DeVan Family History and Genealogy
DeVan Family Veterans
Ric DeVan
USS Lake Champlain CVS 39 - 1961 to 1964
"The Straightest and the Greatest"
The "Champ" anchored off Cannes, France. Ric was assigned to VS-32, an anti-submarine squadron aboard the "Champ." His "tour of duty" was from late 1961 to the summer of 1964. 
The "Champ" anchored at St. Thomas, The Virgin Islands in 1962. The Champ's claim to fame was taking part in President Kennedy's blockade of Cuba. VS-32 aircrews conducted surveillance of, and photographed the Russian ships removing long-range missiles from Cuba. Ric was aboard the "Champ" working on a radio when President Kennedy was assassinated, and heard the announcement that the president had died.
USS Lake Champlain and VS-32 insignia. Click this USS Lake Champlain CVS-39 link for a concise history of this great ship.
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S2 Tracker with MAD boom extended and radar dome lowered. The MAD equipment
detects magnetic anomalies underwater, while the radar detects surface vessels.
Tracker dropping a torpedo; note the parachute.
