Meyerkord (DE 1058) - Naval Cruise Book

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United States Ship Meyerkorcl gl DE- 1058i USS Meyerkord, the titth ot the Knot Cass OT Ocean tscorts, is one of a new class desfgried with the primary role of anti-submarine w arfare, '-leg er.eo.ro s keel was laid September l, l966. She launched jun 15, 1967, commissioned Nosernber 23. i969 and acgegl- ed by the Board of Inspection and Sufsei. Aprii 25. ifu, becoming a member of Destroyer Squadron Tuseni, -:href which, along with USS Tfconderogd 'CNAS-li csv'- prises ASW Group Three. Commissioning was the first ul' is :C'ifJs or one which culminated in deployment to the lilic 'eff Pa. fi- on january 7, l97l. It mart-ted the start of ,issiarefa effort during which would he displayed a dr . ng ' ' e that accepted nothing short of excellence iliriera theft: ,s -. a job to do it was to be donewell. ilhcrr:'vf1sr'.'i reason is do it any Other Way. for the crew iii ile,efF'f1f'J standards existed not to be rnct hut tw he surpassed. lit: fCSUltS Wl'tlCl'i WUC born til this spirit lfrtvc hccri ci'cle?'1'. since commissioning. By DCCCfTlbt:f, l'1i'll .lflc'ye'f,i'Ufiifi. cfcvs .sas working steadily, rcadyirig her tor her clcplii'-,rtiigrii is ire ASW Group Three which would tal-.if lhcrn l :,l 'ii Pet' Hilfbtif dftd tilt: waters tltitlh til ll.lW,lll iricl liter' wi ' duties with thc Seventh fleet in the Weslfgrri lr' nw! l Nw days prior to deployment she received worcl ot .i sclivjcliiiai change which would return the tiroup to tiff: l,:i 'ect States in lichruary, following its opt.-rinon north i' llawaii, to participate in the l irst lleer i.:-o-i-.nc Xcliiiii ture . On Milfcli ll, lU7l ASW iilllllji llllt't' ll-Lillll it-ri lv' voused olf California .incl began the lone nip -,vt-.i, sltlpplltg UNCC ilgillfl .tl Pearl llilllitll lieliirt' tiiitliiitlatiti in' to the Southeast Asian tornhat fone lor .tn Asllf ,wi-t-ii SF' ir! di R f-ls 1- 'U - 9 thftitlglt tht' Stvtllli fitllfltl Sea. 'lrlr',l e'rfs'iiftf's t'lllZl, into - s . i i 'st sliiprjamt-Lj,i11Qj ,15QjVlLQj11,1l1 kjllgd in the Vielttaritese War to lt'llll'll in stippiiil til tli it conf, Q , ir' is t it-rl slit- litgitjt-tj L-,is,tvv,nd t0w,jj'd5 tjqg Philippines, mooring at US. Naval llase, siiliit llis ini Xu J. 1 'i l ' 'iii Nlalcs under .i blanket ol late snow, l1'lc'ye'rL'0rtl spent taster weelsentl in the ninels ill-ew.- 1' i On April ll, the lttsls tirotip tleptitecl Snliit, lv-in tl ltlftlttf ASW worls .lrttl .tsst'l'ttrW, U5 ptesctlcc in Ili if 'isgitt l t Sum.ttt'.t on its return lrorn the lritlian tlcean, the XSl.l. ti i i Austt'.ilian cruiser Perth, killed in the Battle ot the Stintl t sr- i' advances into the Pacific. lt was .t rnosing experience tri' fi the ship glided through the glass-like lntlonestan w ite: s The lhdlatt Ucettrt expedition also proved rtiertiomtltlc To superiority ol' flle',l'erls'orcl's Polliwogs was lrisienificafif wh in the traditional crossing the line cerernons On April 26 ille,i'erRor'tl dropped anchor in the Nlanso' it excellent service from the Singapore Shipvard t.ic:litv the crew rea ties with China, Malavsia, lndia and Great Britain were so app Ven? Lil. . i ,- H in 'ici-an, gatlit-ring oceanographic data for 1 i' '-,s ' ne the Sunda Straits between java and -fe ' ftrr aint-iit.iri cruiser Houston and the ' ' r' ll The japanese shook the globe with their ' rrinnetl the rail lor the memorial service as rec: c 'wi The eouator, where even the vast numerical S-r-rect w 'r s-.wtlw of King Neptune and his loyal Shellbacks S 'iaanore llafhor. While the ship received four days of sed to V sw the heterogeneity of this island country whose past It was a short trip north to Hong lsong, the first for mans. hu: one :fs ssh ch exert man, no matter how well travelled, became a tourist. The lascinations ot that British colonxg the orienta' biirgiins, the Aberdeen fishing village, Kowloon, the tailor shops, the leather craftsmen, Victoria Peak, and the Suzie ltones' or tl..inch.z:g were endless. ileyerreordls four days there seemed over before they had begun. On May ll, illeverkord departed Hong lsong and, as the rest of -XSV. Group Three headed north for japan, took a southerly VOUIC I0 loin USS lruxtun lDLGN-35l as a member of Task Force Sevenzs-Seven in the Gulf of Tonkin. As Truxtun utilized her elaborate electronic tracking equipment to bring US. aircraft back safelv from missions in Southeast Asia, Meyerkord stood by, ready to support her with an ever reads search and rescue and surface gunnerv capability. Meyerkordls duty in the Gull' of Tonlsin was cut short when she was requested to rejoin ASW Group Three in the japanese waters off Yokosuka, to participate in a cooperative exercise with representatives of the japanese Maritime Self Defense Force in the Sea of japan. Transiting along the eastern coast of l-lonshu. the small force turned westward through the Tsugaru Straits north of the island and entered the Sea of japan on Mast 28. During the two week exercise they progressed southward until the conclusion for the june 5 entry into Sasebo, on the island of Kyushu. Meyerkord spent nearly two weeks in the charming japanese port in her final upkeep period prior to her return to the United States. On june 17 she departed Sasebo and, with ASW Group Three, steamed north on a sweep which took her just 200 miles from the Soviet Kamchatka Peninsula, along the Aleutian Island chain to Adak, Alaska, and then south along the west coast of North America for a joyful reunion with families and friends july 5, l97l. u H lhe trip had been the climax of over a year of hard work. On the journey, that hard work was to become a way of life. ln four months the crew had just twenty-four days of liberty. The hours were long and demanding. The demands were continuous, from the heat of the equator to the chill of the Bering Sea. ln four short months illeyerkord had steamed almost 30,000 miles. This untried crew and untested ship had returned, having proved that they and she could meet and master the challenges of the Western Pacific. .ni 3

