Conyngham (DDG 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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UNITED STATES NAVY ' S POWERFUL SIXTH FLEET. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, SHE RECEIVED A LETTER OF COMMENDATION FROM COMMANDER TASK GROUP 60.1 FOR THE NIGHT TIME RESCUE OF ONE OF THE FORRESTAL ' S PILOTS. IN NAPLES CDR E. P. SMITH, JR., WHO HAD BEEN WITH CONYNGHAM SINCE HER PRECOMMISSIONING DAYS, WAS RELIEVED AS COMMANDING OFFICER ON 15 SEPTEMBER BY CDR GEORGE B. LINDGREN. FROM THE LATTER PART OF SEPTEMBER UNTIL THE 6TH OF OCTOBER, CONYNGHAM PARTICIPATED IN A NATO EXERCISE, AND ONCE MORE ACTED AS PLANE GUARD FOR FORRESTAL. IN NOVEMBER, CONYNGHAM PARTICIPATED IN OPERATION POOPDECK, ONE OF THE LARGEST EXERCISES IN THE MED IN 1964, AND ALSO CONTINUED TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS IN SUCH PLACES AS RHODES, GREECE; LASPEZIA, ITALY; AND BARCELONA, SPAIN. UPON COMPLETION OF A MAJOR UNDERWAY NIGHT REPLENISHMENT IN EARLY DECEMBER. CONYNGHAM ARRIVED AGAIN IN NAPLES WHERE SHE PLAYED HOST TO CONGRESSMAN PIRNIE (R) FROM THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DIS- TRICT IN NEW YORK. IN MID-DECEMBER, CONYNGHAM WAS GIVEN HER FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO SHOOT A TARTAR MISSILE WHILE DEPLOYED WITH THE SIXTH FLEET. THE SUCCESSFUL FIRING TOOK PLACE AT THE FRENCH MISSILE RANGE AT CERES. MEANWHILE, ALL DEPARTMENTS CONTINUED TO COMPLETE THE REQUIRED COMPETITIVE EXERCISES, ACHIEVING GRADES AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN THOSE OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR. AS THE CHRISTMAS SEASON ARRIVED, CONYNGHAM WAS IN TOULON, FRANCE ALONGSIDE THE GRAND CANYON FOR HER FIRST AND ONLY TENDER AVAILABILITY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE FRENCH ALPS ENABLED MANY CREW MEM- BERS TO SPEND SEVERAL DAYS SIGHTSEEING AND SKIING. ARRIVING IN NORFOLK EARLY FEBRUARY, CONYNGHAM WENT ALONGSIDE THE SIERRA FOR A POST DEPLOYMENT TENDER PERIOD. THIS TIME WAS SPENT PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING OP- ERATION SPRINGBOARD. EARLY APRIL FOUND CONYNGHAM ENROUTE TO THE CARIBBEAN TO PARTICIPATE IN OPERATION SPRINGBOARD. DURING THE FOLLOWING THREE WEEKS CONYNGHAM PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL COMPETITIVE EXERCISES. THE WEAPONS DEPARTMENT DISTINGUISHED ITSELF BY SCORING 100 ' S ON THREE GUN SHOOTS. DURING ONE OF THESE, A Z-21-G, CONYNGHAM ' S 5 54 ' S AVERAGED A RAW SCORE OF 425.5, A CRUISER-DESTROYER FORCE RECORD. SPRINGBOARD OFFERED SIX CHANCES FOR TARTAR MISSILE FIRINGS. RESULTS: FIVE HITS AND ONE DIRECT HIT. DURING LATE APRIL AND EARLY MAY, CONYNGHAM PARTICIPATED IN A BUREAU OF NAVAL WEAPONS RESEARCH PROJECT FOR FURTHERING THE NAVY ' S MISSILE SYSTEMS. AFTER A BRIEF STAY AT THE DfiS PIERS, CONYNGHAM SHIFTED TO THE NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD TO BE OUT- FITTED FOR YET ANOTHER MISSILE RESEARCH PROJECT. EARLY IN JUNE. PRIOR TO HEADING SOUTH, CONYNGHAM PROCEEDED TO ANNA- POLIS, MARYLAND AND EMBARKED 40 MIDSHIP- MEN FOR THEIR ANNUAL TRAINING CRUISE. CONYNGHAM THEN HEADED FOR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, WHERE SHE FIRED A LARGE NUMBER OF MISSILES AND ONCE AGAIN RECEIVED NUM- EROUS COMMENDATIONS ON HER OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENT. THIS TRIP ALSO PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT ST CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS. CONYNGHAM RETURNED TO NORFOLK IN LATE JUNE. AFTER ANOTHER BRIEF PAUSE IN NORFOLK, THE SHIP HEADED SOUTH IN EARLY AUGUST. DURING THAT MONTH IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT CONYNGHAM HAD WON HER SECOND CONSECUTIVE BATTLE EFFICIENCY AWARD WITH THE WEAPONS AND OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT ' • E AWARDS AND FINISHED THE YEAR WITH THE HIGHEST SCORE IN THE CRUIS- ER-DESTROYER FORCE. THE MONTH OF SEP- TEMBER WAS SPENT LARGELY IN NORFOLK AND INCLUDED AN ADMINISTRATIVE INSPEC- TION WHICH, ONCE AGAIN, WAS SCORED OUTSTANDING, AND A SEMI-ANNUAL NUCLEAR TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY DRILL AND INSPEC- TION. DURING THIS SAME MONTH CONYNGHAM VISITED CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA TO RECEIVE THE FORCE ANTI-AIR WARFARE AWARD FROM THE CHARLESTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. RETURNING TO NORFOLK, CONY- NGHAM BEGAN INTENSIVE PREPARATION FOR OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT AND COMPLETED HER PREDEPLOYMENT INSPECTION.

