Richard B Anderson (DD 786) - Naval Cruise Book

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ANDERSON'S DEPLOYMENT Anderson made a quiet departure from Long Beach on 27 July 1970. A ' th W t r brief visit to Hawaii was the most exciting part of the transit to e es e n l imens red earth and white sand beaches adorned the Pacific. Flora spec , , islands. After brief refueling stops in Midway and Guam, Anderson reached its home-away-from-home, Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. This was l' se of the port to which the crew was to become most accustomed. the first g imp . Upon leaving Subic Bay, the ship proceeded to the Gulf of Tonkin for a short line period with the attack carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. After completing 1 rdin duties Anderson accompanied Bon Homme Richard and USS p anegua g , Davidson QDE-10455 to Singapore. The British people were very congenial to their American cousins and many Anderson sailors took part in tours of the surrounding area. Singapore was indeed the first of many exciting stays in foreign lands. y Anderson sailed out of Singapore and then dipped just far south enough to arouse King Neptune from the deeps. During the traditional crossing the equator ceremony, the pollywogs felt Neptune's wrath in more ways than one. It could be said that the episode was a spine tingling experience filled with gastronomic delights. After a short three day period for replenishment in Subic Bay, the next assignment found the ship southwestward bound for the Gulf of Siam, where for the next three weeks over 1400 rounds of 5 inch! 38 caliber ammunition were fired by the shipis guns in support of the 21st ARVN Division's operations in the U Minh forest area of South Vietnam. On completion of the Naval Gunfire Support assignment, Anderson joined the attack carrier USS Oriskany for a transit to Yokosuka, Japan. Along the way a young lady, with the unlikely name of Joan, kicked up her heels and played havoc with the menof DD-786. She was indeed an unwelcomed passenger.

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WESTPAC 70 USS R.B. ANDERSON IDD-7861

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Although a little green around the gills, everyone survived and arrival in Yokosuka on 19 October was a welcome. The cool weather was a pleasant relief from the sultry days spent in the Gulf of Siam. This area of Japan was very exciting and filled with many beautiful sights such as castles, hot springs, and Mount Fuji. A few Anderson sailors made trips to nearby Yokohama and Tokyo. The ship became well-ladened with many purchases but, none-the-less departed Yokosuka and headed for the Gulf of Tonkin. An engineering casualty enroute required that the ship return to Japan for repairs, this time to Sasebo. After a pleasurable five day repair period, Anderson once again set forth for the South China Sea via the Taiwan Straits. Planeguarding was the assignment for most of the next few weeks, but Anderson was called upon to go further northin the Gulf of Tonkin as an escort for USS Chicago ICG-113 for several days. After a trip to Subic Bay for a week of upkeep, the ship returned to planeguarding duty, this time with the USS Ranger. Prior to Christmas, the ship left station for Keelung, Taiwan. Keelung is the port city for Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Shopping and sightseeing filled the six days in this port. Anderson departed Keelung on 21 December for Subic Bay where the entire crew celebrated Christmas and New Year's while the ship was in drydock for repairs. The final assignment was as escort for USS Gridley CDLG-213 on SAR 1Search and Rescuej station in the Gulf of Tonkin. The ship spent an uneventful week on station and then headed for Hong Kong. Hong Kong had so many things to offer, great food, sightseeing, and, of course, shopping. Many Anderson sailors increased the size of their wardrobes with Mod fashions available. Hong Kong was undoubtedly one of the favorite ports wivited by the ship. A return trip to Subic Bay provided an opportunity for repairs prior to the homeward transit. Brief refueling stops in Guam, Midway, and Pearl Harbor were made enroute to San Diego and Anderson arrived for a gala homecoming on ll February 1971.