Richmond K Turner (DLG 20) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 15 text:

THE FIRST CONIIVIANDING OFFICER Captain Douglas C. Plate was born in New York, New York on 20 July 1920. He attended ublic schools in Westchester County and the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut prior P . . 120 CITCGTIPS the U.S . Naval Academy in july 1938 . While at the Academy he was a member of the varsity fencing team and the .Boat Club. He was graduated on 19 December 1941 and was commissioned an Ensign in the line, U.S. Navy. Through subsequent advancement, he attained the rank of Captain to date from 1 july 1960. s tour was in the USS SAVANNAH CCL 421 where he served in the Gun- Captain Plate's fir t - 1 nery Department. In September 1943, after participating in the North African and Sicilian Campaigns, SAVANNAH was heavily damaged at Salerno during the Italian invasion. In jan- a 1944 Captain Plate then a Lieutenant was transferred to the USS MISSOURI QBB 635 ll fy 1 - , , in which he served in various gunnery billets for the remainder of World War Il. During this ' ' l ' ' ' ' ' b d t of ja an, period the ship participated in the Iwo jima and Okinawa Campaigns, the bom ar men p the operations of Task Force 38f58 and, finally, the Surrender Ceremony of September 2, A From November 1945 until january 1948, he was assigned to the Bureau of Naval Persormel, Navy Department, as Assistant Director of Congressional Liaison. In january 1948 he joined h USS YELLOWSTONE CAD-275 for duty as Executive Officer throughout that year, and liom E 6 january 1949 until june 1950 served similarly in the USS JOHNSTON CDD-8215. He then joined ' ' ' ' h' fU.S. Atlantic Fleet, the Staff of the Commander in Chief, Atlantic and Commander in C ie for duty in the Operations Division, with brief additional duty as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to d ' a month of formal calls on NATO countries From August 1952 to june 1953 SAC LANT uring . he was a student at the Naval War College, Newport, R.1., and for two years thereafter served ' 4 RSON DDR-8305. on the Staff. In May 1955 he assumed command of the USS EVERETT F . LA C When detached in August 1956, he joined the Staff of Commander, Destroyer Force, U.S. At- lantic Fleet as Air Defense Officer with additional duty as Guided Missile and Special Weapons Officer. ln january 1958 he assumed command of the USS MITSCHER QDL-25, flagship of COMDESFLOT TWO. During this tour the ship was host to the President of the United States at the start of the 1958 Americas Cup Race, and participated in an extended cruise on the West Coast of South America. In August 1959, he reported for duty as a student at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and, upon completion in july 1960, reported as Naval Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Clnstallations and Logisticsb. In November 1963, Captain Plate was detached to re- RICHMOND K TURNER QDLC-205 Cap- port as Prospective Commanding Officer of the USS . . ' ' ' ' ' 'oned on 13 june 1964, tain Plate became our first commanding officer as the ship was commissi and served in that capacity until 14 August 1965 . He is now Commanding Officer of the U.S . paign Medal, with four engagement stars, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Meda wi r the World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal CAsia and Europebg and the National Defense Service Medal. C tain Plate was married in Arlington, Virginia in December 1945, to the former Peggy . , . . T 319 l'f ' Ca tain Plate s permanent residence is Gracemere, arry Deane of San Francisco, Ca i ornia. p town, New York. 11 Naval Destroyer School, Newport, Rhode Island. . Captain Plate has the American Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Cam- ' ' ' ' ' 1 'th th ee stars' 7

Page 14 text:

lgggjg.. , milky-: Y- - ff- 'TTTTT 11:1 1 CAPTAIN DOUGLAS C . PLATE, USN FIRST COMRIAXDTXG UFFICER IO -A AAAA -AAU 3 6 5 4

Page 16 text:

1 CAPT. ALPINE W. MCLANE PRESENT COMMANDING OFFICER I2 I l.U JI 5 -y f 2, fi 'll-I