John Thomason (DD 760) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 88 of the 1969 volume:

,1 - . - . ,fm f . WN ,, X, H, Avg 31,9 Z, f gf! f f w x X , M x X N Q 5' 4 1 1 'WAZZMA R' iiwwbxm. J 2 W 7,1 Lwf ..,H.- ' ' fi? 'Y :a.,?L.-F, , W N ,J , A wmv f AWWA. un. WMM MMM, M 'nu . -if -.--sf Cmusg QE W kylie RWM? WESTPAC 1959 USS JOHN W. THOIWASGN D -760 She ain't much on liberty, but she's sure enough a home and a feeder. --THE SAND PEBBLES, Richard McKenna T M a n I I I I USS JOHN W. THOMASON is named for the late Colonel John W. Thomason, United States Marine Corps. Born in Texas in 1893, Colonel Thomason served in both World War I and II. Between these wars, Col. Thomason served in the Far East. His heroism earned him the Navy Cross in the first World War. He was also awarded the Air Medal in World War II. Colonel Thomason died of natural causes in 1944. Colonel Thomason was much more than a military hero, however. He was an author and artist of the first rank. He sketched many scenes of Navy and Marine Corps life, some of which USS THOMASON is fortunate to have and display. An enthusiast of the Old West, Col. Thomason penned Col' John W' Thomason' USMC several books about this era of American history and wrote poetry for his own amuse- . ment. Also an eager sportsman and horse- cttttt J ittcc iiis 5 man, one of his favorite recreational past- y ty, i ff times was polo. no p pppp X J His life was biographed by Colonel Roger Willock, USMC, in LONE STAR MARINE-. g Thus, Col. Thomason led a most interest- mg' Chauengmg and rewardmg hfe'.H1S ,aia -A C .. , meritorious performance of duty, his re- W A A f markable talents in many fields, and his f 3 ,-gi ff J y loveof his country all provide a great -Q g A yj gg- n tradition for the USS JOHN W. THOMASON W A J .... fft J f ft l A - .e T' ' A 2 c -Y 4 ' X. I 7 I ' L ! . 12, 1,:',' y' 1 , v ' 4 ' x Q4 1 f r? '6 ' f f I . ,. if . .1 iff' ,f ff! -,j 1 f,.j '. ng' f f I 51 PI Llgjf-' . CV' a 4-1 X ,N XM Qt Q .in . . A a fxj. x .X. I LN1. X :Q X. xx-A . X . at B NNSX 'ta X ixgiiqhw Nw N. WX, yhlgw ix' bi ,,.:i:t.f'i 6 'Q yu. ! gi 'JI 'a N M . 'fgigkr -. ..N n. 3. Q, N - ar-. NW? 5 22se,,, 2' iw U41 if P25-2.1 .331-2 Re, M35 H5131 lv 5 'fclffrgs V Q Filter .7 i'1i2r .1 1. ' ' -03-2 . - A f . UB -:- v' ,ls-...4 N -.gmt Q -sn vw- t., . W-veg, III? . :S P1 4 Y fu-NLS pw f,.,.. . ,Sire--. A' - .nga F3 I 3 idmfzgr JE CLE llllmg' mr W nr We M avwiia :LES is 341' S fl ....I-Ind The hip The THOMASON has had as long, versatile, and proud life as her namesake, Colonel John W, Thomason, USMC, Built on the ways of Bethlehem Steel Company in San Francisco, California, she was commissioned on October 11, 1945, A 22:00 ton,Sumner class destroyer, she is 376 feet long with a beam of 41 feet, Her crew is about 260 enlisted and 18 o icers. On December 6, 1948, USS JOHN W, THOMASON commenced her maiden cruise in the Orient. Her principle mission, providing .liaison with the American Consulate in thebeleagured city of Shanghai while patrolling the Yangtze River, was indicative of the critical and unusual roles the THOMASON was to later have. USS JOHN W, THOMASON deployed nine times to the Pacific durin the Korean Conflict and participated in many diverse missions. Several peacetime cruises followed and the THOIXFASON visited ports from Hakodate in northern Japan, to Christchurch, New Zealand, In March 1959, USS JOHN W, THOMASON entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a major overhaul as the prototype ship in the FRAM II program, After nearly a year of effort, the THOMASON took on the look she has today, March 1961 saw the THOMASON once again set sail for the Far East as flagship for Hunter -Killer Group One cruise later, the THOMASON found herself in the position of recovery vessel for the Mercury MA-9 manned space shot, The year 1965 marked the beginning of the Navy's role in the Vietnam conflict, and the THOMASON was there as one of the first ships to participate in Operation Mar et Time, In 1966, the THOMASON returned to Vietnam to fire her guns as a member of the Naval gun ire support team. Since that time, THOMASON has expended more than 10, OOO rounds on enemy positions in Vietnam, The THOMASON deployed to the Western Pacific as part of Anti -Submarine Warfare Group FIVE in late 1967. THOMASON's 1969 deployment was preceeded by a most strenuous overhaul, refresher training, and a multitude of inspections. Immediately prior to the ship's deployment, Mrs, John W. Thomason, wife of the late Colonel Thomason, paid the ship a visit. No sooner had the THOMASON and her task group come under the control of COMSEVENTHFLEET than the first of more than fifteen schedule chansges was received, The ship was diverted to Subic Bay before sailing to the Tonkin Gulf for planeguard duties with US ORISKANY, The first major inport period was in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, after which USS THOMASON returned to Yankee Station. Three weeks of uneventful planeguarding were followed by a week in Bangkok. Subic Bay followed and another upkeep period, This one was cut short by a call for gunfire support in IV Corps near Vung Tau, After several days along the coast, the THOMASON navigated the Nga Be River to participate in gunfire support in the Rung Sat Special Zone, Completing a week's duty as part of the Naval gunfire support team, USS THOMASON returned to her plane uard duties in the Tonkin Gulf, this time for USS BON HOMME RICHARD, The months of training in this duty paid off one Sunday afternoon when the rescue helo from USS BON HOMME RICHARD plungted into the water off the THOMASON's starboard bow, Alertness and quick action brought all fotu' helo crew mem ers aboard in twelve minutes, Six days of R and R in Hong Kong and an upkeep period in Sasebo, Japan, followed, THOMASON then returned to Yankee,Station and provided planeguard services or USS HANCOCK, The THOMASON escorted USS HANCOCK to Subic Bay and back to Yankee Station before rejoining USS BON HOMME RICHARD in this last line period, On the return home, stops were made in Subic Bay and Yokosuka, The weather demonstrated its capabilities at this in- opportune time and delayed THOMASON's return to San Diego until 29 October 1969. ommandmg Officer W f4yN X ,. KJV w v7?fHiQ CDR Thomas E Vines, USN f X X I Al, I I I ..bV , Z, f K we s ff W ' ,A. The THOMASON's recently completed deployment to the Western Pacific saw the ship operating in many environments In every instance, the THOMASCN and her men proved themselves worthy as a crucial part of the Navy effort Most of the Sh1p'S on the l1ne time was spent in the Tonkin Gulf pro- viding planeguard services for the aircraft carriers operating there This duty 1S almost always very routine, following the carrier for days on end H while she launches and recovers her aircraft ma seemingly endless cycle However, the THOMASON sailors remained alert and prepared and were rewarded by recovering fourcrewmen of a fallen helicopter from the USS BON HOMME RICHARD The men of the THCMASON also proved themselves in the other principal area of operations, Naval gunfire support. The ship left the Tonkin Gulf for the Mekong Delta area and Vung Tau for this work. During our gun- line period, the ship was given the unusual assignment of proceeding several miles up the Nga Be River. From this forward position in the Rung Sat Special Zone, the ship had the opportunity to participate even more accurately in its gunfire mission. When the THCJMASON returned to her duties in the Tonkin Gulf, the crew had proved their worth under very strenuous circumstances and were rewarded by congratulatory messages from many sources. Considering the entire cruise, I can only be satisfied with the performance of the THOMASCN's officers and men. We did all that was asked of us, and each man did his job in the finest traditions of the Navy. . I ff s. fffz, f f Q W Q 3' -' ,i 56. ' ' Sw - ,,-.- . ef ,, ' :5,Yff9'jZJff .. X ' -, Q, ' f ' ff? - ff' W M 'X ,iw , , x 7 f --an 'f L, ' ' . 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' . . 1- in ..-- f . . v,. -11, :ff ' ...r in' '..L -..-:.,, ' nf ,, . ...f GL ' A. 4 - .v L :-q ,. .,..i 1' fd '.. 