The Sperry’s Namesake Brief History:
The U.S.S. Charles
S. Sperry was named in honor of U.S. Navy Admiral
Charles Stillman Sperry, who was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., 3 September 1847, and graduated
from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1886. In November 1898, he became commanding
officer of Yorktown, and later served as senior officer of the Southern
Squadron on the Asiatic Station and as President of the Naval War College. As a
rear admiral, he served in the United States delegation to the Geneva
Convention and the Second Hague Conference, and as Commander in Chief, Battle
Fleet, he led the Great White Fleet during the major portion of its historic
cruise around the world in 1907 and 1908 during Teddy Roosevelt’s
“big stick” era. Admiral Sperry retired 3 September 1909, but
subsequently recalled to active duty for special service. He died 1 February
1911 in Washington, D.C. Admiral
Sperry and his wife, Edith Marcy Smith Sperry, are buried
in Section 2, Site 1102 of Arlington National Cemetery.
The Federal Shipbuilding and
Dry-dock Co. of Kearny NJ laid the hull of USS Charles S. Sperry on 10 October
1943 and launched her on 13 March 1944. Sponsored by Miss M. Sperry, she was commissioned on 17 May 1944 with Commander H. H. McIlhenny in command. She sailed to Brooklyn for her final
outfitting and on 05 June 1944 began her Shakedown Cruise. She then reported to
the Pacific Fleet.
Battle
Stars:
The USS Charles S Sperry earned four battle stars on the
Asiatic-- Pacific Theater for participation in the following operations:
· Luzon
Operation
Luzon attacks January 6 - 7 1945
Formosa Attacks January 3,4,9,15, 21, 1945
China Coast attacks January 12,16 1945
Nansei
Shoto attacks January 22 1945
· 3rd Fleet
Operations against Japan July 10 - August 15 1945
· Iwo Jima Operation
Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima
February 15 - March 4 1945
Fifth & Third raids against
Honshu and the Nansei Shoto
February 15,16, 25 1945
· Okinawa
Operations
Fifth and Third Fleet Raids March
17-30 1945
USS Charles S. Sperry received the
Navy occupation Service Medal. (Asia) for the period September 2, 1945 to
January 1, 1946
USS
Charles S Sperry earned another Four Battle Stars on the Korean Service Medal
for participation in the following operations:
· North Korean Aggression October 14-
November 2 1950
· Communist China Aggression November
3 , 1950 - January 24 , 1951
· First U.S. Counter - Offensive
January 25- April 1951
· Communist China Spring Offensive
April 22 - June 4, 1951
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c6/charles_s_sperry.htm
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WORLD WAR II
After
training in the Hawaiian Islands, Charles S. Sperry arrived at Ulithi 28 December 1944 to join the fast carrier force TF 38. For the remainder of the war she sailed in the
screen of the third group of this mighty force variously designated TF 38 and TF 58. In preparation
for the assault on Lingayen Gulf beaches, she sortied
with her group for the first time on 30 December bound for the areas from which
the carriers launched strikes against Japanese bases on Formosa and Luzon.
Continuing to neutralize Japanese airfields, the force moved on to strike at
targets in Indochina on the South China coast and on Okinawa before returning
to Ulithi 26 January 1945.
Charles
S. Sperry sailed with TF 58 once more on 10 February
1945 as the force began its familiar work in preparation for the invasion of
Iwo Jima. An audacious raid against Tokyo itself was first on the schedule the
first carrier strikes on the heart of Japan since the Doolittle Raid: On 16 and
17 February planes from the carriers guarded by Charles S. Sperry roared over
Tokyo in attacks, which inflicted substantial material damage and great moral
damage to the Japanese war effort. Now Charles S. Sperry's force offered direct
support during the assault landings at Iwo Jima. Twice on 19 February and on
20-21 February the carrier force came under air attack from the enemy but
antiaircraft from Charles S. Sperry and the other screening ships combined with
evasive maneuvering and a protective smoke screen prevented damage to the great
concentration of ships. A final round of air strikes was
hurled at Tokyo and Okinawa before TF 58
returned to Ulithi 5 March. Once more designated TF 38 the force cleared Ulithi 14
March 1945 for the Okinawa operation, which would keep Charles S. Sperry and
many other ships at sea almost continuously until 1 June. Air strikes came
first against Kyushu for which the Japanese retaliated with heavy air attacks
against the carrier force on 19 and 20 March. While carrier Franklin (CV-13) was badly damaged, in these attacks, Charles S. Sperry and
other escorts furnished effective antiaircraft fire, which prevented further
harm to the force, and she shared in splashing several Japanese planes.
