In June or July we went sea for off shore antisubmarine exercises. These
were called simulations of actual search and destroy. The sonar equipment
was very primitive but somewhat effective given the time period. A funny
sonarman, named Dave Stroud, later developed a hilarious routine around
"simulation." With a southern accent he described it as follows: Well we
sim-u-late chasing subs that are simulating being there. We simulate
finding them and we simulate firing at them by droppin green dye off the
fantail and they simulate acknowledgement by sending up a simulated air
bubble. It probably loses a lot in print but we would howl when Dave did his
thing.
We never received any other explanation. Not being a Sonarman at the time,
I never learned whether this rumor was true. A month or two later, the U.S.
declared war on Korea and we returned to our home port. I sometimes wonder whether
anyone else knows more about this mission--were there Russians around? Was
there another reason why we went, etc.?
A few years later when we were in the Tropics, the crew began to talk about cricket
noises which would move from one compartment to another. Sometimes in the middle of
the night, guys would be awakened by these loud chirps and try to find the source
without success. We later learned that an EMSN, an Engineman (snipe) whose name was
(I think Cheney) was the source of the noise. He was also the crewman that would
tour sleeping compartments after his work shift and advise us that the ship was
running low on sanitation supplies.
-- Mort Hyman 1998
I have experienced a number of other incidents...like tangling one of our anchors
with another destroyer in Greece. In 1954, we damaged our port screw while
backing into a concrete pier. We had to spend a month in an English Navy drydock
in Valetta, Malta for repairs. We had to wait 3 weeks for a new screw to arrive from the
Brooklyn Navy Yards. After it was attached by the drydock workers, we
started to back out. Would you believe it? The screw fell off! We went back into
drydock for another try. Finally they got it right and we were underway again.
-- Joseph (Gus) Pusateri - July 2000
Photo circa 1956 [Collection of R. W. Armstrong]
USS Harwood (DD/DDHK/DDE-861)& Crew
MEDEVAC to DaNang, May 1968
VIETNAM - 1968: Missing from the crew's roster [now listed] is the poor kid
that got nailed by the artillery shell off the coast of 'Nam, 5/28/68...Richard S.
Harsh SA.... He was hit hard but we got him stablized and MEDEVAC to DaNang. We
never saw or heard of him again except that he had pulled through. Also injured was
GM1 Victor Vichlach..head wound..MEDEVAC...returned a week or so later.
-- Bob Snyder, 18 April 2000
Photo (c) 1949 J. Marshall
USS Harwood (DD/DDHK/DDE-861)
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Photo (c) 1949 J. Marshall]
USS Harwood (DD/DDHK/DDE-861) |
King Neptune's Court - 1957
[Editor's note for young web visitors: It is an ancient tradition for ships to
celebrate crossing the equator by initiating "landlubbers" (new sailors and passengers)
in the ways of King Neptune's Court and granting them citizenship in the Realm of
the Deep.]
I served on the Harwood from 1954 to 1957 as 1st Lieutenant, A.S.W. Officer
and Gunnery Officer. The Crossing the line document is from a goodwill and training
cruise which the Harwood made with the USS Thomas and USS Keppler to
Columbia, Equador, Chile and Peru. A US Submarine joined our division at selected
times so that our anti-submarine exercises with other navies would be as realistic
as possible. When in port, the officers and men of the Harwood were
treated royally by the families of our host countries.
-- Richard W. Armstrong, 24 November 1998
THE ROYAL COURT OF THE REALM OF NEPTUNE
IN AND FOR THE DISTRICT OF EQUATORIUS
The people of the Realm of the Deep vs.
All Landlubbers of the U.S.S. HARWOOD
To:..................................................
It having been brought to the attention of his Royal Highness, NEPTUNIS REX, Supreme
Ruler of the Deep, through his trusty intelligence service, that a fine ship, long
absent from these waters and manned by a crew consisting mainly of Pollywogs who
have not acknowledged the sovereignty of the Ruler of the Deep, has transgressed on
his domain and thereby incurred the Royal displeasure.
Be it known: To ye all that His Most Royal Highness, NEPTUNIS REX, Supreme Ruler of
all mermaids, sharks, squids, crabs, pollywogs, timmonogs, and other denizens of the
deep, will, with his secretary and Royal Court, meet in full Session on board the
offending ship HARWOOD, upon her arrival at the Equator, to examine into the fitness
of each Pollywog to be taken into the citizenship of the Deep and to hear your
defense on the following:
Charge 1. In that you have hitherto willfully and maliciously failed to enter my
domain, and are thereby a vile Landlubber and Pollywog.
Charge 2.
....................................................................................
..............................
