USS Berkeley (DDG-15) was a Charles F. Adams-class

Charles F. Adams class destroyer

The Charles F. Adams class is a ship class of 29 guided missile destroyers built between 1958 and 1967. Twenty three ships were built for the United States Navy, 3 for the Royal Australian Navy, and 3 for the West German Bundesmarine. The ships were based on the existing Forrest Sherman class, but...

 guided missile destroyer

Guided missile destroyer

A guided missile destroyer is a destroyer designed to launch guided missiles. Many are also equipped to carry out anti-submarine, anti-air, and anti-surface operations. In the U.S...

 in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

. She was named for Major General

Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

 Randolph C. Berkeley

Randolph C. Berkeley

Randolph Carter Berkeley was a United States Marine Corps major general who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the United States occupation of Veracruz....

, USMC (1875–1960), a Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

 recipient for actions during the U.S. occupation of Veracruz (1914).

She was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

 in New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 on 1 June 1960, launched

Ship naming and launching

The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...

 on 29 July 1961 sponsored by Mrs. James B. Berkeley, Major General Berkeley’s daughter-in-law; and commissioned

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

 on 15 December 1962 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

The Philadelphia Naval Business Center, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Navy Yard, was the first naval shipyard of the United States. The U.S. Navy reduced its activities there in the 1990s, and ended most of them on September 30, 1995...

, Commander

Commander (United States)

In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...

 Wyatt E. Harper in command.

Berkeley was decommissioned

Ship decommissioning

To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....

 on 30 September 1992 at a ceremony in San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register

Naval Vessel Register

The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...

. She was turned over to the Hellenic Navy

Hellenic Navy

The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...

 on 1 October, and recommissioned as HHMS Themistocles (D-221). The ship remained in Greek service until her decommissioning on 18 February 2002 and was sold for scrap in 2004.

1960s

After fitting out at Philadelphia, Berkeley set out for her assigned homeport of Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, mooring there on 16 March 1963 after visits to Port Royal, South Carolina

Port Royal, South Carolina

Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...

; Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...

; and Acapulco, Mexico. Designed primarily to provide long-range anti-aircraft cover for task forces at sea, Berkeley devoted the next six weeks testing her Tartar

RIM-24 Tartar

The General Dynamics RIM-24 Tartar was a medium-range naval surface-to-air missile , and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships...

 anti-aircraft missile system's proficiency in that role. The warship's crew also conducted gunnery, engineering, and communication systems trials. In early May, the guided-missile destroyer demonstrated her capabilities to President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

, knocking down two jet drone targets with two TARTAR missiles. At the end of a short visit to the Rose Festival

Portland Rose Festival

The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region...

 at Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, in early June, Berkeley entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard

San Francisco Naval Shipyard

The San Francisco Naval Shipyard was a United States Navy shipyard in San Francisco, California, located on of waterfront at Hunters Point in the southeast corner of the city...

 for a three-month availability. At the end of the repair period, she became a unit of Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 12 and spent the rest of the year engaged in local operations in the Long Beach area.

The warship remained in southern California waters for the first 10 weeks of 1964, preparing for a Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

 deployment. On 13 March, Berkeley stood out of Long Beach in company with and 11 other destroyers bound for her first tour of duty with the 7th Fleet. After calling at Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

, where joined company, the task group steamed to the East China Sea

East China Sea

The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...

 for a month of training. Detached on 18 April, Berkeley proceeded to Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, where she embarked Vice Admiral

Vice admiral (United States)

In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the United States Maritime Service, vice admiral is a three-star flag officer, with the pay grade of...

 Thomas H. Moorer, and sailed on to Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, for the annual Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, Philippines. The formal institution of SEATO was established on 19 February...

 (SEATO) conference. After rejoining her task group in late April, the guided-missile destroyer spent the next two months screening and and participating in a SEATO landing exercise in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

After spending Independence Day

Independence Day (United States)

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...

 in Sasebo, Japan, she put to sea with the Ticonderoga task group on 5 July for routine operations. This quickly changed, however, when the warships received orders diverting them to the South China Sea

South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...

 where they joined other Navy units off the South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

ese coast and in the Gulf of Tonkin

Gulf of Tonkin

The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...

. As part of President Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...

