Remembering RM3 Billy Jerome Lott (USN, USS Trenton), who lost his
life on active duty, 17 January 1977, in Barcelona, when the liberty boat
(LCM-6) he was on struck a freighter and capsized.
RM3 Lott was born on September 16, 1957, in Douglas, Coffee County,
Georgia. He enlisted in the Navy on September 10, 1975. He was 19
when he died. RM3 Lott was laid to rest in Hinesville Cemetery, Liberty
County, Georgia.
RM3 Billy Jerome Lott
FCG-2, 1975-77
d. 1-17-1977
“Fair winds and following seas”
U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers Association
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- Beach Jumpers Memorial Honor Roll
- Deceased Members Personal Tributes
- CAPT Douglas Fairbanks Jr. USNR
- Members A-F
- Allen, Donovan, EN2, BJU2
- Allen, James LTjg BJU3&8
- Aucoin, Gary RD3, BJU2
- Barber, Richard RM2, BJU2
- Barry, Robert LT, BJU2
- Bartholdi, Joseph RD1, BJU2
- Benjamins, Edwin CRM, BJU6
- Bittner, Burt LT, BJU6
- Bobick, William, RD3, BJU1
- Bohannan, John RD2, BJU2
- Boyum, Danny EN2, BJU1
- Brewer, Charles QM3, BJU2
- Briggs, Ronald RM2, BJU2
- Brown, Donald, LCDR, BJU1
- Bucklew, Phil CAPT, BJU2
- Bullock, Harvey ENS, BJU4
- Burkey, Paul MM/1c, BJU1
- Burkholder, James EN2, BJU2
- Carlson, Ronald LT, BJU1
- Carlton, Jack ENS, BJU6
- Cason, GR RMCS, BJU1
- Casto, John RD3, BJU2
- Casto, Ronald RD3, BJU2
- Chapeau, David, ETR3, BJU1
- Clark, Curtis CWO3, BJU1
- Chesser, William, SK3, BJU2
- Clark, Edward RM2, BJU2
- Clemente, Wm. LCDR, BJU2&1
- Cochran,Wilmer, SM2c, BJU6
- Conley, Harold SK3, BJU1
- Conner, William Jr, LTjg, BJU1
- Costilow, James RM1, BJU1
- Coutinho, Roy LT, BJU1
- Culp, Ralph RM3, BJU2
- Davies, David RMCS, BJU1
- Davis, Charles T., ET2, BJU2
- Denslow, Irving CWO2, BJU2
- DeWeese, Jerry RM1, BJU1
- Dinsmore, G. Chris, RD2, BJU1
- Donaghy, Sam OS1, FCG2
- Doornbos, Robert, CWO4, BJU1
- Driscoll, Frederic RDm1/c, BJU4
- Dunton, Lewis RADM, BJU6
- Eiben, Michael, LTjg, BJU1
- English, Lon RD2, BJU1
- Engman, Clayton RM2, BJU1
- Everett, Richard ETN2, BJU1
- Fallen, David CDR, BJU2
- Fanning, Norris RT/2c, BJU7
- Frankenfield, Warren RD3, BJU2
- Franklin, James OS1, BJU1
- Members G-L
- Gacek, Chester RM3/c, BJU9
- Gallagher, Rodney RMSN, BJU2
- Glaza, David OS2, BJU1
- Grauten, Henry LTjg., BJU7
- Harris, John AE1, BJU11
- Hanlon, Charles RD3, BJU2
- Harvey, C.Felix LT, BJU2
- Havyer, William, ETN2, BJU2
- Hayes, Simon, RD3, BJU2
- Hendry, James CDR, BJU2
- Hennessy, Peter LTjg, BJU2
- Hill, Kenneth L. SKCS, BJU2
- Hoatson, Norman ET2, BJU1
- Hobbs, Jim CAPT, BJU1
- Hoffman, Benjamin LTjg, BJU2
- Hogan, Joseph ENS, BJU6
- Hollers, James PN3, BJU2
- Hower, William LTjg, BJU1
- Johnson, Joe ET2, BJU2
- Johnson, William RMC, BJU1
- Jones, Lynn IC3, BJU1
- Jones, William, RD2, BJU1
- Kenyon, Richard LTjg, BJU2
- Kersting, William CAPT, BJU1