3 . . -,, xecutive fficer LCDR Raymond G. Zeller, USN In any cruise, there are many events that make for the ship's success or failure in meeting her commitments. High standards of professionalism and dedication of each officer and man are necessary to insure that each commitment can be fulfilled. During the past seven months, the men of the THOMASON have proven their skill and dedication and consequently, the ship was ready for any event or assignment. Every department proved time and time again its ability and willingness to get the job done. With a ship that is older than most of her crew mem- bers, the engineers were constantly working to find and prevent break- downs. From main steam lines to air conditioners, the efforts of the men of the Engineering department showed dedication, skill, forethought, and imagination. The men of the Weapons department were also tireless in T their efforts. The vast number and variety of evolutions that are their responsibility require constant training, unstinting effort, and readiness at a moment's notice. The men of the Operations department reflect the epitome of the destroyer guide word, vigilance. These men were instru- mental in keeping the ship abreast of all events and through their alert- ness and training, met every event with confidence and professionalism. When all considerations are made, the crucial and outstanding per- formance of the men of Supply department cannot be exaggerated. Had they not been prepared to answer the multitude of diverse needs of the ship, the efforts of the other departments might well have been in vain. In examining the THOMASON's excellent performance during this cruise, such excellence was attainable only because each man knew his job, car- ried out his tasks, and then worked a little more. The result of this pro- fessionalism and dedication was a most successful cruise for the ship and a new maturity, growth and pride in each member of the crew. . 5 ?. Department Heads LT J, I-I, Walkenford Operations Officer fy ' 3 . Mqffiv' Wifi' v W- 1: A B2d:.57::Q' 4 - Tlfigggff igiffssfig sir-55 0f::5'j,,rQ ufigtegew wf-fi 1 S33-gmt? mgfmgifl ogfzqiilhfa Evxi7n'l.lH mule, an The Wardroom The THOMASON wardroom enjoyed a cruise full of activities and memories. The memories started out on a somewhat bleak note with a lost DASH and an improperly laid out exercise minefield. The officers began to en- joy their stay in WestPac at Nancy's Harbor Bar Hotel in Kaohsiung. Then the ship returned to Yankee Station for the routine of planeguarding. Bangkok was the next port and the argument began about the quality of Venus Jewelry and The Star of Thailand. The feud was never resolved. Then there was Subic Bay and The Cat . This sport was designed for dunking drunks and saw repeated use by the THOMASON'wardroom. The gunline will be best remembered by lack of sleep created by port and starboard watches and the turmoil of the Weapons department. The suc- cess of the gunfire support period was followed by the successful rescue of four pilots from the USS BON HOMME RIC HARD and the visit of the Undersecretary of the Navy, the Honorable John W. Warner, and Com- mander Seventh Fleet, VADM William F. Bringle. All this activity was followed by six hectic days of shopping in Hong Kong which were followed by evenings of drinking at the Dragon Boat Bar and dining at such res- taurants as Gaddi's. An extensive tender availability in Sasebo provided some opportunity for sightseeing, shopping at the exchange, and relaxing by the officer's club pool. Meanwhile, the Engineering department was operating at a high flap state . Last minute shopping was completed in Subic Bay and Yokosuka before THOMASON plunged its way across the Pacific to San Diego. , .ff . ,gg vi .. K' LTLR. Carry LT w.J. Frigge LT og? R I Selmelef Weapons Officer Engineering Officer Supply Officer .-.---- -.-.. . ..-- mu... ,. ,.,. ,.Q. . .,,., . ,,.,.L..vh......,.. ....,,,,.,. ...-,... , , ,WW5 uuA5l---W!-U--WM A LT fjgj J, D. Brett LT Qjgj D, R, Sutherland lvlslon Officers Mlzlkiw LT fjgj P W Gonzalez LT fyj W Buschlng HUM LT Clgb T D MQYHHICI ENS G M Smonko ENS M E Janczak I I I I I IS L LT QS? LJ. Kiefer LT U37 T.I. Ryan ENS D, E, Garavito LT Qjgl R, D, Kreft ,I . vvf' ..i LT fjgy E, C, McGowan LT fjgj N. H, Beason FRONT ROW- BTCS Vanvalkenberg, BTC Sheble, CSC Iudkins, EMC Norte, ETC Pegram, DKC Distor, RMC Newsome., QMC Shinsky. BACK ROW: MMC West, RDC Kratzberg, SKC Bonacci, SFC Kyle, STC London, GMCS Daum, MMC Mull, MMCM Allen. Ghiei Petty fficers 'f ?3'fi?'ifQf?' - we-n. ' 1 XV' af ,. . V . .X A ,., . . -.,. ,H , , -.1 V A, A ,T ,. M, , , f if . .1 ,424 ,,,,Q,i1f2 S efigil .-' 4 W gi The old salts of any ship, the chief petty officers, stand ready with their knowledge and experience to assist at the most critical moments. They also serve as supervisors and counselors for the men of their divisions. Chief petty officers represent excellence in all aspects of the Navy man. The THOMASON chiefs carried on this tradition of excellence throughout the cruise. The engineering CPO's were continually applying themselves to the task of keeping the THOMASON running. There was a scramble in chief 's quarters every time the engineer's phone circuit whined. And often, these chiefs sensed something was wrong before anyone else sus- pected. During the gunline period, it was GMCS Daum's turn to apply his wisdom to the complexities of gunfire support. STC London not only kept the sonar in order, but kept the entire crew in line as Chief Master-at- arms. With continuing gyro problems, QMC Shinsky was continually called upon to answer the question, where are we? RDC Kratzberg, RMC New- some, and ETC Pegram not only kept the personnel of Operations de- partment alert, but kept their gear in continuous operation. SKC Bon- acci, CSC Judkins, and new chief DKC Distor all kept the supplies, food, and money coming. About the only problem the chiefs couldn't solve was where to berth all the chief petty officers. One more chief and the Captain would have to move out of his cabin. X , WN .. , - 'M is ' Chief petty officers are also known as lib- erty hounds, and the THOMASON chiefs were no exception. The CPO club in any port any- where in the world is their second home. The roll of dice, the clank of glasses, and the sound of slot machines could be heard far away. It is even rumored that SFC Kyle added three inches to his right bicep while playing the slot machines. Despite enjoying these inport periods and their work at sea, all the chiefs were happy to return again to San Diego. During the cruise, each chief added new experiences and memories to be retold during the re- mainder of his career. 'Q W-s -, W' .. , . -f 2'- 'Nm' I 'f .Q ,'-fig Q .. . I N'u,,- 'xn-. - -N, rn 4 . .2 V --.-. -X: ' - . ' -.,.4.44,5:.. Y.. Vi ,gs A '. '-:-5 .M X 15 L . 'g H.. QQ.lf '- W ' ' Q N ' 'E ,. Q f ?f. Y WEAPONS 44: - Hp. kwa . it-g'!Nn eck Division FRONT ROW: SA McClung, SA Jones, SN Valasco, BM3 Boehme, SN Huclspeth, BM3 Moore, SN Brown, SECOND ROW SN Struggs, SA Hallowell, SA Link, SA Wiggins, SA Regles, SA Aston, SA Kramer, THIRD ROW: SA Hawley, SA Frank Howser, SA Thomas, Cates, SN Riley, SA McHug , SA McCloud, SA Leach, SA Kem. F4 I 4 ,+ ww- , ,f W li ,, ' - W, :ef I y X T f ' MH , F ' X- --r ' N its X T - fa Villwmcfyfnif WAS, . W an , , A .ifvkrv 1 -ff, . wif !ww!fw7'wf, ,wx f f - 1' -w Q ,J--f W Wfwuff ,J ,V f fn. fr .Q-,X w - ,sez -X X, t fm, ,hw . , 1 , Q f .N , ,... - 1 . ' Q is gnffflgl 'F' ,X.1f-offnklxfkf f ,f,,ffL,f ' ' V . 