Charles S Sperry (DD 697) - Naval Cruise Book

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He did it. Water, water everywhere , Ready on the right, ready on the left. ' The R in R Division stands for repair, and the shipfitters and machine repair men do just that. During the d ay you ' ll find them around the ship in odd places checking to make sure SPERRY is in good shape structurally. During the night the security patrols make sure that things once repaired stay repaired.

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% A 9 . The SPERRY is a 2200 ton destroyer of the SUMNER class. She was built by the Fed- eral Ship Building and Drydock Company at Kearny, New Jersey, and was commissioned at the Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, New York, on 17 May 1944. She was named for Rear Admiral Charles S. SPERRY, who took com- mand of the Great White Fleet when it left San Francisco in 1908 and brought the fleet the rest of the way around the world. The SPERRY and her sister ships were among the most heavily armed destroyers in the world. With six five-inch guns in twin mounts and six three-inch guns for a secondary battery, she was able to perform anti-aircraft, surface and shore fire support missions. In addition, she carried five torpedo tubes and is equipped with submarine search equipment, torpedoes and hedgehogs for use in anti-submarine war- fare. After a period of training, the SPERRY joined Admiral HALSEY ' S Third Fleet and participated in air strikes against the Japanese at Formosa, Luzon, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa and is credited with destroying two enemy planes. During the Okinawa campaign, six pilots forced down at sea were rescued and 18 men blown over the side from the burning HANCOCK were picked up by the SPERRY. When the BUNKER HILL was hit, the SPERRY was the first ship alongside.