Charles
S. Sperry turned south with her force for strikes against Okinawa. The
destroyer joined in a bombardment of the Japanese airstrip on tiny but
critically located Minami Daito Shima 27 March. TF 38
provided close air support as the invasion began on 1 April 1945 and Charles S.
Sperry served as plane guard and radar picket for her force. On 7 April, planes
from the carriers she screened joined in sending the powerful battleship Yamoto her accompanying cruiser and four of eight guardian
destroyers to the bottom. Charles S. Sperry herself fired often aiding in
splashing planes of the kamikaze strikes hurled at her force on 11 14 16 and 29
April and 11 May. When carriers Hancock (CV-19) and Bunker Hill (CV-17) fell
victim to the suicide planes Charles S. Sperry stood by them aiding in damage
control and rescuing men from the water.
The
destroyer remained in San Pedro Bay P.I. from l June
to 1 July and then sailed to support the carriers as they launched the final
air strikes at the Japanese home islands. Cover for the first occupation
landing and the evacuation of Allied prisoners of war from Japanese prison
camps was flown by the carriers and on 81 August the great force arrived off
Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremonies held on 2 September.
Charles
S. Sperry remained in the Far East taking part in exercises on patrol and
carrying mail until 30 December 1945 when she departed Sasebo for the east
coast arriving at Baltimore 19 February 1946. For the next year, she remained
at Boston with a reduced crew and in March 1947 reported at New Orleans for
duty as a training ship for members of the Naval Reserve until July 1960. After
overhaul at Norfolk, she sailed for the Far East arriving off embattled Korea
14 October 1950.
KOREA
The
destroyer operated almost continuously off Korea until June 1951. For her first
2 weeks in action she fired on shore installations at SongJin screened shipping and patrolled areas swept
of mines to guard against their remining During
November and December 1950 she continued her fire support and bombardments
covered the redeployments from Kojo Wonsan and
Hungnam and screened salvage operations. On 23 December while firing at Songjin she was hit by three
shells returned by an enemy shore battery but suffered no casualties and only
minor damage, which was repaired at Sasebo early in January 1951. She returned
to the Korean firing line to cover salvage operations north of the 38th
parallel and conduct bombardments along the coast.
As
operations leading to the classic blockade of Wonsan began
Charles S. Sperry entered the dangerous harbor 17 January 1951 to provide
interdiction fire and to cover the landings which secured the harbor islands.
She cleared the Wonsan area 5 March for Songjin where
she joined in setting the siege and until 6 June was almost constantly
patrolling and firing on shore installations at Songjin.
She then sailed for home arriving at Norfolk 2 July.
Taking
up the operating schedule of the Destroyer Force Atlantic Charles S. Sperry
sailed from Norfolk through 1960. In 1953 1955 1956 1958 and 1959, she cruised
in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet. During her
1956 deployment, which coincided with the Suez Crisis, she escorted the transports,
which evacuated American nationals from Egypt. Midshipmen cruises and North
Atlantic Treaty Organization exercises took her to northern European ports on
several occasions some of them in coordination with her Mediterranean
deployments.
Late
in 1959 Charles S. Sperry began an extensive overhaul
for rehabilitation and modernization which continued through 1960.
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OTHER DEPLOYMENTS AND MAJOR EVENTS:
·
1952 European-Mediterranean Cruise
·
1953 European-Mediterranean Cruise
·
1955 European-Mediterranean Cruise
·
1961 Mediterranean-Mid East Cruise
·
1962 European-Mediterranean Cruise
·
October 1962 Cuban Missile Blockade
·
OCT - DEC 1963 Mediterranean-Mid
East Cruise
·
1964 European-Mediterranean Cruise
·
JAN 1966 - APR 1966 West Pac
·
JAN 1967 - MAR 1967 West Pac
·
JUL 1967 - DEC 1967 Mediterranean-Indian
Ocean-Persian Gulf
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
HISTORY
AS ADAPTED FROM THE 1967 MID EAST CRUISE BOOK AND OTHER SOURCES:
The
SPERRY was a 2,200 ton SUMNER class destroyer commissioned at the New York
Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, on 17 May 1944.
