McCaffery (DDE 860) - Naval Cruise Book

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The words above were spoken by l.1eutenantCo1one1Jo- seph Pstrlck McCaffery commanding the fumedsecond Mar- lne Battalllon at Bouganvllle Island, 1943, durlnzthe assault on that Japanese held South Sea ls1.mnd.The USS h1cCAFl'ERY CDD-8603 was named tn Honor of the Colonel and bears his quotation as hor motto. The shlp was built as a Gearing long hull class destroyer by the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard at San Pedro, Callfornla and was commtssloned on 26 July 1945 at Terminal Island, Callfornla. Before her conversion to Escort Destroyer GJUEJ in 1949 she operated for two tours ln the western Pacific. Her num- ber two lun mount was removed and replactwl with a 7.5 inch hedge-hog ASW weapon ln the Mare 1slandShlpyurd.She then reported for duty with the U.S..xtlant1c Fleet ln Newport and fought ln the Korean war during 1950 and early 1951, Since that tlme she has made many cruises to the Mediterranean, plus the Red Sea, North and South Atlantic. In 1961 the ship underwent the Fleet Rehabtlltatlon and Modernization Program designed to add five years to the shlp's life. Her present profile with ECM mast,D.-xSH hang- ar and fllfht deck, ASW torpedo tubes, trlpod mast and a new bridge was a result of PRAM. From the New York Shipyard she reported to her new homeport ln Mayport, Florida. ln recent years the MCCA I-'FERY has made three Med- iterranean Cruises, participated in the Cuban quarantlne, 1962 and the Gemlnl 9 and ll space projects. On 7 February 1967 the ship departed for west Pac for servlce with the U.S. Seventh Fleet. She plane guarded for the USS ENTERPRISE CCVAN-151 on Yankee Station, poured nearly 5300 rounds of 5 !38 caliber shells lnto enemy territory along the coast of vlet Nam, participated ln antlsubmarlne exercises on the Tonkln Gulf along with several classified mlsslous.She then participated ln fleet exercises, Polaris missile support and upkeep tmtil she entered Charleston Naval ShlpyardlnChar- leston ln 1968. She returned to Mayport for refresher train- lng and lndlvidtml exerclses ln April 1989. The period from May to June was spent ln preparation for overseas deployment. On 27 June,l969, she left Mayport to join ST.-KNAVFORLANT ln Norfolk, Virginia. '.+

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