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USS
FRED T. BERRY DD/DDE 858
SHIP'S HISTORY
Compiled by
Carl Merrill
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The U.S.S. FRED T. BERRY (DD-858) was built by the
Bethlehem Steel Co., San Pedro,
California with her keel being
laid on 16 July 1944. The ship was named after CDR. Fred Thomas Berry, USN, who
was killed at sea in the crash of the U.S. Airship AKRON (ZRS-4) on 4 April
1933. Born on 23 November 1887, CDR. Berry graduated from the U.S. Naval
Academy in June 1910.
The FRED T.BERRY (DD-858) sailed from San Diego
to San Francisco
on 11 July 1945. Arriving in San
Francisco, she was granted availability at the General
Engineering and Dry-dock Co. from July 16 through August 29, 1945. On 6 August,
CDR. N. J. Frank, USN, was relieved of command by CDR. C. C. Coley, USN. August
29 saw BERRY steaming for Pearl
Harbor. Leaving Pearl Harbor in the company of U.S.S. GURKE
(DD-783) on 20 October 1945, BERRY steamed
toward Tokyo Bay. Upon arrival, both ships were
assigned to the Fifth Fleet for duty.
On 15 November 1945, she escorted U.S.S. ROTANIA (AKA-108) and the U.S.S.
BAYFIELD (APA -33) to Jinsen, Korea and returned to Nagoya, Japan
on 24 November 1945. On 5 December, BERRY took
the Flag aboard and, in the company of U.S.S. PIERCE (DD-753), escorted U.S.S.
BOSTON (CA-69) from Wakayama to Nagoya, Japan.
On 2 January 1946, Flag departed and BERRY sailed to Tsingtao, China (According to
the FTB Website, History Addenda, shows
the personal logbook of Clarence Hood of the “Early activities of the
Berry”, written by Al Truman
and Clarence Hood, the Berry sank a Junk at the coordinates 38.09 North Latitude by 121.51 East Longitude
on January 22,1946). Shortly after her arrival in Tsingtao, she
departed for Jinsen, Korea
to escort the U.S.S. BREMERTON (CA-130) back to Tsingtao.
On 7 February BERRY departed to escort U.S.S.
COLUMBUS (CA-74) to Shanghai.
On 19 February BERRY, along with U.S.S.
McCAFFERY (DD-860), U.S.S. HARWOOD (DD-861) and U.S.S. CATFISH (SS-339),
cruised in the area before returning to Tsingtao.
She subsequently operated in the area with other ships of the Pacific Fleet before
leaving on 31 March to escort the U.S.S.GENERAL BUTNER (AP-113) to Taku, China.
The BERRY's whereabouts cannot be
documented from April until the fall of 1946 when she departed San Diego for the Asiatic
Station. During this cruise she trained with carriers in Hawaiian waters and
completed a tour of occupation duty in the Far East where she visited Shanghai, China,
Korea, Japan, Okinawa and Formosa. Returning to the States
again on 21 February 1947, BERRY
went into Bremerton Navy Yard for overhaul in May. See
note from Vinne Crimaudo of the USS Norris at the end of this article!
In August, 1947, the BERRY
was again assigned duty in the Western Pacific and, following training
operations, departed for the Asiatic Station on 2 December. After visiting China, Hong Kong, Shanghai,
Japan and Okinawa, the ship
returned to San Diego
on 7 August 1948.
Between 5 January and 15 May 1949, BERRY was at U.S. Naval Shipyard, Mare
Island, California where she was converted to an anti-submarine warfare ship
following the installation of extra underwater sound equipment and a hedgehog
battery in place of Number 2 five-inch gun mount. Following completion of the
overhaul, the ship conducted training exercises in the San Diego area before being designated to
join the Atlantic Fleet. The ship departed San Diego
on 25 August 1949 and arrived in Newport,
Rhode Island on 11 September
1949. As a unit of the U. S. Atlantic Fleet, the ship participated in Second
Fleet Cold Weather Operations in the Davis Straits, in special ASW exercises
under COLD.DEVFOR and PROTEX and CARIDEX fleet exercises while visiting New York City, Key West, Florida and Bermuda.
On 4 March 1950 BERRY was reclassified as
an Escort Destroyer and, shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, was ordered to temporary duty in the Mediterranean. She departed Newport on 5 July 1950, beginning, what was
to be an around-the-world tour of duty. After a brief stop in Norfolk,
Virginia, the ship made the Atlantic crossing
to Gibraltar and reported to the Sixth Fleet.