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n BUILT BY NEW YORK SHIPBUILDING CORPORATION IN CAMDEN. NEW JERSEY, CONYNGHAM ' S KEEL WAS LAID ON THE WAYS 1 MAY 1961. JUST 383 DAYS LATER, ON 19 MAY 1962, MRS. MARY ALBERT, WIFE OF CONGRESSMAN ALBERT OF OKLAHOMA, CHRISTENED HER AND SHE SLID DOWN THE WAYS INTO THE ELEMENT IN WHICH SHE WAS DESTINED TO MAKE HER NAME. CONYNGHAM (DDG-I7) IS THE THIRD SHIP TO BEAR THIS PROUD NAME. FIRST WAS THE DD-58, A FOUR STACK DESTROYER WHICH SERVED WITH THE BRITISH FORCES ON CONVOY AND ANTISUB- MARINE DUTY DURING WORLD WAR I. THE SECOND SHIP WAS THE DD-371, WHICH SERVED WITH DISTINCTION IN THE PACIFIC THEATER DURING WORLD WAR II AND LATER WAS A PART OF THE TARGET FLEET USED IN THE BIKINI ATOLL ATOM BOMB TESTS IN 1948. THE THIRD, AND PRESENT SHIP, IS A SLEEK PROUD BEAUTY, 437 FEET LONG WITH A 4500 TON DISPLACEMENT. CONYNGHAM WAS COMMISSIONED 13 JULY 1963 AT U.S. NAVAL SHIPYARD, PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA. COMMANDER EDWIN P. SMITH JR., ASSUMING COMMAND. GUEST SPEAKER FOR THIS OCCASION WAS ADMIRAL J. L. HOLLOWAY, USN (RETIRED), GOVERNOR OF THE NAVAL HOME. THE COMMISSIONING CEREMONIES WERE ATTENDED BY MANY VISITING DIGNITARIES, AS WELL AS THE SHIP ' S SPONSOR, MRS. MARY ALBERT. LATE AUGUST SAW COMPLETION OF FITTING OUT ON SCHEDULE AND CONYNGHAM DEPARTED FOR YORKTOWN, VIRGINIA TO LOAD AMMUNITION, MISSILES, TORPEDOES AND THEN PROCEED TO HER HOMEPORT OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA. ON THE 26TH OF SEPTEMBER, CONYNGHAM UNDERWENT HER FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE INSPECTION, RECEIVING A GRADE OF OUTSTANDING, THE FIRST EVER GIVEN IN DESTROYER SQUADRON TWENTY- SIX. EARLY OCTOBER BROUGHT DEPLOYMENT TO THE JACKSONVI LLE-MAYPORT AREA FOR COMPLE- TION OF THE SHIP ' S QUALIFICATION TRIALS. MID-OCTOBER AND DEPLOYMENT TO THE CARIBBEAN AREA TO COMMENCE UNDERWAY TRAINING AT GUANTANAMO BAY WAS NEXT ON THE AGENDA. THOUGH THE TRAINING PERIOD WAS ABBREVIATED, PREVIOUS PREPARATIONS DURING PRECOM- MISSIONING AND FITTING OUT PAID BIG DIVIDENDS AS THE SHIP ATTAINED THE HIGHEST SCORE OF THE YEAR ON THE FINAL OPERATIONAL READINESS INSPECTION FOR A GUIDED MISSILE DE- STROYER. EARLY JANUARY 1964 SAW CONYNGHAM UNDERWAY TO YORKTOWN TO OFFLOAD ORDNANCE PRIOR TO ENTERING THE PHILADELPHIA NAVAL SHIPYARD. WITH THE POST SHAKEDOWN AVAILABILITY COMPLETED, CONYNGHAM WAS AGAIN UNDERWAY IN EARLY MARCH. FIRST STOP WAS YORKTOWN TO LOAD ORDNANCE, THEN IT WAS OFF TO THE CARIBBEAN FOR OPERATION SPRINGBOARD AND f LEET EXERCISES UNTIL LATE MARCH. ON HER RETURN TO NORFOLK, CONYNGHAM CONTINUED OPERATIONS WITH THE U.S. SECOND FLEET AND CONDUCTED VARIOUS EXERCISES DURING THE ANNUAL BATTLE EFFICIENCY COMPE TITION. AS A RESULT OF THE COORDINATED EFFORT DIS- PLAYED