O Brien (DD 975) - Naval Cruise Book

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Upon arrival of Jones' ships and their escort, the . townspeople of Machias, already enraged by the news of British power in Boston, decided to attack the MARGARETTA. Jeremiah O'Brien and forty men first seized the UNITY and then attacked the ... MARGARETTA by ramming her. O'Brien's crew boarded the British ship and, in one hour of bloody combat, captured the enemy vessel. This victory was instrumental in initiating the pursuit of colonial freedom by inspiring the founding of the first Colonial Navy. O'Brien's contributions to America's freedom have not gone unrecognized. including USS O'BFllEN lDD-975l, a total of five United States ships have proudly worn the name O'BFilEN. i - i A . :sv-' L ' 'E 'elf ' ' i ' - A l M-,A-ug l '-I -1,1-f .-T :lxgt ,,, LIFE AT THE MANOR As members of O'Brien's crew gradually filtered from San Diego to Pascagoula, the first thing each one realized upon arriving in Mississippi was that he had a comfortable place to bed down for the next few weeks 4 Vw- - a very comfortable place. In fact, when this sailor B arrived at Lakeside Manor lust a couple of miles from where O'Brien was tied up l thought we had checked into a middle-ol-the-line resort hotel The three- decked manor appears as a plain brick building outside but the interior is pleasantly furnished and quite attractive. The dOubIe-0CCupant rooms are air- conditioned and each has its own bathroom f., 'gsm Our meals were served cafeteria-style and although the food wouldn't compare to O'Brien's culinary delights, it satisfied the heartiest appetites Other facilities included a small exchange-type store, pool tables and pinball machines. and a very comfortable bar and lounge called the Lakeside Resort which provided live music on the weekends. Behind the manor we had access to a small lake complete with fishing pier. rowboats, and rumors of alligators, although none of O'Brien's crew ever saw one. So. that was and Still is Lakeside Manor, our home until November 2nd when the crew moved aboard ship. Thank-you Lakeside We appreciate your hospitality! 1f7QfM'f sw?s.6r -4' j3g,,.0 as C! J V4

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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

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it O'BRlEN JOINS THE FLEET On 3 December 1977, two yearS Hffef her christening by the ShiP'S Sponsorf Mrs. Elizabeth Burbank Bradford, USS O'BRlEN fDD-9757 was commissionedla United States Navy fighting SNP 'n Pascagoula, Mississippi. u Her sleek grey hull and towering superstructure glistened in the sun as more than two hundred and fifty officers and men manned the sides in dress uniform with spit-polished shoes and faces reflecting a pride that ONY 3 commissioning crew can know. Hundreds of guests viewed the ceremonv from the pier while the United States Ensign was hoisted at the fantail to the moving sounds of our National Anthem. At that moment came the reward of months of hard but satisfying work - our ship, USS O'BRlEN, became truly, the pride of the fleet. CONGRATULATIONS! The officers and men of USS O'BRlEN would like to extend their congratulations to Hospital Corpsman First Class Samuel P. Alford on his second October 1977. Lieutenant Commander Ft. L. Brant, f O'BRIEN's Executive Officer, conducted t Fleet Training Center, San Diego, California. HM1 Alford was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He graduated from East High School in Cheyenne in 1968 and after attending various universities. earned an Associate of Science degree. The Alfords and their two children, Charlyn. 6 and John Paul. 3, live in San When asked about his future in the Navy, Petty Officer Alford first explained that, for the time, he is happy working in his rating and beli important concern is safeguarding the health of O'BRlEN's crew. Petty Officer Alford added l'm lookin . . . 1 9 into a commissioning program but l'm not sure yet. There are so many avenues open. He plans to finish up his college education at the earliest an 0.8 U possible date, perhaps er RIEN is securely home-ported i Alford summed it all up nicely when he said, The Navy is basicallyafine or aniz t' A Q a ion filled with competent and -PVQTGSSQIODHI people. This is the biggest plus of the service. Evidently HM1 Alford feels the same wa abo t t:e officers and men of USS O'BRIEN because he callrs t em. the cream of the crop. The entire crew of USS O'BFtlEN owes a s ec' l Fofauoi xv ,-Tiki 1 I V . M. . 1-sf . . , is Slit' e ff If ,fri V 7- :R . .-Av-vs V ,V . i ?fL.ll .Se 'S Tx Pi t ' 1' V' f From left to right: Congressman George M. O'Brien - Principle Speaker, Mrs. David C. Scott - Matron of Honor, Rear Admiral James W. Montgomery, Mr. Leonard Erb -- President Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mrs. Elizabeth Burbank Bradford - Ship's Sponsor. reenlistment, 3 . Q . he ceremony at fi at . .i-xv' L I ...,,,,,,,g, . ..,... , fanny 2 FF' Diego. eves his most n San Diego TO THOSE WE LOVE . you. there have been long period f D la note of thanks to you - our wives and families. S an immense and . d, 50 Separation, but YOU've endured through it all. Your strerlgtfl back ho 'fiz in ispensible rt th ' ' ' t. fi: We. of the O'BFtlEN salute you alps m' e Success of O BFUEN HS a Capable fighting ufll anxiously await the day we get underway for San DieQ0- . 1 f me