'ft 35 .,,. l wwtv -r x k N,w S,Sx,,g K f , 71 .Nu Q4 X A Q N 0 i. --M ff? f 55: MN . ' ' ly , ' , ,slr - 1 'R 'f ' NA , , fl, ' '15-:if ' - zfl. , K TNFN-YN f r we f ' fsffwb 1 ' by -ver it , M r - -I 'ntl-Q '5 J ' L :ff rv-if' ,fi- Nothing short of acid is more corrosive on metal than salt water, and no one knows this better than the men of the deck force. Chip- ping, scraping, and painting are continuous jobs on any ship. Though this task is la- borious, the boatswain's mates kept the THOMASON looking sharp throughout the cruise. The deck force is an integral part of many of our evolutions. They take care of the raising and lowering of the anchor, launch- ing and retrieving of the motor whale boat, and they man numerous stations during pilot rescue, plane guard, and replenish- ment details. Deck force personnel also man many of the stations in the gun mounts, magazines, and handling rooms when the Fighting John is at GQ or on shore bombardment assignments. They therefore hefted a lot of powder and shells over in Viet Nam. Since new men to the fleet usually start off in the deck force, there are a lot of humor- ous incidents involving deck personnel who haven't yet acquired some salt. A lot of men are on the short end of traditional sailing pranks such as standing mail buoy watch , chasing down batteries for the sound pow- ered phones, hunting for relative bearing grease, etc. fa. if x , ' f Now what did I do with my brush? get Q x.x.xXXxLxx Many times, their innocence alone gets them into trouble. This was the case with SA 'McClung while standing starboard look out watch up on the signal bridge. The weather and the seas were nasty at the time, so McClung stood behind the range- finder on the director for some partial shelter. It just so happened, however, that the FT's were checking out their TDS designation at the time. QThe TDS causes the director to rotate very quickly to what ever bearing it transmits.D They, subse- quently, accepted designation, thereby causing the rangefinder arm that McClung was leaning against to spin quickly back- ward. McClung was pushed over backwards, and went sliding across the signal bridge on his posterior--stopping abruptly when he ran out of phone cord. i X A 3, Af X I f K 16 I 1 x Z W l' In K we in RA Q-fm kv- il . W '-'01, 'Q vffli t Pan., ' Qxv 'E 5, 'X 23 Qr Nth. X x-T r NX LC' Q ix Tv ' N 1 rn, ' 5531i F -4 E., xx . N3 -l .xx aa '-. ' P- N. X. 'Huff'-Q, ' u I M, . N025 ,AR mxk, .h I 'wx ' , x' , :T 1 , Lb K NI. . N bus 'A 1-f. - -ww, ugh . f .N M' ::f':l. .NJA X Ml, ,A W, . . .- f , N I 2 .,- ,I ., N H., Q'-.9 5.13. . N , 4. 32- , '- qgw, . , , .fb .3 pg.: I 2 A- AY' TH ,N--. H -5. ,NN .N I lg NLT Tp in ' 'Q-. 4 O Unfurl the Mains'! I! fr . , Z'F, ,f :x . WV 44 xr. 1 What a place to get sick! M N X01 xy M11 ,ff if www Nix X ,af 9. X .SX y Z 9 x X L , X W f . X M BX f G Division FRONT ROW GMG1 Propst, SA Luse SN Brown FTG3 Meyers GMG1 Brown GMG2 Bagan SECOND ROW. FTGSA Graham FTG3 McKinney CMG3 Carter FTGSN Monn YN3 Haskell GMG3 Huffman THIRD ROW. ENS Ianczak FTG2 Carr1er FTG2 Lemm FTG2 Medonlc SN Greenspane GMG3 Stewart FTG3 Chapman GMCS Daum LT Ugj Kiefer A gf rx-J is 3 fygi J 4' :nfl ff. i 1 9 f '.- ,ft -- A' 1 'af' sf F C5 - ,gi r 4 ,. f V,-fw Ly' , . X. Lf , X. fb-,-1 .. .,l , :f: .. 1-5 ' A , 441 A , Ia' f' i L' ,- c', ' , ,f :I 1 . . ,.: 'f a '., , v ' 1' 1 n . A .1 1' 4. . f -r I Lf? ' v 'f ff 4 ' I' bf' V , Z-'S ,- 4 .1 'Q' J' . H A E, A-.1 ,- Y I' r4.1 -' . ff ,. gm 4' i-,r 'V Via? :anal ra SEIU V111 Wilt: an G Division has had its high and low points this past cruise, and we're not talking about the water level in 1553 magazine. The high points came when ammunition was on and off-loaded so expeditiously and when the THOMASON was commended for its highly responsive and extremely accurate gunfire support by the short forces we supported in Viet Nam. Its nadir occurred when we were unable to fulfill a second Gun Line commitment when the fire control computer went down. lt is said that the man who created the Mark lA computer suffered mental breakdowns during the course of its design, and the THOMASON FT's can certainly understand why. Even the combined efforts of the FT gang and a MOTU chief, working continuously for more than a week, failed to eliminate the problems in the elevation gearing and general alignment. ' The gunners mates all become strong advo- cates of point-detonating ammunition during the cruise, as they certainly become pro- ficient at setting fusesQ Over 1000 fuses had to be reset while we were on the Line. What made the resetting even more irritating was that these were the rounds that we took on to replace the 1200 bullets that had defective fuses. E sz -,wife 'T' 'Ai Three ground hogs and a ham, Love the new laundry policy. There were many memorable words spoken dur- ing our stay on the Line. Such remarks as un- load the HECVT and fill up your hoists with Willy T Peter , and send up the power without the casings fthe powder was percussion-detonatingl, and how many Willy Peter MTF do you have in your han- dling room , will long be remembered. One normally advantageous characteristic of the FT rating, namely that the officers hardly ever know what the FT's are talking about, once caused some pretty humorous confusion. IC3 Dave Chal - mers called up to FTG3 Tom KcKinney in the di- rector to see 'if the FT's had a 2K pot , which is the common abbreviation for a 2000 ohm potentio- meter. Mac was hardly prepared for the question which followed, as both the director officer and Combat immediately asked what the devil was he doing with 2 kilos of marijuana! f pw , 4 .0 ,fll T23 ,, v-5' ' ff-'x 'J-Q S, -1 W E KAL 'fm :mph itin- llidmy liim' any-m lliylb 1- iii MUN gi-'fd sniff' ,s.aim,1gQ u 5? , , iff'-,hm wt ici? mimi' I 'li 4b I I, ff Fox Division FRONT ROW: STG2 Flury, STGSN Philips, STGSN Destedano, STG3 Walters. SECOND ROW: LT fjgj McGowan, STG3 McCormick, FTM3 Seversen, STG3 George, STG2 Ott, STGC London. f-IJ., x I C Q gx.x ,,,,, , s X fffff' S xxxkxxxkk, SX. 1' xx.x SXX ' Iix XX , ttft I ,,.Q X X 2 ,if W' ,h., 1 - 'f P , ' X fhff ,, Fox Division is made up of sonarmen and torpedomen, and as such can be considered our anti-submarine group. CNo offense to DASH intendedj. Since the THOMASON spent most of its time on plane guard operations this past cruise, Fox was not as much in the front line as usual. Unfortunately, Fox was plagued by the loss of one of the generators for the sonar gear, severly hindering our ASW effectiveness. Nevertheless, the men did turn in a good showing during ASW drills when they a hieved two killls . One of the gripes of the men' of Fox is that though sonarmen and torpedoman are both technical ratings, Fox is nonetheless re- sponsible for more weatherdeck space than any other division except Deck Division. They must keep both the hedge hog and torpedo decks in good shape. It seems that sometimes the men have a hard time con- centrating on this boring work, at least Fred George, STG3, used a daydream a little One day, while washing down the hedge hog deck, Fred got a little careless with the hose, thereby washing down every- one on the bridge--including the Captain. Thank God 1t's one of ours! . . . . . . . . . . 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W' Wg qw SSX fy 17 J X f 'fn NX ,RQ Xxe ' RW f NW, XNNW K N ,WMA K f f W, 'fx X XS WWW X ff! ff ff f WQUQ 15N gb., 1 -MY flaw 0' 1 X10 ,M yff' M Xjwffw ,f W U, 52 V SQXXX f fa MM fwf ff ffwf mf ff X wwe f .Z!7,'wXXXXXX,f XQXQNQ f Qm, gg !Z!,7 Wff IW, N M NX!! , ' W Z f ffW 27Wm,,,,.,,, , ff , 'M fff XX f If f f , 1 WYX L41 if V f4 Qy WWW ,K S WV? lyhwgs ' M fm f . 9 V? A V I. h' I 'A I N I 51 Hzamgi g 'w:1fkf is 'QQQ lx 51 lu-,gligi 'lg,i'ifS, an wr Qi 'fig ':,,, ' :'Hr:Qf Filing, tgsltizfggs H5222 I Qilffjz. Ilrxrrizfs K., axzzvzz ' , 'n,.rv ' V. ff z ,..:.g:::: egg mtg 3:527- V-3.212-55 -s ,mm fy WW V 1 N --...,,,, K? H1114 Fox men had several other jobs not directly involved with their rating. They ran the I THOMASON's amidships stations during underway replenishments, their fine Work being responsible for the consistently high evaluations we received on these evolutions. Fox also maintained the ship's warehouse --torpedo storage. It's a good thing we were not attacked by any subs after we hit Japan, because it would have been half an hour be- fore We could fire back anything but tape decks, speakers, and stereo consoles. But we're sure our favorite lifers would somehow have muddled through. Dash Division FRONT ROW: ADJAN Fields, I-ITN3 Ramos, ADJ2 Smith. SECOND ROW: LT ' B Ugy eason, AN Alfaro, ETN2 Holm, 3 2 E A V gin DASH Division, the THOMASON's airdale contingent, is responsible for maintaining ' and flying our drones, which are highly maneuverable helicopters that carry anti- submarine torpedoes. Being a segment of the Naval air wing, DASH is sort of a hy- brid division for a destroyer. They obtain most of their parts from naval air stations rather than fleet supply depts, and their maintainance and operation schedules are prescribed by Naval Air Command. Thus, regardless of what the ship is doing, they must fly the drones a certain amount of time per month. Landing a drone on a destroyer can be risky business. The safe landing area is only about fifteen feet square, and that small spot is constantly