continued for over 30 years but
the Fort, which covers 11 of the key's 16 acres, was never finished.
The invention of the rifled cannon made it obsolete, as it's thick
walls could now be penetrated. The Army finally abandoned Fort Jefferson
in 1874.
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