Dennis Buckley (DD 808) - Naval Cruise Book

Text from Pages 1 - 80 of the 1971 volume:

• ;.;. o;;1 i; :,. n MXii Ji ' ' ' ' 4M. i . • ■ ill ll Mll i iiil ll H if0i m . , ,-5« ' - VL • Fifth Wes tern Pacifiq Cruise 1 ' if 5 February - 4 August 1971(f IN DRYDOCK AT SAN FRA ;,CISCO FR( 1970. MAKING PREj WT STERN FAClYlf ER- UNE UNTIL OCTOB .TION FOR THE FIF1 LOYMENT. DENNIS JOSEPH BUCKLEY, Jr. was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts on April 22, 1920. He was killed in enemy action on March 10,1943. BUCKLEY enlisted in the United States Navy at Springfield, Massachusetts, on Septem- ber 30, 1940, and served continuous until the time of his death. For his meritorious service in World War U, BUCKLEY was awarded the Silver Star Medal, with the following citation: DENNIS JOSEPH BUCKLEY, Jr. For conspicious gallantry and intrepid- ity while attached to a United States warship in action against enemy forces on March 10, 1943. When a hostile Blockade Runner intercepted and attacked, BUCK- LEY, as a member of a boarding party attempting to salvage the vessel, dis- played exceptional courage in the face of grave danger from threatening flames and the powerful explosions of demoli- tion charges. While preparing to ascend the ladder of the Runner in order to as- sist in the hazardous salvage operations. BUCKLEY lost his life as the result of a sudden violent explosion. His exemplary conduct and heroic devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gal- lantly gave his life for his country. COMMISSIONING CEREMONIES mc ] Launching ceremonies at Bath, Maine. First crew of DENNIS J. BUCKLEY, Commissioning Day. 1944 1954 1 « --!i r?r-i  « ' : ' i ' i:- 757 The USS DENNIS J. BUCK- LEY (DD-808), a destroyer of the 2,300-ton GEARING class, was built in the yards of the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine. Her keel was laid July 24, 1944, and she was launched Decem- ber 20th of the same year. The BUCKLEY was placed in com- mission at the Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1945. Since commissioning, the DENNIS J. BUCKLEY has served in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean Fleet. She has transited the Panama ( a- nal four times and made one around-the-world cruise. She served as the flauship for three flifferent officers. Some of the deeds wliich liiuhllKht BUCKLEY ' S record include tli ' role she; playtHi in evacuating civilian p(!rsonnt;l from Tsingtao, China, in 1948; rescue of survivors from a Navy patrol plane shot down by Chinese Communists in 1956; and her key role in the Quemoy resupply effort in 1958. In 1960, with the installa- tion of the newest electronic equipment available, vital air defense and air control opera- tions became a part of BU( ' K- LEY ' s role in maintaining world peace as a Radar Picket Destroyer. ( ' ulminatinu a period of two years of continuous opera- tions and over 161,000 miles without an overhaul, DENNIS -I. BUCKLEY was detached from the operating I ' Meet and sent to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to imdergo a l ' ' RAM MK I conversion in 1964. Tlu- conversion added new(!r and more |iot(;nt Anti-Subniarine Warfare weapons and detection equipment. Since the completion of the FRAM conversion, BUCKLEY has operated frequently off the coast of North and South Viet Nam in the role of Naval (Jlun- fire Support Ship and exten- sive SAR and plane guard duties. Currently home-ported in San Diego, DENNIS J. BUCK- LEY is assigned to Destroyer Division El h-VEN as a unit of the Blue Ribbon DESTROYER SQUADRON ONE. COMMANDING OFFICER James C. Froid was born in Valley City, North Dakota, on March 22, 1932, the son of Mrs. Elmer Froid and the late Mr. Froid. He attended Woodrow Wilson High School, Long Beach, California before enlisting in the U.S. Naval Reserve in March 1950. He entered the University of California in September 1951 and was transferred to the NROTC Program. Upon completion of the Bachelor ' s and Master ' s De- gree Programs in Engineering, he was com- missioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in June 1955. Through subsequent advancement, he attained the rank of Commander, to date from 1 March 1969. His initial assignment