Forrest Royal (DD 872) - Naval Cruise Book

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January 1965 O YAL at sea about halfway between Florida and Africa participating in the successful ect GEMINI sub-orbital test flight. From the middle of February until June, the ship at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. The ROYAL then returned to llllayport to pre- Bay, Cuba. While at Guantanamo Bay, the Destroyer the. August 2, 1965, the crew observed nd visit. for the sixth Fleet deployment. she yy By tithe lst ofitlanuary ROYAL' Valletta, Malta, Rhodes,

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C 'fr I-lf' rv? C.. HISTORY OF THE uss FORREST ROYAL coo-am lf 'A N166 The USS- FORREST ROYAL, a destroyer of the GEARING Class, with a displacement of 2250 tons, viiasythe largest. ship of her type to be built by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Staten Island, New York. Her keel was lard 8 June 1945. She was launched on 17 January 1946 and commissioned 29 June 1946. Named after the late Rear Admiral Forrest Betton Royal, she was sponsored at her launching by Admiral Royal's daughter, Miss Katherine Knight Royal. After fitting out, she departed New York on 15 August for a shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, operating in this area until the following March. On 21 April ROYAL headed for Pensacola, Florida, where she operated as planeguard for the next three years. In 1950 she saw action in Korea with many of her sister ships. She reported for duty in the Far Easton 28 October 1950, and soon was engaged in both minesweeping and shore bombardment at Chimnampo. In Dec- ember the ship took part in the epic evacuation of UN troops from Hungnam. Seven months later she returned to Newport, Rhode Island. For the next three years, ROYAL conducted routine operations, including cruises to Europe, the Mediter- ranean and various ports in the United States. In 1955 she embarked on a 40,000 mile round-the-world cruise. Then on 14 September 1956, ROYAL was deployed to the SIXTH Fleet. Almost seven months and 48,000 miles later, she returned to Newport. In the meantime, She had crossed the equator four times and had operated as a unit of both the SIXTH Fleet and Middle East Force. When the crisis in Lebanon flared, ROYAL was ordered to that area, making stops for replenishment at Annapolis, Norfolk, Morehead City, San Juan, Gibraltar and Naples. She arrived in Beirut on 20 August 1958, only to be ordered six days later, in company with the carrier ESSEX, to the scene of another troublesome situation, Formosa. ROYAL arrived in Subic Bay on 12 September, and after operations in the Formosa Straits she headed home again, arriving at Newport on 19 November, by way of Singapore, Malaya, Colombo, Ceylon, Capetown, South Africa and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During the winter and following spring, ROYAL served as part ofthe ready ASW task force in the Atlantic. The summer of 1959 found her sailing as part of Task Force 47 on the historic Ulnland Seas cruise, which saw the United States- -send warships into the Great Lakes for the first time since the Vllar of 1812. ROYAL, with a group of Midshipmen aboard, visited Detroit, Superior, Port Huron, and Cleveland, hosting more than 100,000 visitors. On 21 March 1960, ROYAL deployed once more to the Mediterranean with Destroyer Squadron 10. Here she operated. as an element of both the SIXTH Fleet and the Mid-East Force, visiting numerous ports along the Riviera and throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf areas. One of the highlights of the cruise was a trip along the western coast of France to the ports of La Pallice and Bordeaux, where she, being the first warship to visit these ports in several years, received a warm welcome. On 1 May 1961, ROYAL entered Boston Naval Shipyard for the complete facelifting, called FRAM lFleet Rehabilitation and Modernizationl. Among the more conspicuous changes and additions were removal of two 5-inch and all 3-inch gun mounts, addition of ASROC iAnti-Submarine Rocketl and DASH tDrone Anti'-Submarine Helicopterl systems and installation of new sonar, radar and communications equipment, completely new super-structure and improved living spaces. Following FRAM and a 6-week refresher training course at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ROYAL proceeded to Mayport, Florida, her new home port, where she became part of Destroyer Squadron SIXTEEN. In October, she started work for Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Atlantic Fleet, at Key West. The first phase of this evaluation program ended just prior to the Cuban Crisis. When President Kennedy ordered the Cuban Quarantine, ROYAL headed south, and was one of the first destroyers to arrive in the quarantine area, steaming steadily and refueling nightly. When the crisis had calm- ed she returned to work for OPTEVFOR, and was busy well into December, conducting an evaluation ofthe ASROC weapons system. During this time she logged her 50th manned helicopter launch and recovery. g Soon after Christmas 1962, ROYAL put into Charleston Naval Shipyard for an interim yard availability. She was occupied there until late April. Shen she steamed out again, a trip to Patuxent River, Maryland, followed for operational tests of a new antenna. I In August 1963, FORREST ROYAL deployed with Destroyrer Squadron SIXTEEN to the Mediterranean, participating in NATO exercise RIPTIDE IV in transit. While acting as a unit of the SIXTH Fleet, the ship participated in the first firing of ASROC in the Mediterranean, launching her missile second ln a three ship salvo. Later she participated in Operation South-Trap, a NATO exercise which included amphibious landing in Turkish Thrace. ROYAL visited Palermo, Sicily, Naples, Taranto, Genoa and Brindisi, Italy, and Cannes and Menton, France during the deployment. She returned to Mayport just prior to Christmas, on 23 December 1963. I During the spring of 1964, FORREST ROYAL operated with units of the SECOND Fleet in the Atlantic and participated in POLARIS test firings at Cape Kennedy, Florida. In February ROYAL proceeded to Norfolk for six weeks to receive the final units of her DASH systems and two DASH radio controlled helicopters. On 1 June 1964, ROYAL sailed to Annapolis, Maryland and picked up a group of Midshipmen from the Naval Academy for their summer training cruise. From Annapolis, ROYAL crossed the Atlantic to Northern Eu-rope where she spent two months operating with Atlantic Fleet units and visiting several European ports, including Oslo, Norway, Antwerp, Belgium, Le Havre, France and Southampton, England. S l T if fs V ,EN 4 'IKE x 5 V M if Z 'S ti , 1 3742 R 'Lr.Z29rl RwfmVzH5'79l W i -

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