O Brien (DD 975) - Naval Cruise Book

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is uss o'BmEN QDD-9751 iifli FAMILYGRAM E ,if - ,Arno ' Q A V I' if ' l f', 3' ,I ff :L '.-,, fijr3,!m44 ff? ' Commanding Ollicer Executive Otticer ' Q, CDFI. J. J. MULLEN LCDR R. L. BRANT f, f-4.H':r4 ,, r f ' ir v s' e 'A .int 4 ff gs ,i-1, . 3 DECEMBER 1977 To The Famllles And Friends OI The United slam Shlp O'BRIEN: W This is Our hrs! ollorl al procluclriq .ul U UHIEN Familygram. It is a loin! venture ol U'BFilENs Public Allalrs Ollicor, Ensign Kon Triornpsori USNH .md his number orlo and only assistant Torpei.lorri.m 50601761 Class W. P. Van Twuyver, USN lleel mal they -'iJtv'Ut'lOlltJ ct magnillcorll fob and I look forward lo lm: mix! issue live will bo publishing il Farmlyqrurn .rr lrtrqileml irileervttlis duflflg Our hrs! yoar of comrmsslofl to keep .ill .mreasl ol tho ships accomplishrrionls I am extremely proud ol me crew im rm-. lin.: day of COf71l71IS5IOl1fIfl service Fvmy I.i'il m,irl flirt. null .md 8liC00d0d my higllflfsl 0!pf?ClrlllC'lllf. I rmyi- ,i-xiii-.J mr rrmry, hours ol lusl plain ll.-lril work from ,mfr filllllb .mil husbands. and they have 'hisnivvrl .irhilfiil .is wi-IJ .is .my gr0Up ol Nilvymerl lflill I have served with inf W :mal lf' years. l Call assure you ffm! lhvv .ire wl'IIl'Vvrl.ifv'rflf'1'..l1I the O'BRIEN and I am conliderir lm! we will rrmvf vwrry challenge with success in Ihr' months .irmirl In closing please accepr my pvrsrmal rlmwl- T3 for your support over the past months ariclrlori rhesifafo to C.1IlOf1 me il I may be ol assistance Simjnrely, J ,I Mullen CDF? USN Conirvmrldlrtiy Oflrrjgr i X USS O'BRlEN fDD 9751 Commissioned this day. 3 December 19?7, USS OBFRIEN COD 975i is the thirteenth Spruance Class Destroyer to be designed and built for the Navy by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division ol Litton industries in Pascagoula. Mississippi. Spruance Class is the first maior class lo be powered by marine gasturbine engines. which will enable O'BRlEN lo cruise at speeds in excess of 30 knots. Her twin controllable. reversible pitch propellers render O'BFllEN much more manueverable than conventional destroyers. Although a multi- mission destroyer, O'BRlEN'S primary mission is Anti-Submarine Warlare. and she is equipped with the most advanced sonar and weapons systems available to do the lob, Her secondary missions, including Anti-Air and Anti-Surface Warfare and Naval Gunfire Support, are accomplished with two 5 incht'54 caliber. fully-automatic guns. An advanced fire control system pinpoints targets with nearly 10046 accuracy. O'BFtIEN was also designed with the crew in mind. She has spacious berthing areas and other features uncommon to more conventional destroyers including a walk-in ships store, library. gymnasium, and hobby shop. ln conclusion. O'BRlEN is a destroyermans dream. incorporating crew comfort with an unequalled technology to comprise the most practical and Capable destroyer afloat anywhere in the world.

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--Ill 1 X f fi pi '11 l'd like to welcume the O. B. bac-ktulheIH'lee1. C ' V , w ,iw H' .,, 5 .. ffl Q-yrs QLFQ' ,f I. ,QHQ ,. .Ki L 'Y 3.1. ' -Q aur f't 4 ?

