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USS Lloyd Thomas Reunions

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The 2026 USS Lloyd Thomas Reunion will be held in Jacksonville, Florida from Thursday, April 16th through Sunday, April 19th. Ed and Chrissie Bender (70's crew) have volunteered to be the local hosts. Our hotel is the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Airport, 14670 Duval Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32218. The hotel is located North of Jacksonville near I-95, and is about a mile from JAX Airport.

The Crown Plaza has offered us a rate of $119.00 per night, plus taxes, including a complimentary breakfast for two persons per room, and free parking. The hotel will extend that rate for three days before and after the reunion. Just so you know, in addition to the room and tax, the hotel may collect an incidental deposit authorization of $25 per day, which will typically be released approximately 10 days after departure.

If you are arriving before April 16th, or staying after April 19th, the online booking link will not accept those dates at our negotiated rate. In that case, you need to make reservations by phone at 904-741-4404, Option 4, to reach the front desk. If you choose Option 1, Reservations, you will be sent to the off-site call center, which may prove confusing to reserve for the extra dates. When you make reservations, please be sure to mention you are with the USS Lloyd Thomas Reunion, booking code ULT to receive our contracted rate, and to be counted toward our room/night contract minimums, even if you are staying on points, or have other arrangements.

We have cut our room block to 10 rooms to avoid attrition charges, so if the reservations agent says there are no rooms available, that means we have exceeded our blocked room amount for those dates. Just let me know, and I will ask the Sales Manager to increase the room block amount, if the hotel has remaining unblocked rooms.

Because of this, we encourage everyone to make your hotel reservations as soon as possible, as there are no guaranteed rooms after the room block is filled. You can always cancel if your schedule does not work out. The guest room cutoff date is March 26th. After that, rooms are on as-available basis.

We appreciate having your events sign-up information no later than March 20th. You may return the sheet, email, or call with your selections. We can always handle a late sign-up or two for events, but the earlier we know the numbers, the easier it is for us to plan the events.

If you have not attended our reunion before, and would like to visit and check us out, we would really love to see you. There are no registration fees, and all the tours and events are optional. You may attend as many events as you wish, or you can just drop by and visit us at our hospitality room each evening, just to say hello. If you are corresponding with another shipmate, please ask them if they would join us at Jacksonville.

Time is passing, and our shipmates health issues have reduced our attendance over the years The future of our reunion depends on the attendance of our shipmates, so, if you are able, please do not wait to attend a future reunion.

The hospitality room is our base of operations at the hotel, and it will be open from when we return from the day's tours until about 10 PM. Our reunion is family friendly, so your relatives and friends are most definitely welcome.

There is a space on the sign-up sheet to indicate your interest in sharing a room with a fellow shipmate. We will put you in touch with others willing to share the cost of a room. If you are experiencing mobility issues, we have contacted a company that will deliver rental wheelchairs or other mobility equipment to the hotel. Please check the block on the sign-up sheet if this is of interest to you.

Jacksonville Airport (JAX) is located about one mile West of our hotel. Free Airport Shuttle Info is at 904-741-4404 Option 2. For other ground transportation, Uber/Lyft and taxi services are available. The AMTRAK station and the Greyhound Station are 8 and 10 miles South of our hotel. If you need transportation help, please give us a call.


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The Event Schedule for the 2026 Reunion is:

Day 1, Thursday, April 16

Arrive, check in (Hotel check-in time is 3:00 PM), get reacquainted and swap sea stories. Reunion Check In will be any time after 4 PM in the Sago Hospitality Room at hotels Conference Center.

There will be a Welcome Buffet served from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM in the Hospitality Room. You are welcome to sign up for this event if your arrival time allows.

Southern Comfort Welcome Buffet - includes Grilled BBQ chicken, Fried Chicken, Red Potato Salad, Mac and Cheese, Buttered Corn, and Peach Cobbler.

Day 2, Friday, April 17

After our free breakfast at the hotel, our first stop will be the USS Orleck Museum. We will have a self-guided tour of the Orleck for 2 hours. Most of the ship is not handicapped accessible, but the fantail where we plan to hold our memorial service is accessible to mobility scooters. There are also facilities on the pier for those who would like to enjoy the city skyline.