It is therefore ordered and decreed that the above named man present himself before
the Royal Court at the time and place above mentioned, under penalty of eternal
pickling.
By order of the Court:
For his Majesty.
Given under my hand and seal,
during the month of January
Anno Domini 1957
__________________________
DAVEY JONES, Clerk
Peg Leg, Deputy
[Contributed by: Richard W. Armstrong, November 1998]
Photo (c) 1949 J. Marshall
USS Harwood (DD/DDHK/DDE-861)
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Photo (c) 1949 J. Marshall]
USS Harwood (DD/DDHK/DDE-861) |
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USS Harwood (DD/DDHK/DDE-861) in the Panama Canal circa 19??
-- Old newspaper clipping courtesy T. Jandron
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Hot Sake and Pork Chops - 1947-1948
CALIFORNIA TO CHINA - 1947: In Nov 1947, the Harwood operated off the California
coast for about two weeks. (I was sick the whole time). Then, we sailed back to port
in San Diego for a short while, before proceding to the Orient via Hawaii, where we
spent Christmas. At Pearl, the harbor was filled with many kinds of burned out hulks
of BB'S Cruisers and various kinds of ships. These ships had participated in the
Bikini nuclear test earlier in the year. It was real interesting to see the after
effects of a nuclear blast. We then cruised at 17 knots on to the West. We stopped
at Guam for refueling, and proceeded on to Japan. Before or after Guam we stopped in
the deepest part of the ocean and had a swimming party. I looked at the sound
machine in the chart room and the depth was 21,000 ft. Later on I found out this is
called the Mariannas trench. I declined to swim there since we had to post a guard,
with M-1 to keep shark watch. Then back to the 17 knots and on to Yokuska, Japan. It
was cold and lots of snow on the ground. There, I had my first swig of hot sake
while touring the joints. For a kid who had just turned 18 and seeing all the
different things in life, this was quite a treat. We delayed in Yokuska for
several days, and then went on to our destination, Tsing-tao, China. We knew that we
were getting close to China several hours before arrival. China has a very unique
smell, and it would be a smell never to forget.
One particular memory of mine is when the Harwood was on ASR duty in
Buckner Bay Okinawa in the spring of 1948. We had been moored in the bay for several
days. The atmosphere was tropical and we were enjoying the warmer weather after
being at Tsing-tao China for some time, where it was rather cold.
 Photo (c) 1949 J. Marshall]
Jim Marshall - aboard DD861 1947-1950
I was an RMSN at the time and we received a message to proceed overnight to an
island named Mammo-O-Shima (I think I have it right) and recover the body of a US
Army individual. So, we steamed overnight and early the next morning we anchored a
couple of hundred yards off this beautiful tropical atoll, like you see in the
movies. Well, by and by the whale boat goes to the island and brings the deceased
aboard. Naturally there was a gallery on the torpedo deck to watch the proceedings,
which were different than anything I had seen on the Harwood.
Naturally, I got to wondering where they would store this deceased individual, and
finally someone advised the ships company that he would be stored in the cooler.
Right where our pork chops came from....Remember those greasy "po'k chops?"
So we had the poor guy aboard and we were underway before noon. And what do you
think we had for chow that day? You guessed it, pork chops. Never was able to eat
with any happiness on the Harwood after that. Ha Ha!!
-- Jim Marshall - February 1999
Duck Suits in the Arctic - 1949
NEWPORT, RI TO THE ARCTIC - 1949: In October 1949, the Harwood pulled into
Newport, Rhode Island and anchored on the Narragansett River. After a few days,
three other crewmen and I were told to report to Lt. Cdr. O'Connell in the mess
hall. We were each given a garment and told to put them on over our long
johns...and nothing else. We did, and as we did, we discovered that they had webbed
feet. We were then told to go swimming. So here we were, swimming up and down the
river. We were all excellent swimmers. Each day, when we finished swimming, a
tailor came to make measurements and refit the suits to each of us in order to stop
water from leaking in. I asked Mr. O'Connell what was going on. He said we were
going on an Arctic cruise and it would be our duty to go over the side and rescue
anyone who fell overboard. Now, as I was set to leave the ship three days before it
sailed for the Arctic (I was to report to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a year of shore
duty), I told Mr. O'Connell he was wasting time with me. His reply was to humor me.
The tailors got the suits to where they were bone dry and we kept swimming until it
was my time to leave for shore duty. I went to Mr. O'Connell to hand the suit back
in. He told me I had been Shanghaied and would be making the trip, which I did.