rolling, pitching, and moving ahead. The result is that occasion- ally, drones are lost, and that is what happened to us in April, when we were just a day out of San Diego. The drone had been landed but only one restraining strap had been secured. A large roll caused the drone to break the strap, slide off the helo deck, and go through the cable safety netting and into the ocean. Fortunately, no such bad luck occurred the rest of the cruise. Z E. ,Qi 'N ww ,W fy Xxxx f - N x ' ' , , Myifffi rmx wiifvff' ....... ,,.W,-,2i,.ff0h,2f'wf f wg. x .,f,ff44. Z mf xxxxx f mn ,X A, WXgmvrJ14f7f f, fx N .wh fffffff f -XXWQVW ,d vyf Hx- XW Vw, J A ff ' 'B- 5' Q M-Kv fwf W? 7 - W Ma 'N if ff ,, SKXA- yzgfw I A Lwffi W f 4' 'A' Qu: x fmf x my R M f ' .yf Wwwff , - Q, ff 'f ,mm ' 'W f ' XM' fzizewgl. ' X Q x i Vfvf ff k X Q' y ffff M 1 O A M J! X ,f y M f .5 SQ- , -fa giilv' W f X , 970 ' ' - - W' .A M f ig.. y 2' if 7, V ff , 7 f ,ff mi Xfw 0' fw W Xww ww - i 1 X X if U, A X y.. , f, yn, ,,, 6, , , N 'Q Mfhfffwh , ,, f f,vffffff 1 2 su 6. f,,. f- fkvfi , , ,pub .,.,,,,,, ,af x X 'ff' X xff M f Y, w ' M .1 -' , 49-awww M ffffff X A ,J ff ml. fvwwf' f' 3v4im5m::Qif,.x'fh '5?iN:Jwf' U f Nxxxx v Y Yin 7 is x ff ' fx. Z, Lf ,ff-4' X f' 2 ,Ht 27Z?? fs xW ff Ni iw ., ,..,,, ix .,. Q2 1 ,,,,,,,,,,,, Lgvd OPERATIONS OI Division FRONT ROW: RDSN Roberto, RDSN Wright, ETN2 Kuri er, RD3 Anderson, ETN2 Soukup, ETR3 Baker, BACK ROW: LT fjgy Brett, ETN3 Martin, RD1 Chambers, RD3 McDona?d, RD3 Afflerbeck, ETR2 Demoss, RD3 King, RD8 Bayne, ETR2' Hurley, RD1 Smart, LT fjgJSi1ther1and. I 2 'Nun Y www: The radarmen, ET's, and corpsmen com- prise O1 Division. The radarmen operate our search radars and are responsible for plotting our position among our underway formations. The ET's maintain the radars, radio equipment and electronic tests equip- ment. John Demoss, ETR2, while trying to point out that the ET's don't receive suf- ficient recognition for their work from the crew, stated that they are responsible for no less than 2 radars, 7 radar repeater consoles, 21 transmitter-receivers, 1 IFF system, and over 120 pieces of test equip- ment. 'He maintained that because the ET's work mostly in security spaces, the crew doesn't see them at work and therefore thinks that they don't do much. His worries are groundless, however, as everyone knows how hard the poor ET's work. But the ET's did manage to do an outstand- ing job of keeping their gear up this past cruise. Much of this success, according to the gang, is attributable to the technical knowledge and skills of ETR3 Martin. He made a considerable contribution, being responsible for a lot of work. The quartermasters didn't appreciate the ET's very much, however, back in Sasebo, Captain Vines was kept awake by some late hour revelry which he thought was coming from the Log Room next to his cabin. He subsequently had all the QM's take a short test, their performance determining how soon they got to go on liberty, The test was a dilly and put all the QM's in from 2 to 5 days of dry dock. The tough part was that they weren't the ones making all the racket. It wouldn't be right to mention any names, but the radar transmitter room--the E T 's haunt--is right next to the log room. The radarmen also had a successful cruise, keeping the ship out of any serious trouble. It's too bad they couldn't have been as suc- cessful on liberty. The corpsmen didn't have too eventful a v cruise, which is most fortunate. Happily, the THOMASON suffered no serious injuries to 1tS personnel, for two cases of appendi+ c1t1s were the gravest events. Cf course there were innumerable banged and lumpy man -and we probably consumed our share of antibiotics heads--the common plight of the destroyer- , ,414 we , , ,pl v s is w h o i ' mlllggm Pmtfnmw Ei. uflllliil llth.'am.hI7, lhtmtrff L 81:2151- gfmlm nmlwfm :ummm NX Division FRONT ROW: QM3 Mullins, QM3 Britt, SN Stewart, SECOND ROW: LT fjgj Maynard, PCSN Pretti, SN Youngbauer SN PLu'ne11, PN3 Langer, YN3 Solberg, QMC Shinsky. 1 1 X 1 W l i Idolatry' V V ' Love that paperwork Those two mysterious sounding letters simply represent the NAVIGATIONAL- EXECUTIVE Division of THOMASON. The sh1p's Navigator, LTQjgj Terry May- nard was responsible for NX as the Di- vision Officer for the '69 cruise. This division of the Operations Department is composed of Quartermasters, Yeomen, Personnelmen and Postal Clerks. The duties of these men range from Quarter- masters assisting the Navigator plot the sh1p's course up a narrow, shallow river, Qfor example the Chao Phrayal, enroute to Bangkok to Yeomen and Personnelmen processing every shape, form, and type of paperwork from the Plan-of-the-Day to the Commanding Officer's Family- grams Working under the direction of THOMASON's Executive Officer, LCDR Hn tiffany T Q. Pms 1,5 Guy zener the ship's administrative per- Dwfmik sonnel moved several hundred pounds of paperwork during WE STPAC 69. M., p 99' ig N Wfigiw it ix A t xml I iii, ummm I 8 UFEAZZNL. Mm 1 SIMM. lik in Sl ns1?eDi- bx it B sm. :umm Yam 3 ish nwfwf'-Q22 3 -3 Y Q mJ:lIHE.s n 1 tg' ' :'?jje10 I 1128! .TQIQ ' ' ' aa' , S37 . -. ws' tx Tu:-I'ff w -,:L-aff B1 ' Ax 4,5151 a 49 .J I , ,wq . pr- yff: A MW2' 1:01 if 43031 .- :Q 11 I. 1'fJJ:Z:: ' 'q s 'WSF . M'-ef-www? Wfswwwwy f-f-, , , I, Q. , ,. , 'A NNQW, ssvyfs, s f XWA5 f f N ms fy f , on A W ffffff V X 1 1 in 1 'H my X eff sky S xx f X X K N , Wg cf. . f xv X s s ff -f f if MQ 1 so t f ' 1 s 1 ,f f f- , mg X f . -xQ', is V . eww' sssip f fs! I . 1 1 f J' 3s.,'6.'W I gms- ,N 1' s X .YES 'gf icgfl. w 141.5 207' f , f f gf ' fi!-ft - ,Vs fff K 1 1 1 ssssl f And those guys are supposed to know where they're going! --............... ...A , ..l- ,,., ,. 1.-.U--l.-e.sf1-.f -- ,Q-.-rg.-. -ff- mknsvzzf.-1 1 Honorable mention must be made at this point for the ship's Postal Clerk whose popularity was never up to par until Helo Detail was sounded and then only if the helicopter dangled the red and orange bags marked U.S. Mail . ff' Jailed for dereliction of duty. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 33 1 I, p 4 I I - ..iiiiiiiis. ....... -M s.,......s,...,ss,, p OC Division FRONT ROW: Rlvll Miller, RM3 Vann, SMSA Russell, SM3 Campbell, SN Adams, RM2 Samuels, RM2 O'Connor. BACK ROW: LT fjgj Busching, RMSN Bouclreaux, RM3 Porter, SN Jones, SN Owen, HM1 Tokarsky, SM1 Guidry, RMC Newsome. IW 'Fries -wi ff ' 1 , 'f' ,.,. .af 1 .If', ,. ,A , f 1. Av 'T ' 1 ln! 'Q -vt if ff! , is f ff . ,jr ,CA ti. 'IH Qi.,- .,fv'f -, nu, ,-V l ' ,142 Q 'L- 1 II. ' sf ,I J. if R557 , i'l L r 1, -ff f .f',f IL' ,.'. ,,f . . 1' lp' 4,1 f ,I '.' J f ,-ff , 9 ,4 . W., A ,, .. in 1 f ,f , , . ,pf 1 W , W ly rl v ,. A 2, Trigg am, ,.r 1413: , TEV' A-1' .',.q n 1 1, 1 I rv, 7' 5, ,npr - 1 wr 1. J, s4'Q3 ' , I V' f 4 4 uk., +-242' I U-' .wg V vpgvjv' L' ' 1 I 1 i i R ex. R,' .mpg- z saw- si U- OC Division, consisting of signalmen and radiomen, is the com- munications division aboard the THOMASON. They did a fine job of routing messages from and to the ship during the past cruise, but they did suffer some difficulty in passing information amongst themselves. The problem was that the signalmen kept dropping ashes and cigarette butts down the voice tube when talking to the radiomen below. At least this stunt probably relieved some of the monotony of the long Watch-standing that these two ratings involve. The signalmen have all developed the wide stance and low crouch that.the long rolls and high winds of a destroyer signal bridge necessitates. The radiomen have developed secretary spread . Standing six- on, six-off watches, they spend most of their waking hours sitting up in radio central. Their port and starboard watch bill has also had one other effect, namely to make their favorite expression, it didn-lt happen on my Watch , a little harder to believe. What did you mean, Only femmies smoke long cigarettes? Jniglll 5 35 There are occasional instances of comic relief, however, as happened during a com- munications drill with the carrier last July. During these drills, dummy messages are passed back and forth. Running out of things to say, the men of the bird farm remarked that the exercise was pretty boring Reflecting the sympathy felt among destroyermen for the hardships endured by the men on the carriers Radioman Vann sent back a re quest for 2000 ping pong balls and 2 paddles all for our recreation center of course Undoubtedly the hardest and probably the most constructive worker in radio lS George George 1S the paper shreader His dedicated and reliable Work have earned him the re spect of the entire division In fact it is reported that Chief Newsome holds him in such high regard that he submits all request Ch1tS to him fo , - . . . . H 9 ' ' ' ' r final approval. 36 1 -l i v. xl? 1 I N f ' Qig,xQ E - Q W Af Q ,. ,c Q, 1. E ,I , 4 ' ll., ,,,fw'fZ U M ' ' ff . E 'MW . W' . ' , oe' 8 1 .mi MW 1' V E 4 4 ,1 1 .1 ENGINEERING 1 f - 4. , , 1' I YA -2.'.-- . ,E .- . ,,3 E . - ' ,...,1V . .. .LV-E ,. V , A' V' ax N M Dlvlslon FRONT ROW: MM1 Adams, MM3 Martinez, MM1 Ellic, FN Paronish, FA Mathisin, FN Councilman, MM3 Figueroa. FN McKnight. SECOND ROW: MMCS Degood, MM1 Fayard, FN Baird, FN Weber, FN Garretson, MM3 Flowers, MM3 E gleston, FN Carmichael, LT Qj gy Ryan. TI-HRD ROW: FN Kirby, MMCM Allen, MM3 Laughner, FN Grissom, MM2 Bgumenauer, MM2 Shick, MM2 Bowen, FA Hill, MM3 Pagels, FA Augustine, MMC Mull. .-14.,,.an,rw-z,-.-4.L..x4.-gf..:,-..,:1-,.:-..s ,1,f1,,t,g..g,, -',',j4.,.,3,,-'.,M,..,GJ .-5.1 .A ., -, gr: .,,-H-V , ,.,, V ,,.., , ,.,-- - ... :fi A , '- , ,- ,, r V , V . . -,. Y A., .. M.:--.. 4, .-. -M-Cg1.,,., 4.41,,Mu-:.+11rLm..-:z:p.:.,.,n ,.,g:gg-.. ,:5,.3.g,5,A,,.,:,,g,,,-,:-.1A.:',,,.v ,,-N-,.,, , - ,, , , . ,, ,, - , A, , ., f .nr QI- ,,.a. r :rr -- 'ff :F M Division turned in a truly outstanding performance during WestPac, their excellent work keeping us out of hot water. Seriously though, their tireless efforts coupled with the equally excellent job of the BT's earned the THOMASON the reputation of the Steaming John . Never did the THOMASON miss a commitment or sailing date for engineering reasons. We were also the fastest ship in our destroyer squadron, and we main- tained our speed throughoutf many hours of taxing, high-speed plane guard ing. Boiling wakes, smoke-free stacks, and unmatched dependability were the THOMASON's trade marks. The J OHN's engineering superiority was graphically illustrated on two particular occasions. The first was a race that took place on the squad- 'ron's return to Sasebo in early October. The BON HOMME RICHARD, picking up steam to 27 knots, sent a message to the BUCK and THOMA- SON to assume stations off her stern. The BUCK challenged us to a race to the positions. Though spotting the BUCK a 1500 yard lead, we managed to arrive on station almost an hour and a half before her. When the JOHN sprung a leak The second occasion where the THOMASON showed her mettle was on the 'voyage home from Japan through heavy seas. The John was the only ship who managed to stay with whatever speed the BONNY DICK wanted to steam, never once falling out of her desig- nated place. This performance was a fitting X climax to the marvelous engineering record ohalked up by our MM's and BT'S. I av' After the Bilge Monster w 1 w w I X 40 J 1 352m Qwmyilfi mg: l L I 'flu in ,ff Q N I I hw- is. PW Q N' Q79 Q 5 iltgu -,E E5 it lift -5 kings- '-:msg 'vnhmri B Division FRONT ROW: BTCS Van Vaulkenbtu: , FA Gillott, FA Markle, BTFN Babcock, FA Wood, FN Kiser, XFN Stewart, BT3 Petryk, BT2 Steele, SECOND ROW: ET1 Fluharty, BT2 Rure, FA Carmen, BTFN Logsdon, FN Schumacher, BT3 Cable FA West, BTC Shelby. THIRD ROW: BT1 Robbins, FN Makings, FA Scott, FN Olsen, FN Maxwell, FN Beatty, BT2 Caffey, FA Errant, FT3 Wilson, LT fjgy Beason. .....g.....................-... ........,.....,.......... Q B Division, secretly known as Spider Di vision , did a tremendous job during the last WestPao cruise. Working around the clock, they always had the THOMASON ready to steam. I I 1 I I n I 3 5 I U-3 gym. :fr H .Mp ,, . ' Q, - M- . as - ,5 ','r..0 WM. -..-MW v-. 'I 13 1'-be ' 4..,: 5' 433-1 2 E 532. x 11- f Q r. X , ,I Ai. .X Wwx V One of the few times when we were ap- prehensive about getting underway was right before the start of the cruise. The BT's had just acid-cleaned two boilers and scrubbed out the other two. They were tested out dur- ing our dependents' cruise, and it turned out that we had some soap suds in our plant from cleaning residues. The suds gave us no real problem, however, and we steamed to Pearl Harbor without incident. So, even though we had some difficulty at the start, THOMASON began a practically perfect steaming record. Although the cruise was marked by one suc- cess after another for the BT's, their fin- est hour was in Sasebo, Japan. Because we were on 12-hour standby there, the BT's could only shut down two boilers at a time for maintenance. They nonetheless man- aged to carry out a complete annual boiler inspection. They discovered one major dis- crepancy in the course of the examination, but corrected it after 72 straight hours of work. Thus, the THOMASON left Sasebo the way she left every port P- with all four boilers up and ready to go. AgaLlaL ' - - f --- R Division FRONT ROW: SN Luna, EMEN Weaver, IFN Henderson, EN3 Lear, MMl Bidwell, EN3 Dooley, FN Fletcher, EM2 Taylor, SF3 Downes, DC1 Brotherton. SECOND ROW: SFC Kyle, lC2 Logbeck, EM3 Gill, MM2 Woodward, FN Stewart, EN3 4 Reyes, EM3 Caldwell, EM3 Tangernan, SN Callison, EN3 Petersen, EMl I-Ied ecock, IC3 Chalmers. THIRD ROW: EN1 Holmes, DC3 Jeselonis, DC3 Hasken, FN Henslee, YN3 Fink, EMFN Martin, QMS Cast, EM2 Wynn, FN Migliore, SF3 Jensen, LT fjgy Kreft, y 'i, I I ' v i 4 i i i i i i i L i n i I I I i i l 1 i ,ik 7 The long arm of the law. .1-. '.4 ,YJ ,- 1- ff 1' R Division, or repair division, are in many ways, the shipboardcounterparts of govern- ment utility workers. They represent our phone and power companies, water and fire departments, and during the last cruise, much of our police department. Some would contend, however, that DC1 Brotherton has more appropriately represented the Gest- apo. As with men in anyother rate, R Division personnel have encountered various equip- ment and spaces which have proved to be particular headaches. The DC men have not grown overly fond of the chain locker, and keeping the plumbing in the heads clear has kept the shipfitters busy. The ship's com- munications systems have stayed up de- spite the fact that, as many new men aboard learned, we kept running out of batteries for the sound powered phones. Perhaps the funniest incident of the cruise resulted from some defective R Division gear, namely the fire main reducers. These reducers drop down the fire main pressure to a level that is usable in various parts of our shipboard plumbing, including the heads. Most of the time, they function properly, but occasionally they let excessive pres- sure into some of the lines. Well, back in Pearl Harbor, a place created by volcanic eruption, there was an eruption of a different kind. Evidently too much pres sure built up in a head in After Officers Quarters, When Mr. Frigge fatefully opened the valve, the legend of the Fightin John was augmented by the saga of the exploding job-nn. 1 '31 if --1 if '12 -. ku' mq. W. WWW ' , 1-vw ..., . K I '47-Tit:-w,..,N uffgm Nm. 1 X12 rs w 'Nu '-Fm, xl vw F Q, Aix' X! , . 0 '- Xlg '59, 'V . 'an H r',.':i,lAVx K. - x :gh xt s X' g.'Y'-N 1 '-' '-t x , .V .K K M, Jw, A31-S-. Wk , T Q , , -Q H A x, N X N 'i' M . 'rf -L ez- 5, W' 'M W. A r 1' HQ .1 ,W ' .