Fitch (DMS 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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C DIVISION lst Row: Carlson, Harry R. Kepler, George M., Jr., La Rountaine, Charles L., Jr., 2nd Row: Minor, John A., Egenes, LeRoy D., Richard, Albert J., Golden, George H., Delgado, LeRoy H., Heaton, Floyd A., Jr. 3rd Row: Butler, Willie L., Rior- dan, Rexford E., Baca, Dan- iel P., Zuke, John A., Koen- ig, Charles R. UPERATIUNS OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT OFFICERS Ens. Charles E. Spears, Ltjg. Floyd R. Single- ton, Ltjg, John B. Backes, Ltjg. R. Blake Ire- land. Absent: Ens. Wesley G. Schmidt, O DIVISION Ist Row: Maziarz, Victor P. Kvicala, Charles F., Roach, Vincent F., Gaylord, James A., Zeboski, Donald A., Ma- han, Daniel J. 2nd Row: Les- zcynski, Robert, Enright, Ar- thur J., Powowarczyk, Henry W., Ferry, Jesse A., Waring, Norman N., Burns, Jr., Fran- cis J., Bowles, David A. 3rd Row: Tucker, Ervin W., Thorne, Edwin, Stuggings, Burton D., Croco, Donald F.

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I SECOND DIVISION Ist Row: Ens. Stevenson, Mal- lory, lr., Willie, Williams David, Gibson, Floyd C., Mc- Atee, Carroll R., Locklear, Edsel. 2nd Row: Jones, Ger- ald E., Little, Arnie, Jr., Graham, Harry J., Duffy, John R., German, Porter. 3rd Row: Jones, Willard V., Lewis, William H., Moore, Ernest, McGann, Daniel W. 7 . 1 SUPPLY DEPARTMENT lst Row: Dellinger, David O., Hinson, Herbert H., Plott, Ernest H., Logan, Charles M., Duren, Romain L., 2nd Row: Floyd, Eugene R., Rob- erts, Leonard I., Doneyhue, Theodore C., Nigro, Joseph D., Cole, Kenneth R., Pi- wowarczyk, Gene I . 3rd Row: Booth, Levyonne M., Waas, Charles F., Harris, William B., Gallo, Arthur, Taylor, .lack N., Hoover, Donald E. SUPPLY DEPARTMENT HEADS Ltjg. Robert .l. Freebcrg, Pratt, Edmund L. ..a..... Am. , H msWMamm 1vJmm

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..F. sl EZ 1 1 1 .KA .xg ,. y. N- 1553 Z 5: 5? nf ' if fm' ff' 517 .,. 24. , we y 1 WY. Ts- .M ., 'It is early dawn of February 10, 1863, and the first light is beginning to tint the colors of the walls of the houses on Bujington Island, on the Ohio River. The 0 In crew of the USS MOOSE, Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Leroy FITCH, 0 USN, are tense and waiting. After following General fohn H. MORGAN, Army of - 0 ily the Confederacy, sometimes referred to as MF lying guerilla MORGAN , for more ,,,.: I gy than five hundred miles up the Ohio, the men and officers of the MOOSE are Q91 s-, 1- I 5 finally about to intercept the Confederate force in its attempt to recross the river. 1, General MORGAN is captured, a thorn in the side of the United States forces is ' removed, and Leroy FITCH has earned himself a place in American history. K' Seventy nine years later, Mrs. H. Walter Thomas, grand-niece of Leroy FITCH was present at the launching of the USS FITCH I DD 4621, part of the United sf! States' answer to the Nazi submarine menace in the Atlantic and the .Iapanese stain, spreading through the Pacific. The new ship, one of the New Bristol class, V displacing sixteen hundred and thirty tons, and mounting four five-inch thirty- v v V 1-Kg., . . . . :V zvvv: elght caliber guns and hve torpedo tubes, was authorized to be built on 12 June, 1940 and was launched at the Boston Navy Yard on 14 June, 1941. The disruption of Allied shipping by German U-Boats in the Atlantic caused - a desperate need for destroyers that left little time for the FITCH to complete the JZ? arduous job of fusing the green crew to the shiny new piece of machinery which ' 5 -.'. - Q51 was tolbecome their fighting instrument as well as their home. Her shakedown 'H cruise of Portland Maine, commencing on 5 May, 1942, over, the FITCH made - N ,JZ several short trips to the Canal Zone, New Orleans, and Bermuda on escort duty, , I S' :Q Then, in July 1942, under the command of Commander CROMMELIN, the still untried ship was given the task of escorting the USS RANGER and her shipment of planes to North Africa. From the fifth to the twelfth of November 1942, while assigned to Task Force 34, and acting as one of the screeen ships for the carrier ' I RANGER, the FITCH took part in the landing operations at Casablanca. I Q I fy One morning, word came in from the planes of the RANGER, Submarine in the vicinity . The warning provided the men of the FITCH with the chance to : Z' show how well they had been trained in that brief shakedown period, All hands ll' man your Battle Stationsv, and the FITCH was set for her primary function, en- ' xii, gaging the enemy. Then, one of the bridge lookouts, Seaman 1fc BISCHOFF, won I fggf the coveted prize of twenty hve dollars and ten days leave for being the first man if A to sight an enemy submarine or plane. His cry of Submarine on the starboard 4 0 0 beam added the last element of drama that was to be the new vessel,s first taste :i 0 0 of battle. Sonar gear was trained around and the FITCH was off, attacking with a l ' f 9 WRX lx 'Burch r 1--i 5532 6 -, ' sf 1 ' ' .. ,Milli Lf. 1 i- -.-L