Bremerton (CA 130) - Naval Cruise Book

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Charles C. Kirkpatrick V Captain Charles C. Kirkpatrick, USN, who assumed command of the USS Bremerton on 28 February 1956, served as an enlisted man for one year before receiving his appointment to the United States Naval Academy, graduating with the commission of Ensign in 1931. As Commanding Officer of the submarine USS Triton during World War ll, Captain Kirkpatrick made three successful war patrols in the forward Pacific area during which his ship sank several Japanese vessels. He then became Aide to Admiral E.J. King, USN, Commanderein-Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations, and in this capacity attended wartime conferences which took place in Washington, Quebec, Cairo and and London. ln command of the minelayer USS Shea off Okinawa in 1945, he saved his ship after it was badly damaged by a radio-controlled bomb. Shea was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation. After two years as commander of Submarine Division 81, based at New London, Connecticut, Captain Kirkpatrick acted as Fleet Plans Officer on the Staff of Commander- in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet. l-le served as Director of Plans to the NATO Supreme Allied Command, and helped form the first international Naval Staff. ln 1953, while in the office of Admiral A. W. Radford, USN, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, he joined the Admiral on an around-the-world military tour. Captain Kirkpatrick's tour as Commanding Officer of Bremerton was cut unex- pectedly short by a not-at-all unexpected honor: he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Relieved by Captain R. l-l. Bass in Long Beach September 1, 1956, he left Bremerton to become Chief of Staff, Taiwan Defense Command.

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if J ln Memorium . . . David Terry Collet Seaman, United States Naval Reserve Sewing on active duty in USS Bremerton Lost at Sea lA March i957

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Raymond H. Bass Captain Raymond Henry Bass was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with the commission of Ensign, in 1931. His first sea duty, in 1931-1933, was in the aircraft carrier, Lexington. He then went from the largest ship to the smallest, switching to submarines in 1933, As a iunior officer, his submarine duty included tours of duty in the S-20, Porpoise, and Snapper. He was skipper of the S-20 when the U.S. entered the war in 1941. There followed two and a half war years in command of the submarines Plunger and Runner ll in the Pacific. Under his command, the Plunger made six successive patrols, during which the vessel's torpedoes earned a Navy Unit Citation for his command. The Plunger was the only submarine to succeed in making two round trips into the closely guarded Sea of Japan. Back in the States, he made a speaking tour of Navy schools to help spur volunteers for submarine duty and then to command the new submarine, Runner ll, which his wife christened. This new submarine reached the Pacific in time to make one patrol off Honshu searching for mines ahead of Admiral Halsey's fleet. An anti-submarine patrol interfering with this hazardous mission was sunk with three torpedoes. He was on his way into the Sea of Japan for a third time when he was ordered instead to lead a squadron of twelve submarines into Tokyo Bay far the surrender on VJ Day. Following the war, Captain Bass served as a submarine Division Com- mander in the Canal Zone, and as Operations Ofhcer for Commander Sub- marine Force, Atlantic. ln 1951 he was the Navy member of the U.S. team in Copenhagen which negotiated the Greenland Base Rights Agreement. He commanded Submarine Squadron Ten in 1952-1953. From August 1953 to July 1954 he held command of the APA USS Rockbridge, which was awarded the Amphibious Eattle Efficiency Plaque for her competition group for the fiscal year ending 1 July 1954. Just prior to relieving Captain Kirkpatrick, Captain Bass terminated a two year tour in the Strategic Plans Division and Long-Range Obiectives Group in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.