-1, 4 h :nw E Alma. 1 :fy , -w , MM, HL-0-an -- 1- - U 'Puls ' r.4 1 . J' ' , rm.. A un- v. ,. x.x ,. in '1 i 1- a X xg., Z' xl' 52 in ff 'IRQ wWf ,3QZ'ff ,f fwwg v x x ky mf Nm W SUPPLY 4 S Division , MW ,fM,W M FRONT ROW: SN Washington, TN Sacro, SD1 Broas, SK2 Salter, TN Delacruz, SN Strouf. SECOND ROW: CSC Judkins, TN Beltran, SN Scott, SD2 Basto, SK1 Portacio, BT3 McClanahan, DKC Distor, THIRD ROW: SKC Bonacci, SN Ottosen, CS3 I-Iierholzer, SH3 McDermott, DKSN Schoon, TN Dacpano, ENS G, M, Smonkb. wr, ,. V V '- i i i I i i 1 i 1 i i i A Nieman Marcus it ain't ! pil :gint 55.15 Because it is responsible for most of our comforts, necessities, and primary luxury - the coke machine - Supply undoubtedly must put up with ten times as much griping as any other division. Perhaps all those unreps, vertreps, and stores handling parties have made the rest of us a little bitter. Then again, watching the men of Supply always being the first across the brow hasn't increased our feelings of charity very much. The poor cooks take the worst of our grousing, but they seem to bear up just fine. CThe probable ans- wer is that all Navy cooks must be maso- chists, even though our stomachs would vote sadist from time to timel. Yet, true to form, the cooks themselves always enjoy their own cooking. The good people of Bangkok wished that Roberts and Quintanella didn't enjoy it so much. Roberts was the major factor in the collaspe of a dock during the Bangkok tour. Later on, he and Cowboy got on an elevator that had worked fine with just six other Supply men aboard, but the added weight of the Dy- namic Duo stopped it cold. QPerhaps they could take advantage of Beltran's con- ditioning program, as his morning dashes to make up Cece Rider's rack before he got back in it would keep anyone in shapej. The card listing of what we don 't have, Because of the John's perfect record of al- ways receiving about twice what it ordered on a major replenishment, maintaining organized storerooms has been almost im- possible. This problem once resulted in a pretty humorous incident involving the be- leaguered Jerry Noye. Jerry, trying to create some order in the M Division store- room, asked LTQjgJ Kreft if he could tem- porarily put some of his stores in the J P-5 pump room. lt is from this room that we pump the fuel for refueling helos and the DASH drones. Soon after we had a vertical refueling evolution. EN1 Tune went down to the pumproom, and when he opened the door he was confronted with a solid wall of the J ohn's special brand of corn flakes, which are similar in taste and texture to polyethy- lene. After frantically throwing corn flakes all over M Division, Tune managed to get close enough to the valves to operate them with his feet. Keeping on top of the officers' and crew's demands can sometimes be rather difficult. Atone time, we had an emergency helo detail to keep the XO in popcorn, whose virtues he so famously extolled in one of our more memorable POD's. For sheer day to day hardship, however, the hardest task had to be keeping the Captain in ice cream. According to LTqjgJ Selmeier, the wardroom has spent an average of S150 per month on this item alone. But few tasks could prove too much for the daring and resourceful Mr. Selmeier. His Subic Bay exploits would earn high social standing in any Mexican border town. It seems that he borrowed no less than five Navy pickup trucks at various times in Subic. Oh well, sometimes one has to re- sort to extreme measures to pick up the laundry . Even Robbin' Hood oouldn't take care of the famed oven door, however, which achieved the distinction of making the 8 o'clock reports longer than any other piece of gear - seven months. 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If if 55: fi -f -f' .,-: 'il Jil 7 311 -f' l Y .ff 'Z 'ii 22' i 1 -15 E 37' fir' 2 1 1: Y I-If Y- ,S Eg,-f ,l .Lf YE Ei 3,1 .., 2 fi 3? - E If - if 1 P-if YY 1.7 -f Y : 7 251' -?1 f ,E 1 n L 5 I. I 1 954 ,ma ..,.....,.,ff-fy:-w-.Lg-v 55 I 1 P l i E s an ' I QV, 1 the , Underway Reiuel Stores VERTREP TOP LEFT: SN Velasco makes sure that the re- fuelin probe is pnofperly seated, TOP RIGHT: The fantaigis cleared o stores during a VERTREP, ABOVE: FN Luna, the Hot suit' man, watches a helo bring another load. RIGHT: TI-IOMASON participates in an unusual four ship UNREP with USS CHIPOLA, USS CAMDEN, and USS VIRGO, 56 4 1 W is E 341 Ti l Ii ', ti :Q l I 3 if N i a 5 I T i 1 1' A f 2 , 3 U F' 4 N 3 T T ' 1 'ei J ? Replenishment Highline t0I'6S HIFR BM3 Qote. gives the command as the midships station crew heaves around, Men of the forward refueling station heave around on the in -haul line, V 7. Q. ,remain 7 E challenge for both the ship and the crew. The challenge began in Subic Bay a few days earlier when the ship received i orders to get underway in forty-eight hours for the gunline. In the midst of repairs, this was a stiff challenge, but lf lf On The Gunline 1 The THOMASON only spent one week par- ticipating in Naval gunfire support in late July and early August, but it was a great two days later the ship was enroute to l Vung Tau and its duties. Heavy seas along y the track did not slow the TI-IOMASGN,'9.nd l she anchored in Vung Tau Harbor at the ' t dh d The next three days were spent along the coast of the MekongDe1ta haras- sing Viet Cong activities in the area. Rain squalls, fog, and poor radar aids to navigation made gunfire support difficult, but the job was done with a minimum of effort from airborne spotters. Then, the THOMASON was assigned a gunfire station in the Nga Be River where she could fire on selected targets on all sides. The terrain in this area was completely de- foliated, which gave us an excellent opportunity to observe shells landing on their targets. Moving down river at night to the more secure waters of Vung Tau harbor, the THOMASON continued its harassment of the Viet Cong in the Delta. On the last day of its gunfire assignment, USS THOM- ASON moved northeast along the coast to provide pre-assault gunfire sup- port for a vertical assault by units of the U.S. Army. When the week was over, THOMASON had expended more than 2000 rounds on the enemy. The efforts of the crew in answering each call for fire were outstanding. Spotting was at a minimum and the quickness of the mount crews wascom- mented on by several spotters. For most, this week meant twelve hours of watch a day. Then, at night, the ship twice put to sea to rearm and re- fuel, cutting even further into the few free hours of the day. Yet everytime there was a gunfire mission, the THOMASON crew responded in a pro- fessional manner. The Undersecretary 0fiThe Navy Makes A Visit On is August 1969, Uss JoHN W. THoM- ASON was honored by the visit of the Undersecretary of the Navy, the Honorable John W. Warner, and Commander Seventh Fleet, VADM William F. Bringle. While making a tour of U.S. Navy activities in Southeast Asia, Undersecretary Warner was scheduled to observe an underway replenishment of an aircraft carrier and destroyer from an oiler. In addition, the Undersecretary was to be briefed on the pilot rescue mission of destroyers in the Tonkin Gulf. The ships selected for this demonstration were USS BON HOMME RICHARD, USS SACRAMENTO and the THOMASON. The week prior to Mr. Warner's arrival was a hectic one. Work was done every- where to ready the ship for his visit. Still fresh in the crew's mind was the success of the recently completed gunline period and the quick rescue of four men from a USS BON HOMME RICHARD helo. Also, thoughts turned to the next scheduled port of call--Hong Kong. Everyone was up to make the Undersecretary's visit a perfect one It was mid-afternoon when the Under- secretary's helo departed from the car- rier and headed for the THOMASON. Everyone was ready. Undersecretary War- Captain Haywood, were lowered to the fan- ta1l where they were greeted by the Captain and Executive Officer. Led by LT Carty, the party was escorted to the torpedo deck and forecastle where they were given a brief outline of the ship's pilot rescue pro- cedures.. After coffee and a briefing in the ward- room Undersecretary Warner and his party proceeded to the bridge as the ship pulled alongside USS SACRAMENTO to refuel Mr. Warner listened with interest as the probe refueling method was ex- plained to him by the Commanding Officer. After signing the ship's guest book, the Undersecretary, VADM Bringle, and Cap- tain Hayworth proceeded to the main deck where they chatted with members of the crew while waiting to be transferred by highline to the SACRAMENTO. As Under- secretary Warner and his party departed the ship, everyone felt that the THOMASON had again performed in a flawless manner. I ner, VADM Bringle, and his chief of staff, iQu. gi,-'q',, 0- W - E S 1 1 E 'lun nh I, ai hi IS ...fx!:: nmmxs .uilgma i 'Qi5'l.'1!E:: 533-2215 WQKEIQ'-'Y' mama-52' runnin' ,Q IN' alvlffii 31045 Q 3 'ga ' 5 n 7fSf' IU' :fi vs g r' f' vlggffi Fifa' 'C ifyji rtffvff' pn A .nui- ABOVE: LT Carty explaines the use of pilot rescue gear to Mr. Warner, BELOW: Mr. Warner tries his hand at the M-1, TOPRIGHT: The Captain answers questions about pilot rescue procedures. RIGHT: Captain Vines makes a point about probe refueling. BOTTOM RIGHT: Mr. Warner and VADM Bringle check out the highline rig before they are transferred, 1 ' ss vs. 7 , imwsaw V mf fn x ,f , gg, S f , ix , yr, , t 2 , 3 --.3-1--sesgwn-rw-122-inex-f-ff-vwevrfyp-ea-2-sy-2:-rlxm., Aircraft In The Water, Now Man Your Pilot Rescue Stations These words were passed on Sunday after- noon, 10 August 1969. Many of the crew were catching up on lost sleep, others were on the helo deck catching the last of the sun's rays, axfew were writing home of the dull life on Yankee Station. But at that moment, everyone responded im- mediately to the word that four pilots were in the water. Pilot rescue equipment was laid out on the forecastle. The motor whale boat was lowered to the rail, manned and started. Swimmers donned their wet suits in case they might be needed. On the bridge, the Captain assumed the conn and brought the ship alongside the four downed crewmen. The motor whale boat was low- ered and recovered two men, the pilot and a crew member. The co-pilot and remain- ing crewman were brought aboard the fore- castle by harness. The only casualty was one crewman's broken arm. The entire rescue took twelve' minutes. The helo crew was returned to USS BON HOMME RICHARD by helo about one hour later, to fly again. N 5 my ,, . ' -K, YN. I . r 'QR' ., -. Y .x,Q, s., 4 .M . 