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SHlP'S CREST As seen at the top left corner, tJ-SS O BFUEN S official crest symbolizes the rich tradition of courage and determination initiated by the SNP S namesake' Captain Jeremiah O'Brien. The shamrock alludes to the Irish ancestry of Jeremiah O'Brien while the crossed nautical tridents and overlapping cannon signify the first naval battle of the American Revolution. The motto, Loyalty - Unity - Freedom is representative of deep beliefs held by our first colonists during their fight for independence from Great Britain. , 'gf gl THE MAKING OF o'BniEN 17 J Preparing a ship of O'BRlEN's size and complexity for commissioning was a monumental task. . fa. , at - ..,i.tfit..t.i.l,n. A '- . .Lf - J ' 'T A 'WV I i 7 A .i I il l Q' 3 Y' ', x f, Q itll .TP Jmagzi L ,e fi Lg.. , IBKIIIIIIIIIIIII u . i 'H ff. .W 'Eu ...A f...tj..iq5...-- s,,....., I I 5 H4 --. is-Q'-in.....,.:,,,, The advanced crew in Pascagoula first familiarized themselves with the ship, and then immediately began searching for discrepancies and shortcomings of equipment aboard O'BRIEN. During Builders Trials ,thls crew came along as guests to get an idea of O'BRlEN's seaworthiness while Ingalls Shipbuilding checkedout all ofthe ship's systems underway. Two weeks after Builder's Trials came Acceptance Trials . On this one- day cruise, the Navy observed all systems on board to ensure their satisfactory functioning before accepting the ship from the contractors. The advanced crew's work really began with detailed inspection of each and every piece of equipment aboard. Following the discrepancyfcorrection period came the onloading of tons of office equipmentand general supplies. Working parties labored many long, hard hours hand-carrying the goods and placing them in appropriate spaces. On 2 November, the advance crew, which had been living in temporary quarters at Lakeside Manor gladly moved their seabags aboard O'BRlEN. Just two days later the remaining bulk of O'BRlEN's crew arrivedfrom San Diego and set about cleaning her up for her commissioning scheduled one month later. Painting. sweeping and swabbing were orders of the day. Also, during this clean-up period the crew was given intensive training on the operation and maintenance of O'BRlEN's sophisticated systems and equipment. All this came in preparation for 3 December's commissioning. JEREMIAH O'BRlEN As ,was mentioned earlier in the description of the ship's official crest, Captain Jeremiah O'Brien is the vessel's namesake. Born at Kittery, Maine in 1744, Jeremiah O'Brien would become Captain of the first American ship to engage and defeat the British in naval conflict during the American Revolutionary War, Little Qf no records exist telling of Captain ' O Brien. but the saga of his victory over the British Warship MARGARET-rA tells of .me mens Courage. and of his dedication to freedom and liberty. 'S ,1 W, ..,-gf F i , a. W - gi. x -L, S, 2,15 gif fi i . . ' X - , 5 -5 N iii s ' v 4 fa , i , V it , A 1 i N. Q I fi.. j , ',.fl f -fi 7,3 ,, . 5 L'-' . ff , ' Y 4 A, ,, ' . 3 F 5 affix 5 xi ' V. '. k 1 .134-V 5,49 H'3'.,, w1.,:- .ff ' gf . Q ' '-ei A f fin' Ht. 4 LL? L Misfit V , avi , V, ,Q , 15 S-- ,at S. , .,H1.w-w-i- ,ggszffgf ., gg. ,fyfgh ,sp f wig ...-if rw . , . A ' ' ...fe A ' H 9 'ir' H ff' ., ,. Tw-iv, 'GV fu: .i 3,171 'iq - L W . kk , , - , , - ' ...wb 'iJ'+fFj,lS Q -f 1 . ' , ' er - iv.--' - -tr -f 41, -1 f f W,Z?ei.,,1g7!xq 4 3 Machias, M ' - , , . vided work fgpgisaetwig aithe BEEN homeeteed dU 'nQ The prewar years. Machias' lumberin9 'neusw hem J y mi ies including that of one lchabod Jones Being more successful than H10 Q ones and h f I er British seige Jongs 22 zourenokka Second home In Boston to be Cioser to his buyers After Boston C e passage for himself a e e SPGCIGI deal with Admiral Samuel Graves of the Royal NavYt0'n and hisf l b shiploads of badly needed iatrpmsnleracirsto Machlas In exchange Jones agreedto Supplyme Britten warsmp MARGAR insurance that Jones would return Admiral Graves S ETTA along as escort to Jones schooners PGLLY and UNITY ii ras. s T t . ' ' . ' . 3 un? . . , . ' l . I I . 'T sitio ' I . ' . ' ' hwuh . , ' ' - I U16