Epperson (DD 719) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMANDING OFFICER 3 Q 'tr 455' ' as' S RALPH E. WILSON, jr. Commander, U.S. Navy Commander WILSON was born in New London, Connecticut on 3 April 1927. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in June 1944, and was assigned to recruit training at Camp Perry, Virginia. Upon completion of recruit training, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School at Bainbridge, Maryland. He won a Presidential Appointment to the Naval Academy entering in June 1945 and graduating on 3 June 1949. As an Ensign, his first assignment was to the Gunnery Department of the USS ROANOKE CCL 1453. He became Signal Officer of the USS ROANOKE before being ordered to Electronics Material Officers School, at Treasure Island, USS DYESS CDD 8803 where he served as Electronics Material Officer, then as First Lieutenant, and finally as Gunnery Oflicer. LT Cjg3 WILSON was next ordered to the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California in August, 1953. In 1955 he was awarded a B.S. degree in Engineering Electronics and in 1956 he was awarded a M.S. degree in the same field. Upon com- pletion of post-graduate training, Lieutenant WILSON served as Communications Oflicer on the Staff of Commander Destroyer Flotilla Six until December of 1958 when he reported as Executive Oflicer of USS BENHAM CDD. 7963. In March of 1960, Lieutenant Commander WILSON was assigned to Washington, D.C. for duty in the Oflice of the Chief of Naval Operations as the Head of the Radar Research and Development Branch COP 7333. In August 1962 Lieutenant Commander WILSON was ordered to the U S N l W C ll A , . . ava ar o ege at Newport, R.I. as a student in the Command and Stall' Course. Upon completion of the course in July 1963, hewas assigned to USS KEARSARGE CCVS 333 for duty as Engineer Officer, serving in the billet until July 1965, when he was detached to assume th d t' f C I d' e u ICS o omman mg Officer, USS JOHN S. MC CAIN CDL 33. CDR WILSON served as Commanding Oiiicer of the USS JOHN S MC CAIN CDL 33 until June 1966 when that ship was decommissioned for a conversion period. At this time he was detached to assume duties as the Commanding Oiiicer of EPPERSON. Commander WILSON has been awarded the following service medals: American Theatre Medal, World War II Victory M d l N ' ' ' ' e a, avy Occupation Service Medal with European Clasp, The National Defense Service Medal and the Armed. Forces Expe- ditionary Medal., . Commander WILSON is married to the form er Elizabeth STRUBLE of Chevy Chase, Maryland, and has two children, Laura Elizabeth and Ralph E., III. H F3 9 4 4

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USS EPPERSON lDD 7191 EPPERSON was authorized during the war and the keel of this 2250 ton ship was laid in June 1945 at the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Kearney, Nlew Jersey. Launched in an uncom- pleted state the hull was mothballed and placed in storage at the New York Shipyard. A year later the Bath Iron Works of Maine was a- warded the contract to complete the ship, incorpor.ating new designs as she was to be used primarily for anti-submarine warfare QASVVQ. She was completed along with her sole sister ship, the USS BASILONE QDDE 8245 and was commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard on 19 March 1949. Extensive sea trials of her radically new installations were con- ducted in the Key West, Florida, area until September 1950 at which time EPPERSON was transferred to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where she was designated Flagship of Commander Escort Destroyer Division 12. Her employment since has been extensive and varied both in her anti- submarine specialty and in duties common to all destroyer-type ships. In 1951 and 1952, she saw service with the United Nations Forces in the Korean Conflict and in 1954 with the U.S. Seventh F1eet's Formo- sa Straits Patrol. VVhile in North Korean waters, the EPPERSON was given the task of bombarding the coastal city of Wonsan, a large and very important supply and railroad center. This was a mission nor- mally considered to be outside h-er class of vessel. Through the cease- less efforts of her officers and men, the EPPERSON was able to main- tain an around the clock bombardment. Routine deployment to the Western Pacific for operations with the Hunter-Killer Groups of the Seventh Fleet has been made by the EPPERSON since 