Macomb (DD 458 DMS 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE GGEXECSM LT. COMDR. FENELON H. BROCK Lt. Comdr. Fenelon A. Brock was the first per- son to report aboard the hull that was to later take form as the U.S.S. Macomb, and in Jan- uary 1943 he relieved Lt. Comdr. Jerry C. South to become second executive officer of the Mighty Mac. ln September, 1943, he was succeeded by Lt. Richard Mansfield, as he left the Mac to take command of the U.S.S. MacCormack. During his tenure of office as chief engineer and exec, Mr. Brock became one of the most legendary characters in Macomb history, with his China-patrol background, his great stock of tales of the Far East, his explosive liberties, and his definite ideas about washing down bulk- heads. To Mr. Brock, the shipis first and very able chief engineer, we owe great credit for the solid foundation of one of the finest engineer- ing plants and departments in the destroyer Navy. As executive officer he was a capable navigator and administrator. Lt. Comdr. Brock, a Texan by birth and a bachelor by preference, was a graduate of the Naval Academy, class of 1935. Before report- ing at Bath, Maine in the Summer of 1941, he had served on four-stack cruisers and gun boats of the Chinese river patrols from which duty streamed most of the colorful aspects of his personality. He was a born engineer, and few men have been more intimately acquainted with the Macomb's Hblack gang spaces. LT. RICHARD MANSFIELD Third executive officer of the Mighty Mac was Lieutenant Richard Mansfield. Lt. Mans- field relieved Lt. Comdr. Fenelon Brock as executive officer in September 1943 to become one of the youngest and most junior destroyer execs in the Atlantic fleet. Mr. Mansfield was an NROTC graduate of Harvard University, class of 1941, and upon graduation he was immediately called into active duty as an Ensign, USNR. After several months of Communications school, he was assigned to the pre-commissioning detail of the U.S.S. Ma- comb as the junior Ensign on board. For the next year and a half he was Communications Officer until he relieved Mr. Brock as exec. Throughout the Fall of 1943 and the Winter of 1944, he became one of the most popular of all Macomb executive officers. ln March of 1944, while the Macomb was on plane-guard duty with the U.S.S. Ranger south of Narragan- sett Bay, Lt. Mansfield showed the stuff he was made of when a Ranger dive bomber crashed into the water, and the Mac was sent to rescue its crew. As the ship stopped alongside the struggling Hiers, Mr. Mansfield and J. P. Sweeney, fire-control striker, stripped off their clothes and risked their lives in the frigid waters to rescue the injured radioman. As the Macomb sailed for the Mediterranean in April of 1944, Mr. Mansfield was visibly elated as it appeared that he would be able to put into practice under battle conditions his long period of training. But on April 26, 1944, tragedy stalked the Macomb. On that day the ship tossed and spun in a heavy Atlantic storm. As usual, Mr. Mansfield made his daily inspec- tion of the ship, giving little thought to the boil- ing, treacherous sea. A sudden lurch and a heavy wave must have caught him off balance, for unseen by anyone, he was washed over the side and lost at sea. By the time his disappear- ance was realized, darkness had settled and it was impossible to find him. Seldom has such an aura of sadness pervaded this ship, for few men or officers were as well admired and liked as had been Lieutenant Dick Mansfield, a man of brilliant mind, winning per- sonality, high ideals and unwavering purpose. When the saddened ship reached Oran five days later, memorial services were held on board by the Chaplain of the U.S.S. Vulcan, and every ship in the crowded harbor half-masted its colors that day for a man who had served his nation sincerely and well. LT. JOSEPH N. BEHAN, JR. Fourth executive officer of the Macomb was Lt. Joseph N. Behan, Jr., USN, graduate of the Naval Academy, class of 1942, the 4fWar Babiesw who were sent to war in December 1941. 'fExec Behan came to the Macomb from the sister ship U.S.S. Emmons on April 26, 1944 under tragic circumstances to fill the gap caused by the loss of Lt. Richard Mansfield. For 13 months, Lt. Behan was ubossw on the Macomb. Finally, he received orders, now as a Lieutenant Commander, in November 1945. to proceed by quickest transportation to take com- mand of the U.S.S. Cosselin QAPD 1261. ln this period, uExeci' Behan put in the longest tenure of duty of any Macomb officer in that capacity. Lieutenant Commander Behan was born in Newport, Rhode lsland, in April, 1918. His father served in the Navy during Wo1'ld Tvar l. and worked for the Navy most of his life: his step-father and uncle graduated from the Naval Academy and served with distinction during the present war. uBoss'7 Behan was always a loyal and sincere Naval officer. whose high ambition in life was to serve well and faithfully the United States Navy. i i-1 l

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FROM! THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS. TO 2 COMMANDING OFFICER, USS MACOMB SUBJECT: COMMISSIONING, USS MACOMB 1. THE USS MACOMB HAS BEEN COMMISSIONED AND IS NOW BEING MADE READY TO JOIN THE FLEET. TO YOU, YOUR OFFICERS AND CREW, WHO ARE ENGAGED IN THIS IM- PORTANT AND EXACTING DUTY, I EXTEND HEARTIEST CONGRATULA- TIONS AND BEST WISHES. 2. THE NAME OF YOUR SHIP IS ONE WHICH WAS MADE NOTABLE DURING THE CIVIL WAR. CAPTAIN WILLIAM H. MACOMB COMMANDED THE U.S. STEAMER SHAMROCK OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC BLOCKADING SQUADRON FROM 1864 TO 18653 HE LED THE NAVAL FORCE IN THE CAPTURE AND BOMBARDMENT OF PLYMOUTH. NORTH CAROLINA IN OCTOBER OF 18643 HE COMMANDED THE NAVAL FORCES IN THE ACTION WITH CONFEDERATE BATTERIES AND INFANTRY ON THE ROANOKE RIVER NEAR POPLAR POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, DURING THE EXPEDITION UP THAT RIVER. FOR HIS GALLANTRY AND ENERGY, COMMANDER MACOMB WAS ADVANCED SEVERAL NUMBERS IN HIS GRADE. 5. AS THE USS MACOMB TAKES HER PLACE IN THE FLEET, IT IS MY CONFIDENT EXPECTATION THAT SHE WILL UPHOLD IN THESE GRAVE TIMES THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF OUR NAVAL SERVICE. H. R. STARK. Commissioning Ceremony