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Liout nam Hairolol Dale it Moyorkorol Lieutenant Meyerkord was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 9, 1937, graduated from Riverview Gardena High School in 1955 and received a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Missouri. He received his commission on june 10, 1960 alter complet- ing Officer Candidate School. He served in the USS Los ftngefcs' fCA-1351 and the USS Duncan fDD-S741 prior to his assignment to Vietnam. In luly 1964 he brought his expertise, leadership, and dedication to Southeast Asia. As Senior Naval Advisor to the 23rd River Assault Group of the South Vietnamese Navy, he was involved in transportation and support of South Viet- namese troops in battle. His operations brought him under fire more than thirty times. His radio code name was llornblower , the legendary hero of C. S. Forester's novels. He became somewhat ofa legend himself for his dedication to his men, Vietnamese and American, became renowned throughout the River Assault Group. Lieutenant Meyerkord assumed co-leadership with a Vietnamese Commander of a miniature fleet of shallow draft patrol craft to protect three of the thirteen districts which form the vast delta region of the Mekong River. Historically, this waterborne domain has largely been regulated by feudal warlords and river pirates. The agricultural potential of its fertile rice paddies made it a focal point of the tumult of two decades of political conflict, Here, waterways substituted for roads, lacing the iungles so very familiar to the Viet Cong. ThrealS of ambush and instant death were daily companions to those of the River Assault Group. Lieutenant Meyerkord made many low-level aerial flights in the face of Viet Cong fire to gain vital intelligence data, These achievements brought him the posthumous award ofthe Air Medal. He was esen more daring in liti action with the River Assault Group. ln one action, when the enemy blocked his f1eet, he braved heavt fire to set up .2 shore command post from which he directed artillery and air support to turn imminent defeat into victory. In another action, he toolt over for wounded Vietnamese Commander, though wounded himself and facing heavy fire. He rallied his men and continued the fight until victory was assured. He was twice awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in action. He lived up to his stated philosophx: ln order to conduct successful operations in this region, it is imperative that American advisors hate an aggressis e, but not reckless attitude. An advisor that is overlv cautious and places needless stumbling blocks in an operation is a handicap, ' Lieutenant Meyerkord was killed on Starch 16. 1965, while his craft vias in the van, leading the River Assault Group up another canal of the Mekong labyrinth. The tire that he drew that das was his last. His extraordinary heroism was recognized by the posthumous award of the Navy Cross.

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Commanding fficer l Q - off' A ,,,,...-1 T 1 Ciiininmdei liihn A, l5.ildwin t'omin.intlei ligltlxxin um horn in B.iltiniiiie, N1.iixrIrind, completed his seeondary education at Kent School, Kent, Connecticut .intl xxent on to reeeixe hix BS, .ind commission ,is lgnsign in the United States Navy from the U.S. Naval fXe.itleinx in NSS. Ile held hilletx .ix liist l,ieuten.mt and Chief Engineer on the U55 Gufnard lUU'7fl6l in his first sea tour. In 1959 he l1ec.tme llxeeutixe Officer of the CSS fL'ffit'!'5Of7 Cmmfi lLST-5453, following this with a tour as Commanding Officer ol the USS .llifpigwi file IEPCER-8573. In August, H962, Commander Baldwin reported to the University of Washington lor .1 postgr.1dti.ite prngmrn in oee.moi1i'.iphx. Hisi next Kea tour was as Eweeutive Officer of the U55 f0f7f75f0f7 lDD'82ll followed by .1 tour .is Commanding Officer nf the C55 john R. Perry fDE-lO34l in 1965. In September, 1967 Comnnmder Baldxsin .wumed duties as lissmant for -Xnti'Suhmarine Warfare Requirements for the Oceanogfilpllef Ofilllc Naxiy. In October, N69 he reported to the USS t7gj.'ei'l:oi'Q' iDE-10589 where he became her first Commanding Officer upon her eoinmissioning Noxember 25. l969.