Dahlgren (DLG 12) - Naval Cruise Book

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LEON I. SMITH, JR. COMMANDER USN COMMANDING OFFICER 19 APR 63 — BIOGRAPHY OF COMMANDER LEON I. SMITH, JR. COMMANDING OFFICER USS DAHLGREN (DLG-12) Commander Leon I. SMITH, Jr., Commanding Officer , USS DAHLGREN (DLG-12) graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1943 WITH THE CLASS OF 1944. HE IS THE SON OF CAPTAIN LEON I. SMITH, SC, USN, RET. and Mrs. Leon I. SMITH of Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. His first assignment after graduation was in the USS NEVADA (BB-36) as the Top Spotting Officer. In the NEVADA he participated in convoy opera- tions in the North Atlantic, in the Normandy landing, the bombardment of Cherbourg, invasion of Southern France, bombardment at Marseilles and Tou- lon; in the Pacific at iwo Jima, Okinawa, the bombardment of Jaluit, and the Third Fleet operations in the East China Sea. The NEVADA escaped damage in the European Theatre but was heavily damaged by kamikaze, bomb and shore battery fire at Okinawa. Commander SMITH served in the destroyer WINSLOW (DD 359) as Gun- nery and Project Officer from 1947— 50 while that ship, as a unit of the Opera- tional DEVELOPMENT FORCE, WAS ENGAGED IN TESTING THE FIRST OF THE POSTWAR GUN FIRE CONTROL SYSTEMS. FROM 1955-56 HE WAS EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE DE- STROYER BEARSS (DD 654). From 1956-58 he was Commanding Officer of the destroyer escort COATES (DE 685). From 1961-63he was Commanding Officer of the destroyer USS MANLEY (DD 940). IN 1962 MANLEY in four rescues at sea saved a total of seven persons from three plane crashes and one yacht which sank in a gale. in the same year manley won the battle efficiency Pennant with Departmental Excellence Awards in Operations and Engineering. Commander SMITH is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (1951) and the Armed Forces Staff College (1959). He has served on the staff of Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterra- nean, Naples, Italy and London, England (1951-54) and in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations , Washington, D.C. (1959-61). Commander SMITH assumed command of USS DAHLGREN (DLG— 12) 19 April 1963. Commander SMITH wears the American Defense Medal (Fleet Clasp), American Theater Medal, European-Mediterranean-Mid East Medal with 2 stars, Asiatic-Pacific Medal with 3 stars, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal, National Service Medal and the Phillippine Libera- tion Medal. Commander SMITH is married to the former Sara Mathews of Norfolk, Virginia and they reside in Norfolk, Virginia with their three children; Jack, 19, Sara Elizabeth, 10, and Leon IV, age 8.