USS DENNIS J. BUCKLEY DD/DDR-808
SEA
STORIES
from
the Sailors who sailed
DESTROYER
USS DENNIS J. BUCKLEY DD/DDR 808
Keel laid July 24, 1944
Christened 12/20/44, Bath,
Maine
Commissioned 3/12/45, Boston
Navy Yard
Decommissioned 1973,
San Diego, CA.
The Denny J. upon which we so proudly served, sails on in our sea of
memories.
I have enjoyed compiling this first edition of
shipboard sea stories from her crew.
Thanks to all who have contributed
Karl Stroh MM2 1955-1958
Fwd.
Engine Room
DJ BUCKLEY REUNION
ORANGE, TEXAS
OCTOBER
24TH - 27th 2002
SEA STORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
CONTRIBUTORS:
Lew Rozolis 45-46; Frank Hemler 46-47;Fred Johnson 50-52; George Delaney 49-52;
Bob Robinson 53-55; Eric Ellison 55-57;Ron Clawson 55-57; Ben Dolgin 55-57; Karl
Stroh 55-58; John Morrill 56-57; Homer Evans 54-58; Richard Tarbuck 56-58;
Yatchmenoff 57; Bob Terhune 56-57;Robert Anderson 57-58; Charles Bogart 58-61;
George Estey 60-62; Frank Neuman 60-63; Jerry Cate 64-66; Ray Sorrell 62-63;
Michael Wyatt 65-68;Mike Malloy 66; Harold Ferguson 68-72; James Daniels 70-72;
Bob Moore 71-73;
1946
HONOLULU SHORE LEAVE
LEW ROZOLIS YN3
45-46…. On returning to the ship we all had to pass through the gate
which was manned by marines. Our Italian friend Morrazzini figured he could
sneak on board a little wine. So he decides to stick it in his sock. When we got
to the gate the Marines would tap our bodies with their clubs and when they got
to him and tapped that bottle he was told to break it over a 55 gallon barrel.
Oh no, he wasn’t going to have any part of that , so he decided to drink the
whole darn bottle on the spot. Yep, we had to carry him up the starboard ladder
feet first and rolled him into his sack, whereas you can imagine the expected
happened. He swabbed that whole compartment the next day. I hope some of these
guys are still around.
1946
BUCKLEY
ASSUMES FLEET GUIDE
FRANK T. HEMLER,
CAPT. USN RET….. 46-47 Scene
- South China Sea; a beautiful sunny afternoon; the COLUMBUS
and ten destroyers in company conducting flag hoist and maneuvering
drills. Base course 270. Formation, circular offset, with DJB on the port side
of the formation in the after sector. I have the conn, Captain Gralla on the
bridge. ( Capt. Gralla is a perfectionist, but is willing to have learning
people make mistakes. Magic words, if you think the “old man” disagrees, are
“Do you have the conn, Captain ?” If he doesn’t take it, you still have
it.) At that time there was a
section of the signal book (the “Q” section, for trial signals.) After a
period of time, the signal is incorporated into the regular signal book or
deleted. ( I hope the signal in the following scenario has been deleted.)
The COLUMBUS used her port yards for the ship and the Admiral used the starboard
hoists in order that the ship could participate. Flags: “signal in the air
!” I read it as QUEEN, ROMEO and two more I can’t remember anymore. I assure
you, the first two were QUEEN, ROMEO. Now it starts to get tricky. As all bridge
personnel can tell you, flags recognizes the signal and puts it at the dip. Once
the signal is understood, the OOD yells: “two-block it.” When the OTC sees
all flags closed up, he closes up his and all ships await the execute signal,
which is accomplished when the flag executes (hauls down) his hoist.
Wait….remember I said that this is an experimental (Q) signal.
I read the signal as “when the OTC two-blocks the signal, commence a standard
rate turn to the right (remember the ROMEO ?), then when the signal is
executed(hauled down), continue for 30 more degrees of turn and steady up on the
new course. (Oh Brother !)
“Mr Hemler - what are your intentions ?” “ When the starboard hoist is
two-blocked, I intend to start a standard rate turn to starboard. When it is
executed, I’ll continue 30 more degrees and steady on the new course.”
“Mr Hemer, that’s ridiculous. Let me see the book.” The OTC
two-blocks while CDR Gralla is reading the book.
“Right standard rudder” “Right standard rudder, aye. Request new
course.” “Stand by.” The Buckley is turning. No other ship is turning. “
Mister Hemler, what are you doing?” “Executing the signal Captain, do you
have the conn ?”
“No, but the Buckley seems to be in the distinct minority.” “We certainly
are.” At about 45 degrees in the turn, a couple of the other cans started
their turns to starboard. I had to dodge one other can in my turn but not too
drastically. Now as more ships started turning, it got pretty hairy up in the
forward part of the formation, but by this time I was headed away from the pack.
The COLUMBUS has now started a tight turn to starboard. “Mister Hemler. What
are your intentions ? You seem to be headed away from most of the ships.”
“ I intend to continue my turn until the OTC executes that signal, then
go 30 more degrees and steady on course, Captain.” Watching the Columbus, I
believe that the BUCKLEY is now the fleet guide.” “MISTER HEMLER !” “Do
you have the conn, Captain?” “No,
but I am greatly concerned about your mental competence.” “It is the usual
practice to inform Combat about the flags, and our intentions.” In my angst, I
had forgotten to inform them. Eleven ships are now spread around the South China
Sea, steering various sundry courses. “Bridge, Combat. What the Hell, over?”
A hasty explanation to Combat did not necessarily allay their justifiable fears.
“Captain, I believe that when I reach 240 (330 degrees in my turn), the
Admiral will execute the signal.” He did. I did. The BUCKLEY did, and Captain
Gralla received a “well done.” I’m still recovering from the heart attack. (Bridge personnel will appreciate this one)
1951
MAGNIFICENT GREEK
FRED JOHNSON
ETN2 50-52….Our
recreation officer Lt. Stevenson decided to get a baseball team together. We
were in North Ireland and it was raining everyday so we could hardly practice.
