Mystery Navy ID to be reunited with owner after 50 years
It was a hot day in 1968 in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, made even hotter by the effort of loading stores into HMNZS Otago. An 18-year-old electrician recruit, Nigel Foster, took his shirt off to counter the heat. When the job was done, he put his shirt back on, only to discover his naval identification card was gone.
Last month dredging contractor Charles Morton, working on removing unexploded ordnance from the harbour floor at Waipio Point, just across from Ford Island, plucked the battered card from the mud and sludge. It was his company’s policy, if they discovered old dog tags, to try and find the owner, or at least the family, and this was no different. He contacted the Royal New Zealand Navy with photos, saying he hoped the card’s owner was still alive.
He was. An image of the card was posted on Navy social media, with a query for help to track down the card’s owner. The post went viral, shared over 22,000 times. Family of Mr Foster were quickly tagged in, and in a matter of a day Defence Public Affairs were speaking to Nigel Foster and his wife Lynne, now living in Manurewa, Auckland.
Mr Foster, who is originally from Wanganui, says he is amazed the card is in such good condition after so long. He joined the Navy in January 1963 for five years, saying he wanted “an interesting job and a different life”. The travel was the really enjoyable part, with the deployment to Hawaii coming during March and October 1968 — he can’t remember exactly when. Otago was in Pearl Harbour for refuelling, taking on supplies and training.
“I was helping to load ship supplies, and I took my shirt off because it was a hot day. When I put my shirt back on, the ID card was gone.” He says he didn’t get into trouble for it.
Mr Morton says his company dredges Pearl Harbour frequently, so lots of interesting objects are found. “We have found several bells from small boats, several propellers from 10 inches to five feet across, a Danforth anchor that stands eight feet tall. We’ve found enough anti-aircraft ammo to shoot down half the WWII Zeros.” Coffee cups, mess trays, silverware, tools and dozens of lead weights from fishing nets are common. “We find the occasional dog tag, and they are forwarded to the Navy to be returned to their owners of next of kin.
