John Thomason (DD 760) - Naval Cruise Book

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0 U.s.s. JOHN W. THQMASON DD76O WEST PAC 1967 - 1968

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SHIP'S HISTORY The THOMASON is a 2200 ton Sumner class destroyer built by Bethlehem Steel Com- pany in San Francisco, California, and commissioned October 11, 1945. She is 376 feet long over all with a beam of 41 feet. She is manned by 250 enlisted personnel and 17 officers for a total complement of 267. Her main armament consists of three twin 5 !38 cal. gun mounts, two MK 25 torpedo tubes and two sets of MK 32 triple tubes. Four Babcock and Wilcox boilers provide steam to the two main engine turbines manu- factured by General Electric which generate 30, 000 shaft horsepower each. This gives THOMASON a top speed of over 32 knOtS. THOMASON is named for the late Colonel John W. THOMASON of the United States Marine Corps . Born in Texas in 1893, Colonel T HOMASON wrote a number of histor- ical novels dealing with the Civil War, and numerous stories of life in the Marine Corps and the Navy. He was awarded the Navy Cross and the Silver Star for gallantry in action in World War 1 and the Air Medal while serving in World War ll. Colonel THOMASON died of a heart attack in 1944. On December 6, 1948, USS JOHN W. THOMASON proceeded to Western Pacific waters for her maiden Far Eastern Cruise. Her principle mission during the tour consisted of liason with the American Consulate in the beleagured city of Shanghai while the ship patrolled the Yangtze River. THOMASON returned to her home port of San Diego in June 1949. ln January 1950, THOMASON commenced her second tour in the Far East, this was to be her last peace-time cruise for several years. On September 30, 1950, she once again headed for the Far East where she joined Task Force 77 in direct support of the Korean conflict. ' With each cruise, THOMASON distinguished her already brilliant record by bombard- ing enemy targets in Korea and providing another link in the unending chain of Destroy- ers on the Formosa Patrol. With the cessation of hostilities in Korea, she could look back on eleven tours' lofldutvg in the Far East. In March ofX.1959, .THOMASON entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an extensive overhaul as the prototype ship in the FRAM ll program. Upon completion almost one year later, the ship emerged' 385516 most modern Greyhound of the Fleet. A helicopter platformlwa.-s added, ,compl,ete'wi1Qh a hangar to house her helicopter. A variable depth sonar wa-Qslmounted Aongithefantail go enable the ship to search for submarines seeking safety beglow the thermal laverzf In March21961, THOMASON again set sail for points west as flagship for Hunter- Killer Group A . ln September71961, THOMASON made a high-speed non-stop transit from Japan tog,San Diego in company with a carrier . In 1963, THOMASON again sailed for Far Eastern waters and the Seventh Fleet. lt was during May that THOMASON acted as a recovery ship for the Mercury MA-9 manned space shot. THOMASON returned to San Diego on 3 December 1963 . In 1965, THOMASON again went to war as one of the first ships to participate in Op- eration Market Time, the Navy effort to keep the enemy from infiltrating into South Vietnam by sea. Back on the line in 1966, the ship's guns roared in anger once more after 13 years of peace . THOMASON hurled over 5000 shells at the enemy, creating an impressive record for accuracy of fire. ln 1967, her guns fired over 1000 rounds in the defense of freedom in Southeast Asia, and in 1968 nearly 2000 shells hit targets in Vietnam. USS JOHN W. THOMASON has won the battle efficiency forthe last two years, and the A for excellence in Anti-Submarine Warfare for four consecutive years. Her Operations and Weapons Departments both hold awards for excellence. Now over 22 years old, USS JOHN W. THOMASON looks backward withlpride and for- ward with awareness of a vital role still to be filled. T - 2