Nicholas (DDE 449) - Naval Cruise Book

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The Roadrunner 6' W uss Nicholas 40134499 Westpac Cru9ise 19 June - 18 December 1969

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Oruaiea uxcwom c C1152

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N On I4 SepTember I942, a sleek, Trim brand new desTroyer reporTed To Task Force 64 aT EspiriTu SanTo, in The New Hebrides. Her addiTion To The Pacific FIeeT's ship-sTarved escorT commander was keenly anTicipaTed, parTicuIarIy since she was The firsT in commission of The much heralded new FIeTcher class desTroyers from whom so much was ex- pecTed in The long bloody days ahead. Her name was,NICHOLAS and her ar4 rival ThaT day was The sTarT of a career ThaT would span TwenTy-seven years and Three wars and in company wiTh her sisTers who were soon To arrive, esTablish forever The legend of ver- saTiIiTy, self-sacrifice and indomiTable gaIIanTry ThaT were The FIeTcher class. The Thoughfsg ofi,ThaTiTla,sk Group Commanderxcon, T'haTTIong iagoI.'ISepTem- ber day arecnoT recorded, buT,'35as he waTched Tlfegship slice Through The Trop- ic sea anoiobserved The poeTryfo1S her graceful rrTovemenT, he musTrhave res- ponded asifcounTIess sailors were To respond down'Th,rough The years aT The sighT of one of These rnaTchIess war- My X: Zz ships aT home in her eIemenT. BUT grace and beauTy alone do noT win baTTles. No maTTer how graTifying NICHOLAS may have been To The ad- miral's eye, his ThoughTs were focused on The grim reaIiTies of The fighT ahead and uppermosT in his mind aT ThaT momenT was The viTaI role To be played by his new, unTried weapon and his concern wiTh her abiIiTy To do The job ThaT she had To if The Tenacious, power- ful enemy were To be overcome. In This The Admiral was To be soon reassured. NICHOLAS became involved almosT immediaTely in The brisk acTion of The area, quickly proving beyond all doubT ThaT beneaTh her comely exTerior lived The spiriT of an amazingly versaTile and deadly efficienT warship. The pages of her war diary resound wiTh names which evoke The drama of hisTory iTself -GUADALCANAL, SANTA CRUZ. CAPE ESPERANCE, KULA GULF, The GILBERT ISLANDS, The MARSHALL ISLANDS, KWAJALEIN, ENIWETOK. LEYTE GULF, LUZON, OKINAWA.