We were going to Antwerp, Belgium. Now baseball was big in Belgium so Lt
Stevenson decided to schedule a game with a Belgium team. So we get to Antwerp
and the newspapers had headlines, “Belgium All Star Team vs the US Navy.” 20
sailors that had hardly practiced in several years and not played one game, not
even a practice game, against a bunch of All Stars that had been competing
regularly. We thought what a debacle this is going to be. We will get blown out
and the Navy will be embarrassed. Lt Stevenson’s career will go down the tubes
right here. Well the Belgium’s weren’t
so advanced as ball players, and we had a pitcher who could really fire
the ball. We called him “Greek” and I don’t remember his name. I think he
was the laundry man, anyhow we won the game 2 to 1. A miracle. And the report of
the game in the newspapers was funny because of the peculiar terminology they
used. No American baseball expressions but I do remember they said the pitcher
was the “Magnificent Greek.” It would be great if someone had saved those
newspapers. With the internet and knowing the dates that the Buckley was in
Antwerp, anyone good with computers could maybe get them. Find out if anyone
else from the ship remembers this. Maybe you can find Lt. Stevenson.
PS….Most
of the guys on the ship were not interested and I think most of them did not
know about the ball team. Also I said Lt Stevenson but he may have been an
Ensign. I think the guy that hit in 1 or both of our runs was named Greer. He
was a red head so he was called
Rusty. I think he was a Gunners Mate. We were at Antwerp June 16th to 21st , 1951. We thought the set-up was to play
one local team. It was a shocker when the newspapers said All Star Team, which
meant playing the best players. The newspapers were all hung on the ship’s
bulletin board, so they should have been seen by all the crew. Bonin and Rohrick,
do you remember anything about this ? The sports writing was humorous because it
was written in perfect English, not in baseball terms. The sportswriters were
agreed that it was a wonderful, exciting game.
1949-52
MANY SHIPBOARD MEMORIES
GEORGE
DELANEY FT2 49 -52…
related to life aboard the USS Dennis J. Buckley…
These stories are from memory and are not in chronological order.
I went aboard the
ship in August 1949 at Newport Rhode Island fresh out of Class C Fire Control
School in Washington D.C. The ship
was part of Destroyer Division 102. The
four-ship division consisted of the Benner DDR 807, Buckley DDR 808, Hawkins DDR
823 and the Fox DDR 829. We were
also part of Destroyer Squadron Nine. Our
call sign was Nan-Tare-Tare-Queen.
Nicky
Hilton and Liz Taylor
On honeymoon in
Cannes France (1949) - The Buckley was
making a port call at Cannes France at the same time that Liz and Nicky were
honeymooning. The ship was parked
inside the sea wall at Cannes.
Goodwill Visit to Cork, Ireland
The Buckley was the first American ship to visit Ireland since the end
of WWII. While navigating Cork
harbor the people living along the shore were waving American flags or table
cloths and the church organ was playing the American anthem. The great grandson, of the hero who the ship was named for
(Dennis Joseph Buckley), was welcomed aboard with side boys and full honors and
dined in the wardroom with ship’s officers.
During our stay the ship had open house for the town and many of the crew
were invited to the homes of these visitors.
Search and Rescue
Downed
C124 Globemaster in the Atlantic Ocean - While
underway to Gibraltar at the start of a Med cruise, the fleet was diverted to
support search and rescue of a missing C124 Globemaster transport. After two
days of searching, the Buckley was ordered to cease search and head to port
Gibralter and some Des Div 102 ships remained in the area to continue the SAR. There were no survivors.
Chicken in the water
About reveille time the ship was setting up for plane guard detail when
a helicopter crashed after launch from the aircraft carrier.
The motor whaleboat was in the davits facing in board.
The laundry man who was an experienced deck hand and familiar with boat
handling witnessed the helo going down, got on the PA system calling Chicken in
the Water and had moved the whale boat in position for launch just as the
Buckley’s rescue crew appeared. The ship’s crew rescued the helo crew in
record time saving all aboard. The
skipper of the carrier sent atta boy message with offer of ice cream for the
ship but the Captain refused.
Floating mine in the Dardenalles -
The ship was
steaming in the waters of the Dardenalles on the way to Istanbul, Turkey. The
Dardenalles are a narrow strait of water approximately a mile wide.
You could smell the aroma from the flowers on the shore.
About half way to Istanbul, we came upon what turned out to be a floating
mine. It was crusted with barnacles
and had protruding spikes. The
ship's twin 40MM gun was connected to the main battery stable element and while
the ship was stopped the mine was hit with single fire rounds and sunk without
an explosion.
Collision at Sea
While taking on
fuel, the ship lost power and steering causing the Buckley to make contact with
the tanker’s anchor and putting a hole in the bow port side.
The ship went to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs and the crew enjoyed
ten days of open gangway liberty. That
was an unprecedented liberty time.
Delaney
FT2 49-52…cont.
Fresh Lobster,
Naragganset Bay
- Occasionally while steaming into port
with the fantail anchor detail, the ship would be stopped near lobster pot
fishermen. It was possible to buy
one for a quarter. We put the
lobster into a bucket and cooked it in the hot water from the after head and
then shared the delicious results.
Korean War
The ship was in La
Spezia, Italy when the Korean war broke out.
The ship sounded general quarters and brought ammo to the upper handling
decks. Sometime later a bulletin was issued explaining the situation.
Half of the division was sent to the Korean zone.
The Buckley stayed in the Med.
Depth Charge Launch
The ship fired
several depth charges one evening during exercises prior to going in to
Portsmouth, VA for a scheduled yard period. The explosions were loud and caused
the boat deck to lift several inches damaging the plumbing associated with the
ship’s reefer. We never fired
depth charges again while I was onboard.
Ships Doctor
The doctor for the division was aboard the Buckley for awhile. During
his shipboard internship he became very proficient with circumcision surgical
procedures. It seemed that several
of the crew were inexperienced and were convinced that this was the way to go.
Four Hole Rescue
For those of you who are familiar with the trough in the aft head,
utilized for relief, this may strike a note.
There were four shipmates sitting in the aft head.