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' ..,L 'L'L. fn ...v ' ' 4.- --' , r-.. .. n' LLL- .. ,....,- '. . 0 The International Market Place is a terrific tourist trap Pearl Harbor, Ha an The now famous USS ARIZONA Memorial, The THOMASON's stay in Hawaii was all too short and disrupted Also providing pilot rescue services for the ORISKANY, the ship spent three days in Pearl Harbor, but never two days in a row. Nonetheless, everyone found their way to the local club, Waikiki Beach, and the night life of downtown Honolulu. A tour was arranged for those desiring to see the island of Oahu. Many took advantage of this opportunity and saw the big surfing beaches on the north side of the island, Pali Pass, the Blowhole, the International Market Place, and Waikiki. Besides the beautiful scenery of this tropical paradise, probably the most exciting afternoon was spent in a softball doubleheader. In the first game, the chief petty officer took a beating from the officers, led by the fireball pitching of LTqjgl Brett and the bat- ting of CAPT Vines, among others. In the second game, Fun- garolli's Raiders blitzed the first class petty officers. This rivalry was later continued in other ports throughout the Pacific Famed Diamonhead overlooks Waikiki Beach. A V ubnc Ba ,P.I. Subic Bay was the THOMASON's most fre- quented port during its deployment to West- Pac. The ship spent two upkeep periods there and was in the port on four occasions Although this port is the most complete forward logistic base for Seventh Fleet de- stroyers, the surrounding area offers little to the sailor looking for a little sightseeing and peace of mind. Nevertheless, the men of the THOMASON took advantage of the many base facilities and the excitement of Olongapo. . If . 'ar 'llsff in an 1 ., P, 'spd- Ilitdfgin rl ?J.w,5?5ff sr 9' .5 ji fn ' 4 .X ga' - nf' A .. K Q f . '- ,4 4-, ,. ,Ji . , , J , , 1- I rc F' - .- I , .f - .,- ' - .-,Lf . , , g k',Vy' .,, , Mir' xalxw 'L f 5 x ..-f ge ? X- nv pf-1 fjjigf ,,,,,,,, 1 WQY5 QNXRW he f , 5... Glongapo has been branded with many labels, but all the oldtimers agreed the city had improved much since the last cruise. After all, the main street was fully paved now. And even overnight lib- erty was permitted, something even the saltiest oldtimers had never heard of. Before ever reaching the main gate, nearly every sailor could count on being approached about a black market exchange of money. As he passed through the gate, the sailor was struck with two things: the stench of the Olongapo River, and the blaring music of seemingly end- less street of neon nightclubs and bars. After winding his way through a stream of street vendors and possible pick- pockets, the THOMASON sailor arrived at his favorite bar. Maybe he had a Subic sweetheart there, but always he could count on good, loud music and a San Mi- guel beer. The Subic Naval Base offers some of the most complete recreational facilities any- where, and THOMASON sailors were quick to take advantage of them. Full-sized and ,miniature golf courses were both available, trap shooting, go-kart racing, water-skiing and skin diving were all found and used. Grande Island was a beautiful and relaxing place to spend a day in the sun and water. And the serviceclubs did a land office business as the crew flocked there in the evenings. The officers found a special thrill in the Cubi NAS officer's club where, for just one dollar, there were guaranteed instant acceleration to sixty knots in a jet mock-up, a slight chance at catching a recovery wire, and the almost assured end of a soaking in a pool of water. There was certainly entertainment of any variety for everyone on the base. For the rnan who didn't have everything, the Navy exchange at Subic Bay offered just about everything. From elaborate cameras to so- phisticated stereo components, from Philip- pine mahogany to Japanese pearls, each THOMASGN sailor had abundant opportunity to spend his hard-earned wages. By the end of the cruise, the Subic exchange was drained of its stock and the THOMASON sailors had left behind a sizable portion of their earnings. my ., fn, QW. -w 'Q 'N :xx ,ts ' .xy Kaohsiung is a small harbor on the southwest ooast of Taiwan. It is Nationalist China's second largest merchant port and the home of the Formosa Patrol. USS THOMASON's ten days were spent moored alongside USS DELTA while a tender availability was in progress During this time the THOMASON's crew took advantage of the opportunity to sample Kao su1ng's reoord and bookstores shop for teak and marble and eng oy the fine liquor and beautiful women of Taiwan aohsiu ng, Taiwan R? 9 . 9 7 Z V ee The women of Taiwan have long had the V reputation of being the most beautiful in' the Orient. The salts who had been to Kaohsiung were right and the boots en- joyed every minute of it. There can be no doubt that Chinese women have beautiful complexions, excellent features, and a winning smile. The most well known hotel and bar in the Pacific with its lovel host . Y ' esses is Nancy's Harbor Bar Hotel. ln fact, Nancy's hotel and hostesses have become so well known that she is building an entirely new hotel--the largest building in the city. Maybe next cruise, THOMASON sailors will be able to visit the new Nancy's. An alternate attraction to the beautiful women of Kaohsiung was the many record and book stores. As Nationalist China does not recognize international copyright laws, records and books are available at a frac- tion of their cost in the United States. Rec- ords were purchased to be used just once when they would be recorded on tape. After one use, they were too worn to beused again. All the latest, best-selling books were available in Kaohsiung. The only prob lem with purchasing these books was that it is illegal to bring them back to the U.S. 4 ', ' yi-.. X .J '-1 . ' mi ' QI if ' - lf, 11. :L-,M .. . -W- n-sam The THOMASON sailor's interest in ath- letics was answered by both football and softball games. The winners of the double header in Pearl Harbor faced each other for the championship of USS JOHN W. THOMASGN. Fungarolli's Raiders ob- literated the officers in this game played at the Kaohsiung Country Club. The first class petty officers won their consolation game with the CPO's. A few days later, the THOMASON was challenged to a foot- ball game by the men of USS KBE TCHMER The challenge was accepted and it was a long, bloody, hard-hitting evening before USS KRE TCHMER prevailed. J wffm 3 , 'MS .' 5f mari 'gilding al' 4? ., r input sf' 4:72135 1' ' 42'-ffl' 14 -1:4 fi -V if gffif 1 ' 3' 9:1423 A . 1 - ' -21. , ,gif s af' .1 is ft E25-f , 'Q ,, K 1 , . a ' e , . 