Theodore E Chandler (DD 717) - Naval Cruise Book

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X T. The History of the U. S. S. THEODORE E. CHANDLER 7 651' The U. S. S. THEODORE E. CHANDLER has spent nearly half of its brief history in Far Eastern waters, including operations in the Korean theater for nearly one third of its time in active service. The ship is named in honor of Rear Admiral Theodore Edson Chandler, USN. Born in 1894 and commissioned from the Naval Academy in June of 1915, he rose to the rank of Rear Admiral during World War Il. Admiral Chandler was killed in action on 7 January 1945 on board his fiagship. the U.S.S. LOUISVILLE, in Lingayen Gulf,l Philippine Islands. A long-hull 2250 ton destroyer, the CHANDLER was placed in commission in the United States Navy at the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydocking Company, Kearny, New Jersey, on 22 March 1946. The ship's maiden voyage took her through the Panama Canal to ioin Destroyer Squadron Seventeen in San Diego. This designa- tion has since been changed to Eleven. The ship now operates as a part of Destroyer Division 111 along with the USS WILTSIE IDD 716l, USS HAMNER lDD 718I, and the USS CHEVALIER lDDR 805I. Prior to the outbreak of the Korean War, the CHANDLER made two tours on China Station about which a book of that name was written by a CHANDLER officer. Upon the invasion of South Korea, the CHANDLER, as part of Des Div 111, was ordered to Korean waters. On this, her first Korean tour, the CHANDLER at one time spent 66 straight days at sea and on another occasion expended her entire load of ammunition in two days in stopping the attack of a North Korean division on the Pusan perimeter. The ship's second tour lasted nine months and was distinguished by a furious battle with shore batteries in the harbor of Chongiin, after the enemy had opened fire on the USS ENDICOTT iDMS 35I. With the aid of spotting aircraft, the CHANDLER was credited with destroying six enemy batteries of 105 mm guns. The CHANDLER's third Korean tour began on 2 January 1953. Following the usual rotation from fast carrier Task Force 77 to Formosa Patrol to shore bombardment with Task Force 95, the ship earned high praise for its operations by destroying an enemy train 21' Igorea and attaining membership in the exclusive Trainbuster's u .' This, the first F , tilitles, took the ship from San Diego on 12 March 1954 to Pearl ar Eastern cruise since the end of Korean hos Harbor' -lUP.C1f1, The Philippines and various other areas in the Western Pacific. During this cruise, the CHANDLER operated with numerous task groups in training exercises and patrol duties, con- cludlnglhe 19Ur by returning to San Diego on 12 September 1954. QQE -2 I I I I I I

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FOREWORD This book Tells, in words cmd picTures, The sTory of Three hundred men and Their ship during The l95-4 cruise of The CHANDLER To WesTern Pacific waTers. We have Tried To depicT The many kinds of men and iobs iT Took To make The ship funcTion on such a Tour. BUT iT is noT abouT work alone ThaT we Tell, for no cruise would be compleTe wiThouT some menTion of The hours of play and acTiviTy which consumed our liberTy Time. During This Tour, The ship Took parT in numerous exercises and evenTs, sTeamed for Thousands of miles, and visiTed such well known porTs as Honolulu, Sasebo, Manila, Yokosuka, and Hong Kong. These are The Things we have Tried To record in This sTory of our i954 cruise. We hope you enjoy The book, and ThaT iT brings back some memories which would escape wiThouT a reminder. ..- 'I -- aw 1 SQ. TLMO Q1 ffm?-f

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