's effort to limit North Vietnam

North Vietnam

The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...

ese attacks on Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

 and South Vietnam, the carrier launched Vought F-8 "Crusader"

F-8 Crusader

The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass...

 jet aircraft to reconnoiter suspected communist infiltration routes in eastern and southern Laos.

Berkeley continued to screen Ticonderoga throughout that summer. On 2 August, she provided antiair protection to the task group during air strikes against North Vietnamese missile boats during the Tonkin Gulf incident. After American warships reported more attacks on the 4th, the guided-missile destroyer again screened the carrier during extensive retaliatory strikes on North Vietnamese gunboat

Gunboat

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

s and torpedo boat

Torpedo boat

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...

s on 5 August. Berkeley remained in the South China Sea during the relative lull that followed, patrolling the region during the slow buildup of American naval forces in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. The warship joined while there and sailed for home on 10 October, mooring at Long Beach, via Yokosuka, Japan, on 21 November.

After leave and upkeep, the guided-missile destroyer entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard

Long Beach Naval Shipyard

thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...

 for a restricted availability. Following these repairs, Berkeley spent the next six months carrying out training missions, passing various communications and engineering inspections, and preparing for her next deployment to the Far East. This pattern of activity—combat service in Vietnamese waters followed by repairs and training to prepare for her next deployment—characterized her service for the next ten years.

Underway with in late November 1965, Berkeley made a brief stop at Subic Bay

Subic Bay

Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...

 in the Philippines before proceeding to the South China Sea for combat operations off Vietnam. Upon arrival on "Yankee Station

Yankee Station

Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station...

" on 16 December, Berkeley joined Task Force (TF) 77 in support of Operation Rolling Thunder

Operation Rolling Thunder

Operation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained US 2nd Air Division , US Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.The four objectives...

. This naval air campaign, begun the previous March, sought to cut the flow of munitions and supplies to the Viet Cong insurgents in the south by interdicting North Vietnam's logistics pipelines through Laos and across the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Assigned to the northern search-and-rescue (SAR) station in the Gulf of Tonkin, Berkeley, in company with and , patrolled the area through the end of January 1966.

Following minor repairs at Sasebo in early February, and a port visit to Hong Kong, the guided-missile destroyer returned to the Gulf of Tonkin for a second SAR tour on 26 February. Her first rescue mission took place on 14 March when Berkeley received notice that a McDonnell F-4C "Phantom" had ditched off Hon Me Island. In company with , Berkeley coordinated rescue helicopter flights, and those of fighter aircraft from and Kitty Hawk, as the two warships closed the ditch site. Before they arrived, an Air Force HU-16 "Albatross" amphibian—which had landed to pick up the two "Phantom" crewmen—was taken under fire by North Vietnamese shore batteries. The amphibian was hit shortly thereafter, killing two crewmen and the aircraft burned and sank. Berkeley then closed Hon Me Island, drawing the enemy fire to her, and engaged in a 22-minute gunnery dual with the coastal batteries. At the same time, her combat information team directed friendly air strikes against enemy gun emplacements and coordinated three SH-3 helicopters from Yorktown and as they retrieved the six survivors from the water. Although repeatedly straddled by enemy fire during this action, Berkeley suffered only minor damage from shell fragments.

Relieved two weeks later by , the guided-missile destroyer proceeded to Qui Nhon, where she joined Operation "Sea Dragon" for a week of call-fire missions against communist supply craft and coastal infiltration routes. After completing this mission on 8 April, she steamed to Subic Bay where the crew began preparing the warship for visits to Australia and New Zealand. Departing the Philippines on 17 April, Berkeley crossed the equator north of the Admiralty Islands and moored at Sydney, Australia, on the 29th. Over the next three weeks, the warship's crew took part in the annual "Coral Sea Celebration"--which honored the victory won by the Allied navies in May 1942—and visited Sydney, Adelaide, and Hobart in Australia as well as Auckland, New Zealand. Underway for home on 22 May, the guided-missile destroyer stopped at Suva in the Fiji Islands and at Pearl Harbor before arriving at Long Beach on 6 June.

Subsequent to a leave and upkeep period, Berkeley entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a restricted availability on 19 July. During that yard period, workers installed the new Standard missile system, including launch rails and guidance equipment. Upon leaving the shipyard on 25 August, the warship commenced a three-month missile development test and evaluation program. This entailed weekly cruises in southern California waters and the firing of Standard missiles at air and surface targets. Following the removal of test equipment in mid-December, the guided-missile destroyer spent the rest of the month getting ready for upcoming fleet exercises.