was aboard the USS DOUGLAS A. MUNRO {DE-442) as Engineering Officer from July 1955 until June 1958. In September 1958 he reported aboard the USS OKANOGAN (APA-220) serving until July 1960 as Boat Group Commander and Deck Depart- ment Officer. His next duty station was the NROTC Unit at UCLA, where he served as Senior Instructor from August 1960 until June 1962. Following assignment aboard the USS HAMNER (DD-718) from July 1962 until April 1964 as Operations Officer, he reported aboard the USS HOLLISTER (DD-788) as Executive Officer in May 1964. He then served as Senior ASW Project Officer at the Office of Naval Research, Washington, D.C., from Jan- uary 1966 until August 1968, when he assumed command of River Assault Squadron NINE, located in the Mekong Delta of the Republic of Vietnam. During the period June 1969 to October 1969, he served as Logistics Officer for River Assault Flotilla ONE. Commander Froid served as Commanding Officer of USS HOPEWELL (DD-681), from October 1969 to January 1970 when the ship was decommissioned. Since February 1970, he has served as Commanding Officer of USS DENNIS J. BUCKLEY (DD-808). Commander Froid has been awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat V , the Bronze Star with Combat V , the Navy Commenda- tion Medal with Combat V , the Army Com- mendation Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Commendation and the Vietnamese Honor Medal First Class. Married to the former Marie Croteau of Auburn, Massachusetts, Commander Froid has two daughters. Commander James C. P ROID, USN William F. Martin was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York on 15 December 1938, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William R. Martin. He entered Cornell University on September 1956 and was accepted into the NROTC program. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree and commissioned an Ensign in the United States Naval Reserve in June 1960. Through subse- quent advancement he attained the rank of Lieu- tenant Commander with a date of rank 1 July 1967. His initial duty tours included duty with Underwater Demolition Team 21, Norfolk, Vir- ginia, USS OBSERVATION ISLAND (EAG-154) at Cape Kennedy, Florida, where he was in- volved with the development and operational testing of the Polaris missile system. In June 1963 he attended the Navy Mine Warfare School in Charleston, South Carolina in preparation for his next assignment as Executive Officer, USS SALUTE (MSO-470), homeported in Charles- ton, South Carolina. While serving aboard SALUTE he augmented to the Regular Navy. Completing this assignment in January 1966, he was transferred to the U.S. Naval Des- troyer School, Newport, Rhode Island as a stu- dent in preparation for his next tour of duty. In October 1966 he reported aboard USS PUT- MAN ((DD-757) as Operations Officer. In June 1968 he was ordered to NROTC Unit, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina as Senior Instructor. While at Duke, he pursued a gradu- ate Study program in Economics, and was awarded a Master of Arts degree in June 1970. He was then transferred to USS DENNIS J. BUCKLEY (DD-808) as Executive Officer. Married to the former Ann E. Owens of Hurtsboro, Alabama, Lieuten ant Commander Martin has a son and two daughters. Lieutenant Commander William F. Martin, USN EXECUTIVE OFFICER DEPARTURE SAN DIEGO 5 FEBRUARY 1971 This photo was taken with the cooperation of LTJG Campbell, who piloted the plane over the staging area as Destroyer Squadron ONE was preparing to get underway for WESTPAC. u mmimsmssiiiimmimiimi sA w mmm 1 ,««« « V I ' ' 1 ' ■ ' r ' l ' i ' - •rW ' vj£ - - ' ■• ' ' .■ y ■s ' -i ' •■.. .. ' fr sf AHAfirtiA SKA ■ si — ' :- ' ■n.-. (,vi-, -.ii.. „ ■ ' ;■-,:; ' v BIXMAKCK Am-HII-KI.AlJi -: rtn ! ' V rivl.tnrlUV, K.b , y 1 ' )l 1l-. ■■ - ' V r--- Ik. lO .  M IX ISI AM S .V ■«,. ' ' - -- h. -I— •■ -J -r--- A II S r H A I, I A . ..A ,.,.„,,, .■  . lt .