Wallace L Lind (DDE 703) - Naval Cruise Book

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It is with pride that I, as Commanding Officer of the USS WALLER, take this opportunity to express my appreciation CO the 0ffiCC1'S and men f01' making our ship one of the sharpest, finest operating destroyers in the Atlantic Fleet. ' I t od before About one year ago this September, s o you and took command of this ship. At that time I asked for the loyalty and cooperation of all hands. I further asked that whatever we were doing, whether it be undergoing overhaul in the Navy yard, Refresher Training at Guantanamo Bay or touring with the Sixth Fleet, that we do it as a team. This we have done and it has been gratifying for me asl know it rnust be for you that we topped the division in Refresher Training at GTMO. We were the smartest destroyerin the Med and the only DD in the Med to have Admiral Burke on board. When a job was to be done, the WALLER did it smartly and was always there on time. You as the crew of this ship have made it come alive. You are the ones who sailed it through gales of sixty knots and who kept it steaming for 43 continuous days. The winning of the Battle Readiness E -and the big Red Echo for Engineering is something we can all be proud of, but if each and everyone of you had not done this job, small as it may have been, we could not have won them. To YOU I 533' Well done! The Skipper THE CAPTAIN CDR Thomas I.. I-lorngr

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. ' S. al fa- X .97-I if .'s : ' Q., .vs ,L-. . 'P x Q i . 1, .4,-,-2'-4 i , N ll Q. 1 va - .Afffgf N- inn ' S The United States Navy s greatest strength lies not in the armament of its ships but rather in the loyalty of its office rs and men to their ships This is the essence of Spirit In this volume we have tried to capture in some measure the Waller s irit which made the 1957 Mediterranean ' I A . . . . . V that greatest of Naval intangibles. . . Ship's Q, . A . . . I ,-gs, --.1 'i-'IV' ,,,4.q:,,, xi?-' ,sf -fvf --- 09.4-Ya,,' W 1 V i 1 ' .4-441, V - K 4 P cruise memorable. This outstanding feeling of mutual endeavor and pride, we feel, should be preserved in so far as these pages are capable . There is nothing which has a greater influence on a ship's spirit than the Commanding Officer. This volume is ded- icated to our Captain, Commander Thomas L. Horner Whose skill, enthusiasm, and warm personal touch have inspired the officers and men of the Waller. Our pride is well grounded in the estimable reputation his leadership has won for our Blue Lady. M 0'-Q7 if g-,,-il-1 ':. P ,xp ,,.. .- I-., 4 F-es?-1 -af Q- 5:-S'h ' - 'CG qdg-he 'I ' A -5- L ,,.z'r- 1 Q' if - i -3 - q' Ago it T Caged- ,.,re ' - rr 36-Q2.: Qt. I . T' F?

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THE SHIP that rnade the cruise ...L- W r-in-1517 1:44, The U.S.S. Waller QDDE 4661 a 2100 ton des- troyer of the FLETCHER Class, was launched in the yards of the Federal Ship Building and Drydock Co. , Kearny, New Jersey of 12 August 1942. She was named in memory of Major General L.W. T. Waller, USMC. In January 1943 she moved into the Asiatic - Pacific theater where she earned 12 battle stars in operations against the Japanese. She is credited with sink- ing one enemy submarine,downing 14 aircraft and assisting in the sinking of a Japanese cruiser. The Waller was placed out of commission in 1947 but two years later was taken to the Charleston Shipyard where her entire superstructure was rebuilt and numerous new types of anti-submarine equipments were installed. In July 1950 she was recommissioned as an Escort Destroyer QDDEQ. The Korean conflict took her back to the Far East where she earned the nickname Mighty Mite . She returned to the Atlantic Fleet in 1952 and has been an active participant in many NATO, hunter-killer, Sixth Fleet and ASW exercises ever since. Her armament today consists of two 5 dual purpose guns and two twin 3 rapid fire mounts for anti-aircraft defence. Her ASW weapons include torpedos, weapon A , hedgehogs and depth charges. Capable of speeds in excess of 33 knots, the Waller is 376 feet long, 39 feet wide and requires 19 feet of water for safe navi- gation. Her present compliment is 14 officers and 255 enlisted men.