Harold J Ellison (DD 864) - Naval Cruise Book

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HISTORY OF USS HAROLD J. ELLISON DD 864 On 14 lVlarch 1945, short months before the end of World War ll, another general purpose Gearing Class Destroyer slid down the ways at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Staten Island. She was named in honor of Ensign Harold Ellison, USNR, who was killed in the battle of lVlidway. As a member of Torpedo Squadron Eight, he was awarded the Presi- dental Unit Citation and the Navy Cross. ELLlSON was commissioned on 23 June 1945 and was initially designated for the Pacific Fleet but the end of the war in Asia brought permanent assignment as an Atlantic Fleet Unit. Since then she has often cruised troubled waters. During her eleven trips to the Mediterranean Area, and her seven month cruise to Vietnamese Waters, her men have made liberties on five continents. From Karachi to Key West, Trinidad to Tokyo, Bermuda to Bombay, and Dover to Da Nang, ELLlSON has made many friends. The ship has earned a Fleet-wide reputation for dependability and has been honored to receive the Destroyer Force Battle Efficency Award five times in her twenty-five years of commissioned service. Although too late for World War ll, ELLISON was steaming off the troubled coast of Lebanon during the uprising of July and August 1958, and was on station in the Persian Gulf during the Kuwait Crisis in July of 1961. ELLISON is equipped for and has been on station for two spacecraft recovery missions. ELLISON completed Fleet Rehabilitation and lVlod- I I ernization lFRAlVl ll in January 1963. At that time she was equipped with the newest and the most advanced electronics and Anti-Submarine warfare wea- pons. As a unit of Destroyer Squadron 32, ELLISON was assigned to Task Group Alfa and contributed significantly to the development and evolution of Anti-Submarine Warfare tactics. ln August 1965, EL- LlSON was assigned to DESRON 24 on a temporary basis and began preparation for an extended deploy- ment. ln September 1965, ELLISON departed Norfolk, Va., joined the Newport contingent of DESRON 24 at sea the next day, and set course for the Panama Canal as the first Atlantic Fleet Destroyer augmen- tation to the Pacific Fleet for the Vietnam War. On 11 November, ELLISON arrived in the Vietnam Combat Zone, twenty years after her scheduled date for Pacific service. ln addition to Rescue Destroyer, Screening and Patrolling duties, ELLISON fired over 1,000 rounds of five inch ammunition on various Viet Cong targets, often firing in support of friendly troops. During the ensuing years, to the present, ELLISON participated in a people-to-people cruise to both the lVliddle East and Mediterranean Sea, and has operated extensively in the Caribbean Sea. Recently having completed regular overhaul at the Norfolk Naval Ship- yard, Portsmouth, Va., ELLISON underwent extensive refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and re- turned home in time to celebrate the Silver Anniver- sary of her commissioning prior to another lVliddle East deployment.

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INTRCDDUCTICDN In September of the twenty-fifth year after her long slide down the ways at the Ethlehem Steel Shipyard, USS HAROLD J. ELLISON IDD-864I called her crew to quarters, took in her bow line and gracefully backed out of her slip at the Destroyer and Submarine Piers, Norfolk. In her Silver Anniversary year, she was off on a six month deployment to the Middle East. Unlike most deployments, the Middle East consists primarily of long hours of independent steaming -- quiet watches slicing solitarily through the often mirror-smooth waters of the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. The Middle East demands a special kind of professionalism. Months before leaving the States, ex- tensive plans were made and tremendous quantities of supplies stocked in the holds. With no major support facility available, ELLISON could only look to herself for spare parts and the myriad items required to keep almost 4,000 tons of steel and sailors operating and comfortable. When a casualty occurred ship's force had to correct the problem and keep theship steam- ing. ELLISON's technicians never failed to meet that challenge and the ship met every commitment. Then, of course, there were the good times to be had taking in the exotic attractions of lands separated from our own by almost half the circumference of the globe. When ELLISON hit a port, there were smiling sailors everywhere -- riding camels, swimming at the beaches, filling the shops and lifting a glass or two at the local pubs. In fifteen countries from massive, timeless India to Mahe Island, a tiny, tropical jewel set in the midst of the Indian Ocean, ELLISON-men demonstrated that patent American ability to make friends and enjoy themselves anywhere. ELLISON showed the flag at sea as well as ashore. Partici- pating with units of the Bitish and Iranian navies in the annual CENTO exercise, MIDLINK XIII, she aptly demonstrated her formidable anti-submarine, anti-airand close gunfire support cap- abilities. As she departed the Middle East she received a WELL DONE from Commander Middle East Force, Rear Admiral M. G. Bayne. Throughout the long period away from home, the men of ELLISON never failed to meet the highest standards of perfor- mance. Hopefully, this book will serve as a record of that performance. 3

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