Following the early January 1967 Exercise "Snatch Block," which was devoted to SAR and electronic countermeasure (ECM) procedures, Berkeley spent the next three months preparing for another Far East deployment. This included many local evolutions—such as shore bombardment, carrier screening, and ASW exercises—as well as numerous operational readiness inspections. During this period, her engineers and technicians busied themselves maintaining and improving the warship's complex electronic and fire-control systems, a task abetted by a three-week tender availability in early February.

Underway for the western Pacific on 29 April, the guided-missile destroyer crossed the central Pacific; and, after a short liberty period at Yokosuka, Japan, the warship headed south to Subic Bay, arriving there on 24 May. Underway again three days later, Berkeley sailed with Constellation to the Gulf of Tonkin before joining and TU 77.1.1 for a "Sea Dragon" patrol. The task unit cruised off North Vietnam near Hon Me and Hon Matt Islands, searching for enemy waterborne logistics craft and firing on designated targets ashore. This pattern—small craft search in the morning followed by shore bombardment missions later in the day—became the daily routine of Berkeleys later "Sea Dragon" patrols.

After routine upkeep and replenishment at Subic Bay in late June and early July, the guided-missile destroyer commenced her second "Sea Dragon" patrol on 12 July. Detached 10 days later, she sailed north to the Tonkin Gulf SAR station where she monitored daily strikes over North Vietnam. During three weeks on station, Berkeley participated in seven SAR incidents and helped to rescue four pilots. Relieved on 11 August by , the warship sailed to Hong Kong for a week of rest and recreation.

Following a tender availability at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the guided-missile destroyer returned to the gunline on 22 September. Berkeley alternated duty between gunfire support for the 3d Marine Division in the I Corps area and night harassment and interdiction missions against coastal infiltration routes. Detached on 1 October, the warship visited Nagoya and Yokosuka before departing Japan on the 12th. Berkeley arrived at Long Beach on 25 October and spent the remainder of the year conducting post-deployment maintenance and preparing for various service inspections.

The guided-missile destroyer carried out local operations through April 1968 before moving into Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a maintenance overhaul. Upon completion of these repairs on 3 June, Berkeley loaded supplies and ammunition before steaming west on 5 July. After fuel stops at Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Guam—as well as a diversion south to avoid a typhoon near the Philippines—the warship arrived at Subic Bay on the 28th. Four days later, the guided-missile cruiser departed for the coast of Vietnam and duty on "Sea Dragon" patrol. Over the next two months, Berkeley conducted three gunline patrols—firing nightly interdiction missions, searching for waterborne logistics craft, and bombarding supply routes—off both North Vietnam and the Vung Tau Peninsula. In between these missions, she retired to Subic Bay for upkeep. Her best hunting took place on the night of 10 and 11 September, when she and combined to sink or damage 58 enemy supply boats.

After calling at Keelung, Taiwan, in late October and at Hong Kong in early November, Berkeley sailed back to Vietnam on the 11th. The rest of November passed uneventfully, with the warship on planeguard duty on "Yankee Station." Departing the area on 1 December, she stopped at Guam and Pearl Harbor before mooring at Long Beach on 20 December.

Aside from a few periods of underway training, which included her annual missile-firing exercises in late February, the warship spent the first three months of 1969 preparing for an extensive overhaul. Entering the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 27 March, Berkeley received new weapons and communications systems as well as a general rehabilitation of all internal spaces in the warship. With this work completed, the guided-missile destroyer commenced sea trials and post-overhaul refresher training on 24 July. The warship also tested her new Standard missile system in September before turning to preparations for another Far East deployment which took up the remainder of the year.

1970s

Departing Long Beach on 13 February, the guided-missile destroyer made fuel stops at Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Guam before arriving at Yokosuka on 4 March. After two weeks of upkeep, she sailed to "Yankee Station"--arriving there on the 23d—and provided planeguard support for Constellation and Coral Sea. Then, starting on 10 May, the warship provided two weeks of naval gunfire support off South Vietnam. Between 25 May and 15 June, Berkeley visited Hong Kong and Kobe for rest and recreation before returning to South Vietnam for four weeks of gunline operations. Next came a port visit to Bangkok, Thailand, in mid-July, followed by three days of upkeep at Subic Bay. From there, the warship sailed for home on the 27th and moored at Long Beach on 14 August. The remainder of the year was dedicated to type training and upkeep in preparation for another western Pacific deployment in early 1971.