Then we head to lunch at 4 Rivers Smokehouse, a fast, casual, Southern style barbeque restaurant. We will be dining in an outdoor area reserved for us. We will pre-order from a limited menu available at reunion check-in.

After lunch, we will take a short ride to the Veterans United Brewery for a guided tour by the brewmaster. After the tour, there will be tasting of up to 6 - 4oz samples in the tap room. The owner of the Brewery is a Navy veteran, and they also have a great collection of military memorabilia on display. We should return to the hotel around 4 PM.

Friday Evening Option - A trip to downtown Vystar Stadium to watch the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Baseball Team take on the Charlotte Knights. A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp game is a fun-filled Triple-A Minor League Baseball experience. With themed promotions, fireworks lighting up the sky every Friday night, and a lively, family-friendly atmosphere, it's the perfect outing for fans of all ages. Known for high-energy entertainment, wacky in-game promotions, and unique food options like fried jumbo shrimp alongside classic ballpark favorites, a Jumbo Shrimp game has become a cornerstone of summer fun in downtown Jacksonville. Whether you're a die-hard baseball fan or just looking for a memorable night out, the experience goes far beyond the game on the field.
Departing the hotel about 5:30 PM and returning about 10:30 PM.

Day 3,Saturday,April 18

We will travel North to the St Mary's Submarine Museum in St Mary's, Georgia, near the Kings Bay Submarine Base. After a one hour self-guided tour of the museum, we will head South to historic Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island for lunch on our own and some sightseeing. Currently, no tours are being given at any of the Naval Bases in the Jacksonville area.

Saturday Evening Option - An evening out at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville. Enjoy a fine meal, and watch the play for the evening, “Morning After Grace”. "Morning After Grace" is a popular Baby Boomer comedy play by Cary Crim about two seniors, Angus and Abigail, finding love and humor while navigating aging, loss, and medical marijuana, often featuring a quirky neighbor, exploring themes of second chances and finding joy in life's later stages. PG-13

Day 4, Sunday, April 19

We will hold our annual business meeting in the hospitality room at 10 AM. Lunch will be on your own. At about 1 PM, the bus will take us downtown for a St Johns River Sightseeing Cruise. We return to the hotel about 4 PM. Our Farewell Banquet will be held in the Hospitality Room, with Happy Hour Cash Bar starting at 6 PM , followed by dinner at 7 PM.

< strong> Farewell Banquet menu choices are:

Entrees are served with Angel Hair Pasta, Green Beans, with New York Cheesecake for dessert. Drinks will be Iced tea and coffee.

Day 5, Monday, April 20

Departure - Hotel check out time is 11:00 AM. Farewell until the next reunion!

We fund our Hospitality Room with money raised by a raffle drawing held at the Sunday evening banquet. We will provide items from the Ship's Store, and some Jacksonville area items for the raffle. If you have any items you would like to donate for our raffle, please bring them with you to the reunion.

Would you consider hosting a future reunion in your hometown, or in an area you know well? All it takes is a familiarity with the local geography, and an idea of some interesting events and attractions you feel your shipmates might enjoy. We can provide advice on hotel selection and negotiations, and do the paperwork to make it happen. We just need ideas, and a little groundwork on your end.

This schedule and the events themselves are subject to adjustment, but we will do our best to keep to the plan.

We hope to see you in Jacksonville!

Scott and Nadine Sheffer, Reunion Coordinators
PO Box 37
Lamartine, PA 16375
814-797-5458 Home
412-951-0588 Cell
Email: lloydthomas@breezeline.net

Ed and Chrissie Bender, Local Hosts
13 Loggerhead Lane
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
904-728-2753 Cell
Email: pvbrealtor@aol.com

We have a Facebook page called USS Lloyd Thomas Family where we share stories and pictures with each other. Tin Can Sailors is another very active Facebook page with information any destroyer vet can appreciate.

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