Cotten (DD 669) - Naval Cruise Book

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I p for Petites V my ' A T SAWNEDQ U. S. S. COTTEN fDD-6691 0ND ?Qt7 4 b I cans Fuser Posr osmc K egg-. ' , NEW Y E T oak, New vomc m rm-Lv nzrtn ro: DD669fWKS:Rs A4-3 Ser: ,321 Q ' p 1 December 1955 Comm flfgaing off1cer,.U.s.s. Coram CDD-6692 Tofigfhbmbegg of the Crew g I SubjagMediterraneanCruiseg comments on ' f f This book is dedicated to the many memories we have of our experiences as shipmates throughout the cruise.'. y , ' I I am proud of eacheand every member of' the COTTEN. Never has the COTTEN failed to meet her commitments. .Never has she failed to fulfill her mission in any manner other than honorably. I I have stressed thefact that the COTTEN TEAM is never better than the performance of the weakest member of the team. Therefore, Iamgreatlyplease to feel and know there is no g really weak member of our COTTEN TEAM. I we have manxpmemtfies of our times together and I shall t always remember them as the most pleasant and cherished memories of all. M.ej ' g Ai If I wish everyone the best of luck for the future and hope f t all my future duty assignments will be as happy and nice as eingfyour Commanding Officer has been. I also hope that we may serve together again in the future. ' To all hands Good Luck and Well Done. Wciitj. W .K. STOW, Jr. CDR I USN Commanding Officer I

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-' The History of the COTTEN USS COTTEN CDDg669D, 21 2100-ton :legs troyer of the Fletcher Class, was built by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. of Kearny, NJ. Her keel was laid on 8 February 1943 and only 166 days were required before she was launched 12 June 1943. This represented a construction Eiicord for a ship of her class. On hand to christen the ship was Mrs. Bessie Henderson Cotten, widow of the late CAPT Lyman Atkinson Cgtten, after whom the ship was named. 5 The COTTEN was eommissioned 24 july 1943 and, after a brief shakedown cruise, was on her 'way to Pearl Harbor. In mid-November 1943 she joined her first task force and saw much action in the Pacific Theater. In December 1945 CUTTEN was ordered into the Mothba1l Fleet at Charleston, S.C. On 15 july 1946, at the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, USS COTTEN was recommissioned a member of Destroyer Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Recommis- sioning ceremonies took place at Charleston 3 july 1951 with Mr. A.T. Smythe, a prominent lawyer, as guest speaker. COTTEN departed Newport, RJ., in May 1953 for the Far East via the Panama Operating out of Japan she spent four months in the KOICBH Theater where she supported United Nations Forces with famed Fast Carrier Task Force '77 and Blockadirlg SHCTES' corting Task Force 95. From Sasebo, japan, via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, she returned to Newport to complete her around-the-World-Cl'l1iSC in Janurary 1954. After the world cruise, COTTEN served with various units of the Atlantic Fleet on training opera- tions until ordered to the Mediterranean for a tour of duty with the US. Sixth Fleet, The story of that cruise...

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CDR W K Stow, .Ir Commanding Officer Commander Walter Kent Stow, jr., took command of USS COTTEN in February 1954- He reported aboard from duty as Officer-in-Charge, U.S. Navy Recruiting, Station, Los Angeles, Calif. , A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1939, CDR Stow served his first duty aboard -the heavy cruiser USS INDIANAPOLIS.. In 1943 he was transferred to USS NEVADA to participate in the assault on the Aleutianlslands. A graduate of the Communications Course at the Navy's Post Graduate School, he specialized in Naval Communications during the remainder of World War II. V . , As Operations Officer in USS MANCHES- TER, CDR Stow served two tours in Korean Waters during that conflict. 9 Q L Q CDR Stow is authorized to wear 25 awards and theater ribbons which include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Gold Star in lieu of second award, they Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Citation. - LT. D. C. Redgruve III Executive Officer 5Lieutenant DeWitt Clinton Redgrave reported aboard' USS COTTEN for duty as Executive Officer 24 March 1955, Hg fe. ported from staff duty with Mine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Mr, Redgrave received his commission as B0 Cilsign in the Naval Reserve through the NROIC program. He served in destroyers as Assistant First Lieutenant and Gunner Officer . . . Y and participated in atom bomb tests at Bikini in 1946. LT Redgrave later commanded the mine- sweeper USS REDHEAD CAMS-343 and par-gici- pated in Korean action. He transferred into the Regular Navy in 1946. He has served in USS KENDRICK CDD 612l, USS HUGHES CDD'-4101, USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS CDD-323l. USS REQUISITE CAMI-109l, USS CALLAO KEIS-2051 and USS MATACO CATF-861. wil ,. , - . .. -. . . - - -, -., , , V.. -.,f..f..- ,.. .,..f. 1. .Ae--.,-. -J--r-mari..---.-lv A+.-4.-if -.rx