Upon arrival at Piraeus, Greece, the BERRY
was unexpectedly ordered to the Far East. In
the latter part of July, she proceeded eastward to Port
Said, Egypt and
passed through the Suez Canal and Red Sea. The
ship stopped at Columbo, Ceylon before joining the Seventh
Fleet in the Pacific Theater.
Between September and October, the ship was assigned to Formosa Patrol. From
the beginning of November until 5 February 1951, the ship operated with Task
Force 77 off the coast of Korea
in support of the United Nations Ground Forces. In December the ship
accompanied the U.S.S. MISSOURI (BB-63) on one of her trips to Hungnam to assist in the evacuation on the
Northern area.
In February of 1951, the BERRY was detached
from the Seventh Fleet and proceeded to Newport,
Rhode Island via the Panama
Canal. After entering the Boston Naval Shipyard, the ship departed
in July and completed refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
where it participated in LAMFLEX, CONVEX and ASDEX. (Webmaster's Note: It is
assumed that the BERRY
joined DESRON 24 at this time. Other ships in DESRON 24 were: U.S.S. LLOYD
THOMAS [DDE-764], U.S.S. KEPPLER [DDE-765], U.S.S. NORRIS [DDE-859], U.S.S.
McCAFFERY [DDE-860] and U.S.S. HARWOOD [DDE861].)
On 19 April 1952 the ship left Newport for a
tour of duty in the Mediterranean, making visits to Tangiers, Marsielles, Golfe
Juan, Naples and Gibralter before returning to Newport on 27 June.
During the fall of 1952, the BERRY took part
in NATO exercise MAINBRACE and visited Firth of Forth, Scotland and Southend-on-the-Sea, England.
On 3 February 1953, the ship departed Newport
for another tour with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean where it visited
Golfe Juan, Naples
and Bougie. During this period, the BERRY
participated in exercise RENDEZVOUS, returning to the United States
in April.
During the summer of 1953, the ship underwent overhaul at
the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Upon completion, it underwent refresher
training at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba that ended
on 30 October 1953.
On 5 January 1954 the BERRY left Newport on a third tour
with the Sixth Fleet. While in the Mediterranean, stops were made at Lisbon, Palermo, Augusta Bay,
Izmir, Phaleron, Naples,
Taranto, Alicente, San Remo,
Nice and Genoa.
She returned to Newport
on 26 May 1954.
In June of 1954, BERRY
was ordered to report to COMANTISUBLANT and, as a unit of a Hunter Killer
Group, she participated in LANTFLEX 54 AND Springboard 55. During this latter
cruise, she visited Kingston, San
Juan and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
BERRY departed Newport
in early May 1955 and sailed to Lisbon,
Portugal before
returning in June, while participating in allied exercises enroute. The BERRY conducted Hunter Killer Operations in Narragansett Bay preceding the regular overhaul period at
Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, which began on 10 January 1956. Leaving the yard in mid-April,
she sailed for Guantanamo
Bay for refresher
training. Upon completion of refresher training, she returned to Newport on 20 June for a
period of leave and upkeep prior to departure with Midshipmen Practice Squadron
Cruise BAKER.
Leaving Newport on 7 July 1956, the BERRY embarked midshipmen in Norfolk, and on 9 July, sailed with other
ships of the Midshipmen Practice Squadron. After eight weeks of training
exercises and visits to Barcelona, Spain; Greenock, Scotland and Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, she disembarked
midshipmen at Norfolk and returned to Newport on 1 September
1956.
During the remainder of 1956, the ship conducted exercises in the vicinity
of Narragansett Bay, and on 4 January 1957, sailed for South America for
training exercises with the navies of Brazil,
Argentina and Uruguay. After
returning in March, the ship operated in the Newport area taking part in CARIBEX and
SLAMEX before departing in August to join the Sixth Fleet.
Participating in fleet exercises and patrolling the Eastern Mediterranean
occupied most of the first two months of the cruise; however, the ship did
visit Naples, Athens,
Rhodes and other ports before returning to Newport in December.