When we got to the Arctic in November, the water was so cold that the spray came
down in ice particles and they said that a man's heart would stop beating in about
15 seconds if he fell in the water. Every time we took on oil or did any kind of
work topside I and three other pigeons stood there in our little duck suits waiting
for somebody to fall over board. If they did, we were going to run and hide. One
day we were taking on oil when the first division officer, Mr. Nylen, came out on
the weather deck to see how things were going. He did not have a safety line on to
keep him from being washed over the side. A huge wave hit him and he disappeared. I
was ready to go over after him because I loved the man. However, before we went
over the side, we got word from the fantail that Mr. Nylen had been washed half the
length of the ship and went head first into the depth charge racks. His head was
all torn up, crushed in and in bad condition. When I saw him, it made me cry. He
recovered, but I never saw him again. In all, there were 119 ships of every kind on
this cruise and seven men were lost to the Arctic waters, but no swimmer had to go
after them. We were lucky we lost no one from the Harwood. When we pulled into
Newport at the end of the cruise and I was leaving, Mr. O'Connell came to the
Quarter Deck, shook my hand and suggested that I swap my little red stripe for his
two and a half gold stripes and let him go to my berth on shore duty, as he was also
from Brooklyn. I said no and we parted. I have never seen him again either.
--
Charles Hotaling, Jr. (bosun3c861@aol.com) - May 2000
The Four Sisters
Photo (c) 1949 -- [collection of Bob Beers]
USS Harwood (DDE-861)
Photo was taken after our conversion from a DD to a DDE in the Mare Island Naval
Shipyard and shortly after our arrival back in San Diego. The squadron designation
was changed from DESRON 15 (Pacific )to DESRON 22 (Atlantic) prior to our transfer
to the east coast in 1951, homeport Newport, R.I.
The pic is of Destroyer Division 221 consisting of the 4 cans you see who almost
always operated together as a group. The photo was sold in the ship's store on board
as best I can remember. I don't believe it was posed but just happened to be the
order in which we moored to the mooring buoy. In those days the ships didn't get to
tie up to a pier very often so you rode a "nest" motor launch to and from the fleet
landing or for the "well heeled" you could ride a water taxi which as I recall cost
15 cents and went up to a quarter after midnite. The ships were all Gearing class
DD's.
The caption on the photo reads "DESTROYER DIVISION 221, USS BERRY [DDE 858], NORRIS
[DD 859], McCAFFERY (DD 860], HARWOOD [DDE 861]"
-- Bob Beers - 1999
Spilled Coffee - 1949
SOUTHEAST ASIA, CIRCA 1949: We had picked up a bunch of Chinese admirals in the
dark of night and silently slinked out of the Tsing Tao harbor. We were at sea with
the Chinese officers for a week, pulling into different harbors where the Chinese
admirals would go ashore for awhile and then return. We would then go to another
port and do it all over again. We came to this one harbor, which I realize now
after talking to Jim Marshall, was a port in Korea. We were pulling into the
harbor when we were told not to enter. However, we did not heed the warnings.
Once we were into the harbor, a shore battery fired a single 6 inch shell across our
bow. We went to full speed and made a turn that threw coffee cups out of their
racks and spilled coffee out of the urn. By the time we exited the harbor, we were
doing 33 knots (a knot is one and one seventh M.P.H.). The faster you move and the
shallower the water, the bigger the following ground swell. We had a 50 foot
swell behind us. I dont remember the Harwood ever going much faster than that.
I was on the bridge as Bosun Mate of the Watch and the Chinese officers were also
there. You should have seen all the excitement!
-- Charles Hotaling, Jr. (bosun3c861@aol.com) - May 2000
Photo (c) J. McKendree circa 1965
Helicopter practicing retrieving one of the capsules
from the Apollo Mission.
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Photo (c) J. McKendree circa 1965
Gitmo Bay, most of the electricians - L-R - Chief Campbell,
Holt EM1, Ramsey EM3, Barnes EM3, DelPeno EMFN, McKendree (on motor) |
"Second to None...er um 861" - 1968
EN ROUTE TO TONKIN GULF - APRIL/MAY 1968: We linked up with Desron Two, whose
motto is "Second to None." While tied up alongside one of Desron Two's ships in
Pearl, a couple of our creative types decided to do some midnight painting. It was
only after we had all set sail from Pearl that a skipper from another ship noticed
the results of the midnight paint job. Desron Two's Emblem had been altered to
read..."Second to 861."
-- Bob Snyder - June 2000
[Ed. note - Bob explains: "'DesRon Two' was Destroyer Squadron Two (there was NO
DesRon One), hence the motto...'Second to None.' Because we hardly ever sailed with
our own 'home' squadron DesRon 16, we adopted the name 'The Lone Wolf' during one of
our Med cruises because we were always with another squadron. We even had a flag we
flew during any kind of unrep activity [refueling & restocking] that had a painting
of a wolf howling."]
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