« ' ' -_ ' ..M..: ' . .,. CRUISE SUMMARY V ' titrv tr% The USS DENNIS J. BUCKLEY departed San Dibgo on 5 February 1971 to commence its fifth Western Pacific dejjloyment since its Fram I conversion in 1964. The ship transitted in company with USS FLOYD B. PARKS DD-884 and USS H ANSON DD- 32 via Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guam, arnving|at Subic , ' n Bay on 26 February. On 2 March, the BUCKLEY celebrated its twenty-sixjth birth day by commencing fifteen days of Naval gunfire support duties off the coast of Vietnam. The ship returned to Subic on 20 March for five days of upkeep. On 25 March the hip arrived at Manila, P.L in prejparation for the SEATO exercise SUBOK which included Australian, United Kingdom, and Philippine units. BUCKLEY was one of two TJ.iS., destroyers participating in this exercise which consisted of ■ ;„,_j3fOtftctin a amphibidus convoy in a multi-threat environni J At the conclusion of this exercise BUCKLEY vetuvn M S S ■ pnQF - ' |p,43roceeding o ,the Tonkin Gulf for escqrl,-4lrty jS l{ the carrtei SlFCrTTY HA Vk.v FrorriT ' t ; ;6 Ap al the smp Dl  €Cgaarded for the cOTrier and then transitted {5 ' F|B4iC:; £i;; a on 27 ApriL,|ffl|r,,,,3ljmost three weeks of duty as sta|ia hip. , _ • _.] j ' - ' j ' ! ' J!ii, , BUCKLEY returned H;V ' Q;c,,,on 16 M ' ter 5 day| upkeep - -j;, before proceeding to PIRAZ Station as sTOrt for the nuclear powered ' -giiided missile frigate USS TRUXTUN DLGN-35. On 30 May, Admiral Zumwalt a ddressed the sftip ' s company from the Truxtun while both shi{)s steamed side by side. BUCKLEY departdd PIRAZ on 31 „May for naval gurfire sup- port commencing on 2 June. For the next thirty-nine dlays the ship provided support against enemy targets from the hjorder of Cambodia to the vicinity of the DMZ. After upkeep in Subic, BUCKLEY departed on 18 July for San Diego via Guam ' aTjd Pearl Harbor, and arrived in Ssin Diego on 4 August. V_ L « Aug, - 1 - Oidra X t:i i , fe «% «- 8- I1IOKKIX ' L.i .•mini ' Hlll ' .lll rHioiiivB. ■.AM ' IA 1SI.ANII? ' •; ' --;: -. .. ' ,r . • t I, ....... III..X. , «n« V 1U1II X — -- ' .V ,.- . ...- 1..— ' , ■ ' . ■,.,..„ - ' ■ ■ ' ' 1 ' . I „.....,... M, RELAXATION IS THE ONLY ESCAPE DURING LONG PERIODS AT SEA 13 % ' . Blue Ribbon Squadron ONE off the coast of Hawaii as it passed beautiful Diamond Head before entering Pearl Harbor. lA ALOHA HAWAII 15 Pretty girls and palm trees are a pleasant sight after a week at sea. 16 . K f m- :i - mm I . ' -Miifc iSVS l ■ jr- 1 After a brief stay in Hawaii, Squadron ONE departed the paradise for Midway. Albatross Gooney Birds welcomed the BUCKLEY Midway several days before land was sighted. to SK3 Ferguson photographs the fearless Gooney Birds ' for the cruise book ' s color pages of Midway Island. Although albatrosses are absent from the North Atlantic, two species nest on Midway and other is- lands of the Pacific, north of the equator. When air- strips were being constructed on Midway, the stub- born albatrosses had to be removed forcibily from their nests. Such behavior has given them the name Goony Birds. One Pacific species, the black-footed albatross, wanders widely over the North Pacific. It often follows ships plying to and from Hawaii and eagerly gobbles down any wastes thrown overboard. The albatrosses of the Pacific were formerly killed ruthlessly for their feathers and one species was thus exterminated. Midway Island is now a sanctuary for the surviving species. 19 f r RgT,-. iL ■TO ' fc -!- , ' - ' vii¥ I ' ftM . mi. ;« . ' . ' ' ' , D ift w. H , w ' Wm. x ' •■Jljt v l M . h . a Amm-- W H «r i . r ♦ If. ' Jiikd dbdiJ Ay«L8T«ri0i« mowAV If .S(5fa ■w. TIME OUT IN GUAM 2.2. wn ' ' m 23 MANILA, P.I. X ■ .Jk f If ' ? im :.■■ !■■• ' sA ' Js - ' 4 -«?. US |£S ?riK X iyfi ; mMi%nt ' - ' SEATO One of the many foreign ships which the crew observed as the SEATO Ex- ercises were conducted. MEDIVAC During SEATO exercises, a fellow crewmember needed emergency medical treatment. He was MEDIVACed to the carrier in less than thirty minutes even though the ship was operating many miles at sea. 26 f W sf ' L M % 0 A WA TCHES CONTINUE 27 fi: « ' « r « B mmni 4 M — ! ' ■ i , : f:jff-!i - .-C- ' :- ' ■■ i ' -:.-- .