Those preparations continued into the new year, occupying her time for the first 11 weeks of 1971. Berkeley set sail on 16 March and, after brief stops at Oahu, Midway, and Guam, arrived at Subic Bay on 7 April. Following a brief upkeep period, she steamed to "Yankee Station" on the 10th and began escort duty for Kitty Hawk. During this tour, the guided-missile destroyer's crew welcomed on board three Vietnamese midshipmen and provided them with six weeks of underway training. In May, after a brief period of PIRAZ duty with , Berkeley steamed to Japan, arriving in Sasebo on the 19th.

Fitted out with specialized reconnaissance equipment, the warship steamed to the Sea of Japan on 10 June for service as Pacific Area Reconnaissance Program (PARPRO) picket ship. She collected intelligence off the Korean peninsula for the next 10 days before mooring at Yokosuka on 19 June. The PARPRO equipment was quickly unloaded, and the warship moved south for a visit to Hong Kong.

Returning to "Yankee Station" on 5 July, Berkeley spent the next two weeks working on the northern SAR station. Heading south on the 18th, the warship passed through the Strait of Malacca and moored at Penang, Malaysia, for a port visit on 23 July. Following four days there, and just over a week in Singapore for upkeep, Berkeley returned to the Vietnam war zone on 7 August. Assigned to a naval gunfire support mission, the warship cruised off Cua Viet for the next three weeks in support of friendly forces near the demilitarized zone (DMZ). During this time, she fired 2,143 5-inch rounds at enemy targets. After a brief stop at Subic Bay, the guided-missile destroyer retraced her path across the Pacific and arrived in Long Beach on 16 September.

Following a tender availability alongside , Berkeley remained in port, aside from a few type training days at sea, for the next six months. On 20 March 1972, the warship steamed to the Pacific Missile Range for three days of weapons systems exercises—including an ASW drill with --and, later that month, the warship conducted gunnery drills in the southern California operating area. These evolutions proved timely when, on 7 April, the warship received word to get ready for an emergency deployment to Vietnam. After a feverish 72 hours of preparation, Berkeley departed Long Beach on 10 April.

The guided-missile destroyer arrived in the Gulf of Tonkin, via Pearl Harbor, Guam, and Subic Bay, on 3 May. There, she joined other 7th Fleet units in heavy attacks against North Vietnamese military units pushing south along the coast. After firing numerous bombardment missions against enemy troops and tanks advancing toward Hue, Berkeley joined Operation "Pocket Money," the mining of the river approaches to Haiphong, North Vietnam, on 9 May. In company with five other destroyers, the warship closed Haiphong to provide a protective barrage of 5-inch shells as A-6 "Intruders" and A-7 "Corsairs" from Coral Seas dropped magnetic-acoustic sea mines off that port.

Shortly thereafter, Berkeley moved to a surveillance position about 25 miles to the south and kept foreign merchant shipping informed of the newly cordoned waters. In mid-June, an attempt by the North Vietnamese to ferry supplies ashore was foiled when Berkeley, supported by helicopters and two other destroyers, sank over 30 small craft. After a brief upkeep period at Subic Bay in mid-July, the guided-missile destroyer moved to the gunline and fired daily missions against enemy targets near the DMZ. Following a short yard period at Sasebo late in August, the warship conducted a final five-week gunfire support tour off North Vietnam.

After a five-day visit to Hong Kong in mid-October, Berkeley steamed for home—with brief stops at Subic Bay

Subic Bay

Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...

, Wake Island

Wake Island

Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...

, Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

, and Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

 and underway refueling by USS Ponchatoula (AO 148)

USS Ponchatoula (AO-148)

|-See also:* List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy...

—and arrived at Long Beach on 10 November. With the signing of the cease-fire agreement at Paris in January 1973, American involvement in the war ended; the 1972 deployment was Berkeley 's final Vietnam service. After a long holiday and post-deployment standdown period, the guided-missile destroyer's crew began preparations for a complex overhaul scheduled for early January 1973.

