Piedmont (AD 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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Captain James R. Payne, USN. Captain James R. Payne, USN, was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in l938. A tour of duty in the SALT LAKE lCA-25l was followed by an assignment to the Staff, Scouting Force, U.S. Fleet. World War ll years were truly action years for Captain Payne, as he completed tours of duty in the USS RODMAN IDD- 456l as Gunnery Officer, the USS EVANS lDD-552i as the Executive Officer, the USS HAILEY lDD-556l as Commanding Officer, and the USS DANE lAPA-238i as Executive Officer. After finishing the Naval Postgraduate School, the Captain was awarded a Master Degree in Engineering from the John Hopkins University in June I949. Sea duty was resumed that same year as Operations Officer in the USS WORCESTER lCL-l44l. His next duty was Assistant Head, Surface-Launched Guided Missiles Branch in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He was then ordered to duty as Commanding Officer of the USS MITSCHER IDL-2l. Prior to reporting for duty as Commanding Officer of the PIEDMONT, Captain Payne was Assistant Surface Weapons Systems Director in the Bureau of Ordnance. He resides in Coronado, California with his wife Kathryn and two children, James and Paul. i Z 'fs , .Y .GQ Y .K- -fs? ii Q I . ., I-4 .le.pG,..4th .fi ,, N i h A' A d1.:::., ,ik Aux .X ,:,v:.',,- , -av 'SLA in

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destroys ion whit ser 1941 olcolm D. voter it JMONTS s working te vcrioiu radio ani 1, canvas rchby I6 I. ll hos lair sizei dhondles ness WGS , with llli r Pandmi gift Heel ,sions 10? ,mn hours 1 50 otlitf ne, lull wpp0l'1llll :obs Welf Laser wort aw., ii with 'li food U55 tor Iepalll din? iflil'lf ,5linch QU. -0 eff 9, the ' P12040 rt JUN1 llool wt 1' tt Wires Wt ,, rettfel' January, February, March and April saw PIEDMONT in her most sustained effort. Those same months which witnessed the seaborne invasions of Lingayen, Iwo and Okinawa, found the Repair Department averaging more than 1000 completed iob orders and almost 100,000 man hours of work each month. In the peak period extending from 23 January to 19 February, a period of 18 days, more than 1,400 iob orders were completed, 24 separate diving operations were conducted, and 18 different ships were tended alongside. During the long, bitter weeks of the Iwo-Okinawa operations, the United States Fleet suffered more damage than at any other time in its history. U.S.S. CAVSEVOORT CDD608j, beached and abanded after being hit by a suicide plane during the Mindoro landings of November 1944, was patched, refloted, and towed to Ulithi for temporary repairs which would permit her return to the U.S. under her own power. It was found that the explosion of :HI4 boiler had completely destroyed her after engine room. Extensive damage had been inflicted upon her bilge web frames and she had been pumping 500 to 1000 gallons of water per hour in order to remain afloat. First she was dry docked, the concrete which had been used in patching her hull at Mindoro was chipped out, and metal patches were substituted. Then followed thirty days of availability alongside after which U.S.S. CAVSEVOORT returned to the States under her own power. The most badly battered of the battle damaged ships serviced by PIEDMONT at Ulthi was U.S.S. HAZAELWOOD CDD531D which came alongside on 4 May 1945. Her entire bridge superstructure was a mess of tangled wreckage, a deck forward of her stack, had been completely destroyed, extensive bomb damage extended down to her second platform, and her interior and fleet radio room had been destroyed. Numerous dead had still to be removed from the wreckage. In the 20 days that HAZELWOOD remained alongside, the following repairs were effected. The wreckage of her bridge structure was cleared away down to the leval of her main deck, and temporary patches were welded on the main deck to insure water-tight integrity. The 50 millimeter gun director platform and the after steering platform were remodelled into a Navigating bridge. A 12 search light a standard compass and 3 sound powered phones were installed. Two high frequency radio transceivers