BY ALL HANDS IN CONYNGHAM, SHE WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE SQUADRON COMMANDER FOR THE BATTLE EFFICIENCY AWARD FOR FISCAL YEAR 1964 AND EACH OF HER DEPARTMENTS WAS THE LEADING CANDIDATE WITHIN THE SQUADRON FOR THE DEPARTMENTAL ' • E . ALL FIVE ' ■ E PLAQUES WERE AWARDED TO CONYNGHAM. RETURNING TO PORT. SHE MADE PREPARATIONS FOR THE FORTHCOMING DEPLOYMENT TO THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE UPCOMING POM CHECK. IN ADDITION, THE SQUADRON COMMANDER DIRECTED THAT THE SHIP RECEIVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE INSPECTION AT THE SAME TIME AS THE POM CHECK. AGAIN. AS IN THE PRECEDING YEAR, THE GRADE ASSIGNED WAS OUTSTANDING. ON 3 AUGUST. CONYNGHAM SET HER COURSE TOWARD NEW ADVENTURES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. AFTER PASSING THROUGH THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR. CONYNGHAM BECAME A MEMBER OF THE

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COMMANDING OFFICER COMMANDER G.B. LINDGREN COMMANDER GEORGE B. LINDGREN JOINED THE NAVY IN 1944 AND WAS COMMISSIONED AS ENSIGN FROM THE NAVAL RESERVE OFFICER ' S TRAINING CORPS, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR IN JUNE OF 1946. AFTER COMMISSIONING, COMMANDER LIND- GREN WAS ORDERED TO HIS FIRST TOUR OF DUTY ON THE USS HOUSTON (CL-81). AFTER A TOUR IN THE AMPHIBIOUS FORCE ON THE USS LST 694 AND A LANDING SHIP FLOTILLA FLAGSHIP, COMMANDER LINDGREN WAS ORDERED TO THE ' ' MIGHTY MO , USS MISSOURI (BB-63), WHERE HE SERVED AS ' A ' DIVISION OFFICER AS WELL AS ' K ' DIVISION OFFICER DURING THE KOREAN CAMPAIGN. UPON RETURN FROM THE FAR EAST, AND AFTER A TOUR OF SEA DUTY, HE WAS OR- DERED TO THE U.S. NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL IN MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, WHERE HE STUDIED THREE YEARS AND MAJORED IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. FROM MONTEREY,, CDR LINDGREN TRAVELED CROSS-COUNTRY WHERE HE BECAME CHIEF ENGINEER ON THE USS MITSCHER (DL-2). WITH A BROAD ENGINEERING BACK- GROUND, HE REMAINED IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND WITH THE DESLANT STAFF AS THE MACHINERY AND ELECTRICAL OFFICER AND LATER MOVED TO THE USS WILLIS A. LEE (DL-4) AS EXECUTIVE OFFICER. PRIOR TO TAKING COMMAND OF USS CONYNGHAM (DDG-17), CDR LINDGREN STUDIED AT THE AIR WAR COLLEGE WHERE HE RECEIVED A MASTERS DEGREE IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. CONYNGHAM IS HIS FIFTH COMMAND, THE OTHER FOUR BEING THE USS LSFF 790, USS PCS 1378, USS PCS 1426 AND USS DEALEY (DE-1006). COMMANDER LINDGREN IS MARRIED TO THE FORMER PEGGY I. PERRY OF PORTS- MOUTH, VIRGINIA, AND THEY HAVE TWO CHILDREN, GEORGE, JR. AND KARIN. HE TOOK COMMAND OF USS CONYNGHAM 15 SEPTEMBER 1964.