- Kisselburg,Ken ETSN, BJU1
- Kittelson,Gary, LTjg BJU2
- Kreske, Malcom RT/3c, BJU9
- Krolak, John, RM3, BJU2
- Kropf, Robert ETCS, BJU1
- Lando, Robert CDR, BJU4
- Lane, Charles RD3, BJU1
- LaPointe, Norman, ET3, BJU2
- Lasell, Max CAPT, BJU2
- Lee, Thurman ENCS, BJU2
- Long, John P, CDR, BJU2
- Members M-S
- MacGilvray, Bruce RD2, BJU1
- Maguire, Robert GM/1c, BJU4 & 11
- Manfield Jr, John J, QM3, BJU2
- Marco, Thomas RD3, BJU1
- Marino, Al ENFN, BJU1
- Matula, George GMG1, BJU2
- McAndrew, James QM1, BJU2
- McBride, Robert LT., BJU2
- McCormack, Elmer LCDR, BJU1
- McCue, George BM1, BJU2
- McGath, Arthur, EN3, BJU2
- McGregor, James RM2, BJU1
- McLeod, John EMC, BJU1
- McQuade, Patrick EN3, BJU1
- Miller, Donald EN2, BJU2
- Miller, Herman RMC, BJU2
- Miller, Wayne EM2, BJU2
- Mohn, Larry ETN2, BJU1
- Mohler, Phillip GSCS, BJU1
- Moncrief, Phillip LTjg., BJU1
- Moore, Charles EN3, BJU2
- Moore, Frank SFM2, BJU2
- Morrissey, James ET3, BJU2 & 1
- Mullen, George LCDR, BJU9
- Mulqueen, Jerry RD2, BJU2
- Munro, Robert EN3, BJU1
- Murphy, Chester CDR, BJU2
- Nagel, Roger FN, BJU1
- Newberg, Gary ETC, BJU1
- Niederer, Otto LT, BJU1 & 2
- Oden, Dickie RM2, BJU1
- O'Donnell, William EM1, BJU2
- Olney, Austin LT, BJU6
- Peterson, Thomas PN3, BJU2
- Placek, Donald RD2, BJU2
- Price, Robert, CDR, BJU2
- Prince, Michael OSCS, BJU1
- Pollock, Charles LT, BJU2
- Rainie, Robert CRM, BJU1&9
- Ramsey, Homer RM3, BJU1
- Reynolds, Charles, SFM2, BJU2
- Richter, Philip RD1, BJU2
- Rodolfich, Steve, RM3, BJU1
- Root, Larry YN3, BJU1
- Ross, Clyde BM3, BJU2
- Roy, Robert ETM2/c, BJU6
- Rumfield, Stanley, CTM2, BJU1
- Sandwick, John QM/2c, BJU3
- Ryan, Edward SN, BJU2
- Scott, James SK2c, BJU10
- Seekins, Pearley, EM3, BJU2
- Seymour, George ETCM, BJU1
- Skinner, William SM /2c, BJU1
- Skorheim, Robert LTjg, BJU2
- Slattery, Ernest BM1, BJU2
- Smither, Danny IC3, BJU1
- Stambaugh, Carl RM1, BJU1
- Stamper, Michael SFM3, BJU2
- Stanley, Eugene, RD2, BJU2
- Steffen, Werner CDR, BJU1
- Stuber, Richard RMC, BJU1
- Summa, Raymond ET3, BJU2
- Sutherland, Donald RD3, BJU1
- Swanson, Raynor EWCM, BJU1
- Members T-Z
- Thomas, Stephen LT, BJU2
- Timmons, Edward, RMC, BJU1
- Toti, Frank RD3, BJU1
- Tucker, Bruce ENFN, BJU2
- Tumey, John W. ET2, BJU1
- VanWinkle, Daniel, LT, BJU1
- Vorndran, Charles RM/2c, BJU5 & 9
- Watson, David OSCM, BJU1
- Wall, James E. GM3, BJU1
- Watson, Richard RMC, BJU1
- Wenzlaff, George OSCS, BJU1
- Willis, Berry CDR, BJU1
- Witherspoon, Charles CDR, BJU1
- Wolf, Bernard LTjg, BJU2
- Woods, Larry SFM3, BJU1
- Wootten, Thomas CDR, BJU1
- YellowEagle, James ADJ3, BJU1
- Zeiger, Steve ETR2, BJU2
- - - - -Honorary Associates- - - -
- John B. Dwyer, Author, History of Navy Beach Jumpers
- Earl O'Neal, Ocracoke Island Historian
‘Turbo Vestri Hostilis’
Memorial in Barcelona, Spain
honoring the 49 who perished.