-If.. : • -. f r ETR2 Warrick escorts a young British actress as they perforin before the cameras. SH3 Daniel King found it quite a task to keep up with Miss MacLaine during one of the dance numbers. Can a sailor be a television star? The answer is YES if you were one of the USS DENNIS J. BUCKLEY sailors who volun- teered to participate in the filming of Shirley MacLaine ' s television series Shirley ' s World. BUCKLEY men participated as extras during two weeks of filming. Several BUCK- LEY men performed as dancers during a Wanchai bar scene with Miss MacLaine and some very attractive young Chinese wait- resses. The filming took place in Hong Kong where BUCKLEY was busy performing duties as SOPA Admin. LCDR William Martin and SN Walter Rose escort Miss Leslie DePetit, the casting director for the film company, to the filming location. GMG3 Earl Manley, seated on left, is part of a scene with Shir- ley and Miss Jacques Chan. 30 I J Miss MacLaine takes time out from shooting at Tiger Balm Garden to talk with six BUCK- LEY men. Standing, left to right: STG3 James Daniels, SN Alfred Aquilar, SH3 Daniel King. Seated: SM3 Ralph Scalzi, STG3 Daniel Stahl and SN Greg Curran. D.J. BUCKLEY SHARES SHIRLEY ' S WORLD SH2 Harold Ferguson talks with Shirley between scenes. r sf Sheldon Leonard, producer of the show, talks with British cinematographer Allen Hume, BSC. Mr. Leonard was also pro- ducer of the famous I Spy television program. Mr. Hume is one of the best lighting cameramen in the business. In the background is director Ralph Levy who was with Jack Benny for thirteen years as director for the comedian ' s television show. SDl Richardson and RD3 Osborne stand with Shirley as the cameras are positioned for the next shot. .-1 N ■« ,- GUNUNE- BUCKLEY ' S REASON FOR BEING TV ■7 I Illllllllp iiiiiliiiiiimiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiii... 34 36 37 . Shooting our five-inch guns most of the time is a very imper- sonal operation because we never see our enemy. When the opportunity came for a visit to the war-torn land, several men spent a day on shore and saw how important our guns are to the men fighting the ground war. I ' hoUis by :V(}K) Middks. 38 39 « y K ' . i p 42 i I 43 LEISURE TIME 44 45 CNO ADDRESS CNO, Admiral Zumwalt ad- dressed the crew of DENNIS J. BUCKLEY while the ship was operating as PIRAZ escort for the USS TRUXTUN. 47 f f SWIM CALL X( BARBEQUES Chaplain Murray brought God ' s Word to the crew of the BUCKLEY many times during the long days at sea, visiting all the ships of the Squadron via the Holy Helo Hop . Commodore Herzog paid a visit to the ship and talked with the crew. « N i I 51 . . . THE DAYS TURN INTO MONTHS AND THE CRUISE CONTINUES 52 i .1. v .• , -, 53 W. D. Division Radarmen 54 Machinist Mates • «2jk ' i t i ' '  imsti T '  4ia« i Quartermasters 55 Ship Servicemen Fire Control Technicians Gunners Mates 56 mjuji 4H «f Yeomen and Personnelmen Electronic Technicians Signalmen 57 %. Electricians Machinery Repairmen 58 Shipfitters Intercommunications Bv y . 1 Wi Jpti lf - , fife- r H i H 1 i WA Division Disbursing Clerks 59 THE HOLE 60 61 SUBIC BAY, PHILIPPINES 62 Over $30,000 worth of stereo equipment was bought by the crew through the ship ' s store giving our welfare and recreation fund almost $2,000 profit. Joe Cocker? 63 During one of the visits to the Philippines a group of BUCKLEY sailors visited the mountain resort city of Baguio. The winding road was in itself, a lasting experience. 64 Stopping for lunch was quite a surprise es- pecially for everyone ordering hot dogs. 65 ON THE WA Y HOME . . . k J f ■ .fr- : i£0m . I V- - ---g mm 66 67 68 69 - 70 Hank Biddies, LT(jg) Jim Winslow, ENS Harold Ferguson, SH2 Barry L. Ferguson, SK3 J J t STAFF 72 Editor Hank Biddies Associate Editor Jim Winslow Photographers Harold W. Ferguson Barry L. Ferguson Publisher Walsworth Publishing Co. The Cruise Book Staff would like to thank the following people for contributing both their pictures and time to make this book possible: Chaplain Edward Murray, LCDR Donald Erdman, BT3 Isidro Otero, SH3 Ron Hall, LT(jg) Walter Rose, SN James McNichols jr; V.r.Al A(r %; n mo walsworth www Cmise Book Sales offices MlCnael MeiXell, 1C2 publishing III 785- Herschel Aveaue COMPANY yiL La Jolla. California 92037 Man-flinr. Mo . I S mm ' m ' -J . i ' t  j Wl i i i «iFfifc. i- r? ' ? ' -:}. m B y?j.. ' iiS!: m i cKii;? ' ::r:fff i i- ' W ' P. • ' fil ' Jte ' i.K: fel ' ilt ' i ' - ' . ' M jm. iWi ' i ■;iM « ' ' M;r ' i W: A-;: WALSWORTH Marccline, Mo., U S.A