1955. She has also participated in the 1958 High Altitude Nuclear Tests at Johnson Island and four years later in 1962, she was stationed in the Mid-Pacific as a recovery vessel for Colonel John Glenn's historic flight. In October of the same year, the EPPER- SON operated with the U. S. Pacific Fleet Recovery Force during Astronaut Walter Schirra's successful six orbit Hight around the earth, and later in 1963 for the recovery of Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper. The EPPERSON completed a FRAM I CONVERSION in DE- cember of 1964 and as 'a result was redesignated USS EPPERSON QDD 7195. By acquiring a new configuration as well as receiving the very lat-est in Anti-Submarine Warfare, including Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter and Anti-Submarine Rocket, weapons and electronic gear she was able to keep pace with the highly technological and modern Navy. During her last deployment to the Western Pacific, she was in- strumental in aiding U. S. Forces in the Vietnam Conflict. Conduct- ing operations for a maximum of 41 days off the Vietnam coast enabled the EPPERSON to display her many talents by rescuing downed pilots and their air-crews and saving several outposts from Viet Cong attack by use of the ship's gunfire support. ' She returned to Pearl Harbor, after visiting Sydney, Australia, in March of 1966. EPPERSON participated in several Gemini support missions as a standby recovery ship during the past summer. She again took her place as a unit of the U. S. Seventh Fleet in December of 1966. 12 li li ll is li 1 I 1 l l 5 1 I 11 1

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f If 59 W' 4 in rating. FROM THE SKIPPER'S DESK John Paul Jones is reported to have said, Give me a fast ship for I intend to go in harms way . I have been greatly honored to have commanded a fast ship and we have gone in harms way. Epperson is every inch a destroyer and her crewall destroyermen. What is a destroyer? She is a medium sized ship designed to act offensively in protection of the major units of the fleet against surface, air, or submarine attack. She has the necessary speed and stamina to stay up with a strike fleet or interpose herself betweenifriendly units and the enemy. She is able to use her weapons decisively against any enemy she encounters. She is ready and enthusiastic to perform any mission assigned no matter how mundane or seem- ingly unimportant. She has a small close knit crew who live in 'cramped quarters under difficult conditions and love it. A destroyer also operates with ap dash and spirit that cannot be found in any other type ship. A Bone In Her Teeth and White Water Under The Counter . Unfortunately most of our cruise has been spent on missions that appeared to be mun- dane and unimportant. Lengthy periods were spent screening the attack carriers on Yankee sta- tion while other destroyers were engaged in more exciting duties against the enemy. There were reasons for every assignment and our jobs though perhaps less exciting were none-the less as important. Destroyers had to remain with the attack carriers to protect them and assist them in many ways including aircraft crew rescue ifrequired. VVe did participate in six days of action providing naval gunfire support against the enemy and our battle' ensign flew proudly on those days. ' Our ship has remained ready for any assignment throughout the deployment because of the technical skill and devotion to duty of our officers and men who are her heart and soul. Our crew have worked long hours without complaint with their only' reward the .knowl- edge that a piece of equipment was fixed or that they were serving their country in the cause of liberty and peace. p VVe have proved the accuracy of our guns. The excellence of our communications' and ability of our CIC team to perform in any environment has been proven and recognized by the award of the green operations for excellence. Mfe have caught and held nuclear submarines wit-h our ASW team and been awarded the ASVV A for excellence. Our supply department has kept us in food and clothes and spare parts for our equipment. We have steamed at high speed in the wor1d's first and only nuclear task group and made less smoke than the jet air- craft. VVe can be proud that we have met the test and Epperson is really Best East Or W'est. . va. l ? M I l ..... X ff'i One of fhe many pleasant jobs of being CO IS fhaf of congrafulafinfg personnel fusf advanced