John Paul Jones (DDG 32) - Naval Cruise Book

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ter of fact, despite his 1947 vintage Medal of Honor, the founder of our Navy never had a ship named with his full name. There was a Paul ,jones I, a six-gun pad- dle steamer, built in 1863. We can men- tion Paul jones, jr., a 30-foot motor launch of the same era. Then, in aught 2, DD 10 appeared, named Paul jones. This was a torpedo boat, displacing about 400 tons. She was decommissioned in 1918. - Paul jones No. 4 QDD 2305 was per- haps the most illustrious. Commissioned in 1921, she had a long and active service in the Asiatic Fleet, through World War II. Her exploits in World War II are em- blazoned on our quarterdeck. She left the fleet in 1945. , Now, we appeared from throughout the fleet, flocking to Bath or to Newport, arriving as individuals, but with the pas- sage of time becoming a cohesive group, the family which was to inhabit john Paul jones. 1 When first seen during the fall days at Bath, the old, or rather new JPJ matched the Maine autumn admirably. However, with the advent of winter, red-lead didn't compliment snow to any great extent, so a coat of haze gray seemed to be in order to fit in with the landscape. Came builder's trials in early March, and she went to sea - to her natural habi- tat. The versatility of the movable home at once apparent, the preliminary accept- ance trials of late March were enthusias- tically welcomed. On 30 March, the nu- cleus crew moved aboard and the snowy trip to Boston was a ride to remember- She rolls. 1 Upon arrival in Boston, the Bath Iron Works moved out and the Newport con tingent moved in bag and baggage She was ours A feverish week of unpacking admiring and wandering followed and then the great day came , - , F I . . .01 ' 7 ..0' .Ut 7. - 7

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1 WY d J . x-, . .. AL.. .., , y . , - , , . . . W- W , V..---ff.,-ifaaxzuf . ,. , A .. ,, 5..- .. - . .-- - - 1,.' '5- e. n , 3 I -5 -3 E l 1 -. If 1 . ,, 1 1 4 1 l. JH li 11 af .1 .1 3, I li 3... . el ' l fl ,ZA Q , fi E2 il f ' . J 1 - 1- at 15 : 5 ,ff rr 1' ,l '11 1 11 Lil lg., 121 1 f- ' 4 ,lb ,V V . 1 . T7 1:6 1 731 J ff-ff,-1 V . . Ar -.,. . . Jlfllfllll l9!A1flUEtUOD'llE'S DESTROYER NAMED FOR COMMO JOHN PAULJONE5 BUILT BY THE BATH IRON WORKS CORR BATH. MAINE Km LAID JAN. I8,l954 LAUNCHED MAY 7,1955 .COMMISSIONED APR. 5, 1956 HI TCJRY of the USS JOHN PAUL JONES The steps which enter into the build- ing and commissioning of a ship may be likened to those entailed in building a house. 2. Decide what type you need. 3. Dig up the money. 4. Find an architect. 5. Approve the design. 6. Dig and lay a foundation. - 7. Put up the walls. 8 Move in when the roof is on. 9. Finish up the insides. 10. Live in it a year, and ll Improve it when you can afford l Decide you need one. it. Of all the steps involved in building such a structure, the most thrilling is the year of living in it. We are at present involved in that process, and that of im- provement. Shipbuilding, however, inf volves much longer periods of time than does the average home. For instance,'john Paul jones was a gleam in the eye of the Chief of Naval Operations back in the late 40's. It was decided that a new class of destroyers was needed, one ,of a radically new design. Congress liked the idea, and with Gibbs and Cox drawings on the board, the keel was laid in 1954. ' -...wifi-:S1f.kZ Q-5-gbufqggid-o zv L R 4 ' , . . Admiral Momsen, then Commandant of the First Naval District, welded a small plate to a piece of unimpressive steel. This plate may be seen in the bilges of our forward engine room, welded as it is to the keel of the ship. Admission is free. The walls went up for about a year and three months. Then, on 7 May l955, Mrs. Robert B. Carney, wife of the Chief of 'Naval Operations, smashed a perfectly good bottle of champagne on the bow of a hull in Bath, Maine, and with the words: I christen thee john Paul jones, and added and may no one ever tread on thee! the roof was on. R Why call a ship john Paul jones? After all, surely there is one already. As a mat- ET f- . Xxx - f 'D 0 5. 4' , ff -A 5 IVPAUL .1oNtS W 4' 4 xx frat . A vqvxovfwi H 'L 4,256 S 455 .. , . X A 9 5 K . if a 1 4' fa it T -E' XX 1. Qj 2 T3 5 Q 2 A V75 X 130 been me 3 1 1 0 X A W X y w 'A'

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fl ii l :gl iii ' 'E ,rl , ......-.-W ..-,..--,- g A .?.7,.,.. l- fm- - . ff .. - ' ' ,J '..':.i5f4l aiQv -K In ,I in ' H , A - ' ' i - 1 -. - ' ' ' - I if 'W -r lt i a s. 3- , 'I ., l 'A 1 ' 1 .V.,, .3 :lit ' , 1 is 1 i . i . -1 .4 E , if f 1 'i Si J 1 i l 11' 'J , , S 5 4, N ew.-El l Q i 4 , .V ' l, U 11,1 fif 1' ' . ,L ' A f 'i H i l 1. i A' Xl? W, 4. in f'r S, i. 1 1 i . t. ,V ' fi I , v 1 L lift , ,,--3 4,- , 4.x ,fig J J 7 l E i 'Twas a sparkling April day, and it was ours. I-lenceforth we were the USS john Pam' ,lones.,Many a-backbone tingled as the Stars and Stripes were hoisted, and as the Grand Union Flag fluttered at the foremast. To add a touch of frosting to the already generous cake, we received a well done, on far from easy monthly terms, from Admiral Carney, and USS john Paul jones QDD 9325 became a part of the United States Fleet. Fitting out in Boston followed, and we put to sea several times, sort of a U- I hoisted with my own hands the flag of freedom the first time it was displayed, on board Alfred in the Delaware. Drive-lt deal, to give her a run. A hun- dred firsts were garnished: the first helmsman, the first OOD, the first throt- tleman, the first radar contact, and the first chance for many to see just what sort of bargain this new construction develop- ment was. None were disappointed. 5 , . . Quilted from cloth ,ravishedxfrom their virgin petticoats. F , - - - ...JJ-. a- it ' uf- My ,, f. i J 41 I l i 3, iw, r L F l l l 4. i, 'X 4 l O V I ,V ll