Lowe (DER 325) - Naval Cruise Book

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SHIP'S HISTORY The USS LOWE was built by the Consolidated Ship Builders of Orange Texas and launched on July 28 1943. Named after a Gunner's Nlate 3rd Class, Harry J. Lowe Jr. of Paducah Kentucky. She has served in many roles and many distant places in her career. --Bermuda, the lvlediteranean, Nova Scotia, Seatle, Japan, San Francisco, Alaska, Hawaii, and, of course, Guam are some of the places that have passed by her beam. Originally a Coast Guard ship operating as a convoy escort in the Atlantic in late WW Q sl?-e has at least one sub, the U-866 to her credit, which was sunk off the coast of Nova co ia. . I -After the end of hostilities she became a training ship for Naval Officers in Norfolk, Virginia until her first decommissioning in 1946. She was not to remain idle for long as she was put in the harness once more in 1951 as a weather station ship in the Atlantic. She saw the warm waters of the Pacific for the first time in lVlay of 1952, where until 1954, she continued her role as a weather ship. The LOWE was not to rest long before the Navy found a new use for her. After much re-fitting she put to sea as a Radar Picket Ship in August of 1955. For the next 10 years she plied the waters off the West Coast of the U.S. as part of the Norad Air Defense System. Some of the highlights of that period were participation in the Bellingham Wash- ington Blossom Time Festival, a good-will tour in 1960 to Acapulco and lvlarjenillo in lVlexico as part of the President's People to People program, and many E's for excellence in her picket duties. ln lVlay of 1965 the Picket Ships were declared to be of no further use to Norad and the LOWE and her sister ships were to be decommissioned. But, once again the Navy found another use for those versatile DER's. This timethe LOWE would be an Anti-infiltra- tion Patrol Ship off Vietnam. So she sailed the breadth of the Pacific to Guam, which was to be home for her and her crew in her latest role. lt is long and arduous work with much at sea time, 72'7s at sea being reached on her last Patrol, but the LOWE is used to chal- lenges having met and overcome them from Naples to Da Nang. From Alaska to Acapulco. What new challenges lie ahead for this twenty-five year old veteran? The LOWE has Just been scheduled for decommissioning, under CNO project 673.

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Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander RESZETAR was born February 13, 1932 in Ormrod, Pennsylvania, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Reszetar. Upon graduation from Parkland High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania he entered the U.S. Naval Academy from where he graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Following graduation LCDR RESZETAR reported to USS KENNETH D. BAILEY CDDR-7139 and served on board until August 1958. During his tour in BAILEY, he served as Communications Officer, Main Propulsion Assistant and Engineering Officer. In September 1958 he reported to the Pre-commissioning Detail for USS OBSERVATION ISLAND CEAG-1549 at Norfolk, Virginia. When the ship was commissioned in December 1958, he reported on board as Communications Officer and served until July 1959. During this period, the ship was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for work in the development of the polaris missile. In 1959 LCDR RESZETAR reported to the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School as a student and graduated in June 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. From July 1961, until December 1962 he served as Operations Officer and Navigator in USS WILLIAM H. WOOD lDDR-7153. During this period the ship was involved in the Cuban quarantine opera- tions. In January 1963 he reported to the Staff Commander Destroyer Squadron FOUR in Charleston, South Carolina as Chief Staff Officer and Material Officer. Upon completion of this tour in March 1964, he reported aboard USS ROBERT K. HUNTINGTON CDD-7813 as Executive Officer and Navigator. LCDR RESZETAR reported to the U.S. Naval Academy in August 1965 as an instructor in the Weapons Department. At the Naval Academy he taught Systems Engineering and Au- tomatic Control Systems. ' On 5 July 1967, LCDR RESZETAR assumed Command of USS LOWE, Qdestroyer escort radar picket 3259, a member of Escort Squadron SEVEN, home-ported in Guam, Marianas Islands. LCDR RESZETAR is authorized to wear the following medals: Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Expeditionary Medal, Occupation Medal, National Defense Medal with bronze star, t-he Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze star, the Vietnam Expeditionary Medal with bronze star and the South Vietnam Medal. A