Hull (DD 945) - Naval Cruise Book

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On 13 May the ship's second full tour on the gunline ended. COMDESRON 9 shifted his flag, and the battle -weary destroyer began steaming toward Kaohsiung, Taiwan. HULL arrived in port on 15 May and began a repair availability with the destroyer tender PIEDMONT CAD 175 while her crew enjoyed a much deserved period of rest and relaxation. Two more gun barrels, worn out by the continual shooting, were replaced. On 22 May, the ship sailed out to sea to begin her third and final tour on the gun line. Arriving on station off the coast of the DMZ on 24 May, HULL once again began to bombard North Vietnamese lines of communication, troop concentrations, and rocket and gun emplacements. This patrol, the ship would be supporting the First Air Cavalry Division, l0lst Airborne Division, First Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam as well as the Third Marine Division. On 29 May, the destroyer HARWOOD QDD 8615 while patrolling her gunfire support area some- 3, 000 yards south of HULL was suddenly taken under fire by North Vietnamese artillery on Cap Lay. The destroyer took a direct hit on one of her after mounts while splashes from other incoming rounds surrounded her. Seeing the flashes of the attacking guns on the beach, HULL immediately took the enemy sites under fire with her main battery and laid a sniothering barrage of shells on the emplacements while HARWOOD headed seaward and out of range. This rapid reaction may well have saved HARWOOD from further damage by the enemy artillery. For the time being the coastal batteries were silenced. However, only two hours later, while steaming northward some six miles off the DMZ coast, another enemy shell splashed 100 yards abeam of HULL. Due to poor visibility though, it was impossible to locate the position of the attacking gun. No further incoming rounds followed and no fire was returned. There was some possibility that this round was fired from a battery on Tiger Island but no batteries were known to exist there at that time. At mid-afternoon on 31 May, word was received that an Air Force craft had gone down off the coast of the DMZ in the vicinity of Tiger Island. The pilot had reportedly bailed out. HULL set the rescue detail and began to comb the area in hopes of locat- ing the downed flyer. Several hours later, the search, having proven fruitless, was called off and the destroyer returned to her gunfire support station. lt was learned that the was picked up by an Air Force rescue helicopter. .As May came to a close, it became evident that it had been one of HULL's most active months. She had conducted 21 underway replenishments safely and success- fully. and had fired over 9, 300 rounds into North Vietnamese and Viet Cong targets with excellent to outstanding results. . .an average of nearly 450 rounds per day for each day on the gunline. 134

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Steaming westward again on19 March, the guns test fired satisfactorily and HULL reassumed her shore bombardment station. The continual shooting, day and night, with almost no time for preventive maintenance eventually took its toll and on 27 March the ship found herself without any operable five-inch armament. She was assigned to plane guard duty for the USS RANGER QCVA. 611 on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf for the final four days of the month. Nevertheless, despite considerable problems with the main battery, her gun crews and magazine teams had managed to pump out over 5, 200 rounds during the month. On the morning of 2 April, HULL was released by RANGER and began steaming toward Subic Bay for what would be a lengthy and much needed repair period. She arrived the following day. On 8 April, Captain C. E. MCMULLEN CCOMDESRON 155 shifted his flag to the USS DALE QDLG 191. The following message was received from him as he departed: 1 take great pleasure in commending you for the outstanding support you gave my staff and me during the period you served as my flagship. Most noteworthy was the support 1 received in the area of communications. This performance has been superior to that of any other flagship in which I have been embarked. The profession- alism displayed by your gunnery department and combat information center in delivering high volume, accurate gunfire and your rapid response to counter hostile fire directed at HULL and NEWPORT NEWS was particularly gratifying. The excellence of ship-handling demonstrated during replenishment evolutions was in keeping with the highest standards of destroyermen. Your accomplishments should be a source of pride to all who serve in HULL. It has been a distinct pleasure to have HULL serve as my flagship. The following day, the 9th, Captain J. M. MASON CCOMDESRON 95 shifted his flag to HULL and prepared to assume the duties of Commander Task Unit 70. 8. 9. Repairs were not completed until 22 April when the ship departed the Philippines and headed for a shore bombardment station some 20 miles south of DaNang. On 24 and 25 April she destroyed some 140 Viet Cong targets while working with the Second Brigade, Republic of Korea Marine Corps. On 26 April the ship moved north to once again take station off the DMZ coast. Although she was only on the gun line eight days during the month, the destroyer fired more than 2, 100 rounds from her main battery. As May arrived, the pace, if anything, seemed to become more frenzied. During the twenty-four hour period that made up the first day of the month HULL fired over 300 rounds of five-inch shells at enemy targets in the DMZ, replenished from both an ammunition ship and an oiler, and was attacked once again by a North Vietnamese coastal defense gun. This then, was the tempo of operations. Some days crewmen had to onload as much as 100, 000 pounds of shells and powder during a single replenish- ment from a SEVENTH Fleet ammunition ship. Crew members became very adept at this task. So much so, that the Commanding Officer of the USS PARACUTIN QAE 185 dubbed the destroyer Hustlin' HULL . 133

