Robert E Peary (FF 1073) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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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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mlm Sa Q-as Q 1. W --uv Kia pl, . he , Q.. ,Y JB 1 0 ..6. N-. 'U 3 Ti Elf' ,qt ai ' If 'av 0 F' an-4, -it 8 i. 1-- 12 OUR PREDECESSOR SHIPS The second ship named in honor of Rear Admiral Peary was USS ROBERT E. PEARY QDE 1321. Launched on 3 January 1943, under the sponsorship of Mrs. Robert Edwin Peary, widow of the explorer, she was commissioned 31 May 1943, with Lieutenant Commander Kerfoot B. Smith, USN, commanding. Designed for an overall length of 306 feet and a speed of 24 knots, this 1200 ton escort drew an 8 foot draft and carried 6 officers and 180 men. She was armed with three 3-inch 50 caliber guns, two 40 mm guns in a single mount, and eight 20 mm guns. For anti-submarine operations she had two roll type depth charge racks, eight single depth charge projectors, and one multiple depth charge projector of the Hedgehog type. Operating in the North Atlantic theatre, the destroyer saw escort duty for over twenty missions for merchants, carriers and troop transports. Frequent runs were made between Boston and New York to Casablanca Morocco, Cardiff Wales, Londonderry Ireland, Cherbourg France, Plymouth and Liver- pool England, and Guantanamo, Cuba. She was conducting training exercises in the Carribean when hostilities with Japan came to a close on August 15, 1945. She returned north to New London, Connecticut and operated along the Eastern Seaboard for the next three months. She sailed on 8 January 1946 for inactivation at Green Cove Springs, Florida and was moored in the St. John's River until decommissioning on 13 June 1947. The ROBERT E. PEARY fDE 132j was assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 July 1966. She was sold for scrap iron on 6 September 1967. The USS ROBERT E. PEARY fFF 10733 is presently an ocean escort with a primary mission of anti-submarine war- fare. This extremely versatile destroyer is capable of screen- ing high value units and forces, searching and patrolling for submarines, rescue, evacuation and surveillance missions. She possesses some of the newest and most sophisticated bow, independentfvariable depth and passive sonar systems, as well as electronics, communications and weapons systems in the fleet today. She is manned by 17 officers and 245 enlisted personnel, and also has the facilities to carry a unit commander and his staff, acting as the flagship. She carries her own post office, laundry, barber shop, ship's store, library, dispensary, and recreation and lounge facilities. Her principal armament is the anti-submarine homing torpedo which can be delivered to a water entry point miles from the ship by ASROC lAnti-Submarine Rocketl or LAMPS fLight Airborne Multi- Purpose Systeml helicopter. The LAMPS helicopter is used to detect, classify and attack submarines and gives the ship great potential as an added arm in the mission capability. LAMPS carries sonobuoys, magnetic anomaly gear, torpedoes, its own electronics sensor package, and data relays to send the sonobuoy and other information back to the ship for processing and evaluation. Conventional water torpedo shots are executed utilizing one of two twin tubes located above water amidships. A 5-inch 54-caliber rapid fire gun is the main anti-aircraft, anti-cruise missile weapon and can be used for shore bombardment for inshore military operations. On the fantail is located the Basic Point Defense Missile System QBPDMSJ which is a close-in surface-to-air missile designed for fast reaction, last effort defense against incoming anti-ship cruise missiles. The ROBERT E. PEARY QFF 10731 was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington. She had her keel laid on 20 December 1970 and was launched on 23 June 1971 by her sponsor, Miss Josephine Peary, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Edwin Peary, USN. She was commissioned on 23 September 1972 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington. Commander Charles Beasley, USN was in command. She was originally assigned to DESRON THIRTEEN out of Long Beach, California, but was later to be transferred to Pearl Harbor in DESRON THIRTY THREE, her present assignment. Looking back over this ship's past assignments on WESTPAC deployments, local operations, special assignments and the multitude of inspections that are con- tinually being held, it is readily apparent that she is carrying on in the fine heritage of her predecessors. She has never missed a commitment, nor has she had the misfortune to have another ship cover for her. Her reputation for can-do spirit and superior performance in every field is well known throughout the Pearl Harbor homeport and in the WESTPAC operations areas when she is deployed. The E's for anti- submarine warfare, gunnery, communications, operations and engineering, as well as the coveted squadron E for best ship reflect a professionalism, esprit de corps and com- petency that have demonstrated themselves time and time again. For those of us who have served aboard the ROBERT E. PEARY fFF 10731, the memories and pride in being part of one of the finest ships in the fleet will be with us for a long time to come. L lgt -