were also installed. A canvas awning was fabricated and installed over the rebuilt bridge structure as protection against the weather. Finally emergency cabling was run to 3 forty millimeter guns. All repairs effected were temporary and on 24 May HAZELWOOD sailed for the United States and a Navy Yard rebuiding. At Eniwetok, the repair department was occupied chiefly with the construction and development of fleet recreation facilities ashore in anticipation of the fleet turn-around which had been scheduled for late August. The fleet did not return to Eniwetok for the anticipated August availability as on 14 August, the Japanese government accepted Allied peace terms. On top of this electrifying news the ship received orders to prepare for getting underway. PIEDMONT had been selected from the Pacific Fleet destroyer tenders as the one to move into Tokyo Bay with the first naval units for ocupation of Jap ships. A long awaited event took place on 28 August 1945 when PIEDMONT dropped her anchor in Sagami-Wan, Honshu, Japan. Early on the 30th, she moved into Tokyo Bay and on the following day moored to the dock at the Yokosuka Naval Base. While moored at Yokosuka, PIEDMONT supplied provisions and clothing to the landing forces and to the hospital ships standing by to care for released Allied prisoners of War. So permanent a feature did the ship become in Yokosuka that the dock was named PIEDMONT pier. PIEDMONT remained in the Tokyo area supporting the occupation forces until sailing for the USA to arrive at Alameda, California on 15 March 1946. U.S.S. PIEDMONT earned the Navy Occupation Service Medal, Pacific for the periods from 2 September 1945 to 24 February 1946, from 11 June 1946 to 2 February 1947, and from 12 September 1948. r U.S.S. PIEDMONT also earned the China Service Medal for the periods from February to 30 Merch 1948, and from 16 May to 30 May 1950. When the Korean campaign began on 27 June 1950, PIEDMONT was on station in Japan carrying out her normal schedule providing tender services to ships of the 7th fleet where she remained until relieved in November. During the Korean campaign PIEDMONT completed three tours in the Western Pacific, 4 September 1950 to 27 October 1950, 1 August 1951 to 12 February 1952, 9 September 1952 to 9 March 1953 and 11 April 1954 to 27 July 1954, when she acted as flagship for Commander United Nations Blockading and Escort Force and provided tender services to ships of Canada, Columbia, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand as well as those of the U.S. Navy. PIEDMONT earned the Korean Service Medal with four battle stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Korean Presidential Unit Citation for her activities during the Korean campaign. Since the end of Korean Campaign PIEDMONT has continued to carry out her assigned mission of tending destroyers, both in San Diego and the Western Pacific. In February 1956, she returned from a six month tour of duty in the Far East which included visits to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Formosa and Japan. In April, PIEDMONT sailed to Bremerton, Washington for a two Month yard period at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Upon her return in June, she became the Flagship of the Commander Cruiser-Destroyear Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In a colorful shipboard ceremony on August 2, Rear Admiral Chester C. WOOD assumed command of Cruiser-Destroyer Force. Later, he awarded the PIEDMONT, the modified Battle Efficiency E for large tenders within the Force for the fiscal year 1956. The Flag disembarked and in November Captain James G. FRANKLIN relieved Captain Charles E. PHILLIPS as Commanding Officer. In January 1957 PIEDMONT again departed CONUS for her annual tour of duty in WESTPAC, visiting Subic Bay, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sasebo, Kobe and Yokosuka, before returning again to San Diego in August 1957. In October 1957, Rear Admiral Chester WOOD, again awarded the PIEDMONT the modified Battle Efficiency E for large tenders within the force for the fiscal year 1957. On 21 May 1958, Captain P.W. McELRATH relieved Captain James G. FRANKLIN as Commanding Officer. On 23 June 1958, PIEDMONT