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On the first day of June, the destroyer hammered enemy targets with nearly 600 rounds of five-inch ammunition and then made a hurried rendezvous with an ammuni- tion ship in order to rearm. Later that evening, she was directed to take up station off the southern coast near Hue. For the next five days the ship was assigned to provide support for the 10 lst Airborne Division and the lst ARVN Division who were operating in the vicinity. There proved to be little activity in this area and on 7 june the ship was ordered to DaNang to support the First Marine Division during the amphibious landing operation SWIFT SABER. HULL became a unit of TG 76. 5. On 15 June, at approximately 1900, HULL fired the 25, 000th round of her deploy- ment--a feat unequalled by any other destroyer in a six month cruise. At 0615 on 17 june the destroyer was relieved on station by USS BLUE CDD 7445. Having completed her third and final gunfire support patrol, the warship headed for Hong Kong and five days of rest and relaxation. The combat portion of their deployment over, the ship's crew felt an immense sense of pride and accomplishmentg for the list of achievements was quite impressive 25, 249 rounds had been fired resulting in the destruction of numerous artillery sites and rocket emplacements. In addition to the impressive gunnery performance, HULL had successfully completed 65 underway replenishments and had skillfully avoided being hit on the seven occasions that enemy gunners had taken her under fire. Messages commending the destroyer for her exemplary performance were received from Commander SEVENTH Fleet, Commander of the Naval Gunfire Support Task Unit off Vietnam, and the Commanding General of the First Marine Division, among others. HULL visited Hong Kong from 19 to 24 june and then headed for Yokosuka, japan via Subic Bay, Philippines where the ship off-loaded ammunition on the 26th. On 29 June the destroyer arrived in Yokosuka and began making repairs in preparation for the long 'trip home. On 3 july the ship, in company with PREBLE departed Yokosuka as a unit of Task Element 70. 8. 2. 1 fCommanding Officer, PREBLE assumed CTE 70. 8. 2. lj. On 6 july, HULL officially departed from the Western Pacific and became a unit of Task Unit 15. 9. 1 CCommanding Officer, PREBLE assumed CTU 15.9. lj. Upon her departure she received the following message from Commander Task Group 70. 8, Rear Admiral S. H. MOORE: I extend my personal congratulations for a job well done. HULL's performance on the gunline has contributed greatly to the success of our nation's forces. engaged in Vietnam. 135 --G+ ' W -...A .... ,......,,.E,:.g.,.... ...4....,.-..,.-..-.,....c..-.4.4.....44..:.a1 ...1e.L.. .......-...a....,...,..-.......,.,......-,.,... ...-.VM w.v-if--NAL ' --' ---f'-