Shannon (DM 25) - Naval Cruise Book

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OFFICER QOMMANDER WILLIAM THOMAS INGRAM, 11, u5N lkilliain 'l'l1o111:1s llllflillll 11:11 l1o1'11 to l.ict1t. .longs H' IHQHUN' ligw, and Xlrs. l111:1'11111 ,lnly JH, 1915, at .'Xnnap0li5, nlld, l.it'lll. llly,I'lllll.1tl that tune. nas. stationed at the Naval .'XC2lllt'IlIj' as lll1tlllt'lIlZlllte 1llall'llt1lIIl' llllfl football coach, Ilill's cliiltlliotid 21: ll Nitty -lllllitll'11, I1ltlY1lljJ.' with his Wlwlll, l'l't1lll slltliirll to slltllttll, was spent mostly in Chicago and k.12lllftll'lllIl. .Xt an 1-arly :tee I11- bt-caiiie an liagle Scout, XYl1ile 2lllt'lltl1lI4U lll't'lI2tlA2tltil'1' school at l.anre11ceville, N,j,, lnerani becanie an outstanding atlilt-te, Xtdllllillg' letters and leading teams i11 ftnttluitll, basketball, and baseball. ln 1933, he enrolled at Yale Lfiiiversity, New Haven, Conn. intending to study t'lljlllll'L'l4llllJ, but 11-ft two weeks later, when he received an xtppointnit-nt to the Naval Academy, .-Xt the .'XC2ltlL'Illj', he won letters in football, basketball, and baseball. .M the end uf his second-class year, Midship- man Ingram was awarded the Naval .Xthletic sword and while a llI'Sl-Cl1lSSlll21ll, he was named on the .f1tll-American 1 football team. lrle also was a liattalion Commander. 1 . . - 1--U ' J --' ff lrlis first dutv was aboard the USS Tennessee. . - d .fafded 3 de ,ict in cngintunig. n . In Jfme' 1933 IugdgingQZIESCCEEETEfllcgljgllliggglfgllig bglcl in Pearl Plarbor where she met her untimely end some two years later. 7 - -f . 1413611 Te feffltef CfnDeCember 7 1941 Lt UO., Inolam had been Valle ved as Otllcer ot the Deck when. the attack began. Seven torpedoes -Jp12dtE2tO1Ehi1fmll of the Qklahonia eauguo- lin- to liqt badly and finally capsize. lngrani jumped into tl1e water, swam to the nearby ri - - - . ' ' ' - - - Mamland and climbed 3 Clans-line line to get agoard Tlirougliout the rest of the attack he passed anununition lox an AA gun mount. ' c zz- ' . . 1 1 . - - ' ' ' 1 XX Defense Officer. He saw action - . M 4 I a ordered to thc neu .XA Ctulsct San ,Iuan as. . u atlisguggggaisagxlgiiiii-SSiiteeliaitiefjgg SgT11i1d21Ela1iiq1Sa11d Santa Cruz, and in the Gilbert Islands operations. He was present at the D 1 ' ' ' - T 4 I sinking of the carrier VVasp, and landed with a detachment ot Marines at lluna Futi. ri j -I - In 1943 lieut Ins-1-am was assigned as Flag Lieutenant to his father. Admiral Ingram, then conimandantkat lxecite, Brazil. A - ln April 1944. hg 1135 gent to Fleet Sound School, Key NVest, Fla., and then ordered to the Fraser CDM 241 as lzxecutive Officer. I Lt Commander Ingram served on board the Fraser through the first half of the Okinawa campaign. ,lune 10. 1945, in Kerania Retto, . Q - ' '- he relieved Commander Foster as Commanding Ofhcer of the Shannon. l ' - u I November 6. Captain Ingram was promoted to Commander. He wears the Purple Heart Medal, the Legion of Merit Cawarded tor operations against the enemy in Southern Atlantic waters while ser vmg at the Recife Naval Based, the Order of the Southern Cross Ca Brazilian decoration for outstanding diplomatic servicel, and the Bronze Star Medal Ctor the Okinawa cam.palgn1. Q ' Relieved by Commander Crenshaw, in December, 1945, Ingram became Public Information Officer on the statt ot his father, Commander 111 Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. In 1946, he was ordered to the Academy as an instructor in seamanship and assistant football coach. .Ingram resigned from the Navy in 1948. His address is 2500 South Third Street. Louisville, Ky. LT. COM. HAROLD THEODORE GORANSON. USN Harold Theodore Ooranson was born in Minneapolis. Minn., September 13. 1916. As a youth he moved to Bowling GI 3C11v Ohio, where his mother and father still live at 3-10 XX est Evers Avenue. 1-le compiled an enviable scholastic and athletic reC0Yd in high school, from which he graduated in 193-1. Swede CH- rolled in Bowling Green State University. where 116 played basketball and was elected to an honorary fraternity. HQ 15.3 member of the Free and Accepted Masons and a Chevalier 111 the Order of lleklolays. Appointed to the Academy. tioransoii was sworn 11110 1119 Navy June 19, 1936, as a Nlidshipman. At .-Xnn2lD0115 he earnj ed letters in basketball. which he played fOllf 3'f'f11'5- -111116 O' 1940, he was graduated high in his class withltlli' degree 01 Bachelor of Science and an linsign's commission. M linsign tioranson was assigned to the Pennsylvania CBB 051' as F Division Officer. During the Pearl Harbor attack, 1119 Pennsylvania was in dry dock. where she was hit and tEIllll01 arily put out of action. Men l.l'tllIl dainaged ships lv01 3 1131? ferred to active ships to bring them np to full iWH.'I'l.1Ill61COll1D111 ment. llnring the early phases of the war, lziisigil-110131150 111 A served on board the carriers Yorktown and lznterprise. l lle was then ordered lo the llaltiniore lf.-X 031, o11.w1l1C11.11F served 1i11til early 111-l-I as t'lt' and Radar Officer. His ingenuity, resourcefulness a11d enterprising efforts were 2111 1011101111111 1301111 I. G 1 1 . . A . , , V 'T r in the early developnient of the tactical use Yof 1'21f1i11'-H albert .,1eut. oianson paiticipatcd in the battle of Midway, the Pacific raids of 1943111111 104-1.111111 l',2l5lt'l'll and XX estern New t1n111ca.fJ1 and Marshall Islands raids. He was ordered to Norfolk in early sumiuer, 194-l, to take cliarge of the balance crew of the Shannon. 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MINE DIVISION SEVEN The twelve ships of Mine Squadron Three were con- verted in the summer and early fall of 1944, while still being built, from Sumner Class destroyers to light mine layers. Several DM's of the Breese Class. converted from VVorld VVar I four-stack destroyers, were in the active fieet at the time, but future operations called for more DM's with higher speed, a greater capacity mine load, and more fire power-ships which could, in a quick dash under cover of darkness, lay mines in enemy waters and get away before being discovered, or, if discovered, would have enough fire power to protect themselves. Plans for these ships also contemplated their being used to lay drifting mines in the path of an enemy fleet, par- ticularly in a major fleet engagement and in restricted waters. The new DM's were desgned so that in addition to their specialized duties, they would be capable of fulfilling all functions of a destroyer, except torpedo attack. Ships of this type therefore, are actually more versatile than conventional destroyers. MinRon Three was made up of three divisions of four ships each: Min Div 7 DM 23 Robert H. Smith tex-DD 7355 DM 24 Thomas E. Fraser tex-DD736j DM 25 Shannon tex-DD 7375 DM 26 Harry F. Bauer tex-DD738j Min Div 8 DM 27 Adams tex-DD 739D DM 28 Tolman tex-DD 7405 DM 29 Henry A. VViley tex-DD 7495 DM 30 Shea tex-DD 750D Min Div 9 DM 31 J. VVilliam Ditter tex-DD 751D DM 32 Lindsey tex-DD 7713 DM 33 Gwin tex-DD 7725 DM 34 Aaron VVard tex-DD 7735 The squadron commander Calso Commander MinDiv 91 was Captain A. M. Townsend, USN, in the Gwin. Captain H. J. Armstrong, USN, in the VViley, command- ed MinDiv 8. MinDiv 7, when first formed, was commanded by Captain VV. Gordon Beecher, USN, with the Smith as his fiagship. Wliile in Pearl Harbor in January, 1945, he shifted his pennant to the Shannon, where it remained until long after the division's return to the States, in 1946. Vtlhen Captain Beecher was given command of Destoyer Squadron 53, in june, 1945, he was relieved as Con1inDiv 7 by Captain Henry Farrow, USN, former skipper of the Smith. Captain Farrow was relieved in December, 1945, by Captain VVilliam N. VVylie, USN, former submarine skipper and holder of the Navy Cross. Owing to the nature of the operations in which we took part, the whole squadron or the division seldom operated as a unit, although, at one time or another during the war, each