In February and March of 1958, the BERRY
visited San Juan, Puerto Rico and Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic while
participating in CARIBEX. In May, the ship entered Boston Naval Shipyard for a
regular overhaul, which was completed in August. Upon completion of her
refresher training at Guantanamo
Bay, the ship, a member
of DESRON 24 joined Task Group Bravo, which concentrated on the development of
Hunter-Killer tactics, doctrine and equipment. As a member of Task Group Bravo,
the ship participated in Hunter-Killer operations until June of 1959 when she
took part in a Midshipman Practice Cruise. During this cruise, the ship visited
Quebec and
participated in RIPTIDE.
Upon completion of the Midshipman Practice Cruise, Task Group Bravo resumed
anti-submarine operations off the East Coast of the United States. In February of 1960,
BERRY participated in SPRINGBOARD and while in
the Caribbean, visited San Juan, Puerto Rico and
St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands before
returning to Newport
in March.
In June 1960, CDR. George H. Sharp relieved CDR. Melvin. R. Downes as
Commanding Officer of the BERRY and shortly thereafter, BERRY departed on
another Midshipman Practice Cruise to the Mediterranean. DESRON 24 escorted the
aircraft carrier U.S.S. VALLEY FORGE (CVS-45) throughout the duration of this
cruise and took part in various Sixth Fleet exercises and visited ports in Spain, France
and Italy.
On the return trip DESRON 24 joined the carrier U.S.S. FORRESTAL (CVA-59) to
shadow a Russian convoy bound for Cuba. The ship returned to Newport on 30 August after debarking the midshipmen at Norfolk.
During the fall of 1960, Task Group Bravo resumed Hunter-Killer operations
and participated in SLAMEX. In February and March of 1961, BERRY
participated in LANTPHIBEX and Springboard while visiting San
Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas in
the Virgin Islands. During the period 1960 and
1961 BERRY
received the "A" for ASW excellence.
In March of 1961 the BERRY
entered the Boston Naval Shipyard to undergo a seven month FRAM II overhaul.
Upon completion of the overhaul, the BERRY
returned to serve with Atlantic Fleet. From December 1961 to February 1962 she
underwent refresher training at Guantanamo
Bay. During March, she
participated in evaluation of special anti-submarine tactics. Also in March,
CDR. E. L. Burgess relieved CDR. Sharp as Commanding Officer of the BERRY.
In May of 1962, the BERRY
participated in Project Mercury. While on Project Mercury she visited Bermuda for several days. In June she began another
Midshipman Training Cruise, spending most of the ensuing six weeks in ASW
exercises in the Atlantic.
At the beginning of fiscal year "62," the U.S.S. FRED T. BERRY was
designated a General Purpose Destroyer.
In September of 1962, she departed for a seven-month tour of duty with the
Sixth Fleet. Again with the Sixth Fleet, the ship participated in fleet
exercises and patrol duty. During October and November she was on alert as a
result of the Cuban Crisis that fall. In 1962 she visited Souba
Bay, Izmir,
Athens, Beaulieu, Salerno,
Messina and
Golfe Juan. Christmas was spent at Naples, and
New Years was spent at La Spezia,
Italy.
After a visit to Beirut, Lebanon, the BERRY
passed through the Suez Canal on 17 January
1963 and reported to Commander, Middle East Force for duty. During the
following six weeks she visited Nassawa, Ethiopia where she participated in ceremonies
witnessed by Emperor Haile Salaasie as well as the British Protectorate of
Aden, Bahrain, Ras Tannura Aabu Nu Air, and Jidda, Saudi Arabia.
After being relieved of her Middle East duties the BERRY
once again passed through the Suez Canal and, after an independent crossing of
the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean, with stops at Rota,
Spain and the Azores,
returned to Newport
on the 1 April 1963.
April and May were spent in Newport
with the ship participating in a number of local operations. On the 4 June she
embarked twenty-one midshipmen and joined Task Group 83.4 for seven weeks of
ASW operations. During this cruise, the ship visited Bermuda and Halifax. While in Halifax, CDR. F. B.
Shrake relieved CDR. Burgess as Commanding Officer. Under Commander Shrake, the
BERRY returned to Newport for a brief upkeep period before
participating in ASW exercises with Task Group 8l.0 during the month of August.
While on this cruise, the ship visited Bermuda
again.
On 9 September 1963, the BERRY left Newport for Norfolk's ASW Tactical
School and further ASW
exercises with Task Group 81.0. During October and November additional ASW
exercises were conducted, this time with Task Group 83.4. On 16 November, the BERRY returned to her
homeport for upkeep, where her crew celebrated the holidays.
