Copeland (FFG 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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7 0 • BERING SEA .••• C ancer O Wake Island tden h( Si) | •:S il s2 ■ NORTH PACIFIC Midway Islands Of. Hawaii peasl harbor O 0».HU .HONOLULU . f . % Christmas PACIFIC OCEAN auaiof SOUTH PACIFIC CHRONOLOGY OF PORTS VISITED, 01 - 03 Feb 88 Honolulu, HI 15 - 22 Feb 88 Subic Bay, R.P. 16 - 19 May 88 Manama, Bahrain 06 - 08 June 88 Manama, Bahrain 15 - 18 June 88 Phuket, Thailand 23 - 30 June 88 Subic Bay, R.P. 02 - 09 July 88 Hong Kong, U.K. 20 - 21 July 88 Honolulu, HI

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)ear Admiral Robert W. Copeland Robert Witcher Copeland was born in Tacoma, Washington, on 9 September 1910. He graduated from the University of Washington with Bachelor Degrees in Business Administration and Law, and on 18 May 1935 he was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve. In that same year he was admitted to the Washington State Bar and practiced Law until entering into active Naval Service In 1940. During the early 1940 ' s, he advanced rapidly and successfully commanded the USS PAWTUCKET (YT-7), USS BLACK DOUGLAS (PYC-45) and USS WYMAN (DE-38). On 28 April 1944, a new destroyer escort was commissioned, USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE-413), and placed under the command of (then) LCDR Robert W. Copeland. SAMUEL B. ROBERTS was ordered to the Pacific theater of operations and fought in the battle off Samar. It was that battle in which LCDR Copeland inspired his crew to such heights that, in spite of being a small destroyer escort, the ROBERTS helped turn back the formidable Japanese Battleship, Cruiser and Destroyer Force and contributed to the key victory in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The ROBERTS was sunk in the battle, but not before she carried out her mission in heroic fashion and earned the reputation of being The Destroyer Escort that fought like a Battleship . LCDR Copeland was among the 120 survivors of the ROBERTS who were rescued some 50 hours after the battle. For extraordinary courage and magnificent spirit in the face of terrific odds LCDR Copeland was awarded the Navy Cross. It is interesting to note that FFG-52 was commissioned USS CARR in 1985 in honor of GMG3 Paul Henry Carr, who was killed on board the ROBERTS during the battle off Samar, and that FFG-58 was commissioned in 1986 as USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS.