Richmond K Turner (DLG 20) - Naval Cruise Book

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ADMIRAL RICHMOND KELLY TURNER g XE - - ,F r , , N NX, 1 ng' ' -1 X X I 1 1 .A K5 4 i , E if N at 4 E i X , , .K, 'nmxx Rx ' , E ' .1 Q . x -5 4 xx i a R... Q P , KM, XA qwlxbklx K Qkowqxi iv. - - A U s 'xr-5' Li Es. ,Q - K. , . ,151 .14 t . R ' ef ,f I We-.KT 4 ' X , , Q - 3 if' 4- 9'Yfm 'I' V Lffkvn .X . I Q , TLZEKRR ' ' fL'. q',t 5 ' , - , xfhfg V, :lyk r-...Q-.. .., V ,WMV 1, A J f his-N earl SW-1-1'1 1'R f'.f' 5 -- 57 - H :, f . ,, ,,: l wgyigufq, A .4-,Q , wr- W-W.. - 1 , .Q ' . Ri-Wifi' f- -, 3 :we . .- ....X, X., . , ,Q '-1 'A' U THE NAVY CROSS For extraoi'dinai'y heroism and distinguished service as coniniandei' of the amphibious force in ac japanese forces during the attack on the Solomon August 7, 19-LZ. tion with enemy Islands on 4

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Long Beach Naval Shipyard forgphgg availability: The shimgreturned to San tions for our first' deploy to WES -..N ,. i f . PACIFI ' Pl an-ut uxfmsnnhonfn ., Q an . 1 ,i':'...f'f'f'7.,.. I K , r-s,.a-hunk-us-.,-:1.o.anN ' hounda shown craft npmximata ly d should nut be regarded as having official significance conduct shakedown training startingiiisi 1965 . This was the. molding period for the crew. It was also the period when cked up the nickname of The Tricky Dicky T or icky for short. We com training on 7 May and shortly thereafter COMDESRON 21 ke his flag on The next month was filled with the hectic prepara- M 7 'c'c cccc es' if Y 1 '1' if im s T A T E q-W-sf The 4th of june 1965 arrived t e departed to Join the Seventh Fleet It our first experience steaming in comtgf were a little shaky, but with Comix.. . ....,,. . , , 3' Fischer cracking the whip a short wo fwitlifl.1Qhe,Coral Seuamw shape to join Force 77 in the South China Sea. We worked mos't of the time witlgvthe ff it 'T ' Y ...x!,rfX1f'f' 1 ' A PENDENCE and we soon became a real team. Our rations viiith-the'nIND SEA, ORIS ran us through the s--fro g W, Q x station to life guard station. Liberty ports were far and few between. We began to think of Subic Bay had a week in Yokosuka, japan, one night in Okinawa, one week in Hong Kong andiltoo X Nalin. in Olongapo. , My On 14 Augustin Captaiii Alpine W. McLane took command. The plank 'Ht1ArmR off some new faces began to show up. The crew in general was slimming down, buftrm coii'ld,keep.u.p withthe best of them and most of the time we led the way. Then along came 4.- LCDR Chuck Sf3,iQIJ7'3I1d his crew from HC-2. This chopper outfit took us on a real bai?ii '1 Sea and surrounding area. These guys were the final bit Qof htoyy x-fir-stwrategc rew. With the help of HC-2, we were ablerto establishra dition of able to anywhere., -anytime and do anything--except talk about it. A In the lattertpalrt-of November we said good-bye to TNDEPENDETEICE, picked up a few lDoQneis from CINCPACFLT, COM Seventh FLT, CTF 77, and lgftlforihprijell. We comple our Maiden Voyage on 16 December 1966 and greeted our families wearing choice 'UZ Armed Fosries Expeditionary Medal or the Vietnameseifiervice Medal. L. 'Y S UVTII F -1 VIFIV 0C'E.i.X' -' i + ' ' ' L nm WAilNl 'W

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-mf Xi . . NX p I l.,,s'Xk, g ,g5. 'l,? Q- 0. P f u Y . if 1.?i'ilM1ili1lEl?lf13'isi2,1iJEfe 1 1 I if jZFIfiP1Pl?L1 lffil-M3 1215 1 eiiaaa1fgl.45rgzQmin.u.. SFWRCGDJIEQI I Admiral Richmond K. Turner was born in Portland, Oregon, on May 27, 1885 and attended high school in Stockton, California before his appointment to the United States Naval Academy. He graduated with distinction, fifth in a class of 201 in june 1908, and served the two years at sea, then required by law, before being commissioned Ensign in june 1910. After graduation in 1908, Admiral Turner served consecutively in the USS MILWAUKEE, USS ACTIVE, USS PREBLE, and USS WEST VIRGINIA until june 1912 when he joined the USS STEWART, assuming command a year later. The World War I years found him aboard the battleships USS PENNSYLVANIA, USS MICHIGAN, and USS MISSISSIPPI. After serving as Commanding Officer of the USS MERVINE, he reported for flight training at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida where he was designated Naval Aviator on August 30, 1927 at the age of 42. Upon the completion of more than four and one half years of shore duty, Admiral Turner returned to sea as Executive Officer of the aircraft carrier SARATOGA and subsequently Commanding Officer of the USS ASTORIA. In October 1940, he became Director of the War Plans Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and in December 1941, in the rank of Rear Admiral assumed additional duty as Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, U. S . Fleet. On july 18, 1942 he became Commander, Amphibious Force, South Pacific Force, and from that time participated in most of the major amphibious engagements of Pacific combat. Among Admiral Turner's most noteworthy achievements during the Pacific campaign were the Guadalcanal-Tulagi in- vasion, the New Georgia campagin, the Tarawa assault, the occupation of the Marshall Islands and the seizure and occupation of Saipan. So successful were Admiral Turner's amphibious operations throughout the Pacific theater, that he came to be known to the Japanese as the Alligator , the symbol of fast and inexorable amphibious striking power. Besides the Navy Cross, he received the Distinguished Service Medal with three gold stars, the Navy Commendation Ribbon, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. He was also made a Companion of the Order of the Bath by Great Britain. Admiral Turner was transferred to the retired list of the Navy in the rank of Admiral on july 1, 1947. He died in Monterey, California on February 12 1961, shortly after the death of his wife, the former Miss Harriet Sterling, whom he had married 51 years before. He is sur- vived by a sister, Miss L. Lucille Turner, who resides in Carmel, California.