In January 1964, after the holiday period, the ship departed Newport to participate in Operation Springboard exercises
in the Caribbean. Ports in Puerto Rico and Trinidad were visited prior to completion of the
Springboard exercises.
The BERRY returned to Newport in late February with the command
attention directed towards preparation for deployment to the Sixth Fleet. In
April the BERRY
received a tender overhaul, culminating the preparations for deployment on 29
April for a four month Mediterranean cruise. The ship initially participated in
NATO exercises with units of the French and Italian Navies. After twenty-three
days at sea, the ship arrived in Naples,
Italy for a
short visit. On departing Naples, visits were
made to San Remo for a tender overhaul and then
to Athens, Greece.
Departing Athens on 28 June, the BERRY was assigned to
COMIDEASTFOR. During this deployment, visits were made to Port
Sudan, Aden Protectorate, Mombasa, Kenya and Diego Suarez, Malagasy
Republic. Departing the Middle East Force on 11 August, the BERRY returned to the Mediterranean and rejoined units of
Destroyer Squadron 10 for transit to Newport.
Arriving in Newport
on 27 August 1964, preparations for overhaul at the Boston Naval Shipyard were
initiated. During the pre-overhaul tender availability, RADM Charles K. Duncan,
USN, COMDESLANT presented CDR F. B. Shrake with the Battle Efficiency
"E" award for the fiscal year 1964. Admiral Duncan also presented
Departmental Excellency Awards to the Operations, Weapons and Engineering
Departments. The Excellence Award received by the Engineering Department was
the third consecutive award. Upon completion of the tender availability and an
INSURV Inspection, the BERRY departed Newport on 7 October and proceeded to Boston for a three-month overhaul.
During 1965 BERRY conducted routine
training cruises off the East Coast and spent a month off Florida
for ASW exercises as well as a month in the area of the Virgin
Islands engaging in firing practice. During 1965 the ship visited Nassau. Key
West, Guantanamo Bay and Jamaica. During one of her cruises
the BERRY
provided surveillance over a Russian trawler off the East Coast, a task she had
done before. Late in 1960 the BERRY sailed to Panama, Guatemala,
Jamaica, Venezuela and Puerto Rico, arriving back in Newport on 1 November
1965.
In January 1966, BERRY began her second
round-the-world cruise with a deployment to the Far East, serving with the
Seventh Fleet in the Vietnam
area. The ship departed Newport and traveled
through the Panama Canal and made stops in San Diego
and Pearl Harbor on its way to Taiwan.
During this cruise, the ship spent time in the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin doing escort duty for the USS
HANCOCK (CVA-19), USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and USS ORISKANY (CVA-34). The Berry entered the Vietnam
combat zone for the first time on March 10th, she was there to
provide naval gunfire support for the allied ground forces in the Mekong and
Saigon River Delta areas of South
Vietnam. Interestingly, after the first several
missions (where more than 246 rounds were fired from the 5"-38 guns in
actual wartime conditions) some of the barrels cracked on March 21st. The
Berry then joined the Hancock on March 25th
and stayed with her till the 31st of March when we went to Subic Bay for barrel replacement. There were more Gun
Fire Support missions after the new barrels were installed. After returning to
duty station and completing the mission, BERRY
visited Hong Kong and Yokosuka prior to her
return to Newport.
Her return route back took her through the Suez Canal where she visited many
ports in the Near East and Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic
and arriving home in August 1966. During this deployment many of the crew
became "Shellbacks" and "Far East Travelers."
Click here to see USN cruise report
Click here to see USN 1966 activity report
Click here to see fire mission from
National Archives
From May to October 1967, the BERRY joined
the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and
provided rescue destroyer and escort duties for several carriers. On this tour
the ship became involved in the Israeli war after The USS Liberty was attacked and damaged by the
Israeli Air Force. The ship took Admiral Kidd out to the Liberty to conduct an investigation. (I can
add, while delivering Admiral Kidd to the USS Liberty one night previous as we
passed Sicily we observed MT. Etna erupting, the lava flow was visible. Quite a
sight. As we reached the USS Liberty I remember it was shortly after daybreak
and it was in extensive fog. I recall seeing the bodies of fallen sailors
wrapped in white sheets on deck.
