Knox (DE 1052) - Naval Cruise Book

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Cmdr. W.A. Lamm, First Skipper Cmdr. Lamm, born in Milwaukee, Wis., and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, received his commission in Dec. of 1952. In Nov. of 1968 at Seattle, Washington he assumed the duties of Prospective Commanding Officer of Knox and became the first CO. of the U.S.S. Knox upon her commissioning in April of 1969. During his Naval career he has been the Executive officer of two DLG ' s and the Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Chicason (ATF-83). He commanded Knox throughout Her formulative days and was relieved by Cmdr. Hays in June of 1970. He is now at the U.S. Army War College.

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THE KNOX On 5 October, 1965, the keel of the Knox was laid at Todd Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. The Knox was destined to be the first of a new class of ocean-going escort. On a rainy 12 April, 1969, the Knox became an official part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at her commissioning. During the months of June and July she underwent shakedown trials and broke in a new crew. In October 1969, she underwent the severest test of them all. One thousand pounds of TNT was detonated a mere three hundred feet from the side of Knox. This test was designed to deter- mine if this new class could withstand the blast effects of a nuclear explosion. The Knox still bears visible reminders of the blast. So far the ship had done little to prepare her crew for her calling in life, the ASW destroyer. With this eventual goal in mind she parti- cipated in the COMTU-EX with other ships of DESDIV 112. This exercise was a testing ground for ships preparing for deployment to the Western Pacific. HOLDEX 1-70, an exercise more suited to the capabilities of Knox, followed shortly after COMTU-EX. During all of this the Knox had not yet left Hawaiian waters and the real test was coming. On 16 September, 1970 Knox cast off and headed for Auckland, New Zealand to show the world down -under how ASW should be done. LONGEX 70 was a joint Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and U.S. exercise against two enemy submarines who were trying to attack a convoy protected by a destroyer screen. The Knox had a good week and was able to score the first kill of the exer- cise shortly after it started. At the completion of the exercise we headed for our eventual destination, the Western Pacific and operations with the Seventh Fleet. Our first assignment brought us to North SAR station where we might be called upon to rescue one of our downed pilots or to refuel one of the helos operating in the area. After a brief turn as plane guard for the Yankee Station carriers we found ourselves acting as shotgun for the PIRAZ missile ship near the DMZ of Vietnam. Hong Kong provided a welcome rest and break before our goodwill trip to Negros Island in the Philippine Group. Our last duty of this maiden deployment was to act as rescue destroyer for two CVA ' s on Yankee Station for a period of twenty days. As soon as one CVA would complete flight operations for the day we would make a fast shuttle and fall in astern of the other CVA for another grueling 12 hours of flight ops. The morning of 25 February 1971, found us casting off in tune to Hawaiian music and heading for home in Pearl Harbor.

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THE BEGINNING HALF WAY COMPLETION