On 5 January 1973, Berkeley moved to Bremerton, Wash., and, on the 12th, moved into drydock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The overhaul gave the guided-missile destroyer the new tactical data system, a sonar upgrade, new communications and electronic warfare gear, and two new 5-inch gun mounts. After five months in drydock, the warship moved pierside to finish the installations, which were finally completed on 1 November. Berkeley then spent the next eight weeks conducting sea trials, including a voyage to Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

, and a joint exercise with the Canadian Navy.

Departing Bremerton on 4 January 1974, the warship sailed south to her new home port of San Diego, arriving there on the 18th after a brief stay at Long Beach. With the end of American participation in the Vietnam war following the previous year's cease-fire agreement, the Navy concentrated on improving overall operational readiness, a routine markedly different from earlier training which had focused on preparing warships for combat duty off Vietnam. Berkeley, therefore, spent the next five months taking part in a series of fleet-wide inspections and maintenance programs. The guided-missile destroyer finally got underway to deploy on 19 June, steaming across the Pacific and arriving in Subic Bay on 10 July.

Sailing north on the 14th, Berkeley embarked American and Japanese midshipmen at Yokosuka and Kure for two weeks of training with units of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Inland Sea. Returning to Subic Bay on 7 August, the warship spent the next 10 weeks operating locally with Constellation. Then, in response to the growing Soviet Navy presence in the Indian Ocean, several American warships—including Berkeley--received orders to "show the flag" in the region. Departing Subic Bay on 27 October, she conducted a four-day port visit to Singapore, before getting underway for the Indian Ocean on 8 November.

In company with Constellation and the rest of TG 77.6, Berkeley conducted 11 days of operations with Pakistani, Iranian, and British naval units before visiting Karachi, Pakistan, on the 19th. The task group then sailed into the Persian Gulf for another week of exercises before returning to Singapore on 6 December. After an upkeep period there, the guided-missile destroyer sailed for home, via Subic Bay, and arrived in San Diego on 28 January 1975.

Following a two-month, post-deployment standdown, Berkeley spent the next four months engaged in a series of inspections, engineering tests, and exercises aimed at improving her overall readiness. In August, she completed various weapons and engineering training requirements and, in September, concentrated on ASW exercises. Following several missile-firing exercises in October and an extensive alignment of all weapons systems in November, Berkeley began preparation for her next deployment.

On 30 January 1976, Berkeley departed San Diego and set course for Hawaii on the first leg of the voyage to the Far East. Once at Pearl Harbor, however, the warship suffered several engineering failures which kept her in that port through February. Finally repaired in early March, she got underway on the 12th and, after a fuel stop at Guam, moored at Subic Bay on 1 April. Over the next three months, the guided-missile destroyer conducted several "war-at-sea" exercises in the Philippines, including a missile firing exercise in late May and an ASW exercise with and in mid-June. Sailing north on 14 July, she visited Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and took part in Exercise "Sharkhunt XVI"--an ASW exercise with naval units from Taiwan—before returning to Subic Bay on the 29th. Underway again on 3 August, Berkeley carried out another missile exercise—knocking down one drone with two missiles fired—before sailing for home on the 8th. Following stops at Guam—where she received 10 days of tender availability—and at Pearl Harbor, the warship returned to San Diego on 6 September. Save for a brief two-week planeguard exercise with Constellation in early December, the guided-missile destroyer spent the remainder of the year in port.

Over the first five months of 1977, Berkeley stood several inspections and made other preparations in anticipation of an overhaul in Bremerton. Entering the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 6 June, the warship received new turbo-generators, a satellite communications system, and upgrades to her tactical data system. Floated out of drydock on 16 December, she remained pierside until dock trials were complete on 4 May 1978. Underway for sea trials the following day, the warship finally sailed home to San Diego on 13 June, arriving there on the 23d, after stops at Seal Beach and Long Beach. She spent the rest of the year testing her weapon systems and training with the newly installed equipment.

Early in 1979, Berkeley helped to test and evaluate two new missile systems. In February, she test-fired the "Tomahawk" cruise missile; and, in April, she made eight "Standard" missile evaluation launches. After passing a combat systems readiness test in May, the warship then prepared for her first overseas deployment in almost two years. Departing San Diego on 8 August, the guided-missile destroyer transited the Pacific and arrived in Yokosuka on 1 September. There, she joined Kitty Hawk and put to sea for seven weeks of operations in the East China Sea. During this time, Berkeley also made port visits to Hong Kong and Subic Bay. On 22 October, following the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung Hee, the task group took up a position south of the peninsula. The crisis eased after a few weeks, and the task group resumed normal operations. On 10 November, the Kitty Hawk group steamed south for operations in the South China Sea. On 21 November, the warships received orders to proceed west in response to the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran, Iran. Arriving in the Indian Ocean on 5 December, the task group sailed to the Arabian Sea and took up a position south of the Iranian coast.

