The men of the USS Boyd knew my father for just half a year but they’ll never forget him. Although I knew him for ten years, my scant memories of him are sketchy. Everything pales next to recollections of a single incident that occurred on April 11, 1958.
My father, Albert George Fenley, died during a man overboard drill when he chose to make the exercises realistic by jumping off the ship he commanded. The ship had left Australia and was headed towards the Philippines when he drowned at sea.
Recently, I began transcribing Daddy’s journals and letters. I’ve also been able to contact several men who served on his ships. I cherish the memories they have shared and thank all who have written or called. I wish my mother, Iris May Evans Fenley, could help me piece together the story of Daddy’s life. But she passed away in July 2001.
© Lindajoy Fenley 2006