Frank LaPenta STG3). '65-'68Berry also distinguished
herself in joining the USS Davis in holding down a Russian Foxtrot class
submarine for 105 hours and was rewarded with liberty in Palma Majorca. The
ship also hosted two groups of midshipmen and participated in major NATO
exercise Eager Beaver. The ship visited the Canary Islands and Virgin Islands
on its way back to Newport.
From January to March 1968, the BERRY
provided services to POLARIS submarines undergoing shakedown training and
missile firings at Port Canaveral, Florida.
During this period the ship assisted the United Kingdom submarine RESOLUTION
to successfully complete the first ballistic missile firing for a British
submarine. BERRY was one of several destroyers
monitoring Polaris missile tests off the coast of Florida. Upon completion of these tests, the
BERRY
returned to Boston Naval Shipyard for a major overhaul.
Upon completion of the overhaul, the BERRY
sailed to Guantanamo
Bay for six-week
refresher training. On 14 January 1969 the ship departed Newport
for a five-month deployment with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.
The ship experienced an extremely rough crossing of the Atlantic and docked at Rota, Spain,
eleven days after leaving Newport,
to undergo turn-over with the U.S.S. DYESS (DD-880). The ship then sailed for Naples, Italy
for three days of tender service to repair damages received during the trip.
After repairs were completed, the ship traveled to Barcelona, Spain
for ten days of liberty and upkeep. BERRY
departed Barcelona to conduct Poop Deck, a joint
United States
and Spanish exercise providing training in simulated air attacks against land
forces while protecting our own forces from the threat of air and submarine
attacks. Upon completion of Poop Deck, the ship sailed with other members of
Task Group 60.1 to the French Riviera for rest and relaxation.
After a ten-day rest period in Golfe
Juan, BERRY was again
underway, this time to participate in exercise NATIONAL WEEK II. This operation
was designed to train the Sixth Fleet forces in conducting surface warfare by
locating, tracking and, at the start of hostilities, destroying enemy surface
vessels. For the purpose of the exercise, four U.S. Navy ships painted their
gun mounts red and acted as enemy guided missile destroyers. BERRY played an active part in the exercise
as she intercepted U.S.S. COYINGHAM (DDG-17), designated as an enemy ship,
transiting the Straits of Messina. Although COYINGHAM attempted to evade
detection, by steaming through heavy seas at flank speeds, BERRY maintained the pace and kept contact
with the "enemy," a close five hundred yards astern. The result of
the BERRY's
detection and pursuit was the destruction of COYINGHAM by planes from U.S.S.
SHANGRI-LA (CVS-38).
At the end of National Week II BERRY sailed
to Naples, Italy for a two week tender
availability with the U.S.S. TIDEWATER (AD-31). Upon completion of TAV, the
ship proceeded to Greece to
visit Athens and Piraeus.
BERRY was
underway again, for sustained operations, on 11 April to participate in the
NATO exercise Dawn Patrol "69." This exercise was a test of the
ability of NATO forces to respond to a simulated increase in world tensions
that might culminate in general war. The early stages of the exercise consisted
of free play activity in an environment of air, surface and submarine threats. BERRY was a participant
in the initial conflict in Dawn Patrol "69" which ignited the
"wartime" hostilities. Operating as a detached unit, in company with
Italian destroyer INDOMNITO,
BERRY detected, and held contact
with an unidentified submarine. Hostilities commenced when the submarine fired
on INDOMNITO. Quick and effective reaction on the part of BERRY and INDOMNITO put an end to the
submarine's role in this simulated war.
At the end of Dawn Patrol, BERRY sailed
into Naples
harbor. From Naples she proceeded to Barcelona, Spain
for a second visit and after seven days, departed the Mediterranean,
turning over her Sixth Fleet duties to her sister ship U.S.S. NORRIS (DD-859). BERRY arrived in her homeport of Newport, Rhode Island
on 31 May 1969.
After leave, upkeep and tender availability, BERRY
left Newport on 14 July 1969 to change her
homeport to Norfolk, Virginia. She was detached from DESRON 10
and attached to DESRON 2 and DESDIV 22.
From 21 July to 10 August, BERRY was at
sea, combining ASW and type training with HUK operations in the Virginia Capes area. From 10 August to 22 August BERRY was in the Caribbean,
participating in RIMEX 1-70 and other exercises. She was assigned plane guard,
ASW screen ship and host ship for various pieces of target equipment used in
gunfire exercises. For a brief period of time the ship played the role of an
enemy surface raider whose assignment was to penetrate the defenses of the U.S.