1980s

Following six weeks of contingency operations, Berkeley began her long transit home on 24 January 1980, arriving in San Diego via Subic Bay and Pearl Harbor on 19 February. Later that spring, the warship conducted several gunfire and missile-firing exercises before beginning a restricted availability at Long Beach on 5 May. During the ensuing six weeks, Berkeley received extensive engineering work, including some new boiler tubes, and equipment upgrades to her weapons and operations departments. The guided-missile destroyer then spent the rest of the year conducting engineering tests and working out her new combat systems in air and surface gunnery and missile shoots.

Underway on 27 February 1981, Berkeley sailed to Pearl Harbor and then on to Guam, mooring there on 21 March. While en route to Subic Bay in early April, she conducted both antisubmarine and antiair warfare exercises, an underway routine that became the pattern for this deployment. The warship then joined other 7th Fleet units for a port visit to Pattaya Beach, Thailand, before participating in Exercise "Sea-Siam 81-2." Berkeley joined Royal Thai Navy warships in a variety of maneuvers, including tactical communications, formation keeping, and antisubmarine warfare. The guided-missile destroyer then moved back to Subic Bay, after diverting for stops at Sattahip, Thailand, and Hong Kong, where she joined the Kitty Hawk battle group. Departing on 13 May, the group sailed into the Indian Ocean for six weeks of antiair and surface warfare exercises before putting in to Geraldton, Australia, for a week-long port visit in mid-July. Berkeley returned to Subic Bay on 4 August for three weeks of maintenance before steaming for home on 1 September.

Arriving in San Diego on 21 September, the warship spent the next six months engaged in local operations and preparing for a regular overhaul. This routine was only broken by a call at San Francisco in late January 1982 and four-day visit to Mazatlan, Mexico, starting on 20 February. Entering the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 29 March, Berkeley received new engineering controls, upgrades to her electronic warfare, communications, sonar, and weapons systems—including the new Harpoon weapons system. Perhaps even more important to her crew, she also received a brand new air conditioning system. Underway for sea trials on 18 March, the guided-missile destroyer carried out a series of evaluations, local operations, and refresher training over the summer and fall in preparation for her next deployment. These included underway exercises with the Kitty Hawk battle group in September and November.

After a flurry of preparations in the new year, she finally put to sea for the western Pacific on 13 January 1984. Arriving in the Philippines on the 30th, Berkeley trained on the Tabones gunfire range during February; and, following a 12-day visit to Subic Bay, the guided-missile destroyer steamed to Pusan, South Korea, in early March. There, between 19 and 29 March, she participated in amphibious Exercise "Team Spirit 84." She then sailed to Subic Bay, for brief repairs, before steaming west for the Strait of Malacca on 7 April.

With the establishment of the United States Central Command (CentCom) the previous year—partly in response to the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980—Navy warships began patrolling the Arabian Sea in support of CentCom's mission to protect American security interests in the Middle East. Berkeley arrived in the Arabian Sea on 16 April and served there for the next six weeks, helping to assure Western access to oil and seeking to stem the spread of Soviet influence in the region. During this period, she visited Al Masirah, Oman, for tender availability alongside .

After another tender availability at Diego Garcia during the second week of June, the warship sailed for home on 15 June. Enroute, she stopped at Fremantle, Australia; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Pearl Harbor in Hawaii before arriving in San Diego on 1 August. Berkeley spent the next nine months conducting local operations in California waters, the highlight of which was the mid-October surveillance of a Soviet intelligence gathering trawler prowling the missile-test range at San Clemente Island. The warship then operated locally that spring until entering the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 3 May 1985 for repairs to her sonar dome. Resuming local operations on the 20th, Berkeley followed the familiar duty pattern—independent steaming off southern California punctuated by regular upkeep periods in port.