She was 376.5 feet long, 41 feet wide and drew 19 feet of water at the
deepest point. She was capable of
better than 33 knots or 37 miles per hour and could steam almost 4,000 miles
without refueling. It took 270
enlisted men and 15 officers to man her in
peacetime. She was armed with six
5”/38 dual-purpose (surface and anti-air) guns which could hit a target 9
miles away. Equipped for anti
submarine warfare, VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) and the latest type of
homing torpedoes were carried plus the ever-reliable
hedgehogs, a rocket-fired charge that could reach out 300 yards ahead of the
ship. These latter charges were fired in groups of 24 at a time. In addition, the DASH (Drone
Anti-Submarine Helicopter) system, the longest-range ASW
weapon in the Fleet, enabled SPERRY to drop torpedoes on a submarine at
extended ranges from the ship.
The
SPERRY saw World War II service against the Japanese at Formosa, Luzon, Iwo
Jima and Okinawa and is credited with destroying
several enemy planes. She was also
right in the thick of things during the Korean War firing over 8,000 rounds of
five-inch shells into enemy territory and receiving three hits in return. Since Korea, the ship has participated
in all normal peacetime evolutions including several tours with the Sixth
Fleet, training cruises to Scandinavia and to the Caribbean. At the outbreak of the Israeli-Egyptian
hostilities in 1959, the SPERRY was right there to escort shipping engaged in
evacuating American from Alexandria.
Taking
up the operating schedule of the Destroyer Force Atlantic, Charles S. Sperry sailed
from Norfolk through 1960. In 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1959 she cruised in
the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet. During her 1956
deployment, which coincided with the Suez Crisis, she escorted the transports,
which evacuated American nationals from Egypt. Midshipmen cruises and North
Atlantic Treaty Organization exercises took her to northern European ports on
several occasions, some of them in coordination with her Mediterranean
deployments.
In
mid-November 1959 through 1960, CHARLES S. SPERRY entered the Norfolk Naval
Shipyard for her FRAM
II (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) overhaul. At this time, she was outfitted with the
most modern in anti-submarine weapons, including the latest sonar, electronic
equipment, and anti-submarine weapons, including the latest anti-submarine
torpedoes and the addition of a helicopter flight deck.
Until
September 1965, CHARLES S. SPERRY’s operations took her to all corners of
the Atlantic Ocean Caribbean, and Mediterranean Seas for many diverse
assignments. Included in these were
several assignments as a recovery ship during the U.S. Project Mercury
Astronauts shots.
In 1965 CHARLES S. SPERRY was again called into combat, this
time to Viet Nam. She steamed
halfway around the world to the combat zone. When on station, she provided gunfire
support and served in many other capacities, such as harbor defense ship for Danang, off shore patrol, and plane guard for USS
ENTERPRISE (C VAN-65).
While engaged in naval gunfire support operations, CHARLES S. SPERRY accounted
for numerous Viet Cong supply and marshalling areas destroyed, dispersed
troops, one large Viet Cong controlled bridge destroyed, and destroyed a large
ammunition dump.
Upon
completion of her tour of duty in Viet Nam, CHARLES S. Sperry returned to the
United States via the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. She completed her around the World
voyage in April 1966. In May,
CHARLES S. SPERRY went into Boston Naval Shipyard for overhaul, followed by
refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She returned to an operational status
upon completion of her refresher training.
The
USS Charles S. Sperry was decommissioned on December
15, 1973 and on January 8, 1974; she was transferred to Chile by sale. She was
renamed Ministro Zenteno
and designated Destroyer #16. After many years of active service, the old
destroyer was finally scrapped in 1990.
Note:
The above USS CHARLES S. SPERRY (DD-697) history may or may not contain text
provided by crewmembers of the USS CHARLES S. SPERRY (DD-697) or by other
non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
and the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Charles_S._Sperry_%28DD-697%29
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c6/charles_s_sperry.htm
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd697txt.htm
http://www.hullnumber.com/DD-697:
]