History of Our Association
The USS Charles H Roan (DD-853) Association was founded in 1990 by three former crew members who found each other after registering with the Tin Can Sailors Association www.tincansailors.org. Richard F. Souza (SMC 58-66), Ed Semcheski (RM2 61-64), and Carl Wishart (QM2 57-60).
After advertising in various military publications, reunion papers, and related magazines, we held our first reunion in 1991 in Fall River, MA. Since then, we have held reunions in Newport, RI in 1993; in Alexandria, VA (Washington, DC) in 1995; in Buffalo, NY in 1997; in St. Augustine, FL in 1999; in Charleston, SC in 2000; in Norfolk, VA in 2002; in Warwick (Providence), RI in 2004; in Branson, MO in 2006; in Myrtle Beach, SC in 2008; in Warwick (Providence), RI in 2010; in Jacksonville, FL in October 2012; in Philadelphia, PA in 2014; in Amarillo, TX in 2016; in New Orleans, LA in 2018. The COVID pandemic prevented us from hosting a reunion in 2020. Our most recent reunion was held in Warwick, RI in 2023. Our next reunion will be held in 2024 in Warwick (Providence), RI.
All of our reunions are well attended, and probably have more shipmates and guests attend than any other destroyer listed with the Tin Can Sailors Association. Our reunions regularly bring together between 100 - 125 shipmates and guests.
We now have approximately 1000 former shipmates who are members of our Association, and our roster is one of the most complete for ship’s associations. We continually and actively search for former shipmates.