One of them got up and while rearranging his uniform noticed three sets
of bulging eyes on the other shipmates caused by the rising sea water in the
trough. He realized that his white
hat wasn’t in its usual place in his back pocket.
He put 2 and 2 together, calmly reached into the trough drain, retrieved
his hat and rescued his mates.
1953
KIDS IN FRANCE
Bob Robinson
PN1 53-55… In 1953 while the Buckley was in Cannes, France, I took
a side visit to Valberg in the French Alps. I met three children about 5 or 6
years old along a path in the country side and gave each one a piece of gum.
Twenty-five years later I wrote the local newspaper and asked about these kids.
They sent me a photo of them taken at the same site - 25 years later. A picture
of both are attached.
I have an original
copy of the Buckley brochure on the ships goodwill visit to Barcelona, Spain,
June 24,1953. I have the English and Spanish copies, which include the story of
Dennis J. Buckley, Jr for whom the ship was named. In many ports each
crew member was given two packs of cigarettes when going ashore. In my two years
aboard, I traded these for decorated rugs and an oil painting in Italy, clocks
and tennis at the Carlton Hotel in France and boat models and a Turkish
Friendship ring in Turkey. As the leading Petty Officer in the ships office, I
attended and recorded the results of “Captain’s Mast” under the Uniform
Code of Military Justice. For our better crew members the punishment would often
be confinement to the ship for two weeks - to begin when the ship left port for
a two week or longer cruise………Cont…
1955
WELL
OILED
ERIC N. ELLISON
ET2 55-57…. You are asking about sea stories and you
know at this point in my life some times I can’t tell if I dreamed some of
these things or if they really happened. One of the things I remember when on
the midshipmen cruise was we had a line break when refueling and we all got
soaked with that heavy oil. The only way to get it off was with diesel oil. It
was everywhere. I also think we ran aground in the Cape Cod canal around New
Years. Does anyone else remember that or did I dream it. When we got to dry dock
in the Boston Navy Yards the screws looked like tulips. That was a cold winter,
we lived aboard ship during the stay in the yard. They had big holes cut
everywhere, you froze your ninnies off standing fire watch. I wonder if any one
else remembers any of this?
1955
SPANISH ESCARGO
RON
CLAWSON RM3
55-57…. Once upon a time aboard the Dennis J. Buckley. Summer, 1955
on the midshipmen cruise. Ron Clawson had recently been sent to “0” division
radio gang from the deck force. After about a month or so “0” division had a
call for a mess cook. I was the newest un-rated person and was elected. They
made me a “spud coxswain”. As all you remember my job was to prepare the
potatoes and other produce for the mess. We worked directly for the cooks as I
recall and while the ship was in Malaga, Spain they brought local produce before
we sailed for Plymouth, England. A day or two after leaving Malaga, another
person and myself, who’s name I can’t remember, prepared a salad with
Spanish lettuce. No one told me that in Spain they had snails and slugs. Yes we
washed the lettuce but I guess we left one or two, or maybe it was many snails,
in the salad and the cooks served it. You
would never guess who the first group was to find the snails. Yep, the Chiefs
mess. Well, this other sailor and myself had a new job in the afternoon, “The
Scullery”. I did find out what snails and slugs were. Is my partner out there
somewhere ?
1956
SCREWED
UP
KARL
STROH MM2 55-58….
I reported aboard in October 1955 at Newport, RI. A few months later the
DJB went into the Boston Navy Yards for some major changes before heading to
Cuba and then to the Pacific fleet. I was in the Fwd. Engine Room as we
proceeded through a narrow channel into the Boston Navy Yard. All of a sudden
the starboard screw hit the side of the channel. The jolts as the screw hit
bottom gave us a real scare. I still
remember the “emergency stop signals” from the bridge and all the insulation
dust from the shaking steam lines. We
went into dry dock and the entire starboard shaft, props and bearings had to be
repaired and realigned. We lived on
board while in dry dock and it was cold. Probably the only time I can remember
wearing my Navy p-coat.
When it was announced that we would be transferring to the Pacific Fleet, there
was a mad scramble by many of the crew members to remain on the East coast by
exchanging duty with sailors wanting duty on the West coast.
After we left the Boston Navy Yards for the Cuba shake-down cruise I
believe we had the smallest crew ever.
LIBERTY CALL
STROH MM2..
cont.. I have many memories of leaving the DJB on liberty call in many
ports. However, in most of those
ports I don’t have many memories of returning
to the ship and it apparently was noticed.
One day after leaving port I was standing top watch in the forward engine
room, the messenger went forward to
take refrigeration readings and upon returning told me that the XO (AD Wagner)
stopped him at the top of the ladder and asked who was on top watch in the fwd.
engine room, when he answered Stroh, The XO asked “is he drunk or sober”?
This same XO later told me he thought I was Career Navy material and offered me
OCS to ship over. At the time I declined but during processing out at Treasure
Island I informed them that I would re-up if I could accept the OCS offer the XO
made. They informed me that only he, the XO, could make that referral to OCS and
that I would have to contact him. It had been four months since I left the DJB
so I just let it go.
MISSING TUNA
STROH
MM2..cont… A case of tuna disappeared one time while taking on ships
stores. XO A. D. Wagner and I
believe Chief Cook John Morrill brought a crew of sailors down into the forward
engine room searching for the tuna. They insisted that I had a hand in
confiscating the tuna and if they found the tuna in the engine room I would be
swabbing decks. Luckily they didn’t look in the bilges under the reduction
gears. Just for the record, it wasn’t my idea, I just turned a blind eye to
the caper. Soon after the ship started serving soup and crackers for those going
on and coming off the mid watch.
1956
SHIP
HANDLING
JOHN A.MORRILL,
JR MSCM 56-57…USN RETIRED. The original title Ships Cook is my preference
but it was changed to Master Chief Mess Specialist. I retired Oct 1963 from USN
but with combined USNR-USN-US Fleet Reserve I officially retired in March 1969
with 30 years service.
The Buckley was in
Boston shipyard being refitted. She was to sail to the West Coast on refit
completion. Consideration for exchange of duty rate for rate was authorized.