departed San Diego and steamed for Yokosuka, via Pearl Harbor, arriving there on 12 July and embarking Commander Destroyer Flotilla ONE to become the Flagship of Rear Admiral Horacio RIVEKO. On arrival in Yokosuka, PIEDMONT anticipated a normal tour of 6 months in that port, but when the Lebanon crisis in the Middle East erupted, these hopes were short lived. Exactly three days after arrival in Yokosuka on 15 July, PIEDMONT steamed for Subic Bay, Philippines to stand ready and alerted to participate if needed, in the Mid-east action. The ship served the Subic Bay area from 21 July to 28 August 1958, when again its services were needed to support ships and men at Kaoshiung, Formosa, head-quarters for Formosa Patrol Force. The off shore island by Ouemoy, held by the Nationalist Chinese, was under heavy bombardment by Communist Chinese artillary, in an anticipated move to retake the island. Several units of the U.S. Seventh Fleet were moved in to Kaoshuing to fore-stall this action, and PIEDMONT rendered its services around the clock to ships engaged in convoy and patrol duty in the Formosa Straits. PIEDMONT again was awarded the third consecutive Battle Efficiency E for large tenders with the force for the fiscal year 1958. PIEDMONT was relieved in WESTPAC by the U.S.S. DIXIE CAD14D on 12 January 1959, for yard overhaul in San Francisco, California. Arriving back in SanDiego 23 May 1959, she again was ready to start repairs on destroyers. Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, under the command of RADM U.S.G. SHARP embarked upon return from yard overhaul. PIEDMONT was awarded the 4th consecutive Battle Efficiency E for large tenders within the force for the fiscal year 1959, along with the Green C and Green Operations E , On 5 October 1959, Captain J. R. PAYNE relieved Captain R.W. MacELRATH as Commanding Officer, U.S.S. PIEDMONT QAD17j. On 5 January 1960, U.S.S. PIEDOMONT departed San Diego once more and steamed out of the harbor for Yokosuka, Japan, via Pearl Harbor. Arriving there on 23 January and embarking Commander Destroyer Flotilla ONE, PIEDMONT became Flagship of RADM J.W. LEVERTON. While PIEDMONT's staid in Japan, she worked on many destroyers alongside, and undertook many operations for other ships in the stream. One of the many tasks she undertook was the changing of two screws for the U.S.S. Frank S. BUCK. While in WESTPAC, PIEDMONT saw quite a few of the exotic islands that have been talked about for so long, and by so many. She visited Okinawa, Formosa, Philippine Islands, and then returned once more to Japan. Back in Yokosuka, Japan, we renewed old friendships, and for some made new ones. The PIEDMONT spent 3 months from the 3 May 1960 to 27 July 1960, making minor and maior repairs for both ships and shore. From 27 July to 14 August, PIEDMONT spent underway back to the States, via Pearl Harbor.

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l I Commander Claude L. Kishler, USN. Commander Claude L. Kishler, USN, is the son of an Army officer. He started his naval career as a Seaman Apprentice in the USS WYOMING, and received his Midshipman training in the USS ILLINIOS. The World War ll years of T940-44 were served in the USS PENSACOLA, where he earned the impressive number of twelve battle stars on that one ship alone. Next, he served as Ass't. Gunnery Officer, First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer in the USS SAN FRANCISCO during the China and Korea occupation. Later, Commander Kishler attended the General Line Postgraduate School, before becoming Force Personnel Officer of ComPhibPac. When the Korean conflict commenced, he headed the Personnel Allocated Plans Section in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations. From there, he served as Executive Officer of the USS NEW KENT TAPA-l27l, Executive Officer of the USS PLYMOUTH ROCK iLSDl, Ass't. District Planning Officer for the Fifth Naval District: and Force Ordnance and Training Officer on the staff of Commander Service Force, Atlantic. Commander Kishler reported to the USS PIEDMONT in August i959 for duty as Executive Officer. He resides in La Mesa, California with his wife Margaret, and four children, Lesley, James, Barbara and Bruce.