Turner Joy (DD 951) - Naval Cruise Book

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452 DEDICATICBT The principles upon which our proud nation was forged remain ever true today. No less than four times in the twentieth' century the United States has been brought to War to uphold them. This ship has been a power- ful and effective instrument in the applica- tion of naval power for the protection of a Way of life dedicated to freedom of individ- uals, and of nations. We therefore dedicate this book, our record of operations in the Seventh Fleet, to those who have gone' before--to those who look over our shoulder as we proceed in the present. In addition, We wish to dedicate this book to our families and friends, Without Whose unending help and support, the record could never have been written.

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QAWQW S TURNER JQY CDD - 9515 WESTPAC 1966 - 67

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SHIP,S HISTORY TURNER JOY is ageneral purpose destroy- er of the latest postwar class,the last of her kind to be built. She measures 418 feet in length, 45 feet 6 inches abeam, and displaces 3900 tons. Her steam turbines and twin screws propel her at speeds greater than 30 knots. Her firepower consists of three 5-inch dual-purpose guns and one twin 3-inch rapid-fire mount for surface and anti-aircraft firing, She also carries mod- ern anti-submarine weapons and is designed for the installation of more advanced weap- ons now under development. Her crew con- sists of 300 officers and men who are trained for such diverse duties as anti- submarine warfare, shore bombardment, and the screening of high speed vessels. The keel was laid on September 30, 1956. Launched on May 5, 1958, she was chris- tened by Admiral Joy's widow, Mrs. C. Turner Joy. The ship was built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company of Seattle, Washington, for the United States Navy and placed in commission on August 3, 1959. In August 1964, TURNER JOY, along with USS MADDOX fDD731J, was attacked by hostile torpedo boats in the international waters of the TONKIN GULF. In her first combat experience, TURNER JOY re- sponded by repulsing the attackers and was credited -with sinking two of the PT boats. The ship was awarded the Navy Unit Com- mendation by the Secretary of the Navy for her performance. In conjunction with the increased efforts of the United States in Vietnam, the 1966-1967 deployment was a period of extremely intense activity. TURNER JOY fired over 7000 rounds at a wide variety of shore and water borne targets both in North and South Vietnam, TURNER JOY was taken under fire by the enemy on six separate occasions. The ship received shore battery fire, taking one direct hit and receiving other minor damage caused by several near misses. Despite this increased activ- ity in the Seventh Fleet, TURNER JOY never failed to meet a commitment.