Since I preferred the West Coast and the Chief Commissaryman on the Buckley
preferred to stay on the East Coast the trade was made. Also the Commanding
Officer received orders and Commander R.A. Norelius took command. A refresher
training period at Guantanamo Bay was scheduled for the Buckley. The Work is
finished and the Buckley sails for “gitmo” . Entering the Bay, the crew off
watch is piped to quarters. Chief Montgomery And I are at “S Div” quarters
and we notice a concrete wall at the head of the ship and a concrete pier
alongside to which the Buckley will moor. The approach is faster than we feel it
should be. The concrete wall is looming fast and Montgomery calls out “ all
hands grab a stanchion and hold tight”. Cont….
We were expecting a
jarring jolt on ramming the wall. A big surprise, there was no ramming. The
Captain handled moorings with great skill, often waving off tug boats standing
by to give assistance in gently nudging ships alongside piers. There also were a
few time when a sister ship would be securing to a buoy and the Buckley would
tie alongside her and liberty started before complete mooring was accomplished.
As I remember the start of liberty was usually announced at the placing of the
first line on a ballard; still had to wait on gangways, etc. I also remember a
couple of BM’s or GM’s who seemed to get into fracases every liberty and
wound up in the hospital with stab wounds. Do you remember such a duo.
1956 CAPTAIN
FINED
STROH..MM2…55-58..
I was selected to attend a five day instructor school in San Diego. Since the
ship was pulling out of Long Beach for a week of maneuvers and would dock at San
Diego for the weekend, the Captain (RA Norelius) asked that I drive his car to
San Diego and park it at the Navy Base. When I arrived at the gate the guards
wouldn’t let me on the base, even though I explained it was a Captain’s car.
I drove the streets looking but all the parking areas around the base
were “authorized parking only” . I finally drove into one of the lots,
parked and locked the keys in the car as instructed. Back at sea the Engineering
officer informed me that the Captain could not find his car and called the San
Diego police. They had his car impounded and it cost him a $50 fine. I guess
the captain wasn’t mad about it because the car was in a safe place. I
never did know why they wouldn’t let me on the base, the car had a base
sticker.
1956
DEEP SIX
STROH…MM2…55-58…
While tied up at a pier in Long Beach for a short time, a movie was being made
on a small Navy ship on the same
pier directly across from the DJB. It starred Alan Ladd and Spencer Tracy and
the name of the movie was Deep Six. Many of us DJB shipmates watched as Tracy
and Ladd filmed several scenes on the ship and pier for several days. I never
saw the film but the DJB and her crew should be in the background during a few
of the pier scenes.
1956
LAST
LAUGH
SPENCE
GOLDTHWAITE SO2
56…. This isn’t much of a sea story, but I’m still smiling
about it after 45 years after it happened. Prior to serving on the DJB I was
stationed on the USS New DDE 818 out of Norfolk. In late 55 or early 56 we got
notice that due to the fact 2/3 of
the entire Navy was stationed in Norfolk, they were going to “break up the
fleet”. If you had served on your present ship for a designated period of time
(I think 18 months) and wanted to transfer to a ship in another port fill out
this form and submit your request through proper channels. Well, being from the
Boston area, I thought why not ? I had been in 3 years and while I loved
attending Sonar school in Key West and Norfolk wasn’t all that bad once you
got used to it, I thought why not serve my last year in the 1st Naval
District? So I fill out and submit the form and sure enough I get transferred to
the Denny J out of Newport. Hey I think, the Navy has a heart after all.
I had my own car at the time, so I drive up to Newport and there she is,
anchored out and she looks good. She has recently come out of the Boston Navy
Yard and was a good looking ship. I reported for duty and was a little more than
surprised to find that she was leaving Newport for
Gitmo, where I had just came from with the USS New, and then was going to
Long Beach, California! My Tour of duty was short lived in the 1st
Naval District, to say the least. My first thought was, they got me again. I was
sure there was a Yeoman sitting out there somewhere laughing about the guy he
sent to Newport, who was really going to Long Beach. Well I got the last laugh.
I loved California and we went on a
Far East Cruise that was great fun. I spent the last 6 months of my enlistment
raising hell in Long Beach . When I got out I said to myself this would be a
great place to live and sure enough in 1974 I moved to Huntington Beach, CA and
in 1977 to Scottsdale, Arizona. I’ve
lived in this paradise ever since and it’s all because of a cruel joke the
Navy played on me when I was a kid.
Karl, I don’t know when you served aboard the Denny J., but when she came out
of the BNY in 56 they had evidently transferred off anyone due to be discharged
before she was scheduled to arrive in Long Beach. So, when I reported aboard in
Newport there wasn’t much of a crew. I met with a 1st class Boats,
who I sort of became friends with (can’t remember his name) and we laughed
about going to Gitmo with a small green crew. I remember we hit rough weather on
the way to Gitmo and there would be very few guys eating in the mess deck, so
there was plenty for the rest of us. We kept picking up crew members along the
way and somehow we got through Gitmo without sinking ourselves, or anyone else
and when we headed to the Panama Canal we weren’t just a good looking ship, we
were a pretty good fighting ship as well. But it was a trip I’ll never forget.
I was the leading Sonarman for the year I was on board and met some of the
nicest guys I had met in my life. To have served on the Denny J. was an
honor…………………..
1956
TRIGGER FINGER
HOMER EVANS GM3
54-58……. We
were on a gunnery exercise and had just finished a firing run. The twin 3” had
two empty ammo racks in the magazine and got permission to reload. The firing
mechanism (pistol grip trigger) stuck causing a round of ammo to fire. The
bridge was on the phone just as fast, “who fired that shot” and all I could
think of was “I did”. Who is this asked LTJG Hickey (the gunnery officer)
Homer Evans sir. What happened? The trigger stuck sir. Didn’t hear anymore
from the incident. I was lucky that we were still in firing formation. Never
heard anymore about the incident. I was mount captain on one of the twin 3”
mounts.
