John Thomason (DD 760) - Naval Cruise Book

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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,

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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.

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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