Porterfield (DD 682) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 9 text:

Immediately upon commissioning she received her new, and mostly green crew. and headed for the war against Japan, where she earned the hard way, eight campaign bars, nine battle stars and suffered seventeen major casualties from enemy fire. During her various operations from Hollandia, New Guinea to Japan, she escorted the first carrier task group to strike Tokyo since Major Doolittle in 19412. Members of her various crews in World War II received one Silver Star, four Navy aud Marine Corps Medals, three Bronze Stars, and seventeen Purple Hearts. Upon returning home after the cessation of hostilities, she was temporarily retired to an inactive status until April 1951 when she was recommissioned. This time PORTERFIELD was assigned to the U. N. Forces in Korea where she again performed in an admirable manner tackling all the routine jobs that these valiant ships are required to carry out. During this period she received another campaign bar, three battle stars and suffered a direct hit from a 75 mm enemy shore battery, but patched her self up and continued the assault on the east Korean shore. Since Korea she has spent approximately six months a year in the Orient undergoing extensive training exercises in gunnery and anti-submarine warfare. Countries visited on these WestPac tours include Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Okinawa. In her naval career PORTERFIELD has traveled some 500,000 miles under eight com- manding oflicers and several crews, all of them 44 hard working , 44 hard playing and 44 hard fighting 'i navy men. She has been battered unmercifully by the seas she was born to and still carries permanent scars from enemy fire, but be it the sea, the wind or the enemy, this intrepid prowler of the deep will be in there fighting. C45

Page 8 text:

i i X I If ff , ,A iw fr, it .V F, X 'W Q N M L 71, X yyay I f ff V , f f ' 7,2 V' W j ' f ,X f, QW V Z HIP' HI TORY On 13 June 1943 at Terminal Island, California a brand new destroyer slid down the ways to take her place in the United States Fleet. Named after Admiral Lewis Broughton Porterfield and sponsored by his widow, a bottle of champagne crashed over her proud prow and she became the U. S. S. PGRTERFIELD QDD 682j, destined to become one of the most colorful ships in the fleet, another tin can ready to take her place in history as one of Uncle Sam's fearless Greyhounds of the Sea. C35 Z

Page 10 text:

COMMANDING OFFICER Commander Richard G. Augenblick, U. S. N. Commander Augenhlick served on the U. S. S. NEVADA QBB-362 and U. S. S. VINCENNES QCL-645 in World War II, participating in eight Pacific campaigns and also Atlantic Fleet convoy duty. From 1947 to 1952 he was Flag Secretary for Commander Amphibious Group One and Com- mander Amphibious.Force, U.S. .Pacific Fleet. In Korean and WestPac operations, Commander Augenblick served on the staif of Commander Task Force 90 in 19515 Executive Officer of the U.S.S. AULT QDD-698j in 1953, and Executive Oflicer of the U.S.S. POINT DEFIANCE QLSD-31j in 1955. A He attended the Naval War College in 1952 and served in the OfHce of the Secretary of Defense from 1956 to 1958. Commander Augenblick has been the Commanding Officer of the PORTERFIELD since March 1958. EXECUTIVE OFFICER Q LCDR Richard L. Alford, U. S. N. Upon commissioning in June 1946, LCDR Alford first served aboard U.S.S. ASTORIA CCL-90D andthen U.S.S. BADOENG STRAIT CCVL-1165. After attending Mine Warfare School at Yorktown, Va. in 1951, LCDR Alford served as Execu- tive Officer of the U.S.S. FLICKER QAMS-9j and then Commanding Olilicer of the U. S.S. READ- HEAD CAMS-34j until 1954. The last two months as Captain of U.S.S. READHEAD, he served as ComMinDiv 31. After four months service with ComMinRon 9, LCDR Alford attended the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California. He then served on the staff of ComMinPac until March 1959 when he was ordered to report to U.S.S. PORTERFIELD for duty as Executive Ofliicer. C55