1957
TYPHOON
CARMEN
STROH
MM2…55-58… We left Kaohsiung, Formosa in September 57 to avoid a
typhoon and I believe ran right into it. I wondered many times during those
couple of days how the ship could survive as she rolled and pitched, waves
slamming against her sides and props exiting the water shaking her to the core.
The howling wind was enough to scare anyone. Water sloshed back and forth in the
after passageway until it got deep enough, and then with a mighty roll of the
ship, the water spilled over the
hatch riser and came down the ladder into the engineer’s berthing compartment
like Niagara Falls, wetting down the bunks and guys near the ladder. With choice
words someone would then crawl out of their rack and close the large hatch
cover. I never got sea sick but most of the crew did. I remember a lot more than
sea water on the decks and the chow lines were very short. For the first time I
watched the wide rubber seam at mid ships expand and contract as the bow buried
itself into the sea. We were in other storms but I believe this one was the
worst of all.
1957
SAD
NEWS
BOB TERHUNE RD3
56-57…. Would like to fill you in on an incident that occurred on the
57 deployment. After we had gotten underway from the beer bust and refueling at
Midway and became a unit of the 7th fleet, there was a policy change
as far as emergency leave. If I am correct it said something to the effect that
if you were not the sole surviving member or sole support of the family, that in
the event of a death in the family no leave would be granted. I remember at
quarters that morning thinking what a lousy deal that would be. A day or so
later I was in chow line prior to my watch when one of the guys told me to see
the OPS boss in his stateroom. Well
guess what ? He handed me a telegram stating that my dad had died suddenly. He
really did not know what to say except that he was sorry, etc. Well what could I
do as we were days away from Japan. To make this story short, I never did get
home until we returned in December. However my only concern was to get a message
to my Mom in New Jersey saying god knows what but letting her know that I was
thinking of her. Well I composed something and went to radio central to have it
sent but guess what, we didn’t have a transmitter up or available to reach
midway for the first relay. What to do. All my shipmates were with me and trying
to figure out a way to accomplish this task. Finally one got the idea to ask
either the Trathen or Watts if they could help us out. I don’t remember which
ship it was but we got an affirmative on our request. I didn’t want it to go
by voice so I asked SM3 Hickman if we could send it by flashing light. No
problem, so off it went and
eventually on to New Jersey. Well 44 years later I finally got in touch with
Rudy Hickman, thanks to the DJB website. It was quite nice to receive that
e-mail and to have him tell me that he did remember that night and that message.
So that’s my story. I think of that incident and still remember the support I
got from everyone. The XO LTCDR Wagner was particularly helpful and also very
kind in explaining policy and making it just a little easier. Thats it and if
you want to post on the web, go ahead. Thanks.
1957
THE
BEAN INCIDENT
RICHARD TARBUCK
LTJG 56-58 ….. We were on Formosa Patrol I recall,
bouncing around in that narrow strait of water, tired and long on
replenishments…ie nothing fresh on board. RD1 Smith had squirreled away a can of baked beans from the ships store, originally I
believe….stores long gone. It was mid watch and I was JOOD on the bridge. With
much pomp and ceremony Smith pulled out his treasure much to the envy of his
watch shipmates. He opened the can…you guessed , it was all juice and one
“stinkin” bean… he didn’t get the last laugh on his watch mates. As a
result he wrote Van Camp of his embarrassment ….nothing heard. However upon
pulling up in Long Beach, there was a case of beans from the man himself for RD1
Smith. Whether he shared it with shipmates is a story unknown.
1957
WET PAINT
RICHARD TARBUCK LTJG
56-58 …..reminded me of that 24 hr period in Sasabo, Japan that we
painted the entire ship before receiving CNO Arliegh Burke on board at sea,
transferred by hi-line from a cruiser with the entire seventh fleet surrounding
the Denny J.. “ PAINT STILL WET”
1957
CLOSE CALL
KARL STROH MM2
55-58…… I was on top watch in the Fwd. Engine Room for the
transfer of Admirals Burke, Rivero and Wilson. The 808 was alongside the cruiser
with hi-lines across. Over the head phones I listen to the hi-line chatter
top-side, GUEST is in the chair ready
for transfer.
About that time we
start losing steam pressure fast. I call the bridge and tell them we have an
emergency, then call the after boiler room to cross-connect the plants.
The throttle man closes the forward throttle valve to maintain steam
pressure at 500 psi while we cross connect the plant. The 808 loses headway and
all lines are released. The Captain and another officer came down into the
engine room on the run demanding to know what happened.
“I lost steam pressure and
had to cross-connect sir”, back
up the ladder they went. I was
plenty worried because in another five minutes an Admiral would have been half
way across in the chair. Although I thought at the time
that I was in big trouble, I was reassured later by the MMC that I
followed procedure and did the right thing. High water in the fwd boiler room
was the problem. The Fwd Boiler room restored steam pressure and we soon split
the plants and came up along side once again for a successful transfer of
Admirals Burke, Rivero and
Wilson. Although I didn’t know which Admiral was in the chair, for many years
after, every time I saw or heard about Admiral Burke in the news I thought of
that high line incident. Another five minutes and he might have been the one
half way across on the high line.
1957
HAPPY CREW - UNHAPPY COOK
STROH
MM2 cont…. On liberty,
Kaohsiung, Formosa… As we all had to be back on the ship by 2400, the liberty
launch was full of very “happy”
sailors. The Captain was among the group and we all were having a very unusual
but great conversation with him. As the motor launch came alongside the ship,
the captain asked if anyone was hungry, of
course everyone was, so we all went to the mess hall. The captain told a
shipmate to go wake up the mess cook and tell him to cook us some breakfast.
A few minutes later the shipmate
reported back to the captain that “ the cook told me
to
go to hell”. The captain sent the shipmate back to inform the cook that this
was “orders from the captain” and he had five minutes to get in the galley
and start cooking. In only minutes an “unhappy cook” was serving breakfast
to the “ Captain and crew “
SPILLED BEANS
STROH
MM2..cont… One day during real rough weather I was heading up the inside
passage way to the mess hall. As I passed the galley I saw the cook, with a
shovel, scooping up beans that were spread all over the galley floor, he was
shoveling them back into a large pot that had slid off the stove. I thought they
would probably get thrown out, but you guessed it, beans were on the menu for
supper.
