John Thomason (DD 760) - Naval Cruise Book

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The USS JOHN W. ETHOMASON QDD-7605, a 2200 ton Sumner class destroyer, built by Bethlehem Steel Company, was commissioned on5QctoiberTll, T945 at San Francisco, California. the rHoMAsoN-as named for comet 'QQHN w. THOMASON, usrvic. Colonel rHoMAsoN, Q World wot ii hero, was noted for hisfhistorical novels of the Civilfvlfar and numerous stories of life in the Navy and Marine Corps. After servingffori three yeqrs in ta, reduced istatus as a Reserve Training Ship, THOMASON embarked on her maiden Western Pacific cguise on 8 December l948.L'sl-leg' principle mission during the cruise consisted of liaison with the American Consulate in the beleagured city of Shanghai. E On Septemberlif30, l95O, with two Far East cruises behind her, THOMASON once again headed for the Far East where she joined Task Force?4SEVENTY-SEVEN in operations directly supporting the Korean conflict. With the cessation of hostilities in Korea, THOMASON could looki back .with extreme pride on eleven. tours of duty in the Far East. ln March l959, the THOMASCN entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an extensive overhaul as the prototype ship in the FRAM MK ll program. Slowly the THOMASON was worked over, repairing all items which required attention and absorbing the latest in electronic equipment. Almost one year later the THOMASON emerged from FRAM ll equipped with a helicopter platform complete with hangar and Variable Depth Sonar which enables her to search for submarines seek- ing safety below the thermal layer. ln October l96O, the THOMASON became the flagship of Commander, Destroyer Division SEVENTY-TWO, and ioined Ready HUK Group A , consisting of USS KEARSARGE QCVS-335, Destroyer Division SEVENTY-TWO, and Escort Division THIRTY-ONE. Cn March 8, l96l, the THOMASON departed for the Western Pacific and distinguished herself by becoming the first FRAM ll ship to make the Far East cruise. With THOMASON pioneering in the FRAM ll program, a new door to modern ships, through conversion instead of high cost construction, has been opened.

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COMMANDING OFFICER Lieutenant Commander Donald E. Kinney, USN, was born in Pasa- dena, California. He ioined the Naval Aviation Cadet program in May of 1943, and after graduating from Pensacola in February, 1946, he took operational torpedo training in TBF Avengers at the Naval Air Station, Fort Lauerdale, Florida. He spent three years in Torpedo Squadron SEVENTEEN operating from the USS VALLEY FORGE, USS CORAL SEA. Following a tour at UCLA attending the five-term college program, he returned to Pensacola in the summer of 1951 and qualified as a helicopter pilot. Assigned to HU-1, he was Olficer-in-Charge of a Helo Unit aboard the USS SICILY and USS SAIPAN during WESTPAC cruises. Upon graduation from the General Line School at Monterey, California, in 1954 he was ordered to the USS MANCHESTER QCL-83D as First Lieutenant. In August, 1955, he reported to the USS GAINARD CDD-7065 as Operations Officer. His last duty station prior to reporting to the THOMASON was as Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He has been awarded the following medals: Presidential Unit Citation, American Campaign, World War ll Victory Medal, Occupa- tion, National Defense, Korean and United Nations, and the Peruvian Cross of Naval Merit QGrade of Commanderi Distintivo Blanco. Lieutenant Commander Kinney, his wife and their four children presently reside at 527 4th Street, Imperial Beach, California. Commander Clifford L. Stewart, USN, was born in Clarence, Missouri. He enlisted in the Navy in January, 1942, and after receiving recruit training at NTC San Diego, California, was sent to Communications School and later assigned to Communications Pool, Brooklyn, New York. In 1942 he was attached to the Norweigian Transport MS TARN in convoy operations to Egypt. In 1943 he was attached to the USS CITY of OMAHA on the North Atlantic run to Murmansk, Russia, spending the year in Russia as part of the For- gotten Convoy . Arriving back in the States he entered the U.S. Naval Midshipman School at Notre Dame, graduating in May, 1944. He served as Communications Officer and later as Commanding Officer of the USS LCS 52, which landings of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. sion in 1946. Commander Stewart remained with he went aboard the USS CACAPON and later Operations Officer. His Officer aboard the USS STICKNELL SEVENTY-SEVEN during the Korean police action. After two years as an instructor at the CIC Team Training Center, San Diego, California, he was a student at the General Line School at Monterey, California. Upon graduation, he was Staff Operations Officer for Commander Escort Squadron ELEVEN for twenty months and then was Executive Officer, USS CARPENTER CDDE-8251 for a year. After commanding the USS FOSS CDE-59D, he was assigned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in the enlisted strength and budget section from 1957 to 1960. His last duty before assignment to the THOMASON was as a student at the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia. He has been awarded the following medals: American Campaign, European-African Middle East Campaign with one star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign with three stars, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation, China Service, National Defense, Korean Service Medal with three stars, United Nations, Philippine Liberation, and Korean Presidential Unit Citation. Commander Stewart presently resides at 8231 Paseo Del Ocaso, La Jolla, California, with his wife and their children, a son and daughter. participated in the amphibious He placed her out of commis- the 19th Fleet until 1947, when QAO-52D as Gunnery Officer next tour was as Operations CDD-888D, a unit of Task Force EXECUTIVE OFFICER