Floyd Parks (DD 884) - Naval Cruise Book

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are W? I ' I S . USS FLOYD B. PARKS tDD884l HISTORY The U.S.S. FLOYD B. PARKS is named for Maior Floyd Bruce Parks, U.S.M.C., a marine aviator reported missing in action 4 Iune 1942 in the defense of Midway Island against the assaults of the Iapanese Navy. Maior Parks, bom in Salisbury, Missouri, was en- listed in the Navy for two years prior to his appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Iune, 1930 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps on 31 May 1934. He rose through the ranks in the Corps to be commissioned Maior less than a month before the action at Midway. Maior Parks has been awarded the Navy Cross, Special Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy,'the Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, American Defense Service Medal, and Asiatic-Pacific Area Cam- paign Medal. - The Parks was the ' ship of Commander Destroyer Squadron ONE from 1945 until December 1958 and serves in the U.S. Pacific Fleet under Commander Cruiser Destroyer Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. One of the GEARING class, the Parks is 390 feet in length and 41 feet wide. She displaces, fully loaded, over 3000 tons and has an average draft of 15 feet. Her two engines, developing a total of 60,000 HP can drive the ship in excess of 30 knots and at cruising speed can drive her without refueling over 6,500 miles. The ship's keel was laid on 30 October 1944 by the Consolidated Steel Corporation in Orange, Texas, on the banks of ine Sabine River. Mrs. F. B. Parks, widow of the late Maier Parks, sponsored the ship at her launching on 31 March 1945. Ths Parks was put in commission on 31 Iuly 1945 proceeding from Orange, Texas to the Todd Ship Yards at Galveston, Texas for final alterations. CDR Morgan Slayton was the first Captain. After completion of altera- tions she proceeded to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for her shakedown cruise. Following this cruise, she proceeded to Charleston, South Carolina in October 1945 and celebrated Navy Day by taking part in ceremonies conducted at Pensacola, Florida. In October 1945 the Parks received orders to ioin the U.S. Pacific Fleet and proceeded via the Panama Canal to San Diego, Cali- fomia which was to become her new home port. On 28 November 1945 bad luck first struck the Parks. Upon en- tering Pearl Harbor on her first cruise to the Far East she ran aground off the entrance to the harbor. She entered the yards at Pearl Harbor to repair damages suffered in the grounding and remained in dry dock until 24 Ianuary 1946. Leaving Oahu she set her course for Hong Kong, where she arrived on 9 February 1946. CDR I. H. Brandt relieved as Commanding Officer in May. The Parks operated in the Hong Kong-Hainan area until Iune, then moved to Shanghai. She then proceeded to the Guam-Saipan area, operating from this point until relieved on 28 Ianuary 1947. Upon being relieved she returned to the United States via Pearl Harbor. CDR Richard E. Nichols relieved as Commanding Officer on 3 October. In February 1948 the Parks proceeded to Iapan for her first tour of occupation duty. During April of 1948 the Parks represented the U.S. Naval Forces in the Far East at the funeral of President Roxas of the Philippine Islands conducted at Manila. One officer and twenty-five men paraded in the funeral procession. On 30 September 1948 the Parks was relieved of duty in Iapan and proceeded to San Diego via Pearl Harbor arriving in time for Christmas Holidays. During February of 1949 the Parks partici- pated in the cold weather exercise MICOWEX visiting Kodiak, Alaska. During April, May, and Iune of 1949 the Parks was in Mare Island Naval Shipyards. Valleio, Califomia, completing the over- haul on 10 Iune and proceeding to San Diego where she con- ducted local training exercises until October of 1949. CDR Herbert G. Claudius became the fourth Captain on 16 Iuly 1949. The Parks left for her third tour of duty in the Far East arriving I I r x Q I ...x . Avg- I 1