1957
LEFT, RIGHT, BACK, STOP ?
BENJAMAN DOLGIN
56-57….. It had to be sometime in the spring of 1957, underway
somewhere outside of Long Beach, CA, at approximate 1415 hours. We were steaming
in a column type, follow- the-leader formation, the ship’s officers, as I
recall, were learning how to maneuver the ship. I believe the BUCKLEY was the
third ship in the formation. I was on the starboard wing of the signal bridge when I
noticed that the ship in front of us was going much slower than us. We were
coming up on that ship very quickly and it seemed certain that we were going to
rear-end it. Captain Roy Norelius came rushing up on the bridge and yelled
“what is going on here?” “ I have the con, I have the con !!” he
exclaimed.
We were getting closer and closer to the ship in front of us. “All
engines Stop !” “All engines stop !” The ship didn’t stop so fast.
“Left full rudder !….right full rudder !!!” “All back full !…all back
full !!” Commander Norelius yelled ! normally a fairly calm, soft spoken
person. Finally the mighty DJB belched a big black cloud of smoke from the No.1
stack and began to slow. The ship in front of us, maybe it was the USS WATTS,
hauled off to starboard and we all breathed normally again. Scary, needless to
say….and the signal lights began to flash from evry ship asking “what
happened ??……
1957 ?
DUMMY
OVERBOARD
YATCH
…. At sea aboard
the DJB. Yatchmenoff had the forward watch and he looked down and saw the XO
throw the man-over-board dummy over the port side. Immediately Yatch reported to
the bridge “man-over-board, port side forward” using his sound powered
phones. Meanwhile the XO was intently watching what was occurring. The OD Mr xxx
had the con and backed over the dummy completely shredding it. Yatch could hear
the XO tell the OD, “if I fall overboard don’t come back for me.” You have
only three places to go on this ship from now on, your stateroom, wardroom and
watch station. You are to read and memorize the man-over-board procedures and
report back to me when you have. All names except Yatch have been disguised to
keep the peace. It is a true story. (Note: This story, reprinted as is, came
from only a Yatch. Date is assumed.)
1958
1ST
STOP MIDWAY, IS.
ROBERT ANDERSON
xET2 57-58…..On the 58 cruise, you know how it went, the
first interesting happening was the rare overnight stop at Midway Is. I had
liberty so went with a group to the EM Club. There was a USO show going on in
the theater which had the same entrance. The club was real busy so after a
couple of beers, they were selling
warm beer, a PFC Marine came in with a nightstick to clear the club. Going
outside there was a line of Marines with pump shotguns at parade rest.
That was no time to do much else but go back to the ship. There were lots
of bicycles setting just outside the door so two or three of us guys grabbed
bikes and rode them back to the ship. Upon getting back to the ship, there was
the duty crew with grappling hooks pulling bikes out of the water. I do not know
how much that cost the ships Recreation funds, but was probably the reason we
went back to the states by way of Australia and New Zealand. Regards for now,
Andy xET2.
1961
SUBIC BAY BBQ
FRANK NEUMAN
RD2 60-63…We pulled
into Subic Bay, Philippines during West Pac deployment. When going out the main
gate, the BBQ smelled great. Being a good ole boy from Texas, I had to try some
of it. Bought a BBQ-on-a-stick. Looked good, smelled good but I thought it was a
little red and stringy for pork. I had eaten most of it when I was informed that
it wasn’t pork but was monkey. Needless to say, I immediately lost my appetite
and threw it away. We don’t eat monkey in Texas !
1961
HEAVENLY
CUISINE
CHARLES H. BOGART
RDSN(Bogey One) 58-61…Hong Kong, Mary Soo and her girls painted ships in
the harbor, her only pay being leftovers from the mess hall. Mary Soo would
station girls outside the mess decks with buckets, and as sailors exited the
mess hall they handed their tray to the girls who would divide the food scraps
into the various buckets. I, in my generosity one night, left extra meat on my
tray, I thought they would appreciate the extra meat but they just took all of
the Buckley’s food and dumped into one garbage can. Our cooks were not the
best in the world to say the least. Just
before we sailed for WESTPAC, the Marine Corps tested the Redeye Missile system
from on board our ship. After the Marines ate their first meal with us, they
broke out their combat rations and ate them for the rest of the week. Our Baker
however was outstanding as long as he was drunk. The bread and rolls got heavier
the longer we were away from port. The officers would turn their heads when at
times he would be “happy” for a number of days at sea, from a hidden supply
of booze. As long as he was happy the bread, rolls and cakes he made were
heavenly. One of his specialties was making rum or brandy cakes for the Wardroom
and chiefs mess. It is doubtful if little of the liquor actually went into the
cakes. …..
1961
SCROUNGE
CHARLES H.BOGART
RDSN (Bogey one) 58-61 ….A story about the SCROUNGE…I Had to sign a
report slip on xxxx for failure to relieve the watch and for sleeping in an
unauthorized space. xxxxx was one of the odd balls transferred from another ship
to ours. He was a scrounge. Never took a shower or washed. You could smell him
down wind. We washed him down once with scrub brushes. He was put on permanent
mess duty in the scullery until the Captain ordered he be allowed to stand watch
in CIC. He was not allowed to sleep in our berthing quarters due to his body
odor. While mess cooking he slept in the scullery on the deck. After being taken
off mess cooking he slept on the floor in the SPS-6 transmitter room. One night he was given a bunk in
the machinist berthing area, they threatened to throw him overboard if he tried
to sleep there again. He was later transferred to another ship. Don’t know why
he wasn’t discharged from the Navy as he was obviously mentally ill.
