Damato (DD 871) - Naval Cruise Book

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1 Bears Scars estroyers Home From War Duty NORFOLK-The scene was one that is getting to be quite familiar again in Norfolk-the gaily colored crowd on the pier and the slim, gray warships edging in-. It was another homecoming, a wartime homecoming, for the four destroyers were returning from action off Vietnam. Only one of them, the Damato, was on the wrong end of enemy fire-she was struck twice by North Vietnamese shells which injured no one-but all dealt heavy blows against the tnemy heavy blows against the enemy ing the myriad chores of destroy- ers at war. The Damato took her hits on Sept. 13 off the coast of North The communist gunners are good, both men agreed. They're getting better. Each time they shot at us they were a little bet- ter, Dietrich said. Clement -has had further ex- perience with the accuracy of the guns. He and his staff shifted to another destroyer, the Mansfield, Vietn-am. One struck the cap- tain's cabins- It wiped me out completely, said Cmdr. Henry TL Dietrich Jr.-and the other landed admidships between the destroyer's stacks. It was just lufck that day that no one was hurt, 'and I'm thank- ful to the Lord' for it, Dietrich said. He and Cmdr. Robert R. Cle- ment, commodore of Destroyer Division 222, said the shells were 85mm. Further north, where U.S. cruisers operate, the North Viet- namese guns get bigger, Dietrich added. and on Sept. 25, in almost 'the same spot in which the Damato was struck, the Mansfield was hit. One man was killed and sev- eral were wounded. The other ships of Clement's division are the Leary, the Wal- dron and the Cony. ' The Leary traded shells with the North Vietnames guns: But her main role was supplying gun- fire support 'for ,embattled U.S. and South Vietnamese forces be- low the Demilitarized Zone. That was the principle role of the Wal- dron and the Cony too. It was interesting, but it's good to be home, Clement said. Homecoming - ' ' ' ' 'th th anticism of their elders as h1S mother A destroyer membeitgf DdeilsliimngiitStdgmslibliziaoagis ghses lfezlioliiisband welcome home The ships came January 5 t eine at last ' ' N f lk p y O 'V - .' O 'gtaiolgr iilnsegrrtegisirs the impatience of the young In Tl1SSdaY- Story 15 011 Page 19