Cushing (DD 985) - Naval Cruise Book

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Executive Officer LCDR Peter H. Hendrikson Lieutenant Commander Hendrikson is a native of New York City, the son of Benno and Ulla Hendrikson. A 1975 graduate of Columbia University he received his commission after completion of Officer Candidate School in 1978. Lieutenant Commander Hendrikson s first sea assignment was to USS CORRY (DD 817} where he served as Combat Information Center and Electronic Maintenance Officer. Follow on sea duty assignments have included Missile Systems Officer on board USS RICHMOND K TURNER (CG 20); Executive Officer, USS ILLUSIVE (MSO 448); Operations and Combat Systems Officer, USS REUBEN JAMES (FG 57) and Assistant Surface Operations Officer Commander Carrier Group THREE. Shore assignments have included duty as Instructor of Naval Science at the Calhoon MEBA Engineering School in Easton Maryland. Lieutenant Commander Hendrikson ' s personal decorations include the Navy Commendation Medal (with gold star) and various unit and campaign medal. Lieutenant Commander Hendrikson is married to the former Anu M. Joonas of Astoria, New York. On the count of three , lighters ready? . . . Is that fruit salad or chile?

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Is it always this cold in the summer here? Chief of Staff CAPT. Francis D. Meyer Captain Meyer is a native of Richland Center, Wisconsin, the son of Dr. and Mrs. K. H. Meyer. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967 with a BA in Zoology Pre-Medicine. He received his commission from Naval Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island. Captain Meyer has had sea tours in USS Swerve (MS 0-495), USS Bronstein (DD-1037), and USS Henry B. Wilson (DDG-7). He has commanded USS Preserver (ARS-8) and USS Patterson (FF-I061). He was also Chief Staff Officer of Service Squadron EIGHT. His shore tours have included the Naval post-Graduate School, where he earned a master of Science degree in Computer Systems Management; the U.S. Naval Academy; Fleet Combat Direction Support Activity, Dam Neck, VA; and the Joint Staff. Captain Meyer ' s decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (3 gold stars). Navy Commendation Medal (2 gold stars). Joint Meritorious Service Award, Navy Unit Commendation, Coast Guard Unit Commendation (with Operational Distinguished Device), Battle E Award (with 2 E ' s), National Defense Service Medal (I bronze star). Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2 bronze stars), Vietnam Service Medal (1 bronze star). Humanitarian Service Ribbon (2 bronze stars). Sea Service Ribbon (1 bronze star), and the Naval Reserve Ribbon. Captain Meyer is married to the former Patricia McCarthy. They have three daughters: Alyssa, Jaclyn and Chrystie.

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USS GUSHING (DD 985) is the twenty-third SPRUANCE Class Destroyer to be designed and built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries. The ship was commissioned on October 20, 1979 in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Homeported in San Deigo for her first twelve years of serice. Gushing changed homeports to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on August 1, 1991. She is named after Gom- mandcr William Baiker Gushing, a naval hero of the Givil War, and is the fifth U.S. naval vessel to bear the name. The SPRUANGE Glass Destroyer is unique among U. S. Warships in that it is the first major class to be powered solely by gas turbine engines. GUSHING and other ships of this class are driven by four General Electric LM-2500 gas tur- bines turning twin controllable-reversible pitch propellers. Designed originally for use on large aircraft, these engines have been modiHed for marine use and produce 20,000 horsepower each. They are capable of moving the ship at speeds in excess of 30 knots, and provide a degree of maneuverability and flexibility un- equaled by any other warship of similiar size. As a highly versatile multi-mission destroyer, GUSHING is capable of oper- ating independently or in company with amphibious or carrier task forces. Al- though equipped to handle a wide variety of tasks, GUSHING ' s primary mission is that of Anti-Submarine Warfare. GUSHING uses the most advanced ASW equipment in existence to accomplish this complex and demanding task. In her twelve years of service USS GUSHING has been awarded three BAT- TLE EFFIGIENGY E AWARDS, The Humanitarian Service Medal, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, and five Sea Service E eployment Ribbons. Gushing by J03 Gary Ford CojnNa¥Ba8e EAQ The usual Navy catch phrase is Haze gray and underway, but this is not the case for Cmdr. Leonard W. Capello, new com- manding officer, USS Gushing (DD 985); for him, it was change of command and underway. The ship left last week on a major deployment, four days after Capello assumed com- mand. Gushing is steaming to South America via San Diego to par- ticipate in an exercise called Unitas (Latin word for unity). Unitas is an annual event de- signed to increase the interoperability between South American navies and the U.S. Navy. The exercise consists of nine phases, beginning with phase zero, which the United States will host and will be held near Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. During phase zero, South American navies are invited to send their ships up to exercise on our underwater tracking range, conduct torpedo ASROC firing, anti-submarine warfare, surface to air missile, gunnery and shi p maneuvering exercises just to familiarize ourselves with each other, said Capello. What makes this deployment different from previous ones for Gushing is that this is the first time the ship has gone into South American waters, and the first time the ship has gone south of the equator since 1985. The Navy doesn ' t exercise Ha wau Na Aloha! Volume 17, Issue 23, June 18, 1992 1991 CHINFO Mei