Edson (DD 946) - Naval Cruise Book

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USN From the Commanding Officer: This cruise has been very significant to all of us concerned - not only those who were physically a part of the crew but to the wives, mothers, and sweethearts back home :Who were with us in spirit and gave us the support We needed to do our jobs. During this cruise we have actively supported our troops ashore and were among the first destroyers to have carried the war effectively and efficiently to the home- land of the enemy in North Viet Nam,firing more than four times as much ammuni- tion in the process than we did last cruise. We have been taken under heavy fire by enemy guns on several occasions and were even hit once - fortunately Without suffer- ing serious damage or injury. To the men of EDSON I would repeat here that the job you did on this cruise is one to be proud of. You have fought well for your country and have earned for your- selves the right to hold your heads high along with your fathers and grandfathers who carried our great nation through her other hours of need. ' To our loved ones at home I would simply like to say Thanks for the moral support you gave us while We were away. lknow that your task was really more difficult than oursg particularly the burden of interminable waiting and wondering about our welfare. May God continue to be with us all and with our great country. CDR J. J. VERMILYA CoMMAND1Nc OFFICER

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A' 0 ,-1 If 0 ff. SUN ,EQ A ? , Qf1 Z A Z it-L V ,k,V L. . V f.i, Qi, Ky On the sunny morning of 26 January, USS EDSON got underway from the mole in Long Beach to begin her fifth Westpac cruise. One month later, after stops in Pearl Harbor, Yokosuka, and Subic Bay, she arrived on station in the Tonkin Gulf to put to use the intensive training and preparation accumulated in long yard and refresher training periods. Off North Vietnam she was the Navy's second ship to participate in Operation Sea Dragon, interdicting southward bound Communist logistics craft and making gunnery strikes against military targets ashore. It was here also that EDSON received her first counterbattery fire from Communist coastal defense sights, and proved that she could return it accurately. In the South, Operations Beacon Hill Il, Beau Charger, and Hickory saw EDSON supporting U.S. Marines and units of the South Vietnamese Army as they fought their way inland just below the DMZ. Around the clock she harassed the enemy with area fire, betrayed their nightly movements with illumination rounds, and thwarted their attacks with barrages of pin point accuracy. On 27 May, while firing emergency missions against mortar positions on Cap Lay, the ship came under heavy fire and received a hit on her forward mast. With the aid of the destroyers TAYLOR and BIGELOW, EDSON saturated the enemy sights with a hail of five inch shells, and maneuvered to seaward amid exploding rounds. Ten officers andmen hadbeenwounded, three seriously enough to be evacuated to Da Nang, where they were expertly treated. Between periods of operation on the line, EDSON found time to make liberty calls at various Far Eastern ports. In Hong Kong she was Station Ship, the United States Navy's ranking representative to the exotic Crown Colony. From Sasebo and Yokosuka members of the ship's company toured inland to such well known cities as Tokyo and Hiroshima, bought gifts, and made new friends. - Returning to the Tonkin Gulf as the flagship of Captain H. B. McClure, USN, Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirteen, EDSON joined HMAS HOBART for a final period of Sea Dragon operations. With a combined total of five long range five inch fifty-four caliber mounts, the small but powerful U.S.- Australian task unit roamed the coast striking the enemy's supply lines at will. It was with a tinge of regret that these two ships parted company as EDSON headed for Yokosuka and home. The cruise had been a success, and EDSON'S contribution to the Nation's efforts in Vietnam substantial. On the homeward passage the ship's officers and men assembled to pay tribute to those among them who had done the most to make the cruise what it had been. V

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W'F -' r' 13 LCDR C. J. STUART ,IR USN EXECUTIVE UFFICER From the Executive Officer: , The past six months represent a period which all of us will long remember as both exciting and important. During this time each of you has experienced the mo- ments of greatness when free men place their lives on the line to fight for the rights of others. That EDSON performed an important role in an outstanding manner has been well establishedg that this was possible only because of her incomparable crew is equally well established. Keep with you always the knowledge of the accomplish- ments you have shared in EDSON and may this knowledge lead you to success in all future endeavors fy