John Thomason (DD 760) - Naval Cruise Book

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FRQM THE LOG 17 AUGUST 1967 - SAN DIEGO 23 - 30 AUGUST 1967 - PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII 2 - 5 SEPTEMBER 1967 - PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII 6 - 18 OCTOBER 1967 - YOKOSUKA, JAPAN 15 - 25 NOVEMBER 1967 - SUBIC BAY, PHILIPPINES 23 DECEMBER - 3 JANUARY 1968 - SASEBO, JAPAN 21 - 26 JANUARY 1968 - HONG KONG 28 - 31 JANUARY 1968 - SUBIC BAY, PHILIPPINES 24 - 29 FEBRUARY 1968 - SASEBO, JAPAN 6 APRIL 1968 - SAN DIEGO . 11 FACTS AND FIGURES DAYS AWAY FROM HOME PORT 235 MILES STEAMED 51, 760 NUMBER OF UNDER WAY REPLENISHMENTS 79 GALLONS OF FUEL BURNED 3, 034, 840 TOTAL MESSAGES HANDLED DURING CRUISE W' 130, 000 TOTAL ROUNDS SHOT 2, 542 DAY OF PILOT RESCUE 30 SEPTEMBER DAY CROSSED INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE THREE TIMES 16 SEPTEMBER DAYS AT SEA 178 DAYS LONGEST PERIOD AT SEA I 31 DAYS INF LIGHT REF UE LINGS 84 TOTAL MONEY PAID CREW 35400, 000 COST OF FOOD 585,454 GALLONS OF COFFEE DRUNK 23, 240 GAL POUNDS OF BEEF EATEN I 24, 758 LBS POUNDS OF POTATOES EATEN 35, 000 LBS NUMBER OF EGGS 4, 000 DOZ TOTAL SALES SHIPS STORE 338, 640 NUMBER OF MOVIES SHOWN 194 TOTAL NUMBER OF CREW PROMOTED 41 3

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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

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X T ' t ' I A Commanding Officer can take pride in a great many things, but the one thing he receives the greatest satisfaction from is the Knowledge that his men have strived to make their ship excel in every Way. You men have done just that, and it is for this reason that I dedicate this Cruise Book, a lasting memory, to you, the men of the FIGHTING JOHN . Well Done and Godspeed to you all. J. A. CI-IRISTENSEN 4