Navy forces. BERRY
carried out her task as a surface raider with great success.
On 11 August, while on the way to Roosevelt Roads, the ship affected the
rescue of the crew of a downed Marine helicopter. On 15 August, CDR Maurice J.
Shine assumed the duties of Captain of the U.S.S. FRED T. BERRY (DD-858).
From 26 August to 31 December 1969, the ship had only two underway days and
stayed in Norfolk
the rest of the time. 31 October and 18 December saw underway training and on
18 December she conducted a burial at sea for the late Edgar E. Martin, DC1,
USN (Retired). After returning from this assignment BERRY stayed in port for the rest of the
year while her crew enjoyed the holiday leave period.
Throughout the entire second half of 1969, due primarily to Department of
Defense imposed personnel reduction, BERRY
was plagued with manning problems. From 1 October through 1 December the ship
was in a C-4 (non-operational) status, due to insufficient qualified Machinist
Mates on board. At the end of the year there were enough Machinist Mates aboard
for port and starboard underway watch sections in the engine rooms. BERRY was insufficiently
manned, at different times, by Boatswain's Mates, Fire Control Technicians,
Gunners Mates and Electronics Technicians. A shipmate and his brother went
aboard her in the late 1960's when she was in Norfolk. They talked to several members of
the engineering division and were told the ship would soon be decommissioned,
partly as a result of damage to her stern. The U.S.S. FRED T. BERRY (DD-858)
was decommissioned in September 1970.
BERRY was turned over to INACTSHIPFACNORVA
on 15 September 1970 and berthed at Pier 13, North St.
Helena, NAVSHIPYDNORVA. Her next movement was to be transferred to
an assignment as a DD type target hull for use in PROJECT D/S 580 (An
investigation of ship vulnerability). This is in preparation for disposal by
sinking. On 17 March 1972, the Naval Research and Development Center
accepted custody of the ex-FRED T. BERRY (DD-858).
On 14 May 1972 the BERRY was sunk for a
man-made reef off Key West, Florida
in the Straits of Florida. She was scuttled at
142352Z May 1972, in fifty-five fathoms of water at 24 degrees 27.8 minutes N3,
81 degrees 33.3 minutes W8 after a successful underwater explosive experiment
in connection with CNO PROJ D/S 580.
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map courtesy Dick Shanower
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Several shipmates have written and commented on the fact that there was a 4
man submersible that was fouled in her rigging where two died. One shipmate remarked
about seeing a video reporting this. He said it was eerie to see the number,
858, come into view on the screen. It is reported that the son of Mr. Link, of
Link Flight Simulation Systems, was one of those losing his life in that
mishap.
She hated submarines with a passion, as she did when she was fully active.
Even in death, it seems she still hated them.
THIS HISTORY WAS PUT TOGETHER THROUGH THE EFFORTS
OF SEVERAL FORMER FRED T. BERRY CREWMEMBERS. ADDITIONS WILL BE WELCOMED FROM
OTHER CREWMEMBERS AND THE HISTORY WILL BE UPDATED PERIODICALLY TO REFLECT THESE
ADDITIONS.
Perhaps I can fill in some of the missing gaps of 1946/47. I boarded the
Norris DD859 at Tsingtao, China at the end of April or early
May 1946. We had just come from the states on board the APA31 USS Monrovia and there were
about 1000 of us including two marine detachments. I guess we were the
replacements for the DD858-59-60 &61. The four ships were a squadron and we
cruised the china coast doing mail runs to Korea, Jinsin, Hong Kong &
Shanghai. The four ships did several fleet exercises with submarines & the
carrier Princeton. We were assigned screen and
downed pilots pick up for the carrier. Sometime between Dec 46 & Feb 47 we
were sent to Korea and
started policing the area between main land China
and Korea and were stopping
vessels delivering contraband to Korea. Our port of call in Korea was Pusan.
The four ships left the China Sea sometime in
early March for stateside. We stopped at Guam, Hawaii and then into San Diego around June 47. August of 47 the
four ships then went to Bremerton
Washington for dry-dock and
overhaul. The ships left Bremerton sometime
around end of October for west coast duty stopping in Vancouver,
British Columbia, San
Francisco and San Diego.
I was discharged in Dec 47 and if my memory is right the ships went back to Tsingtao. I hope this fills in the gap of
46-47 Vinnie
