Robert E Peary (FF 1073) - Naval Cruise Book

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EXECUTIVE OFFICER LIEUTENANT COMMANDER CORWIN A. BELL, U.S.N. LCDR. Corwin A. Bell was born on July 15, 1941 in Columbus, Georgia. He attended secondary schools in his hometown and earned an NBOTC scholarship to Duke Univer- sity. Upon graduation in June 1963, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and was commissioned an Ensign in the naval service. His initial assignment was as First Division Officer on the USS CONSTELLATION QCVA 641. Subsequent tours were as First Lieutenant and Weapons Officer on the USS SUMNER COUNTY QLST 11481, Public Affairs Officer for Commander U.S. Forces, Japan and Weapons Officer on- board the USS REEVES QCG 241. LCDFR. Bell has also served as Senior Advisor to the Viet- namese Biver Assault and interdiction Division Seventy Two lFlAlD 721 in the U-Minh Forest Region. His assignment prior to reporting aboard as Executive Officer was Special Pro- jects Officer for Undersea Surveillance Systems and Command Duty Officer at Com- mander Third Fleet Staff. He has earned two awards of the Bronze Star and a Joint Services Commendation Medal in addition to various area and cam- paign medals. LCDB. Bell is married to the former Yoshie Yoshida and they have two childreng a son Alex and a daughter Lisa.

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COMMANDING OFFICER 6 .1 f-.ww 4, .M-,,-W, COMMANDER ROBERT M. HYDINGER, U.S.N. Commander Robert M. Hydinger was born in San Diego, California, and attended high school in Norfolk, Virginia. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree and commission from the U. S. Naval Academy, and later attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey where he received his Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of Sigma Xi and a graduate of the Naval War College Command and Staff course. He was commissioned in the Navy in 1959 and assigned to the USS NEW QDD 8181, where he served as Weapons Officer. His sub- sequent sea tours have included Operations Officer for COMDESDIV 102, Weapons Officer on the USS BELKNAP QCG 265, Executive Of- ficer on the USS FARRAGUT QDDG 371, and Commanding Officer of the USS JOHN WILLIS QFF 10271, Commander Hydinger served in the Republic of Vietnam as the Assistant Intelligence Officer, Third Costal Zone and as a naval observer with the U.S. Army 73rd Aerial Surveillance Company. His previous assign- ment, prior to assuming command of the USS ROBERT E. PEARY QFF 10731, was with the Systems Analysis Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Commander Hydinger holds the Air medal with strikefflight numerals in lieu of the second through eighteenth awards, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal with combat the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation and various area and campaign medals. He is married to the former Dolores Juliette Morrissette and they have one son, David.

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I , Q, A PAST HISTORY 0F The USS ROBERT E. PEARY QFF 10731 is the third ship of the fleet to bear the name of the famous artic explorer. As such, it is heir to a proud tradition of service to the Navy and to the United States that dates back to 1919. As we recall the '76 overseas deployment, it is only fitting that we should review the efforts of our predecessors and reflect upon the heritage which we have inherited. The first ship named in honor of Rear Admiral Peary was the four-piper destroyer PEARY QDD 2261. Her keel was laid 9 September 1919 and she was launched 6 April 1920, under the sponsorship of Mrs. Edward Stafford, daughter of the artic explorer. PEARY QDD 2261 was commissioned on 20 October 1920, with Lieutenant Commander Frank Slingloff, Jr., USN commanding. PEARY QDD 2261 had an overall length of 314 feet 5 in- ches, a designed speed of 35 knots, and a designed comple- ment of 6 officers and 95 men. She carried four 4-inch 50 caliber guns, one 3-inch 23 caliber gun, two .50 caliber machine guns, and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes in four triple mounts. After a year of operations in the Atlantic, PEARY QDD 2261 departed Newport, Rhode Island on 20 June 1922 enroute, by way of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, the Asiatic Fleet. After transit of the Suez Canal PEARY QDD 2261 called at Aden, Arabiag Colombo, Ceylong Singaporeg Amoy and Hong Kong, China. She arrived at Manila, Philippine Islands on 30 October 1922. Often serving as the flagship of one of the destroyer divisions of the Asiatic Fleet, she spent the next eighteen years cruising among ports of the Philippines and along the coast of China. The veteran four-piper was moored at Cavite at the time of the infamous Japanese aerial raid on Pearl Harbor, and on the 10th of December 1941 while moored starboard side to the Central Wharf at Cavite she went to battle stations some forty minutes after high noon in response to an air raid alarm. ln ten minutes about 30 twin-engined Japanese bombers appeared overhead in formation and their bombs soon left the yard a mass of flame and destruction. At 1345, one of their bombs made a direct hit on the mast of the PEARY QDD 2261, killing eight and wounding almost everyone in the fire-control platform, bridge, and galley deck house. The bomb caused severe fires on the after side of her well deck and the after passageway. Unable to get firemain pressure, PEARY was aided by the destroyer PILLSBURY, moored across the wharf, and the fires were extinguished in five minutes. A minesweeper, the WHIPOORWILL, towed PEARY out to open water, saving her from the flames sweeping over the wharf and the nearby ex- plosions of ammunition dumps. With her Commanding Officer wounded, and the Ex- ecutive Officer killed, Lieutenant John M. Bermingham, USN, succeded to the command of the ship. When Manila was ordered evacuated, the destroyer refueled at Corregidor and departed for Australia. Taking refuge in small island coves during daylight hours, her crew camouflaged the ship in green paint and palm fronds. Japanese patrol bombers passed overhead without sighting her, and finally she headed for Makassar Straits when darkness fell. Three hours of torpedo and bomb attacks en- sued the next day and all were fruitless. Two sets of torpedoes released 500 yards off the bow missed when the ship reversed her only operable boiler and engine to full power. Another set passed 10 feet astern. PEARY reached Port Darwin on 3 January 1942 and used the port as her base of operations for anti-submarine patrols in the Great Barrier Fteef and for escort duty with the USS HOUSTON, a cruiser. The 1200 ton vessel was returning from a patrol at 0930, 19 February 1942 when hordes of Japanese bombers appeared on the horizon. Port Darwin had no radar warning. The warehouses, docks, the local airport and the town itself were practically reduced to rubble. Nearly every ship in the harbor was destroyed. PEARY, zigzagging in the cluttered harbor with her guns blazing as the bombers dived, was shaken as a blast wrecked her fantail, demolished the depth charge racks, sheared off the propeller guards, and flooded her steering-engine room. She was next hit by an incendiary bomb which crashed into the galley and left the PEARY in flames. LCDR. Bermingham and his men fought battle damage, and dive bombers for the next three hours. Again and again her gunners drove off the raiders, but the enemy planes kept coming. The destroyer took a third bomb blast then a fourth which exploded her forward ammunition magazine. She kept fighting until a fifth bomb, another incendiary with schrapnel, pierced her after engineroom. Even then she continued to fight until about 1300, 19 February 1942, when she broke up and sank in a pall of smoke and fire. One witness testified that her machine guns were still blazing as she went under. 80 of the PEARY's crew perished and thirteen were injured. Only one officer survived - the Engineering Officer. The fighting destroyer received one battle star for participation in the Philippine island Operations from 8 December to 25 December, 1941. 5 A 1 X 9 .X 7.5, K I . K 1, ' . A . .1 Ass., .2 ' ,,,f. -' Q X .. ' mfs . ' A' libs O . .. NSR: ' Q XY A . .ss . fs :si ' L xx XX 1 Q XX Q , . Q. XT . X . Q .. 1 was -O 'sf tt 1 ' X . 4 . ss