Wayne Hoppke remembers:  If my fading memory serves me right, my buddy Dave Engle and I were in the OI Division duty section that day in Adelaide Australia. After all the inquiries were done and the liberty sections had departed Dave was tactfully "ordered" to go get the head at the rear of CIC where the unfortunate incident happened cleaned up to the usual level of Gridley spotlessness.

Dave was understandably nervous about this and asked me to accompany him. I didn't relish the idea but discretion being the better part of valor (or the other way around) I did so. But I stayed out in the ECM area and talked with him while Dave did the work. If I recall it seems as tho it was very quiet with nobody around and a very haunting experience. Needless to say as soon as Dave was finished we got out of there.

Thats what I remember. .....In memory of RD2 Stanecki.......

Fair Winds to all.

Here is the recollection of Curtis Miley, also a radarman.  Curtis was the man that actually found Stanecki and, to my knowledge, this is the first time he has spoken about that experience.

"Not that it makes any difference, but Stanecki did himself in while we stood at parade going into Adelade. We had to stand there for the whole trip up the channel. Seems like it took 1 1/2 hours or more. He had the first deck watch when we were to get in. That's why he had the service 45.

I had to pee so bad I was in pain. Wanted to get to the head first. So, I run up to CIC instead of the compartment. Ran in the hatch in the back,off the signal bridge at full speed. Grabbed the hatch wall and swung around the 180 degrees to shoot into the small head off of ECI and the coffee pot area. He was on the floor across the head. It was only 8 feet wide or so. Was going so fast I nearly stepped on him. Then nearly fell on him from the fast stop. Only time in my life I think I went into shock.

The 45 really made a mess and he had been laying there for a while. There was a phone in that room. But I ran all the way across CIC to where the SPS 50 was and the nav table. Called the bridge. Told them someone was hurt badly. Hadn't gotten into my conscience yet that he was gone. It was obvious. But I just tripped out. Chief Martin saw that when he got there. He called Dub Shirey up to walk me around the deck and get air. None of them spoke the words that he was dead."