4 . The THOMASON's visit to Bangkok was a pleasant surprise to everyone. Not original- ly listed among the port visits, a schedule change permitted the ship to visit this beau- tiful and exciting city. Even the four hour journey up and down the Chao Phya River was beautiful. Many serene temples could be seen as the busy life continued along the river. Once the ship moored, there was sightseeing, shopping, and relaxing on a massive scale. Bangkok, Thailand For the sightseers among the crew, Bang- kok was a test of their ability to see and do so much in such a short time. For the less ambitious sightseer, TIM fmeaning Thai- land-In-Miniaturej provided a sample of all aspects of Thai life. From the work of the powerful elephant transporting trees to the delicate and intricate movements of Thai dancing, TIM-Land' offered something for everyone. Certainly TIM-Land's most ex- citing demonstrations Were the Thai boxing, cock fighting, and sword duels. For the true sightseer, all day tours were arranged that covered the highlights of Bangkok's many historical and religious sites. This tour included a visit through the beautiful Buddhist temples in the Bang- kok area, a snake farm, and many more places of interest. At the end of this day, all anyone could do was collapse in exhaustion. 5 Ed! 21111.-... al 1 n 'V 'lf'-W i 1: Bangkok was a jewelry shopper's delight. All varieties of precious and semi-precious stones were available at 'ridiculously low prices. Blue and black star sapphires, topaz, rubies, and many others tempted the wallets of THOMASON sailors. The Star of Thailand and Venus Jewelry seemed to take most of the crew's money, but each man did his business where he felt he had the best deal. Everyone came away satis- fied with their glittering gems mounted in rings, necklaces, bracelets, and brooches. The nightlife in Bangkok was excellent with many luxurious, American-style nightclubs, discotheques, and bars. There were even American women living in Bangkok for the truly patient and earnest sailor seeking companionship. Before the night could be enjoyed, everyman faced the battle of bartering for ataxi to take him downtown. Prices fluctuated with the number of peo- ple and the time of day. No matter, event- ually everyone got a ride towhere he felt the action was. T N1 if as ' 1. FL 5m la. lg! R. bi 5 Milly. - NmQ. 'ttfimzit 1 M M .,,, -L . - - lil Hong Kong HONG KONG--just those two words alone make every sailor's heart beat faster with excitement. Hong Kong is truly the pearl of the Orient , and many may say the en- tire world. Combining the beautiful women of Kaohsiung, the wild nightlife of Olongapo, the shopping of Bangkok, and the beauty of Japan with influences from both Europe and mainland China, Hong Kong offers something for everyone. The men of the THOMASON did their best to bring as much of Hong Kong as possible back with them. Sightseeing, shopping, dining, drinking, dancing, par- ticipating in sports were all part of an ex- citing week of R and R in Hong Kong. Every THOMASON sailor truly had an op- portunity to do '.'his own thing while the ship was in Hong Kong. For most men, this meant shopping, buying, and spending. There were many of the traditionally ex- cellent purchases of stereo components, tailored clothing, and jewelry, but there were also some unusual purchases. Persian rugs, ivory carvings, sterling silver, china, watches, silks, sewing machines, and leather goods all found their way aboard ship. The only thing that came to an end in Hong Kong was money. Hong Kong is also a tourist's delight. Beau- tiful views from Victoria Peak, multitides of junks in Aberdeen, the White sandy beaches of Deep Water, the exciting atmosphere of the ladder street and Thieve's Alley , the dream-like world of Tiger Balm Gardens, the ramshakle poverty of the refugees, and the throbbing and vibrant air of Victoria all offer the sightseer every experience that can be remembered and put on film. 76 X European influence has reached Hong Kong most in its entertainment. Some of the fin- est dining in the world, both Western and Oriental, is available in Hong Kong. Gaddei's and the Jade Lotus were among the best restaurants offering Western and Oriental cuisine. After dinner, discotheques in Kowloon and the Central District, as well as Wanchai did a roaring business on the THOMASON sailors. Many THOMASON sailors actually took ad- vantage of this rest and recuperation port to rest and recuperate. Several took advan- tage of the sun and surf of Deep Water Bay to improve their tans and relax in the cool, clear Water. Others ventured to the golf course to loosen up their muscles. Still others would just relax in their favorite bar whether it was the Dragon Boat in the Hong Kong Hilton or a bar in the Wanchai. There were many Ways to relax from the rigors of life at sea and the men of the THOMASON sought them all. 1v,.:.i1-f.,..,...L:1:-1-r1n4'111.1f:-s-n-1'fx1srgggufnffvf-P-trierqfvx-:4TSi?f'f!1vf'vfv'-:'?f :ti:3'31'5 fE? !9-'1'i':f?i!?fTEf' 1 -- '-:-:YA25 Japan MW N X 2 1 .K gx M 4 4 , if .X.x f WWW Vw W , xy ff 4' f ,!. Zz M x ,ey gf, ff sl xx N fm' f 5 , fy- 4 F ,lj ff 1 x ff HV, , jwv x 7ff V , , TC 11- - --Q rn: ,, .q,, N -up v.- L ..' 3 Wg! v -. '--QI 'L'r'.-y L - I xx '-1. b: .-- 'Q UIQ '- . -- N ps, . 'Q-' . .ssh -- -.f 'xf CA, x -' . 'Xi . x. xx, il xi - . Two ports were visited in J apan, Sasebo and Yokosuka. The ship spent ten days in Sasebo in September during a tender availability and two days in Yokosuka on the way back to the U.S. in October. The stay in Sasebo afforded an opportunity for some sightseeing and the exchanges in both ports were heavily used by crewmembers. Yokosuka and Sasebo both have been heavily influenced by the presence of the U.S. Navy, and both areas mix generous quantities of modern Japanese and Western ideas with a touch of ancient Japanese culture in their atmospheres. The exchange of Yokosuka and Sasebo offered a wide variety of products which were widely purchased by the crew. Products of J apan's modern technology such as stereo components and motorcycles were sold as quickly as J apan's more traditional commodities,'china and pearls. The largest single purchase made was the duty free liquor ordered by the ship through the Yokosuka exchange. The ship's order was greater than the combined orders of two other ships in the division. Not considering liquor, the foreign exchange in Yokosuka, Building A-33, was considered far and away the best exchange in WestPac. Everything from pachinko machines to 900 cc. motor- cycles could be purchased, and this last chance ,to shop in WestPac was well taken. Every cubic inch of extra space aboard ship had some purchase stored in it. Time to sightsee was at a minimum in J apan, as much work had to be ac- complished aboard ship. Still, a few of the tourists among the THOMASON crew took in the scenic countryside of terraced farmlands around Sasebo. Some ventured to the peak overlooking Sasebo and the harbor for a better view of the entire region. And some sailors 'travelled to Nagasaki for a day to see the effects of the atom bomb on that city's way of life. Most of the crew enjoyed the nightclubs of downtown Sasebo and Yokosuka in their off-duty hours. Besides meeting a cute and polite hostess, everyone had to try the Japanese custom of the hotsy bath. With a little saki or beer, a steam bath and a rubdown, the mind, muscles and bones all seem to turn into some kind of tingling jelly. Refreshed and relaxed, each man could for- get about the rough day just completed and the day of work ahead. WAISWORTH cruise Book s I off PUBLISHING 7730-EH h IS! r COMPANY La Jon C If 92 037 , Marceline, Mo.. U.S.A. As the cruise and this book close, the staff wants to thank all those who made this cruise book a reality. A special thanks goes to the Captain and the Exe- cutive Officer who gave us so much freedom in pro- ducing the book. The photographic efforts of LT1jgJ Bob Kreft, ETN2 Holms, ATN2 Ramos, and BTFN Donahue are all appreciated. We are grateful for the cooperation of LTfjgl Tom Ryan in permitting us access to PAO files. The staff also wants to thank Terry Henry of Walsworth Publishing Com- pany for his time, patience, and vital technical as- sistance in preparing this book. The cooperation of the entire THOMASON crew is also acknowledged and we hope that this cruise book does justice to the efforts of each member of the crew. LTQjgy Terry Maynard FTG3 Jack Hanover YN3 Mike Purnell G -C l ,ml . yup,- ,A+- 1 G., , .M .,. .mm Jq- 2-.,.,.-.....,..w-,,...,.f,Hq.:.., An-,Q-4-1.34.4-v-Q-1 P-1-1.5-,Q-Qnvfzrflfuiexrxz-v--after 17-.P-Y-K2 .:v9 'HS P'2 1 +v '41 mv Wfrv-h H f'f 1 Y v M ' H ' ' v w-- f 'W--' ' .. ' ., . ' - t Y - ' 'f ' ,' ' .-3 -A ', .W . ,, :-4... ,ib viii., .T--I rf.: .-trzf-4-vt-1-' 1'-.N-74111-,zw 4' A f f f 7 Z f wxw f f ww - ,MXN Aww WNX 1.-r ug., .4 nu- ks gg L. .A rn-:vw f H'w2xw i 4 S r . 7 ,F I Q ! I 's 1 W , g 1 Ri . -I X if V1 I a