1961
BOGEY ONE
CHARLES
H. BOGART (Bogey one) 58-61… I received the name Bogey one while
standing mid watch (0000-0400). I had been sitting at the radar scope in CIC
while we were operating in the Formosa Starits. An Electronic Technician came
into repair a scope that was down. He normally referred to me as bogey one. A
bogey being an unidentified aircraft contact. Upon entering CIC he shouted bogey
one 000, 10 feet. The CIC officer had been laying in his chair asleep with his
hand
1961
SHIPS PARTY
CHARLES H. BOGART
RDSN (Bogey One) 58-61…. No matter what one tells you he saw at a ships
party overseas, know that he is only telling half the story. It is impossible to
describe some of the things I saw. As a matter of fact I must be fantasizing
when I look back on those parties. I remember the first one I went to. The Shore
Patrol was shaking everyone down before they went in, officers and sailors
alike, to ensure no one had a camera. Normal procedure was for he ship to rent a
bar for the night. The ship would supply the food while beer and booze was
bought on the base. The bar would supply the girls and a floor show. These shows
could even make a sailor blush. What food and drink not consumed during the
party belonged to the bar. There is nothing like a bunch of drunk sailors having
a good time. What I remember about this ships party is that the cooks took two
30 gallon garbage cans that had been well used and washed them out with a fire
hose. Once cleaned they hot steamed
them. They were then taken to the
galley where one was filled with potato salad and the other with baked
beans….these cans transported the food to the ships party.
1961
DJB
INSIGNIA
CHARLES H BOGART
RDSN 58-61…..The DJB insignia design displayed in the
center of the Web Page - “Forewarn is Forearmed”
was designed by Folkner RD3 and myself in early 1961. Cdr. Simcox, the
Captain, wanted an insignia not based on a cartoon. He had a contest to design
the new insignia. We originally drew a diagonal line across the shield, upper
left to lower right, the bar sinister, herality sign of a baster, the captain
knew what the diagonal bar meant. In the original the sword was in the lower
left and the electron in the upper right. Thus while the Captain liked the basic
idea he had the design redrawn into quadrants. Folkner got the credit for the design and the basket leave.
Folkner gave me the money. ($10.00, I think)
1961
MOMMA -SAN
CHARLES BOGART
RDSN 58-61 …… Lying outside the main gate of the Yokosuka Naval Base was
an area of bars and gift shops. The area consisted of two streets called Black
Market alley and Thieves alley. It is hard to capture the flavor of the area.
The total area didn’t stretch five blocks. Every other building was a bar, the
other a gift shop. The bar girls all spoke some English and some were quite
fluent. They would sit and dance with you if you bought them drinks every 10-15
minutes. Most of the girls were willing to make love after a mutually agreed fee
was reached. The fee was split with Momma-San (older women) who chaperoned the
girls. The fee depended on how long you wanted to spend with the girl. The act
was performed at the girls sleeping room which was away from the bar.
The problem of venereal disease required a contraceptive be shown to the
OOD along with your liberty card when one went ashore for liberty. If not shown,
the OOD would find something wrong with your uniform and not allow you ashore.
Some objected to this procedure saying they would never commit adultery or
fornication, but I saw many shipmates do something ashore they swore they would
never do under any circumstances.
LITTLE CRITTERS
BOGART…cont….A
few days later ! Some guys in OC division have the crabs so we had to air out
all the mattresses and blankets, scrubbed bunk bottoms and cleaned the
compartment with disinfectant.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
BOGART…cont….May
13th. . Pulled into Subic Bay after operation Pony
Express. All the ships and USN transports that took part in this operation were
also in port at this time. Olongapol was so full of Sailors and Marines that the
guards at the main gate would only leave someone out of the gate to go to town
when someone returned to the base. I
heard that Sailors and Marines were standing in line at the whore houses but
thought it was a sea story until I saw it for myself.
Lines of men stretching out into the streets from the houses waiting
their turn with the women. It was, and still is, unbelievable. I had my share of
drink and women but never like this. For a few days everything was lowered
to the commonest level.
ENGLISH TUTOR
BOGART
…cont……..in Kure, Japan, I found a local Japanese bar while wondering
around by myself. When I went in and bought a beer I was the only non-Japanese
in the bar. Some Japanese men were sitting at a table who spoke English and/or
were learning to speak English. They invited me to sit with them and help them
practice their English. I had a very enjoyable time with them. I got pleasantly
drunk without spending a cent. What I remember most is that they sent out for
some Japanese food. I don’t know what I ate but it was one of the best meals I
ever had. The bar girls, while not Geishas, were of that quality. When I left to
go back to the ship they ordered me a taxi to take me back and one of the girls
gave me a neck chain that I still have today.
SHIPMATE HELPERS
BOGART…cont..Upon
returning to Long Beach xxxx was restricted to the ship on some charge. Waiting
on the pier was his wife. It was decided by the crew that she would get to spend
the night with her husband. That evening after the captain and most of the
officers had left on leave or liberty, she and xxx were given the Captain’s
cabin to use for their reunion. xxx was still restricted to the ship per
Captain’s orders but the wife was not made to suffer. She departed the ship
before quarters the next morning.
**** NOTE ****
C. Bogart kept a
daily diary of the entire 1961
Westpac Cruise. The above memories are only a few stories that I picked from the 113 page diary written by Bogart. Many
Naval operations, sister ship
names, ports of call, etc., can be found in this daily account of the 1961
Westpac cruise. Contact C. Bogart personally
if interested.
1960-62
DUST STORM
GEORGE ESTEY,
FTSN 60-62…..Were
you on board when we were all awakened by this loud boom. We, in Fox Division
all thought something had exploded in the ammunition stores below (if it had we
would have all been dead) and ran up the ladder through the mess and started up
the mess line ladder when we finally took time to look at each other. We were
all covered with lint and dust. Quite a sight, a bunch of sailors in their
skivvies looking as if they had been tarred and feathered. It seems that due to
rough seas a wave had come over the ship in such a way that it had tried to
enter the air intake for the ventilation system. The compression ripped the dust
that had been collecting there since the ship had been built and sent it hurling
through the vents into the compartments where we all slept. Whoever cleans out
the ventilation ducts ? Well that day they got cleaned and we were wearing the
dust. Our compartment was filled with dust and only the areas not covered were
the outlines in our racks where we had been sleeping……………………
1962
SUB ENCOUNTER
RAY SORRELL, STG2
62-63…..In the last of October 1962, while operating with the Bon
Homme Richard during Flight OPS,
one of the planes spotted a Russian Sub running on the surface. The Turner Joy
and the Buckley were dispatched to investigate. In late afternoon we arrived at
the location and an ASW plane was circling and started dropping flares to mark
the subs position. Lining up on the flares we made contact along with the Turner
Joy. We started a circle pattern and when the sub would turn into one of the
destroyers, that destroyer would break off and the other one would maintain
contact while the first ship would come about and swing back into formation.
