Hull (DD 945) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE RECORD MILES STEAMED 41 945 mlles fuslng 3 860 956 gallons of fuelj UNDERWAY REPLENISHMENT STATISTICS Ammunltlon shlps QAEJ Ollers QAOJ Stores cargo shlp QAKSJ Refrlgerated stores sh1p QAFJ Total replenlshments COMMUNICATIONS WESTPAC VOLUME 12 747 messages handled YEAR S VOLUME 15 438 messages handled UNITS SUPPORTED Installatlon Defense Center Nha Trang South Vletnam Thlrd Mar1ne D1v1s1on Flrst Mar1ne DIVISION Elrst A1r Cavalry D1v1s1on Second Br1gade Republlc of Korea Mar1ne Corps Elrst D1v1s1on Army of the Republlc of Vletnam DE STRUCTION fconhrmedj Enemy Wounded 1n act1on Roads out Artlllery s1tes sllenced Sampans damaged or destroyed Gun emplacements destroyed Automatlc Weapons sllenced Storage areas destroyed Structures damaged or destroyed Bunkers damaged or destroyed Caves closed Trenches collapsed Secondary exploslons F 1res started Areas neutrallzed ROUNDS EIRED MAIN BATTERY Q5 X54 SECONDARY BATTERY C3 X509 Total rounds f1red NORTH VIETNAMESE COASTAL DEFENSE SITES Sh1p f1red upon on seven occaslons rece1ved no h1ts 25 119 130 249 meters rounds rounds ' ' ' . 27 ' . 32 ' . 3 . . 3 ' 65 Enemy killed in action 64 ' ' 10 I . 4 by . . . 34 I 7 A 20 I . . 7 3 ' 169 52 3 . 575 ' 22 ' 30 ' 5 0 25, 137

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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

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Editor LtQgj Ron Hazelton Photography TM3 Steve Hermanowski STG3 Nells Rotohstein