the USS Charles S. Sperry DD697

USS CONWAY DD/DDE-507

2026 JOINT Reunion

April 12 – 16, 2026

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS MARCH 10, 2026!!!!!!!!

Courtyard by Marriott

100 Charlotte Ave

Carolina Beach, NC 28428

Phone: 1-910-458-2030

This will be a JOINT reunion with the USS Conway in 2026.

At the 2025 SPERRY-CONWAY Joint Reunion in Covington, KY, the members voted to go to Carolina Beach, NC for our 2026 Reunion and is being planned by the USS Conway’s Reunion Coordinating committee.

The room rate for King/2 Queens will be $124.00 + taxes per night. Breakfast is NOT included. All rooms are ocean view. To reserve a room, call 910-458-2030 and make reservations directly with hotel staff or use this link FOR ONLINE RESERVATION. The rate is also good for 2 days after the reunion ends (NOT BEFORE) due to it being just after Easter week. The hotel is 19 miles (35 min) from Wilmington ILM Airport. No hotel shuttle available. Use UBER or Taxi. Airlines serving Wilmington are American, Delta, United, Breeze, Avelo, Jet Blue and Sun Country.

HERE ARE THE DETAILS OF WHAT HAS BEEN PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR’S REUNION.

Carolina Beach is a hidden treasure in North Carolina. It is just 20 miles south of Wilmington, NC. The beach is tucked in between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. Located approximately 20 minutes away from Wilmington, The Courtyard by Marriott hotel is situated right on one of the most beautiful beaches in the state. There is a boardwalk to enjoy along with a variety of shops and restaurants. The hotel provides beautiful indoor and outdoor lounge areas, and outdoor/indoor pools. Rooms are spacious and newly remodeled. You can enjoy a scenic southern drive along the peninsula to visit the beach, Civil War Fort Fisher and Kure Beach with a beautiful fishing pier.

SUNDAY – A WELCOME buffet will be available to all at no charge. Information will be at front desk.

MONDAY – A must see in Wilmington. We will travel by car pool from the hotel to the USS North Carolina (BB-55), which is recognized as one of the most decorated battleships in WWII. On December 7th, 1941 it was in the Atlantic and immediately sailed toward Hawaii. The ship was torpedoed in 1942 by a sub but was recovered in time to serve in the war. Aboard the USS North Carolina (BB-55), you can visit EVERYWHERE…Engine room, boiler room, bridge, 16inch inner magazine, hospital, you name it. A catered buffet lunch will be served in the ward room on the first deck midship.

TUESDAY – We will again carpool to Wilmington for our Cape Fear River boat cruise on The Henrietta. This will be a beautiful three-hour cruise along the famous and scenic Cape Fear River. You can sit in the lower or upper deck to enjoy. The trip will be narrated with all points of interest, and we will enjoy a catered lunch during the cruise. Cape Fear is also off the Atlantic Shore of North Carolina. It is estimated that over 200 boats sank from running aground in shallow shoals. Many of these ships were during the Civil War, German U-Boats in WWII, and other commercial ships. A buffet dinner at the hotel is planned with our Fun and Games night and live and silent auctions to follow. Please remember to bring items to donate for our Silent Auction.

WEDNESDAY – Our General Meeting for all to attend will be at 9 am. At this meeting we will present the options for our next reunion and vote on where our next adventure will be. You will have free time to explore on your own after the meeting. A Banquet dinner is set for this evening followed by the Two Bell ceremony. All of these events are on the registration form. A detailed Schedule of Events will be included in your Welcome Packet, received upon check-in.

If you have been to a previous Sperry reunion, we welcome you back! If you have never been to a Sperry reunion, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? All First Timers are welcome to come. ALL FAMILY MEMBERS ARE ALSO WELCOME. Please don’t miss out. Your fellow shipmates look forward to seeing each and every one of you there.

Please remember to bring items to donate for our Silent Auction. We have lots of fun things planned for Tuesday Night’s Fun and Games.

We hope that you will join us for a great time.

If you have trouble making a reservation, please email Gary at the link at the bottom.

We do not have a large room block and this hotel regularly books up in advance, so BOOK YOUR ROOM NOW! PLEASE PRE-REGISTER ASAP, BUT BEFORE THE MARCH 10, 2026 REGISTRATION DEADLINE.

Check out the Carolina Beach area web site HERE for local attractions and other information.

2026 REUNION REGISTRATION FORM IS AVAILABLE HERE TO PRINT OUT.

2026 REUNION DAILY SCHEDULE WILL BE IN REGISTRATION PACKETS AT CHECK IN

Find THE COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, CAROLINA BEACH, NC HOTEL WITH Google Maps HERE

Find THE COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, CAROLINA BEACH, NC HOTEL WITH BING MAPS HERE

We hope that you will join us in Carolina Beach, NC in April 2026.

ALSO: IF YOU HAVE CRUISE BOOKS OR PICTURES OF YOUR TIME ABOARD THE SPERRY THAT YOU WOULD ALLOW US TO POST ON THE WEBSITE FOR OTHERS TO ENJOY, BE SURE TO BRING THEM ALONG OR CONTACT THE WEBMASTER HERE TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO GET THEM FROM YOU.

For ALL OTHER inquiries about the 2025 reunion schedule or other information, Please email:

Gary Chesser

Email: HERE