Taconic (AGC 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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,,,,-,A-gr CDR. W.C. GRAFTON USN EXECUTIVE OFFICER Commander Warren C. Grafton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter C. Grafton of Oakdale, Louisiana, was born in Falluton, Louisiana, on 4 July 1920. He attended Oakdale High School in Oakdale, La. and later Cochran-Bryan Preparatory school in Annapolis, Maryland, Comman'der Grafton gradu- ated from the Electrical Engineering School of the A. 81 M. College of Texas in January 1943 when he was commissioned an EN SIGN in the United States Naval Reserve. He transferred to the Reg- ular Navy in 1945. He was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 October 1957. His first tours of duty were engineering assignments ashore and afloat in USS BASILAN and USS WASATCH. From April 1946 until December 1947 Commander Grafton served aboard USS UVALDE CAKA-S85 as First Lieutenant. Upon detachment from UVALDE he reportedio the General Line School, Monterey, Calif., for duty and instruction. From January 1949 until July 1950 Commander Grafton served aboard the USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT in the Engineering Department. - From August 1950 until April 1951. he attended the Joint Army Navy Air Force Guided Missile School, Fort Bliss, Texas. Commander Grafton then returned to sea to serve three years in destroyers, first as Operations Officer and Navigator of USS POWER CDD-8393 and then as Executive Officer and Navigator of USS HARWOOD QDDE-8613. In June 1954, he reported for duty in the Guided Missile Branch of the Research and Develop- ment Division of the Bureau of Ordnance. He was detached in November 1956 and reported aboard USS INTREPID CCVA-111 as Engineer Officer. In July 1958 he was assigned to the stalf of Commander Training Command Pacific Fleet as the Guided Missile Officer. Commander Grafton has been in TACONIC sinceukugust 1960. He has been awarded various World War II campaign and service medals, China Service and European!As1at1c Occupation. Commander Grafton is married to the former Dorothy Russel of Hollywood, California. They have one son and one daughter. n s l 1 1

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Captain llnfflll' EQDZQLILO, H S Wulf? Captain Victor Delano, U. S. Navy, son of the late Captain Harvey Delano, was born in Wash- ington, D. C., on December 20, 1919. He attended Rogers High School in Newport, Rhode Island and later Severn School, Severna Park, Maryland. Captain Delano entered the United States Naval Academy in July 1937 and graduated on February 7, 1941 when he was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy. He was advanced to the rank of Captain on July 1, 1959. His first duty assignment was a Junior Gunnery Officer on board the USS WEST VIRGINIA KBB-483. He was serving in this capacity on December 7, 1941 when WEST VIRGINIA was sunk at Pearl Harbor. He was then ordered to the USS PENNSYLVANIA KBB-389 and then to USS SAN JUAN CCLAA-541 aboard which he served through August 1943. From January 1944 until August 1945 Captain Delano served aboard the USS WEDDERBURN CDD-6849 as the Gunnery Officer and later as the Executive Officer of that ship. During this period WEDDERBURN saw considerable action in various Pacific campaigns. His first command at sea came when he was assigned to the USS SHOVELER CAM-3825. In addition to serving as Commanding Officer, he was Commander of Mine Division 23 until June 1946 at which time he returned to the Naval Academy as a postgraduate student in Ordnance Engineer- ing for one year. ' From June 1947 until February 1949, Captain Delano attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from which he received a Master of Science Degree in Physics. He then joined Joint Task Group 3.1 at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory as a Program Director for the Department of Defense Atomic Effects Tests. He remained at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory until Nov- ember 1951. - He returned to sea again as Commanding Officer of the USS EVERSOLE CDD-7895 in January 1952, and served aboard her until July 1953, when he reported as a student, to the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia. He completed his studies in January 1954 and, until August 1956, worked in the Office of the Assistant Director for Nuclear Applications fResearch and Develop- mentj in the Bureau of Ordnance. In August 1956, he reported for duty on the staff of Commander Second Fleet as the Assistant Plans Officer. He was detached in August 1958, and reported aboard the USS NEWPORT NEWS QCA-1485 as Executive Officer. In June 1959 he was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations as an Assistant to the Director of the Long Range Objectives Group. In August 1961, he was assigned to the Industrial College of the Armed Forces as a student until June 1962. Captain Delano has been awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V, Navy Commendation Rib- bon with Combat V, and Air Force Commendation Ribbon in addition to various campaign and serv- ice medals from World War II, the Japanese occupation and Korean service. He is married to the former Jacqueline Stinson of Senta Fe, New Mexico. They have one daugh- ter and one son.

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-.- ,..,,t,Z,, t.,,,7,, Lt. Eric W. L. Heeley Deck 'Ist Lieutenant 1 -S gt WW t Q! l 'K 5 , at , ,Q , , , . T, : f , 4 Qi' 1 ' , Avy, ' ' ri,-rg Lt. Gerry Simmerman Ass1.lstLieutendnt It takes a heap of paint, grease and hosing to keep the anchor SHIP SHAPE-line handling is an old and most honored nautical art-slinging the big hoses between two pitching ships while taking on fuel is a tricky business-the pressing duties of manning the 'General Quarters' sta- tions, rigging the accommodation ladders fwhich carry the crew to their LIBERTY boatsl, the responsibility for our garbage disposal, the never ending practice and study in the arts of seaman- ship, are the talents for which these divisions are famous. Then of course when there is nothing else to do, there is always paint that needs chipping or a deck that needs swabbing-you name it and one of these divisions can handle it. f U .,, ,k.., , .,,... ,, ,W .. tw . , f--. wav' fs. rf K, , V, 9 ! r r 1 I, ' : ' L . ,, L, . r ,, , rt M ,, ,, 'e , , V -. r 1 , X - af of ,3f,f.-is wr., are .. . 4. ,, rfffjlciz'-575C 3 ,gf X 7 if 43457 ' if t W it . f f ws-. xx, r.Lwf,':w .w Kr- ,L af -ffr' mmf-ffw.4f H-45-we Q .wr Awww' ' 32 ici Qffffgiffwfgfpig WY Kiwi -Q J M - ' my ' f,:Jrg,g..-f, ing 4g'f,,5a',5,r ,5,s?ef':,gt ,,Qv 3,14 35,3 get rg gsm gE4fW5Q?g.?51.j, 2 Viv H W, , 3 W ff-1 M t E me--,ab , . . ,f .. . , L f , , V ,. .. ,W .,,.fW,g,t,t M, ti , , .A N We ,,, M t,.,.y,e , M .. , L , Q .,,.,4. , , .M . ,,.,a.,,,,,,. if . ,, ,,. 'k'k - 'f DECK DEPARTMENT is made up of three div- isions, 1st-2nd-3rd and the Helicopter Detach- ment- LTJG John c. Gray Gunnery Officer -aah... Ens. Gordon Truesdell Ens. Peter Croify EHS- ROY 5I'1ele5kY Ens' -,fe Mcccflon Ship's Bocltswuin Asst. Gunnery Officer 15' Div- Offkef 2nd DW- Officer -..W M, ,.,W,,..,rs..,,,.rms rem- H:-W ffwusfesz , --