Nicholas (DDE 449) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 66 text:

In December of I969, TwenTy-seven years and Three monThs afTer she proudly sailed inTo EspiriTu SanTo in The full bloom of her youTh, NICHOLAS de- parTed The waTers of The WesTern Pacific for The lasT Time, her guns which so recenTly blazed aT The enemy were si- Ienced, never To fire again-yeT They re- main proud and foreboding, silenT mon- umenTs To TwenTy-seven years of dis- Tinguished service. On 30 January I97O NICHOLAS was puT To resT in a ceremony in Pearl Har- bor. If The spiriT of The NICHOLAS could speak on ThaT day she vvould have spoken of The men who served in her over The years, The men who made her The proud ship she was. She would Talk of baTTles foughT and won, of The his- Tory she made. BuT above all, she would Tell of anoTher ceremony which Took place in The same harbor TwenTy-six years before in January, I944. On her deck sTood The Commander in Chief of The UniTed STaTes Pacific FleeT, Admiral ChesTer NIMITZ, on ThaT day he pre- senTed To NICHOLAS The PresidenTial UniT CiTaTion she had earned in The BaT- Tle of Kula Gulf. The lasT senTence of ThaT ciTaTion expresses succincTly The Thoughfs of all who have known The ship over The years: The valorous achievemenTs of The NICHOLAS reflecT greaT crediT upon The UniTed STaTes Naval Service. CrediTs: EdiTor: LTJG C. F. TAYLOR AssisTanTs: MRS. C. F. TAYLOR ENS lvioRTENsEN Phvfvgraphy: me TAYLOR ArT: SN sl-IEEHAN COPY: YNc sHEA