Diachenko (APD 123) - Naval Cruise Book

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DIACHENKO is the 306 foot, 1650 ton Hbabyi' of Amphibious Squadron Seven. As a high speed trans- port our mission is twofold: To approach a beach objective at high speed, launch and radar control boats carrying an Underwater Demolition Team or Marine Reconnaissance Team into the beach while retiring, to seag and to serve as Primary Control Ship during an amphibious assault. In addition to our major missions, DIACHENKO has been successfully used for gunfire support, anti-submarine war- fare, formation screening, and pony express. As you see, a versatile ship this definitely is. With so many diversified capabilities it is imperative that the crew of a ship such as this be constantly ready to shift from one task to another at a moment's notice. On several occasions during this cruise we were called upon to do just that, and during these times we showed the Seventh Fleet just how an alert and anxious warship operates. It is with great pride- and a satisfying sense of superior ac- complishment that we present this cruise book - the record of the 1963-1964 DIACHENKO WESTPAC CRUISE. In Quincy, Massachusetts during the summer of 1944 the last rivit was forced into the hull gf the USS ALEX M DIACHENKO KDE-6905 and she slid into the sea to join the Pacific Fleet and heip finish World War 11. But before the trip to the West Coast the ship was alerted slightly, and when commissioned on 8 December 1944, she became the USS DIACHENKO QAPD-1235, a fighting mem- ber of the United States Amphibious Fleet in the Pacific.

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'i i llfvictory and a few years of rest, DIACHENKO was again called upo-n for This time when she returned home she was proudly wearing the i Area Service Medal with two stars, the Navy Occupational Medal, the China Service Medal the Korean Service Medal with six stars. After .several years alternately in the First and DIACHENKO was decomissioned, and in June 1959 became a part of the Pacific Fleet in San Diego. 'But this was not to last for long, as little more than two years later it iiijasififlecided that DIACHENKO was again needed in the fleet. Re-activated during the Fall of 1961, DIACHENKO was recommissioned on 4 November 1961 at San Diego and became attached to Amphi- Squadron Seven home ported on Long Beach. From that time until the Fall of 1963 she operated in the Eastern Pacific with trips to San Francisco and Portland. September 17, 1963 was the date we left our loved ones on the pier as we steamed out through the Long Beach breakwater not to return for nearly seven months. Our cruise took us first to Hawaii, then on to enchanting Oriental waters. Several trips to Okinawa, Taiwan. Hong Kong, Christmas- in Japan, and two weeks in Southern Philippine waters followed, and a short stint as flagship for Rear Admiral Lee, Commander Amphibious Forces Seventh Fleet was a definite highlight. We learned much from the.three major operations in which we were involved, including new capabilities to add to the long list of DIACHENKO CAN DO's. Though it was a rich and profitable experience throughout, when the time came to turn the ship's head toward the rising sun and begin the long journey home, we were all really ready. A successful Operational Readiness Inspection during the return voyage helped the time pass, but the twenty- seven day trip seemed just about as long as the six months preceeding it. However, the smiling faces with tear-filled eyes that greeted us on the morning of 6 April 1964 made the whole cruise worth- while. We had traveled nearly one-third of the way around the world and served our country as a mem- ber of a ready force in a heated and unpredictable area. We watched the government of Viet Nam change hands twice and remained ready to help as other U.S. servicemen fought the greedy, grasping hands of world communism in the Far East. F We can say with pride that we listened alertly for the call, and served well whenever that call came. We mellowed, jelled, and became tuned to a sensitive peak of readiness. And now looking back onurour '63-'64 WESTPAC cruise we say with satisfying knowledge that it was a job well done. The name of the ship? DIACHENKO. ' 2. -22:5 '.q1v5..E: '.,i.'-L Zir..