After two days the sub tried to snorkel indicating his batteries and air were
running low. As we were in rough to heavy seas he could not snorkel very long.
The third day brought on a new tactic. The sub dropped several decoys and a
noisemaker. Our screen went almost completely blank. Bill Horton was on the
stack; turning down the gain and asking for total silence as he tried to
maintain contact. After 20-30 minutes when our screen cleared, Bill was no more
than 50 yards to port of the sub. The next day the sub had it and surfaced. He
ran on the surface all day and throughout the night. The following day we had
taken pictures and finished our mission and said farewell to one Russian Sub
that was probably more than a little embarrassed.
We were all proud of doing a great job knowing we accomplished what we
were trained for.
1963
YANKEE STATION
JERRIE CATE
RMCS 1964-66 …..
during the one and only West Pac tour I made on the DJB, we spent a lot of time
off the Viet Nam coast carving large circles in the water in the area know as
Yankee Station, We monitored fishing boat activities, checking out the
incredible array of antennas they all had, and documented them all. I, and a
friend Skip Daniel, another RM2, spent a lot of time on the bridge during these
encounters drawing large renditions of these vessels. The Polaroid pictures were
too small to provide the definition the CO wanted. During all these encounters
we were at GQ ready to roll. During more relaxing moments, when no other vessels
were around, GQ was relaxed and we were allowed on deck. The weather was
generally great, though hot and humid. The seas were typically pretty flat,
causing the ship to barely roll.
During a day watch in Radio Central I took a break, just before noon meal, to go
out on the ASROC deck and get a breath of fresh air. As I exited the hatch I was
facing aft and the first place I looked was to my left, the starboard side. The
sea was flat, as usual. I turned to my right to re-enter the hatch and some
motion at the port side caught my eye. It was an enormous wave, out of the blue,
about 100 yards away coming at us broadside. It had to be 60 feet high if it was
an inch. I rushed to the hatch,
threw myself inside, dogged the hatch and braced
myself by stretching my arms across the passageway. There was a very loud
rush of water as we rose with the swell and the ship seemed to roll over all the
way over on it’s side. I was sure it was going all the way over which would
put me on the bottem, but I later learned we went 52 degrees. This went on
pendulum fashion for a long time. All the while I could hear things crashing
around on the mess decks, three decks below. There was bug juice everywhere.
The wave broke on the signal bridge, right on top of an SM3 (I don’t recall
his name). He was napping on a flag bag when he heard the noise and opened his
eyes to see the wave coming down on him. He grabbed the sides of the bag and
hung on for dear life. It was amazing that no one was lost over the side and
there was no damage (that I’m aware of ). Everyone got a scare, however. After
the wave departed, the sea returned immediately to it’s flat state and we
never again had such an encounter.
It was during this
cruise that the DJB, in company with the USS Hanson, relieved the USS Turner Joy and USS Maddox and their group.
As you may recall, that task force was fired on in the early stages of the Viet
Nam war. When we arrived off Viet
Nam one of the first actions assigned was NGFS. To do this, DJB sailed up the
Saigon River and maintained position in the stream with the engines after
turning around. We could only get in and out at high tide, so once in we were
there for the duration. Concussion grenades wee tossed into any debris floating
near the ship to thwart possible swimmers. To my knowledge this was the very
first NGFS mission during this conflict and the first time the USA fired before
being fired upon. During this time we were of course at GQ and I was in radio
central with most every other radioman listening to the spotter plane report
hits and misses by our gunners. The 5” guns fired non-stop for hours on end
and very accurate from all accounts.
After 40 days at sea
during one stretch we were scheduled for a visit to Subic Bay. Everyone was on
deck in dress whites as we pulled into port and singled up at the pier. Before
we got the second line over, we were ordered to the refueling piers and to get
underway for Indonesia. Not many on deck knew what was happening as we made the
move to refuel. Even as we sailed past Grande Island, there were sailors on the
fantail wondering why we were headed out to sea. The reason was problems in
Indonesia that may have required removal of Americans from the area. The end was
result was we sailed in circles, out of sight of land for two weeks, before
heading for Hong Kong for a four day visit. Then it was back on line.
We had a beer party
on one of the islands off the tip of South Vietnam. We had 200 cases of San
Miguel beer on board and it was carried ashore for the party. I personally only
remeber going over. I woke up the next morning in my rack, in dress whites. I
lost some time on that one.
In company with the
USS Okinawa, CG-?? And the USS Bon Homme Richard, we sailed into the Tonkin Gulf
launching air raids each night. It was like watching a WWII movie with bombs
dropping and searchlights sweeping the sky.
Wish we could attend
the reunion but the timing is wrong for us. Well be thinking of all who goes.
1966
PIECE OF CAKE
MICHAEL WYATT
MM3 65-68… I was
on board the Buckley a few months after boot camp when I was assigned mess cook
duties with the ships cooks. I was really in M division in the after engine room
on temporary duty in the mess hall. Well….one day I had to unload pies and
cakes from the pier to the galley pantry when I took the nicest cake I could
find and took a detour through the engine room to deliver the stolen cake to my
buddies…. When there I see a kaki uniform with his back turned and I thought
it was just the Chief PO …..so I said “hey guys lookie what I got for
ya”…when the kaki turned around it was the Engineering Officer. I swallowed
hard and everybody got quiet. The Engineering Officer said “ sailor did you
steal that cake” ? and I said yes sir…..(I was scared I was going to get
busted) he said well don’t just stand there, lets cut it up so everyone can
have a piece. I’m so glad I never took anything again……………….
1966 &