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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COMMANDING OFFICER COMMANDER RALPH O. DAVIS Commander Ralph O. DAVIS, a native of Illinois, first joined the Navy in 1942 as a Naval Aviation Cadet. After being discharged in 1946, he attended and was graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Following a brief civilian career in public accounting, Commander DAVIS rejoined the Navy in 1950, shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War. Commander DAVIS' first duty station was with the staff of Commander Naval Air Force, Pacific. Since then he has served on Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 25, Operations Officer of USS JOHN A BOLE jDD-7551, Fire Control Officer of USS FORFIESTAL CCVA-591, staff of Defense Atomic Support Agency, Albuquerque, New lVlexi,co, Flag Secretary for Commander Amphibious Group Three, and Executive Officer of USS HOLLISTER fDD-788l. Commander DAVlS'. Navy schooling has included Combat information Center School, Glenview, Ill., General Line School, lVlonterey, Calif., and George Washing- ton University in Washington, D.C. where he received a lVlaster of' Business'Adminis- tration degree in Financial Management in June 1965. After completing his post- graduate studies, he served three years in the Pentagon on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he dealt with budgetary and fiscal matters in new ship construction and major conversions. Prior to reporting aboard ELLISON, Commander DAVIS served as Executive Officer of USS TRUCKEE CAO-1 471. Commander DAVIS is married to the former Joy GARRETT of Little Rock Ar- kansas. The DAVIS' reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia with their three children, lVlichael, Joy and lVIelissa. 6