Duncan (DDR 874) - Naval Cruise Book

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-Q,-rf .Y ...--1'-c's:2f?:f1r':f: n' DUNCAN served Three Tours off Korea during The conflicf, accomplishing various missions such as plane guarding, anTi-submarine escorf for baffleships, shore bombardmenf and paTrol duTy. During The Korean ConflicT DUNCAN received seven baTTle sfars for service, and The Korean PresidenTial UniT CiTaTion. AfTer The end of The Korean conflicT in 1953, DUNCAN, as . 'ember of DesTroyer Division 52, confinued rouTine WESTPAC deploymenfs, visifing such counTries as Ausfralia, Japan, The Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. I In OcTober of 1960, DUNCAN enTered Long Beach Naval Shipyara,Q,,Long Beach, California To commence her FRAM II overhaul. Wifh. The compleTion of her overhaul on 16 June-Q1961, five To eighT years were added To her operaTional life. Some of The highlighfs of DUNCAN's FRAM are improved elecTronic and sonar equip- menT, advanced ASW capabiliTies and more adequafe messing, berfhing and office spaces. All supersTrucTure afT of her forward sTack was replaced during FRAM. On 1 July 1961, DUNCAN briefly ioined DesTroyer Squadron 11 as, qmember of DesTroyer Division 111. On 1 SepTember 1961, DUNCAN became a member of DesTroyer Division 91, and on 18 SepTember, she was designafed flagship of Commander DesTroyer Squadron 9. On 3 Ocfober 1961 she became homeporTed in Yokosuka, Japan, as a permanenf member of The 7Th FIeeT. .- T Befween OcTober 1961 and June 1964 DUNCAN parTicipaTed in a number of operaTions and exercises. DUNCAN plane guarded for The USS CORAL SEA lCVA43l, USS RANGER lCVA61l, USS HANCOCK ICVA1-91, USS MIDWAY ICVA41l, and USS KITTY HAWK lCVA63l and parficipafed in Proiecf Mercury, Operafion Big Dipper, OperaTion Back Pack and Operafion Crazy Horse. On 27 March 11964 she rescued The crew of The CYGNUS, a 42-fooT moTor-sailor which had losT power 100 miles off The wesTern coasT of The Philippines. The crew were aTTaches from The American Embassy in Manila. 1 ' ' On 13 June 1964 DUNCAN goT underway wiTh The USS LYMAN K. SWENSON lDD729I on an advenfurous Trip back To The UniTed STaTes by way of Guam, Brisbane and Sydney, Ausfralia, Pago Pago lAmerican Samoal, and Hawaii. When she crossed The equaTor, The TradiTional iniTiaTion ceremonies were held. On The leg of The Trip befween Guam and Brisbane, DUNCAN deToured down ','The sloT T' Cape Esperance and held a commem- oraTive ceremony on The spoT off Savo Island where her namesake, DD 4.85, was sunk in 1942. On The 27Th of July The DUNCAN, flying her homeward bound pennanf, arrived back in'The STaTes aT her new homeporT, San Diego, afTer Three years in WESTPAC. From 27 July 1964 To 4 January 1965, The DUNCAN Took parT in local operaTions acTed as ASW and Gun- nery School ship and conducfed inTernal Training. On 4 January 1965, she deparfed for PugeT Sound Naval Ship- yard for an exfended shipyard availabilify. AfTer compleTion on 20 April, DUNCAN visifed SeaTTIe and conducfed various underway TesTs unTil her re- Turn To San Diego on 4 May 1965. She underwenf Refresher Training from 24 May unTil I July. 'Upon-compleTion of underway Training, DUNCAN spenT Three weeks in Long Beach Naval Shipyard, reTurn- ing To San Diego on 29 July 1965. On 24 Augusf 1965 DUNCAN deployed To The WesTern Pacific. Leaving wiTh her sisTer ships of DesTroyer Division 53, USS SHELTON IDD790l and USS LYMAN K. SWENSON lDD724l, DUNCAN visifed Pearl Harbor, Mid- way and Guam en rouTe To Subic Bay. AfTer a shorT upkeep period, DUNCAN conducfed gunfire supporT oper- aTions off The coasT of SouTh VieTnam. From 28 Sepfember To 16 Ocfober, DUNCAN fired 10 missions againsT VieT Cong sheITer areas, assembly areas, and suspecfed encampmenfs as well as againsT enemy gun enplacemenfs firing aT friendly spoTTer aircrafT. Two missions necessiTaTed sfeaming a shorT disTance up The Saigon River To engage TargeTs. On 20 and 21 OcTober, DUNCAN was The U.S. Navy represenTaTive aT The LeyTe Gulf FesTival, held annually aT Tacloban Cify, The provincial capiTal of LeyTe. The LeyTe Gulf Fesfival commemoraTes The Amer- ican reTurn To The Philippines 21 years ago aT landing beaches adiacenf To Tacloban. On 26 Ocfober 1965, Commander J. E. Weafherford, USN, who had commanded DUNCAN since 25 June 1964, was relieved by Commander S. W. Birch, Jr., USN, who became DUNCAN's 14Th commanding officer. DUNCAN parficipafed in carrier srrike operaTions in The SouTh China Sea and Tonkin Gulf from 25 Ocfober To 4 November, visiTing Hong Kong from 5 Through 10 November, and Then was assigned To Task Group 77.4, USS BON HOMME RICHARD lCVA31I, flagship. DUNCAN was a parTicipanT in exfensive carrier sTrike operaTions off The coasT of VieTnam for a period of 40 days, Then visiTed Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, for The final 11 days of 1965. From Formosa DUNCAN Traveled via Subic Bay To Hong Kong where she acTed as SOPA ADMIN HONG KONG from 10 January To 2 February 1966. Leaving Hong Kong she commenced her refurn home via Subic Bay, Guam, Midway and Pearl Harbor. She arrived in San Diego on 26 February 1966.

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