Robert H McCard (DD 822) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 6 text:

L U O3

Page 5 text:

HIP The destroyer, MC CARD, was built in the yards of the Consolidated Steel Corporation at Orange, Texas. The ship's keel was laid on june 20, 1945 and launched on November 9, 1945. During this period, the shipyards of the United States were producing destroyers at the rate of one a week in answer to the tremendous need for this versatile type of craft. At the time of the japanese surrender the ship was so nearly complete that it was decided to continue its outfitting and the ship was commissioned on October 23, 1946. The U.S.S. Robert H. MC CARD was named in honor of Gunnery Sergeant Robert H. McCard, USMC, who served with distinction in the Marine Corps from December 18, 1939 until his deaths in action during the battle for enemy held Saipan on june 16, 1944. Mlhile serving as a tank commander, Sgt. McCard's vehicle was put out of action by enemy gunfire. Ordering his tank crew to escape, McCard covered their evacuation with hand grenades and machine gun fire until his death. For his conduct in action, Gunnery Sergeant McCard was awarded the Purple Heart and the Congressional Medal of Honor. After its commissioning the MC CARD made a shakedown cruise of two months at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and then reported for duty with the Des- troyer Force, Atlantic Fleet. She was assigned to Squadron TEN and was based in Newport, Rhode Island. The ship operated out of Newport until September 1947, when she entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for a regular overhaul period. Overhaul completed, the MC CARD proceeded to the Mediterranean where she joined the SIXTH Fleet in March of 1948. Late that summer the ship returned to Newport, her home port, from where she operated on type training during the winter of 1948-49. In the spring of 1949 the M-C CARD once again proceeded to the Mediterranean where she spent the next five months as a unit of the SIXTH Fleet. Returning to the United States in the fall of 1949, the ship entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for a long overhaul period, which lasted well into the spring of 1950. From the Naval Shipyard, the MC CARD went to Guantanamo Bay for a short period of Refresher training. This was followed by a Midshipmen Cruise, which lasted the whole summer of 1950, and which saw the MC CARD visit Carribean and Canadian ports. The Midshipman Cruise ending early September 1950, the ship returned to Newport, where she spent the remainder of the year in and out of her home port on type training. A third tour of SIXTH Fleet Mediterranean duty occupied the oflicers and men of the MC CARD from the end of March until early October of 1951 after which the ship entered Boston Naval Shipyard for four months. Lastly, the ship spent six weeks at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for refresher training. During the summer of 1952 the MC CARD participated in a training cruise for NROTC Midshipmen, visiting Belgian and Portugese ports with seventy-five midshipmen embarked.

Page 7 text:

It was cold, choppy, and snowy-typical Newport weather -on the 'morning when the McCard got underway for the Mediterranean. Let's face it, not everyone was too enthusiastic about leaving. The married men had made their tearful farewells and sent their wives home to stay with their mothers and the . if fx people who had girls on the beach were a little unhappy about leaving them to be looked Underway after by other destroyer sallorsg but there was a definite atmosphere of expectancy on board-the prospect of liberty in French and Italian ports didn't sound bad! This wasn't the hrst Med cruise for the McCard bv any matter of means Since it l l d ' 1 I .. was auncle in 1945 the ship has been there four times and we still have a few Plank owners aboard who've made all the cruises. But this was the first time the McCard had ever been an Admirals flagship and there were a lot of changes that had to be made. YYe cleared all the ammunition out of the after deckhouse magazine and made it into a Flag Office: Radio Central looked like Grand Central Station with Chief Del Ross, Duroyick, and Murphy trying to co-ordinate copying about twenty Fox broadcasts and making sure that the mob of strikers really kept that board H10Vlllg'H. liut the real llail was in Cllfl which Nh Pauley, Dully, and Gower all afr' l 5 cet was about as crowded as the Operations Center of the Eastern Sea Frontier. Although it was a little tougher being the Screen Clommander's Flagship everyone realized that the ship had really been honored by being selected for it The McCtrd h ts 'tl l I K . . . ,. 1 . ways :een a sharp ship, has always been able to do thin s ' ' I g. a little better than any other destroyer, and has always looked a little smarter than any other ship nested with it. All hands knew that on this cruise our standards would have to be even higher because every other des- troyer in the Med was taking its cue from us. The trip over started out well. In company with a few other destroyers and the carrier Tarawa we steamed to a point off Norfolk where we rendez- yoused with the Midway and