I received the following email from Elaine, OS2 Taylor's wife. My sincere condolences.

I am the wife of John B. Taylor "Jack". How can I notify crew of Jack's passing ( Dec. 4, 2015) after a courageous battle with kidney cancer. He was very proud of his service on the USS Cochrane (1971-1973) and kept in contact through this website with those crew and officers he could. Unfortunately, I do not have all of the names, so I thought I could provide notification via a post or forum.  Any direction you can provide is appreciated. Thank you.

I was saddened to learn of the passing of OS2 Jack Taylor through this post.  As a newly commissioned Ensign on Cochrane in 1972, I depended on Petty Officer Taylor in the Combat Information Center to help me understand the intricacies of the CIC watch, the essential tasks of CIC personnel during underway steaming, and the assignments and capabilities of assigned watch section crew members while I was qualifying as a Combat Information Center Watch Officer.  OS2 Taylor's expertise provided invaluable in a number of complex underway tasks, and in our assignments while deployed off the coast of Vietnam in 1972-73, especially during Naval Gunfire Support and Operation Linebacker.

Jack was a true professional.  He was fully competent in his rate, and was a superb petty officer.  He was a valued member of the Cochrane crew, and had a wonderful, supportive personality.  I wish Jack Fair Winds and Following Seas, and my condolences to his family and all that knew his kindness and friendship.  Peace-

Jon C. Abeles
G Division Officer (1972-74)
Captain, USNR-Retired

Devastated to hear this.  I was OI division officer for the '72 - '73 Westpac deployment, and Jack Taylor was the BACKBONE of the young Radarmen (who had their rating name changed to Operations Specialists during that deployment) who kept CIC humming.  Jack could do it all, and was perhaps at his very best when doing radar navigation in and out of port.  He could swing a fix at "the speed of heat" and get out a timely and accurate recommendation to Conn on what to do next every time.  Never seen anything like it, before or sense.  Those were halcyon days indeed for this young ensign/LTjg, and I shall forever be proud, REALLY proud, of what we did, how we did it, and with whom we did it.  COCHRANE's Radarmen/Ops Specialists were truly "something else."

Totally Agree. Well Said Mr. West!