Site History:
Originally started in the fall of 1996 as Ken's Navy Page, the site moved to it's current location in 1999. Revamped in the Spring of 2001, the site changed its focus to reflect the upcoming Reunion and the formation of The USS Biddle Association.
Contacting USSBiddle.org:
- webmaster@ussbiddle.org: Any questions regarding site updates, site data, site errors, or permission to use information found on the site.
- quarterdeck@ussbiddle.org: Information to be added to the crewlist, including updates and corrections. The information received will be updated at the beginning of each month. Please provide your full name, email address, date of arrival, date of departure, and rank at time of departure.
- photos@ussbiddle.org: Pictures to be posted on the Crew Pictures portion of the site should be emailed to this address. Like the crew listing, the pictures will be updated at the beginning of each month. Please provide descriptions of any photographs sent. Equipment and people should be identified where possible.
- storekeeper@ussbiddle.org: Inquiries about items for sale and suggestions for new items should be emailed to this address.
- seastories@ussbiddle.org: Your stories about life in the Navy and experiences on the Biddle should be sent to this address. Please stay within the boundaries of good taste.
- Inquiries for the USS Biddle Association should be directed to the email addresses listed on the USS Biddle Association page.
The Authors:
This site was started in the fall of 1996 by Ken Ely of Boone, Iowa. Ken was a GMM aboard the Biddle from April 1984 until January 1987. His Navy hitch started with boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, at Great lakes Illinois which began in January of 1983. Ken's next command was Class A and C schools at Great Lakes. He reported aboard Biddle in April of 1984 after a 30 day leave. Ken was assigned to GM division and worked on the MK 10 Missile launcher. Ken made a Mediterranean cruise in 1984 and a Mediterranean/Indian Ocean cruise in 1985-86.
Ken's enlistment ended in January of 1987, and he returned home to Boone, Iowa. Ken married to Brenda in April of 1989. He attended Des Moines Area Community College. In May of 1989, he graduated with an Associate of Science Degree in Business and Computers. Ken has worked part and full time in Law Enforcement for several agencies including the Jefferson Police Department. When he was disappointed to find no pages about the Biddle, he started this one in the fall of 1996, originally as "Ken's Navy Page." When that site took off among former crewmembers, it grew into the site you see today. Ken now works doing hospital maintenance at Boone County Hospital.
After the serving on the Biddle for almost three years as an OS, Brian Bennett did a brief stint on the SARATOGA (CV-60) before he returned home to Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, taking degrees in Political Science and History. In May of 2000, he received his law degree from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
After a brief stint in Washington, D.C., Brian now lives in Rhinelander, Wisconsin with his wife Michelle (a graphics goddess who rebuilt the Biddle Crest from a patch she scanned into the computer) and their son, David. Brian runs a small law office in Rhinelander specilizing in Criminal, Family and Business Law. He also makes the coffee and takes out the trash. Brian did the redesign on the site in the Spring of 2001 and he also created the Biddle Theme found on the Downloads page.