The warship's first exercise in the new year took place between 14 and 22 January 1986 when Berkeley conducted a naval gunfire support exercise at San Clemente Island. Then, after a mid-March command inspection and upkeep early in April, she took part in "RimPac 86," an international naval exercise held in Hawaiian waters between 21 May and 12 June. After two more months of local training operations and other preparatory tasks, Berkeley got underway for a Far Eastern cruise on 12 August.

In a change of pace from her usual route, the guided-missile destroyer followed a great circle route through the northern Pacific and the Bering Sea before arriving at Pusan, South Korea, on 1 September. After an ASW exercise with units of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force at mid-month, and another ASW exercise with South Korean warships in mid-October, Berkeley sailed south for the Philippines on 7 November. Following a brief stop at Subic Bay to refuel, the warship conducted Exercise "Burgonex 86" with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces between 15 and 23 November. Afterwards, she visited Pattaya Beach, Thailand, and then made a "freedom-of-navigation" demonstration off the coasts of Kampuchea and Vietnam in early December. Berkeley then stopped at Hong Kong and Subic Bay for port visits, before ending the year on her way to Chinhae, South Korea.

Arriving there on 3 January 1987, the warship conducted an ASW exercise in the Sea of Japan in early January before heading for home on the 12th. The next day, however, she suffered a pressure failure in her sonar dome and diverted to Guam for temporary repairs. Underway again on the 24th, Berkeley returned to San Diego, via Pearl Harbor, on 12 February. After a two-week leave and upkeep standdown, the warship resumed her familiar west coast routine. This included various weapons and supply inspections, equipment alterations in the shipyard—including more repairs to her sonar dome that summer—and training ashore for crew members. She rounded out the year with refresher training off southern California punctuated by minor repair periods alongside .

Berkeley spent the spring of 1988 preparing for her next overseas deployment, on which she embarked on 6 July. In company with and TG 70.1, the warship took the great circle route to South Korea, arriving at Pusan on the 24th. The group participated in surface warfare exercises with the South Korean Navy before heading south to Subic Bay on 5 August. Following a short availability there, Berkeley detached from the task group and continued farther south, arriving in Darwin, Australia, on 26 August. As part of Australia's bicentennial celebration, the guided-missile destroyer spent the next five weeks visiting ports on Australia's northern and eastern coasts. Starting with a visit to Cairns from 4 to 8 September, she moved on to stops at Townsville, Mackay, and Gladstone before putting into Sydney on the 26th for a week-long naval celebration with over 60 warships from 16 countries. Berkeley then made a visit to Bell Bay in Tasmania before rendezvousing with New Jersey on 18 October for the transit home, arriving in San Diego via Pearl Harbor on 9 November.

Following a tender availability, the guided-missile destroyer spent the first nine months of 1989 conducting local training operations, standing combat systems' inspections, and undergoing a phased maintenance availability at the Continental Marine Shipyard between 17 April and 5 July. After a final series of inspections in August, Berkeley got underway on 18 September in company with Enterprise and six other warships bound for the Far East once more. Steaming north to the Sea of Japan, the warship participated in "PacEx '89," a joint exercise with units of the South Korean and Japanese Navies. During most of October, she carried out antiair, surface, and subsurface warfare exercises off the coasts of Korea and Japan, including four SEAL team insertions, before putting into Hong Kong on the 31st.

Sailing south, Berkeley arrived in Subic Bay on 11 November. After a two-week availability there, she moved to the Tabones training range to keep up her gunnery prowess. On the 30th, in response to a coup attempt against the Aquino government in Manila, the warship put to sea with the Enterprise battle group for contingency operations. As the crisis eased, Berkeley detached from the battle group on 12 December and sailed east to Thailand. Enroute, the guided-missile destroyer took part in more "freedom-of-navigation" missions off Vietnam and Kampuchea, before arriving at Pattaya Beach on the 14th. After four days there, the warship moved on to Singapore for a week of upkeep.

Passing through the Strait of Malacca in late December, Berkeley and the Enterprise battle group sailed into the Indian Ocean and moored at Diego Garcia Island on 5 January 1990. Next, the group operated in the northern Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf—keeping an eye on the still-tense ceasefire between Iran and Iraq—until putting in to Muscat, Oman, for a port visit on the 20th. Following exercises with the Sultan of Oman's Navy, Berkeley left the battle group on 1 February and headed back east. She participated in exercises with the Royal Thai Navy on 3 February and, after a five-day visit to Phuket, Thailand, steamed into Subic Bay on the 18th. From there, the warship continued toward home and arrived at San Diego on 15 March.