ship in the squadron operated with every other ship in some capacity and for varied periods of time. The Shannon was in company with ships in Min- Div 7 and with the Wiley more than any others. The ships in MinDiv 7 suffered less damage and fewer casualties than those of the other two divisions, and, by the same token, saw more action because they, with the exception of the Bauer, did not have to be returned to rear areas for repairs. The Bauer's damage was only superficial, but required the attention of more complete repair facilities than were available in the forward areas. Of the other eight ships only the VViley was not dam- aged. This might be attributed to luck or skill but was most likely a combination of both. During the frequent air actions encountered, the batteries of the Division were neither inactive nor inaccurate, accounting for a total of forty-two enemy planes. The Smith shot down eight, the Fraser seven, the Shannon ten plus two destroyed on the ground, and the Bauer fifteen. After the division returned to the States and to the Atlantic Fleet, administrative organization was rear- ranged. MinDiv 7 became MinDiv 2, and the Shea join- ed the division in place of the Smith. Although the original designation and membership of the Division was changed, it lost neither its identity nor its reputation. That, along with the impressive war record of the Squadron as a whole, will live on in the annals oftthe Navy and of History. r'.' '. fi Z iff Q' 'Vi' .J 2' ' 7 'fi'f' ' f ! 'f'f' I I 1, rv' , Alb... H, f fy ,,',, - ,-.1 - 1.0, :I f IJ.-, - J A .H -sf f eff waaaafffmfd f ' , ' I - ' 1 . ig--,.-'f -J fx 1.v ' 751 'Q'MQf,:, f , . Q --' X 'iv nu, 4,345 '- f -Aff gl f' P ,334-A++ 1.-Q 5,1 fi 'V f get 1 :mf f - L fr X. e,4.a-12 ,--lE'. 'Ti C i is -s.e- 7 f- ..- . f ,ig-sexi, .-'vv' by I-LA' Ayr , -- I lf -F? ' -...I - UI! U' - ji f . 3 --g,,f.a- + , 5 N- .. ' 'Wav - Q f-:fg,,gg' Rs,- Q A .I 'E .pf fi -Y HV .- 4 - 14, 1 I., ' - TrQ:A,,aH,.3, i:s - 7 i 14- I - 1' ,f ,. - 1-4-2' 4- ee: ' f 4 , T,i4g.f 1 if gg - 4- f .:T' 1 3 - ns- -Q 7

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LIEUT. BERNARD A. GREHAN, USNR Bernard A. Grehan has lived his entire life in New Orleans, La., where he was born March ll, 19.22. Throughout his high school and college davs, he was an outstanding student and a leader in athletics and other extracurricu- lar activities. At 16, Grehan entered Tulane University. For his contributions to campus activities, he was elected to two honorary fraternities. ln june, 1942, he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, and was elected to Tau Beta Pi, National Engineering Fraternity. Having served four years in the Naval ROTC, he was commissioned Ensign. Ensign Grehan's first duty assignment was on board the Fitch CDD467l, on which he served in every deck division before being made Gunnery Officer. In the spring of 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant Cjgj, and a year later to Lieutenant. In twenty months, Grehan saw action in Atlantic and Arctic convoy and anti-submarine work, and at the landings at Casablanca. Lieut. Grehan spent three months in Fire Control School and a month as an afloat gunnery instructor. ln july, 1944, he joined the nucleus crew in Bath, Me., and was named Gunnery Officer and Senior WVatch Officer. Throughout the Shannon's actions, Lieut. Grehan served so skillfully as general quarters Control Officer that he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. The ship's record and unscathed operation attest to the outstanding and effective performance of her Gunnery Officer. Vlhen Lt. Commander Goranson was detached in October, 1945, Lieut. Grehan was made Executive Officer. He performed the duties of this post capably, with quiet understanding. ln February, 1946, Lieut. Grehan was relieved by Lieut. David P. XVynkoop. USN. He returned to New Orleans, where he lives at 1670 Soniat Street. LIEUT. JO R. PERSONS, JR., USNR jo R. Persons has made his home in New Orleans, La., since 1929. He moved there from Montgomery, Ala., where he was born April 24, 1917. Graduating from high school in New Orleans, Persons entered Tulane University, where he studied accounting and statistics. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a founder of the Tulane Camera Club. ln 1939, after receiving his degree from Tulane, Persons joined the staff of the Farm Security Administration, Little Rock, Ark. A year later he accepted a position with a New Orleans certified public accounting firm. Persons entered the Army in April, 1941, as a private. Later released he returned to service in February, 1942, as a Naval Reserve Midshipman. Commissioned in June, 1942, Ensign Persons served on the carrier Hornet in the Guadalcanal and Eastern Solomons campaigns. In the Battle of Santa Cruz Island, the Hornet, suffering numerous hits, was left dead in the water and had to be abandoned and sunk. Ensign Persons was picked up by a destroyer and sent to Pearl Harbor, where he served on CinCPac's staff. In 1943, aboard the Anderson CDD 4111 he saw action in the Aleutian raids and at Tarawa. While bombarding at Kwajalein, the Anderson was damaged by a shore battery and forced to retire. Lieut. Persons was detached after his ship returned for repairs. He and Miss Ellen Martin were married in 1944. Lieut. Persons reported to Bath, Me., for duty as First Lieutenant and Damage Control Officer, of the Shannon. For his outstanding performance of duty while towing the Aaron VVard, he was awarded a Letter of Commendation with Ribbon. Lieut. Persons' leadership and experience were an important contribution to the Shannon. Mr. and Mrs. Persons and their son. Jo Robert, 111, born Dec. 30, 1946, live at 4376 State St. Drive, New Orleans 15, La. LT. COMMANDER WILLIAM H. HEMMERLY, USNR VVilliam H. Hemmerly, raised in the New England coastal town of Plymouth, Mass., where he was born Feb. 13, 1915, has been a seafarer more than 10 years. Graduating from high school, Hemmerly studied at the Massachusetts Nautical School several years before joining the Standard Oil Company of New jersey. At the age of 21, he went to sea as an engineering officer on Standard Oil tankers in transoceanic and coastal trade. In 1942, Hemmerly enlisted in the Naval Reserve and was commissioned Lieutenantfjgj. He was assigned to the newly commissioned Conway QDD 5075, which was ordered to the southwest Pacific in time to participate in the January, 1943, actions off Guadalcanal, including encounters with the Tokyo Express . The Conway also operated in support of the New Georgia and Bougainville land- ings and in the numerous surface engagements off those islands. Hemmerly then was serving as Chief Engineer. ln 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant. He returned to the States early in 1944, and was ordered to Bath, Me., to fit out the Shannon and to serve on board as Chief Engineer. He was the first officer to reach the ship and was instrumental in preparing the Shannon and her crew. VVhile the Shannon was at Norfolk for post-shakedown availability, Lieut. Hemmerly and Miss Jean Fletcher were married in the N.O.B. chapel. Lieut. Hemmerly's experience and his knowledge of men and machines were important factors in the distinguished success of the Shannon. The skill he im- parted to his men and the high degree of emciency and operation at which he maintained the Shannon's engineering plant are a tribute to his ability. Before leaving the ship at Sasebo, Hemmerly was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. When released from active duty, he entered business in Oakland, Calif.. before becoming an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime School Hyannis, Mass., where he. his wife and daughter live at 26 Yarmouth Road :IQ X IM x fc AOIOV, scifi, I , I I ,K ,. NN-.. yi-74713V-l4tVi7.Tifi'? f Trias f- F A ,Mya ,.g,y,zsf1w-swf' ,,,,, g x f 1 ' , , sg s ,.sf4sZ,y.y.s fsq , ,,, gf it 4-7513 X 2.4.