O Brien (DD 725) - Naval Cruise Book

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AND ILLUSTRIOUS ONE, DATING BACK TO APRIL 1775 WHEN A IBRIEN IS A LONG 3521?-:g,:lohiZNcE..EgDI'?-WAR ENTERED THE HARBOR AT MACHIAS, MAINE, AND THREATENED TO DESTROY -I-HE -I-OWN UNLESS A LIBERTY POLE, ERECTED IN HONOR OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON, WAS 1-ORN DOWN, WHILE NEGOTIATIONS TOOK PLACE, A LUMBER SLOOP LEFT MACHIAS APPARENTLY ,QHEADED OU-r -ro SEA, AS SHE PASSED THE BRITISH SHIP, HER CREW SPRANG INTO ACTION AND SCORES OF AMERICANS' ARMED WH-H pl-I-CHFORK5, AXES, AND MUSKETS BOARDED THE ENEMY SHIP. A BATTLE ENSUED AND THE BRITISH SHIP WAS FORCED TO SURRENDER, THE FIRST AMERICAN NAVAL VICTORY OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. THE LUMBER SLOOP WAS UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN .IEREMIAI-I OIBRIEN AND FIVE OF HIS BROTHERS WERE MEMBERS OF THE CREW. THE USS OIBRIEN IDD-725, IS THE FOURTH SHIP OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY TO BE NAMED IN HONOR OF THE OIBRIEN BROTHERS. THE FIRST TWO USS OIBRIENS SERVED THE NAVY HONORABLY UNTIL THEY BECAME OBSOLETE AND THE THIRD WAS SUNK WHILE TRYING TO RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES AFTER BEING TORPEDOED BY A SUBMARINE OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY DURING THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL. THE PRESENT OIBRIEN WAS LAUNCHED AT BATH IRON WORKS, BATH, MAINE JUST A FEW SHORT MILES FROM THE SCENE OF THE OIBRIEN BROTHERIS HEROIC ACTION AGAINST THE BRITISH, AND COMMISSIONED AT BOSTON NAVY YARD ON 25 FEBRUARY 1944. SHE HAS BEEN ALL OVER THE WORLD DURING TWO GREAT CON- FLICTS, WORLD WAR II AND THE KOREAN ACTION. SHE HAS SHED BLOOD FROM CHERBOURG, FRANCE TO THE LITTLE ISLAND OF KERAMA RETTO NEAR OKINAWA. THIS IS HER STORY, FOUGHT BY GALLANT CREWS AND WRITTEN IN HONOR FOR WHICH THE NAVY CAN BE .IUSTLY PROUD. IT WAS ONLY FOUR MONTHS TO THE DAY AFTER HER COMMISSIONING THAT THE OIBRIEN SHED HER FIRST BLOOD, AFTER PARTICIPATING IN THE HISTORICAL LANDINGS AT 'IOMAHA BEACHI' IN NORMANDY ON D--DAY, OIBRIEN WAS SCORING EFFECTIVELY ON NAZI GUN POSITIONS ON THE CHERBOURG PENINSULA WHILE ES- CORTING LANDING BARGES. THE BIG GERMAN GUNS FINALLY FOUND THE RANGE OF THE EVASIVE DESTROYER, AND MADE A HIT NEAR THE AFTER PART OF THE BRIDGE. ALTHOUGH BADLY DAMAGED AND WITH THIRTEEN OF HER MEN MORTALLY WOUNDED, OIBRIEN STAYED IN THE BATTLE HOURS LONGER, HURLING SHELLS ASHORE AND SCREENING THE OTHER SHIPS. AFTER REPAIRS IN THE UNITED STATES, OIBRIEN WA RECORD READS LIKE A HISTORY OF THE NAVYIS VICTORIOUS CAMPAIGN IN THIS THEATRE OF OPERATION. AS A MEMBER OF FAMED TASK FORCE 38, THE OIBRIEN EARNED FIVE BATTLE STARS FOR HER PART IN THE ASSAULT AT LEYTE, LUZON AND MINDINAO IN THE PHILLIPPINES S TRANSFERRED TO THE PACIFIC FLEET WHERE HER AS WELL AS AT IWO JIMA AND OKINAWA. SHE WAS TWICE HIT DURING THESE OPERATIONS. DURING THE PRE-INVASION BOMBARDMENT ACTIVITIES AT LINGAYEN GULF, OIBRIEN WAS STRUCK ON HER PORT SIDE BY AN IMPERIAL JAPANESE AIRCRAFT WHICH CRASHED INTO THE SHIP TEARING A GAPING HOLE IN THE SIDE. MA-I-TR W D OUN AND SHE STAYED ON STATION AND IN ACTION FOR THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL THE JOB WAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED. FOLLOWING R PA E IRS. THE OIBRIEN RETURNED TO COMBAT AND IN MARCH OF 1945, WHILE STAND- ING OFF STRATEGIC KERAMA RETTO ISLAND AN OTHER IMPERIAL JAPANESE AIR D OUT OF THE LOW CLOUDS AND HIT JUST AFT OF OIBRIENIS BRIDGE CRAFT SKIMME ESSES AND ODD BITS OF LUMBER WERE JAMMED INTO HER ETRUETION THROUGHOUT TE . A MAGAZINE EXPLODED SPREADING DEATH AND DES- MEMORIAL PLAQUE TO THE EOEIERIAEIGEON AEE EIETY EIVEE WEEE LOST AND MORE THAN 100 WEEE WOUNEEE' A US MEN OF OIBRIEN WHO GAV MAY BE SEEN IN OUR AMIDSHIPYS PASSAGEWAY, E THEIR LWES EOE THEIR COUNTRY THE END OF WORLD WAR II FINISHED THE FIRST HIT CH OF OIBR AIRS AND THEN WAS RETIRED To THE RESERVE EEEET EOE ENE YEAEEN. SHE WAS SENT BACK HOME FOR REP C WITH THE CALL TO ARMS CAUSED BY T TOOUR NATIONIS NEEDS, PARTICIPATINZEININMILEICIIION OF SOUTH KOREA IN 1950, OIBRIEN ONCE AGAIN RESPONDED MOSCOW AND RADIO PEIKING REPORTED HER SUNK ABEYTTE-IPE IN TEE KOREAN WAR ZONE- AT ONE TIME BOTH RADIO OIBRIEN REMAIND INTACT THROUGHOUT TI-IE CONFLICT GUNS OF THE NORTH KOREANS IIPEOPLES ARMY. BUT IN 1961 OIBRIEN UNDERWENT THE PRESENT DAY NAVY, PARTICULARLY IN THE SCIENC N EEEIOE To BETTER EQUIE HER FOR THE NEEEE OEON SIGNIFICANTLY EXTENDED HER LIFE. PRESENTLY SHE CE OF AN-I-I-SUBMARINE WARFARE. THIS MODERNIZAT THE LITTLE BEAVER SQUADRON WHICH GAINED FAME U EERATES AS A MEMEEE OF DESTROYER SQUADRON EER H. AND DESTRDYER DIVISION 232 EEE EEE' NDER ADMIRAL ARLEIGH I31 KNOTI BURKE IN WORLD WA AN EXTENSIVE MODERNIZATIO O C R AND THOSE OF T E S AND MEN STAND R D'T'oN5 HE UN,-I-ED STATES NAVY. EADY TO CARRY ON HER GLORIOUS TRA LI