Forrest Royal (DD 872) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE CAPTAIN OF THE USS FORREST ROYAL (DD-872) Commander John J. Creamer, U. S. Navy, Naval Academy, Class of 1944, was appointed midshipman for the Fourth Naval District, Massachusetts and received his commission in June 1943. An experienced destroyer officer, Commander Creamer was first ordered to the USS HOEL (DD553) which saw action with the Pacific Fleet. On 25 October 1944 he be- came eligible for the Purple Heart when the HOEL was sunk by gunfire while making a daylight torpedo attack during the 2nd battle of the Philippines. In July 1945, after re- turning to the States, he put the USS PARKS (DD8S4) in commission at Orange, Texas. The PARKS operated with Task Force 77 in China and Japan until October 1946. From January 1947 to November 1949 Commander Creamer served with the USS POWER (DD-S39) which served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean area. After serving the NROTC unit at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York he attended the Naval Post Graduate School at Monterey, California where he studied Aerological Engineering. A tour of duty with the USS MIDWAY (CVA-41) took him across the Arctic Circle during Operation Mainbrace in 1952. In August 1954 Commander Creamer was assigned to the Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island where he served as Aerological Officer. More destroyer duty followed in 1956 when he reported aboard the USS BRISTOL (DD-857) and assumed the duties of Executive Officer. Commander Creamer married the former Gloria G. Atkinson of San Francisco on 27 May 1947. They now reside in Newport and are the parents of two daughters, Cathy and Carol. 4

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HISTORY OF THE USS FORREST ROYAL (DD872) The USS FORREST ROYAL a destroyer of the GEARING class, with a displacement of 2250 tons, was the largest of her type to be built by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York. Her Keel was laid on June 8, 1945, she was launched on January 17, 1946 and commissioned on June 29, 194G. After being fitted out she departed New York on 15 August 1946 for her shakedown cruise at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She operated in this area until 18 March 1947. She departed New York 21 April 1947 for Pensacola, Florida, where she operated for almost all the next three years as escort and plane guard ship for aircraft carriers. During these three years she departed Pensacola for several short periods. She visited various Carib- bean and Gulf Coast ports including Havana, Cuba, Mobile, Alabama, Corpus Christi, Texas, Key West, Florida, Galveston, Texas, Panama City, Florida and Beaumont Texas. On 23 March 1950, the ROYAL concluded her duty at Pensacola and proceeded to Portsmouth, Virginia, for overhaul which ended on 16 August. Like so many of her sister ships, the ROYAL saw action during the Korean police action. She reported for duty in the Far East on 28 October 1950. Her missions ranged from minesweeping operations at Chinnampo and shore bombardment, (firing some 7500 rounds of main battery ammunition), on the East Coast of Korea to the epic evac- uation of UN troops from Hungnan in December 1950. She returned to Newport in July 1951 after having been deployed eight months. For the next three years she conducted routine operations including cruises to Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and U.S. ports. In 1955 she made a 40,000 mile cruise around the world. On 14 September 1956 the ROYAL was deployed to the SIXTH Fleet, almost 7 months and about 4S000 miles later she returned to Newport, during the cruise she crossed the equator four times and operated as a unit of both the SIXTH Fleet and the Middle East Force. On 11 July 195S she departed Newport for the Mediterranean area during the Lebanon crisis. After making stops at Annapolis, Norfolk, Morehead City , N.C., San Juan, Gibraltar and Naples she arrived in Beirut, Lebanon on the 20th of August. A few days later the crisis in Formosa commenced. She departed Beirut in company with the carrier Essex on 26 August, Destination Formosa. The ROYAL arrived in Subic Bay on 12 September. After a short period of operations in the Formosa Straits she left for Newport. She arrived home on 19 November 1958, making the trip around the Cape, stopping for short stays at Singapore, Columbo, Capetown, Rio De Janeiro. During the winter of 1958 and the spring of 1959 the ROYAL operated as part of the ready ASW Task Force in the Atlantic.

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