Nicholas (DDE 449) - Naval Cruise Book

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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.

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

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For The nexT Three years The ship was all Things To all people, escorT, anTi-air- crafT plaTform, submarine chaser, mine sweeper, shore bombarder, Troop ship, supply ship, rescue ship, and above all, warship, The class of which NICHOLAS was The firsT To be commissioned proved a marvel of adapTabiliTy and dependabiliTy and esfablished a repuTa- Tion for endurance and versaTiliTy which consTiTuTes one of The shining pages of The hisTory of naval operaTions in World War II. NICHOLAS had unguesfionably ar- rived, and in The fullness of Time The ship aT lasT found iTself in Tokyo Bay- an honored wiTness To The awesome pageanfry of ThaT day of final vicTory, for which she and her sisTers had foughT so valianTly and well. The end of hosTiliTies however broughT wiTh iT an ineviTable reiecTion of war and iTs Tools, and America, in The pursuiT of peace shared by all who are free, seT abouT The disesTablishmenT of her mighTy armies and greaT fleeTs. OuT of fashion, NICHOLAS was ordered inTo premaTure reTiremenT in January, I9-47. FreTTing, no doubT, aT her unac- cusTomed immobiliTy, The ship ioined The oTher baTTle TesTed veTerans of The moThball fleeT and conTempIaTed a bleak fuTure. BuT she had noT long To endure This indigniTy. In l95O The peace born on The decks of The MISSOURI and so carefully nur- Tured in The hosTile aTmosphere of The rapidly developing cold war was ab- rupTly and bruTally murdered in The hills of Korea. Once again a reIucTanT America Took up The challenge and Turning To The ships she had so hope- fully puT aside only a few shorT years earlier The counTry prepared for war. Recommissioned in November, I95O as a Desfroyer EscorT and assigned To Pearl Harbor, NICHOLAS again re- Turned To The waTers of The WesTern Pacific. A veTeran To be sure, buT sTilI in her prime and as graceful as ever, The ship now faced her fuTure wiTh pride and confidence.