Nicholas (DDE 449) - Naval Cruise Book

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Reestablishing the reputation of her class NICHOLAS undertook and success- fully accomplished a wide variety of missions in Korean waters. In the course of three deployments the ship was a vital component of Task Force 77 throughout the conflict and once again demonstrated her gunnery prowess in shore bombardment. Peace again found NICHOLAS busily engaged in the pursuit of her trade, but now there was no talk of retirement, no beating of swords into plow- shares. An awakened America, mindful- at last of the need for constant vigi- lance in an uncertain world, had need of her ships and NICHOLAS became a permanent resident of the islands of Hawaii. The years in the Pineapple Fleet succeeded one another quickly and bus- ily. Repeated WESTPAC deployments marked the passing of time and inter- spersed with the constant training and exercises were moments of crisis that underscore the need for such vigilance-Ouemoy, Matsu, Formosa Strait. NICHOLAS was beginning to show her years and like all females, she had to resort to surgery to maintain her youthful appearance. In i960 the ship under- went a complete modernization and emerged with a revised silhouette which reflected her new Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter IDASHD. Reiuvenated, the ship returned to Pearl Harbor and reioined the Fleet. But even a face lifting does not stay the hand of time, and in I962 this fact was brought uncomfort- ably home when she became the oldest destroyer in the Fleet and passed her twentieth birthday. Undismayed, however, she ignored the years and reas- serted her vigor by winning the coveted Battle E in I963.

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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.

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ln 1965 The Tires of vvar were again kindled-This Time in VieTnam-and NICHGLAS was again called upon To serve her counTry in Time of urgenT need. NICHOLAS, a liTTle older and wiser, again proved her worTh ThroughouT Tour deploymenTs To The waTers off VieTnam, providing viTal supporT To TasT aTTack carriers and, wiTh guns blazing, To forces ashore. On 19 June 1969 NICHOLAS seT ouT on whaT was To be her lasT deploymenT. On This deploymenT she was To sTeam over 37,000 nauTical miles, Tire over 4,700 rounds of five inch ammuniTion, spending 130 days aT sea againsT only 52 fwere There ThaT many'?1 in porT. We called aT Midway, Yokosuka, Sasebo, Suloic Bay, Kao Hsiung, Guam, and almosf aT Hong Kong. The purpose of This book is To provide a glimpse, in picTures and words, of This lasT cruise and The men who made iT. On The way 5