Conolly (DD 979) - Naval Cruise Book

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♦« i. - ». - t; ADMIRAL RICHARD LANSING CONOLLY ADMIRAL CONOLLY WAS BORN IN WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, ON APRIL 26, 1892. HE WAS A GRADUATE OF THE US. NAVAL ACADEMY, AND RECEIVED A MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. HIS SHIPBOARD ASSIGNMENTS CONSISTED PRIMAR! ' Y OF DUTIES ABOARD BATTLESHIPS AND DESTROYERS. IT WAS ONBOARD THE DESTROYER USS SMITH DURING WORLD WAR I THAT HE RECEIVED THE NAVY CROSS FOR HIS PART IN SALVAGING THE TORPEDOED TRANSPORT WESTBRIDGE. ADM CONOLLY WAS RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE MOST ABLE AND SUCCESSFUL AMPHIBIOUS FORCE COMMANDERS OF WORLD WAR H. HIS DETAILED PLANNING, BRILLIANT EXECUTION AND MERITORIOUS LEADERSHIP DURING THE INVASION OF SICILY WERE CHIEF ELEMENTS IN THAT VERY SUCCESSFUL ASSAULT. HE ALSO CON- DUCTED THE SUCCESSFUL ASSAULT ON SALERNO, ITALY, BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE PACIFIC. THERE HE LED AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS ON KWAJALEIN ATOLL, GUAM, AND THE PHILIPPINES. AT WARS END HE WAS IN COMMAND OF OCCUPA- TIONAL FORCES IN NORTHERN JAPAN. HIS MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS ASHORE WERE AS DEPUTY CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS FOR OPERATIONS, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, U.S. NAVAL FORCES, EASTERN ATLANTIC AND MEDITERRANEAN; AND PRESIDENT, U.S. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE ADMIRAL CONOLLY WAS AWARDED NUMEROUS DECO- RATIONS AND CITATIONS DURING HIS NAVAL CAREER INCLUDING THE NAVY CROSS, THREE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDALS, TWO LEGIONS OF MERIT, AND MEDALS FROM GREAT BRITAIN, BELGIUM, SAUDI ARABIA, MOROCCO, GREECE, FRANCE, NORWAY, DENMARK. AND PORTUGAL AFTER RETIREMENT FROM THE NAVY IN 1953, ADM CONOLLY WAS APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF LONG ISLAND UNI- VERSITY. CONCURRENTLY HE ALSO SERVED ON BOARDS OF DIRECTORS OF BOTH THE BROOKLYN AND NASSAU COUNTY CHAPTERS OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS ADM CONOLLY AND HIS WIFE WERE KILLED IN THE CRASH OF AN AMERI- CAN AIRLINESJETLINER WHILE TAKING OFF FROM JOHN F KENNEDY AIRPORT ON 1 MARCH 1962

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STRIKE DESTROYER A destrovcr is a l() cl sliip prob.ihK iho nicest lighting ship ol ail. Battleships are a little like steel cities of great factories of destruction. Aircraft carriers are floating Hying fields. Even Cruisers are big pieces of machinery, but a destroyer is all ship. In the beautiful clean lines of her. in her speed and roughness, in her gallanlr siie is ci)niplclely a shi|i mi ihc old sense. Joiiii Steinbeck-

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USS CONOLLY (DD 979) MEFEX 2-92 SYNOPSIS Schedule: 24 Mar - 24 Sep 24 Mar 01 Apr 06 Apr 08 - 1 2 Apr 10 Apr 1 2 Apr 12Apr- 14 Apr 14 Apr 15Apr- 20 Apr 21 Apr - 26 Apr 27 Apr - 09 May 09 May 09 May - 12 May UDWY Deployment: MEF 2-92 INPT NWS, Yorktown: Weapons Change Out Refuel Ponta Delgado, Azores Burial At Sea Ceremony for Retired BMC Port Visit (PVST) Athens, Greece Commanding Officer ' s (CO) Call on Senior Naval Officer Aegean, Commodore Athanasiou. Hellenic Navy. Awards Ceremony UDWY, Enroute: Suez Canal Suez Canal Transit UDWY: Maritime Interception Operations (MIF OPS), North Red Sea PVST Hurghada, Egypt UDWY: MIF OPS Embark COMDESRON TWO ZERO: Hurghada UDWY: MIF OPS 12 May - 15 May PVST: Hurghada, Egypt 1 5 May - 27 May UDWY: MIF OPS 19 May MIE CO ' s Luncheon onboard, RADM Katz, USN COMCRUDESGRU TWO and Commodore Christie, RAN, Commander, Flotillas Command in attendance. 21 May Ammo Vertical Replenishment ( VERTREP) u ith USS SURIBACHI 27 May - 31 May PVST: Hurghada, Egypt 27 May - 14 Jun Midshipman Cruise (MEDTRAMID 1 ) 29 May Ship ' s Picnic: Arabia Hotel, Hurghada 01 Jun - 25 Jun UDWY: MIF OPS 09 Jun 100th Boarding, CONOLLY JOINS CENTURION CLUB ' - 1 8 Jun Visit by RADM R. A. K. Taylor, USN, Commander, US Naval Forces Central Command