Prys, Raymond, RM3

Other Memories
I was on the pier when Ray was electrocuted. I remember him being taken out and loaded into the ambulance. I remember the feeling of devastation of loosing a shipmate.
I remember Ray being from Michigan, not too far from my home. He was a pleasant, smiling sailor, happy with his
new ship and job. Although he had a "boyish" appearance, he impressed his shipmates with his quiet intelligence.
I remember Ray, his wife and infant son, trying to make their way, by themselves, in a new lonely environment.
It was a great loss to all his shipmates. -- Bruce Schofield
~~~~~~~~~
Raymond Charles Prys

~~~ Sailor Rest Your Oar ~~~

Ray was one of those quiet guys on the Thornback that I liked and got to know pretty well. He wasn't like a lot of
the other married guys who didn't have much to do with those of us who were single when we were in port. Once
when we were in Key West he invited me to come by and visit him and his wife in their home, which I did.
They hadn't been married very long and seeing how happy they were made me wish I had someone to go home to,
instead of the noisy submarine barracks we lived in while in port. We visited for awhile and then they invited me to go
along with them to the Commissary. I didn't have anything planned for the rest of the afternoon, so I went along.
I didn't know exactly what a military Commissary was for sure, so Ray explained it to me on the way over there.
They said the Commissary was for military personnel only. It was great for married guys in the Navy and their wives.
It made it a lot easier for couples to get by on a small Navy salary.
Once we were inside, I was surprised to find out there were a lot of things you could buy that didn't have any tax or
import fees on them. There were typewriters, guns, tape recorders, and camera displays everywhere, and it was all
much cheaper than in town. Of course there groceries in the Commissary too, and that was really the only thing they
were there for.
That trip to the commissary was shortly before I was discharged from the Navy and may have been the last time I
talked with Ray very much. I didn't hear about his untimely death until sometime later, through a shipmate I had
stayed in contact with.
I always remember him and his wife and how happy they were together, and what a shame it was for him to have
died at such a young age. -- Norm Hammond




My recollection of Ray was that he was energetic and friendly. Being new on board I was mostly befrinded by the
newer crew members but even though Ray had been aboard awhile he made it a point to talk to me from time to time.
I remember our bunks were close to each other in the after battery and we would bump into each other from time to
time and he was always cheerful and would say hello to me. I was standing by my locker in the barracks one morning
getting ready to walk down to the boat when Howell approached me and asked if I had heard about Prys being killed
on board. That was the first I had heard and it was a such a shock. Later the crew would attend a memorial for Ray at
the base chapel. -- Pat Gurr