Charles S Sperry (DD 697) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 7 text:

STEPHEN HARRISON MACGREGOR, JR. Commander STEPHEN H. MacGREGOR, JR., 1940 graduate of the Naval Academy, has served as Captain of the SPERRY since August 1952. A Navy pilot, Capt. MocGregor, served on the USS PORTLAND, USS LEX- INGTON, USS COPAHEE, USS WHITLEY and also has had duty with ComDeslant and the Bureau of Naval Personnel. He sow combat duty in the Pacific and participated in the Third Fleet operations against Japan near the end of the war. Captain MocGregor was awarded the Air Medal, and a gold star in lieu of a second Air Medal for action in the Pacific. ■ i

Page 6 text:

' :» «mSk 1... A To the Crew of the U.S.S. CHARLES S. SPERRY; And so we hove come to the end of o Med Cruise. We ' ve hod our shore of hard work and fun, fleet problems and sightseeing throughout Europe. This is the record of where we went and what we saw. More than that it is a record of six months of successful diplomacy on the port of the men of the CHARLES S. SPERRY. You can all be proud of your port in keeping the Sixth Fleet the Friendly Fleet! Good Luck and good cruising to you all. S. H. MacGregor, Jr., Commander, U, S, Navy United States Ship CHARLES S. SPERRY has a proud and varied record since she was built and commissioned in 1944. She was named for Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry, who commanded the Great White Fleet when it sailed around the world in 1908. She joined Admiral Halsey ' s Third Fleet, soon after commissioning and participated in battles at I wo Jimo, Okinawa, Luzon and Formosa. Credited with two enemy planes and many rescue jobs she has been called one of the Navy ' s Fightingest Destroyers . Returning from the war zone, as all veterans, she didn ' t go into retirement but stayed on the job to train reserves at New Orleans. But she could not stay behind when there was action, in July, 1950, soon after the Korean action started she was ordered to Nor- folk, Virginia to join Squadron 16. With a short training period and getting a full fighting force she left Norfolk with the rest of the squadron on September 6 for a high-speed run to Korea. From October till March the SPERRY took part in every operation against the North Koreans. During the seige of Song ' jin she suffered her first major casualty, three three-inch shell hits. But this was not to put- her out of action for long. Credited with en ammunition dump, three enemy batteries and three probables, two towns and numerous enemy troops she proved she was still a fighting ship. After eight months of action she left for home to receive a short but well earned rest. In June 1952 she again became a training ship but this time for the Midshipmen from the Naval Academy. For this cruise, they stopped at several European ports before return- ing to Norfolk. In August she was to become rescue destroyer for the training carrier at Pensocolo, Flo., for two months. The SPERRY has a proud record and will continue to uphold the traditions of her name — The Fightingest Ship ' .

Page 8 text:

ORAN. ALGERIA It was a bright but slightly chilly morning on April 24, 1953, when the bosun ' s pipe shrilled and the words echoed throughout the ship, Set the Special Sea Detail. This was the morning we had been preparing for, lost minute touch-ups, provisioning and departure inspections. We were underway for the Med and hopefully wishing we would draw the Northern European assignment for the later part of our cruise. As the lost line was over and we were gracefully backing away from the pier we took our last look of the nearly deserted CE piers which we wouldn ' t see for nearly six months. For two doys we went through com- b ined operations with the ships we were to operate with for the next six months. With two carriers and approximately twenty destroyers we made quite formidable looking task force. It wasn ' t to be all work nor all play, we had our share of both in the next few days to come. Underway fueling, sometimes in the daytime, sometimes in the middle of the night, but we took it in our stride. All part of the job we had to do. Misfortune was soon to strike our happy convoy, during one of the exercises on on extremely rough doy about half way across the big drink we were to lose one of our shipmates from our sister destroyer, the USS HUNTINGTON. Two weeks after leaving Norfolk, we were to see our first glimpse of land. The shore of Africa, then we entered the Straits of Gibraltar and welcome to the Mediterranean. The land of enchantment, intrigue, azure blue water and sky, warm winds and our European neighbors. We were port of the SIXTH FLEET, goodwill ambassadors for the United States. Proud to be able to carry our port of the Navy ' s mission and uphold her traditions.