Barcelona (17 January 1977)
Catastrophe Strikes
Catastrophe struck in the early morning hours of 17 January 1977 when the LCM-6, leaving fleet landing at 2
AM on a final run back to the ships with 124 enlisted sailors and marines dressed for the cold winter weather,
collided with the 390-ton Spanish freighter "Urlea" in the inner harbor. The collision occurred about 80-feet off
of the end of a high commercial pier where the vision of the coxswain was obstructed by the height of the pier
as the two craft rounded the pier from opposite sides. Neither craft had time to react before the bulbous bow of
the freighter lifted the bow of the LCM-6 and capsized the boat tossing the occupants into the dark harbor
water. Personnel on the pier and at Fleet Landing scrambled to assist those in the boat but many who had been
in the liberty boat were disoriented or trapped under the high sides of the LCM-6.
GUAM, notified by the Beachguard of the accident, mustered the Rescue and Assistance Detail and sent them
by boat to assist with the rescue efforts. The first word back to the States about the accident was garbled and
reported that the GUAM and TRENTON had collided and that the GUAM had overturned. While that
misinformation was later corrected, the consternation created among the concerned families of the deployed
ships and embarked units was understandable. Rescue efforts continued throughout the night but by first light
the effort had become one of recovery of our shipmates. The ships would end up spending several more days
conducting accurate musters and accounting for the missing.
As the Assistant Command Duty Officer on GUAM, I was assigned as the Boat Officer of GUAM's Captain's
Gig and I and the 2-man crew of the LCPL were sent to the beach in anticipation of a scheduled protocol visit
by the Mayor of Barcelona. Spanish Navy divers had arrived in the early morning hours to survey the accident
scene and conduct the recovery. The magnitude of the loss quickly became evident and it was not too long
afterward that we were redetailed and assigned as the prime recovery platform for this grim task. Forty-nine
crewmen and marines from GUAM and TRENTON were lost in this tragic accident.
Several days later, GUAM moved pierside to the same molo adjacent to the accident site and she remained
moored for the duration of the port visit. At the conclusion of the port visit a very touching moment occurred as the
ship was leaving the pier and heading for sea. An older Spanish woman, dressed traditionally in black with
her head covered, quietly appeared on the pier and, one by one, slowly tossed red roses into the harbor water,
one for each of our lost shipmates.
In 1978, one year later, a 12-foot granite and iron memorial to these men was erected in Barcelona near the
Muelle de Barcelona. "Two survivors of the incident who attended the ceremony were CPLs Alfonso Valent,
Jr. and Harry L.Thomas. Their memories of that night are still vivid and both are still reluctant to ride in liberty boats.
"After I was thrown into the water I was sucked under about 15 feet and became disoriented," said Valent.
"I struggled to get back to the surface but I think that I was actually swimming downward. I began swallowing
water and had given up and relaxed when I suddenly broke through to the surface." Thomas escaped from the
capsized boat by swimming down and then coming up outside. "After the freighter passed by everyone in the
water swam back to the boat and climbed up onto its bottom," he said. "It was cold and dark and everyone was
in a state of shock. None of us realized at that time the extent of the tragedy.""
Sources: personal memories,
newspaper accounts, and article
by JOC Roger Busby
IN MEMORY OF THOSE MEMBERS
OF THE U.S. NAVY AND U.S. MARINE
CORPS SERVING ON THE USS GUAM
AND THE USS TRENTON WHO PERISHED
IN THIS PORT ON 17 JANUARY 1977 AND
IN GRATITUDE TO THE CITIZENS,
OFFICIALS AND RESCUE TEAMS OF
BARCELONA FOR THEIR COOPERATION
WITH THE U.S. FORCES
INSCRIPTION READS:
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