Hull (DD 945) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 135 text:

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'-

Page 134 text:

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

Page 136 text:

On 8 july, the destroyer made a fuel stop in Midway Island. The ship arrived in Pearl Harbor on 10 july and her crew spent two days taking on stores, attending debriefings and enjoying the island. Underway againon the 12th, HULL began the last leg of a six month long deployment- She 2l1'I'1VGd 111 52111 Diego O11 18 july completing a journey of over 40, 000 miles. From 18 july to 9 September the veteran warship and her crew enjoyed a well earned leave and upkeep period. She went to sea again on 9 September for a three day period as plane guard for the USS KITTY HAWK QCVA 635 off the coast of Southern California. On 27 September, 20 men were presented with individual awards for their service in Vietnam. Commander Destroyer Squadron ONE, Captain A. T. EMERSON, jr. , made the presentations in a ceremony held on board. ln all, 54 men would eventually receive awards or letters of commendation for their efforts during the deployment. Gunnery problems had plagued the warship throughout her deployment. The devoted efforts of the ship's highly skilled gunners mates had kept the complicated 5-inch!54's operating, but in the end, barely so. Time had now come to begin major repairs to the mounts and it was decided that the major components would be removed and sent to the Louisville Naval Ordnance Plant for renewal. The destroyer's engineering plant also was in need of considerable repair work after the long deployment and the decision was made to send the ship to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in order to have it accomplished. On 28 September, HULL got underway for Bremerton, Washington arriving on 1 October. The repairs were completed on schedule and the ship returned to her homeport on the 26th of November While in the shipyard, it was announced by the Chief of Naval Operations that HULL had been awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. The award recognized all hands for their outstanding performance during the Vietnam tour. On 11 November, Veteran's Day, KPMB-TV, the CBS affiliate in San Diego, paid tribute to HULL by presenting an eighteen minute documentary entitled A Destroyer in Vietnam . The program was prepared by the ship's public affairs department. On 2 December, HULL went to sea off the coast of Southern California to plane guard for the USS TICONDEROGA CCVA 145. However, engineering casualties forced the destroyer to return to port on the morning of the 3rd. The ship's final at sea period of the year came on 11 December when she con- ducted independent steaming exercises. Training included casualty control drills, docking exercises, and simulated nuclear battle problems. . HULL returned to port on 13 December and spent the remainder of the year enjoying a holiday leave and upkeep period. 136