Harry Hill (DD 986) - Naval Cruise Book

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Waitinj; on ihc pier i Above U fi). FCC (SWi Waller Hoppes and his newborn baby boy Vinceni Anihiiny Hoppes loiieiher tor the fin.! time (AKne Right). Over all lines! The first line is dropped over the ballard on Pier 2 Naval St:iiton San Diego (Right). The Club was placed on (he v hecl soon after the ship iicd up (Belovn Cieiting the ship tied up properly is an important s.ileiv concern (. Knei. The fantail line cnev eagerlv anticipates their reunions ith loved ones iBelov ). J, % fWTw ' W

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Family and friends wait anxiously on the pier as Harry W. Hill ties up (Lett). Crossing the brow to meet loved ones not seen for | six months (Below). HOME PORT HARRY W. HILL INPORT SAN DIEGO! America ' s finest Destroyer USS Harry W. Hill returned to San Diego on 19 July 1994 after com- pleting a successful (de- ployment to the Arabian Gulf. Family and friends waited on the pier hoping to catch a glimpse of their loved one while the crew quickly tied up the ship and secured equipment. The brow was positioned and a river of people flowed aboard. Long hugs and tears of joy greeted the happy sailors of HARRY W. HILL. Finding a message from loved ones on the San Diego Bay Bridge ' i Above). The pier was jammed with people eager to see their sailor (Below). iiYfiii d

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COMMANDING OFFICER SWttft ' CDR WILLIAM P. CRAFT Born in 1947 in Detroit Michigan, Commander Craft served his first tour in the United Stales Navy as an enlisted photographic Intelligenceman from 1967 until 1971. He left the service to attend Michigan State University, where he graduated in 1973 from the Honors College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography. He returned to the Navy as a commissioned officer in 1974. F-ollow- ing Officer Candidate ' s School in Newport Rhode Island, he attended the first west-coast class of Surface Warfare Officer ' s school in Coronado. California. He served his division officer tour onboard USS (;RII)I.KY (C(;-2I) as Gunnery Officer and Navigator from 197.5 until 197K. Ne t. he was stationed at Recruit Training Commanti. Cireal Lakes. Illinois, where he was the Military Training Assistant. Returning to sea in 19S1. he completed department head tours, first as Com- bat Systems Officer onboard USS CUSHIN(; (I)D-985) and then as Operations Officer onboard USS JOUETT (CG-29). In 1985, he served in the Communications Staff at CINCUSNAVEUR in London, England, where he speciali ed in Tactical Satellite Communications, Joint contingency Com- munications and Fleet Tactical Data Systems. He served as Executive Officer onboard USS COPKLAND (FF(;-25) from 1987 until 1989 and then as Command and Control Officer for COM- NAVSURFPAC from 1989 until 1992. In February IW3 he assumed command o( USS HARRY W. Hill (1)I)-9K6)