Pyro (AE 24) - Naval Cruise Book

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--...-,.. mn.-0-.-.,..v---......i.........,.... .,. - .V -rdf fb:- orrrcsn CDR John B. Godle y, U NR Commander J.B. GODLEY of Milwaukee, Wisconsin graduated from New Mexico State University in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He then attended Naval Officer Candidate School, New- port, Rhode Island, and received a commission as an Ensign in February, 1965. Commander Godley's initial assignment was as Combat information Center Officer aboard USS DONNER CLSD- 20l, during which time the ship made several Caribbean and one Mediterranean deployments. After a tour of duty as a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer with various units of the Third Marine Division tForwardl in the Republic of Viet Nam, he returned to the United States, where he was assigned as an instructor in the Supporting Arms Depart- ment of the Naval Amphibious School, Coronado, Califor- nia. Commander Godley was released from active duty in February, 1968. He drilled with various Naval Reserve units while working as a civilian employee for the Department of Defense in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Commander Godley requested recall to active duty as a TAR officer in August, 1970, and was assigned tothe Staff of Commander Service Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Initially assigned as Manpower Utilization Officer, he subsequently served as Flag Lieutenant for Vice Admiral F.H. Schneider, Jr. and Rear Admiral P.B. Arm- strong. Commander Godley's next tour of duty was as Operations Officer aboard USS KILAUEA CAE-26l. During ..a'u..w..f -. 'ua.-.an.... A - 4 AY this tour, KILAUEA made two Western Pacific deploy- ments, one of which was in support of combat operations in Viet Nam. Commander Godley attended the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, California from 1975 to 1977, and graduated with a Master of Science degree in Computer Science in June, 1977. Following graduation, Commander Godley was assigned as the Executive Officer aboard USS MAUNA KEA QAE-22l. He then commanded the Naval Reserve Center, Corpus Christi, Texas from June, 1979 to December, 1981, and was selected for command at sea. Following a rigorous training pipeline, Commander Godley assumed duties as Commanding Officer of USS PYRO QAE-24l on August 31, 1982. Commander Godley is authorized to wear the following decorations and awards: Combat Action Ribbon, the Unit- ed States Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, National De- fense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Viet Nam Service Medal ttwo bronze stars and Fleet Marine Force devicel, Sea Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Republic of Viet Nam Meritorious Unit Citation Rib- bon, Republic of Viet Nam Civil Action Ribbon, and the Republic of Viet Nam Campaign Medal. Commander Godley is married to the former Dorothy Orona of Los Lunas, New Mexico. They have two daugh- ters, Jennifer Ann and Karen Bartlett. Rv-.- , q,.1.m,1:- - . -- . H.. '- 1... Q A S!! mix, COMMANDING

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,,........-- ,..,,..,L,.,,:,.,.:.,............,......,...,..,.,....... - v --... 4---A --V-Q - U55 PYRO IAE-242 USS PYRO CAE-241 was built at Bethlehem Steel Com- pany Shipyard, Sparrows Point, Maryland, and commis- sioned at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in July, 1959. PYRO's sponsor was Mrs. Stuart lngersoll. At an initial cost of S517 million, PYRO incorporated the latest in shipbuilding de- sign of her time. Powered by two 600 psi boilers which drive a single screw, the ship's 15,000 ton hull is able to cut through the water at speeds in excess of 20 knots. PYRO has five ammunition holds, four of which are equipped with electric elevators. PYRO is able to replenish ships alongside by all of the standard types of replenish- ment techniques, including the standard tension replenish- ment alongside method lSTREAMl. Her helicopter plat- form is used for vertical replenishment QVERTREPJ oper- ations. PYRO also refuels both surface units and helos. AE-24 is the second ship to bear the name USS PYRO the previous being the Navy's first ammunition ship, AE-1 built at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash- ington in 1920. The first PYRO saw action in World War ll, and was in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. She shot down a Japanese plane while sustaining no damage to herself. After providing rearming services in the Pacific theatre for the duration of World War ll, the first PYRO was decommissioned in 1946. The current PYRO, faster and almost twice the displace- ment of AE-1, conducted her shakedown cruise through the Panama Canal, and arrived at its assigned homeport of Concord, California in late 1959. USS PYRO has subsequently completed sixteen highly successful deployments to the Western Pacific in support of the Seventh Fleet. The first and last five deployments were for the maintenance of fleet readiness. The second through eleventh deployments were in support of the Sev- inth Fleet in combatant missions during the Vietnam con- ict. Throughout her twenty-four year career, PYRO has re- peatedly set and broken performance records for ammuni- tion ships. ln slightly more than one year, 'May 1965 through August 1966, PYRO broke her own replenishment r .--- z fcfh-ff.w-r-11112-aw-,vff------ -A m- . record, and the fleet's standing record six times, while operating with several aircraft carriers off the Vietnam coast. During this period she built her transfer rate from 141.8 tons per hours to over 312 tons per hour, while transferring ammunition mainly at night. During her 1972 deployment, PYRO set another Navy record by servicing 364 ships and transferring over 36,000 tons of ammo. PYRO's 1974 deployment saw her assuming the additional role of providing fuel as well as ordnance to the fleet. Pumping 650,000 gallons of fuel to receiving ships, PYRO set a new record at the time for non-oilers in refueling Seventh fleet ships. On her 1976 deployment, PYRO's new role was as a primary support ship to conduct the redistribution of pre-positioned war reserve ordnance stored at Kego, Yokosuka, Japan to Sasebo, Japan and Subic Bay, R.P. More than 7,800 tons of ordnance were redistributed in record time and with perfect safety. After returning to the United States following her fifteenth deployment in June, 1980, PYRO was transferred to the Naval Reserve Force in August with the mission of con- ducting week-end and active duty training of Selected Naval Reservists and supporting Eastern Pacific oper- ations in support of the Third Fleet. PYRO completed a ten-month regular overhaul in April, 1982, and was re- turned to Active Duty status in June of that year. From June, 1982 to June, 1983, PYRO operated in the Eastern Pacific as part of Service Squadron THREE. PYRO departed Concord, California on June 6, 1983 on her sixteenth WESTPAC deployment as part of the Sev- enth Fleet, successfully providing logistics services to both ship's and shore stations as well as participating in a major fleet exercise and assisting in the aid of 13 Vietnamese refudgees. On December 12, 1983, PYRO returned to Con- cor . USS PYRO has been awarded two Navy Unit Commenda- tions and one Meritorious Unit Commendation. Additional- ly, she has earned two Battle Efficiency E's and an assortment of departmental excellence awards.

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CDR John J. Bepko III, U N Executive Officer Commander Bepko enlisted in the Navy in 1968 following graduation from the University of Connecticut. While attending Radarman A School, he was selected for Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ensign in Septembe r, 1969. Commander Bepko's first assignment was as Gunnery Officer on USS ORLECK QDD-8861, homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. He also served as Combat information Center Officer aboard ORLECK. Following completion of a Department Head course taught at Newport, Rhode island, he served as Operations Officer on USS BAUSELL QDD-8451, homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. Commander Bepko then was assigned as Counterintelligence Officer at the U.S. !Taiwan Defense Command, Taipei, Republic of China. His following assignment was as Executive Officer of USS PRESERVER CARS-85 homeported at Little Creek, Virginia. Commander Bepko then attended Naval Post Graduate School, where he received a Master of Science Degree in Management in 1981. Following Post Graduate School, Commander Bepko was Commanding Officer of USS EXCEL QMSO-439l, homeported at NAV- STA Treasure island, San Francisco, California. Commander Bepko has served as Executive Officer, USS PYRO QAE-241 since July, 1983. Commander Bepko's personal decorations are the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and the Ministry of National Defense Medal, Republic of China.