After a four-week leave and upkeep period, Berkeley resumed local operations out of San Diego. In addition to her usual training activities, however, the warship made several short indoctrination cruises for midshipmen. She also got underway in mid-July for a week of law enforcement operations with the Coast Guard. During these missions, which were intended to help interdict drug smuggling, the warship used surface-search radars and other equipment to spot small craft, which were then boarded by Coast Guard detachments

Law Enforcement Detachments

Law Enforcement Detachments or LEDETs are specialized, deployable maritime law enforcement teams of the United States Coast Guard. First established in 1982, their primary mission is to deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct and support law enforcement, interdiction, or security...

. Although no drug seizures occurred, the warship did help the Coast Guard enforce maritime safety regulations. After returning to port on 23 July, Berkeley spent the rest of the year engaged in engineering inspections and exams.

On 11 February 1991, the warship embarked on another Coast Guard law enforcement mission off Central America. Berkeley began counternarcotics patrols off Baja California in mid-February; and, save for a 22 February visit to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, there she remained for the next five weeks. Returning to San Diego on 8 April for maintenance, the guided-missile destroyer then set out on a two-week Coast Guard law enforcement patrol on the 26th. This was followed in mid-May by a gunnery and missile exercise.

In early June, Berkeley departed San Diego and headed north to Oregon for the Portland Rose Festival, remaining there until the 12th. The warship returned to San Diego three days later and, over the next six weeks, conducted two midshipmen training cruises and another law enforcement patrol. In August and September, the guided-missile destroyer concentrated on refresher training and, in early October, she participated in underway training while in transit to San Francisco for "Fleet Week '91." Returning to San Diego on 25 October, the warship carried out a succession of engineering drills in the southern California operating area through November. Heading back to Portland on 2 December, Berkeley took part in the city's 50th anniversary commemoration of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

In light of the defense budget cutbacks following the end of the Cold War, the Navy made its 1990 decision to retire 54 ships. Thus, Berkeley was tapped for deactivation and eventual foreign transfer. Inactivated at San Diego on 1 May 1992, she spent the summer preparing for transfer to the Greek Navy. Berkeley was decommissioned at San Diego on 30 September 1992, and her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 October 1992. She was transferred to the Hellenic Navy that same day and served as HHMS Themistoklis (D 221).

Berkeley received 11 battle stars for Vietnam service.

Commanding Officers

From	To	Name
DEC 1962	JUL 1964	CDR Wyatt E. Harper, Jr.
JUL 1964	JAN 1966	CAPT Michael D. Ricinak
JAN 1966	JUL 1967	CDR William R. Smedberg IV
JUL 1967	AUG 1969	CDR Thomas M. Ward, Jr.
AUG 1969	JUN 1971	CDR John F. Frost III
JUN 1971	OCT 1972	CDR Jerry A. Dickman
OCT 1972	MAR 1974	LCDR Jerry S. Jones
MAR 1974	JAN 1975	CAPT Jonathan T. Howe
JAN 1975	JAN 1975	CAPT Richard B. MacFie
JAN 1975	JAN 1977	CDR Clifford F. Homan
JAN 1977	FEB 1979	CDR Jack E. Helmann
FEB 1979	JAN 1981	CDR Kenneth R. Sydow
JAN 1981	MAR 1983	CDR Joseph L. Lockett III
MAR 1983	JUN 1985	CAPT Robert W. Reighley
JUN 1985	JUL 1987	CDR Richard K. Farrell
JUL 1987	SEP 1989	CDR Charles R. Girvin III
SEP 1989	JUL 1991	CDR Ronald R. Peterman
JUL 1991	OCT 1992	CDR Fred J. Mallgrave III

Hellenic Navy operational history

Berkeley was sold to Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 on 1 October 1992, and renamed HHMS Themistocles (D-221), after Themistocles

Themistocles

Themistocles ; c. 524–459 BC, was an Athenian politician and a general. He was one of a new breed of politicians who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy, along with his great rival Aristides...

.

On 18 February 2002, Themistocles was decommissioned in Salamis

Salamis Island

Salamis , is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. The chief city, Salamina , lies in the west-facing core of the crescent on Salamis Bay, which opens into the Saronic Gulf...

, Greece, which was the site of the great victory

Battle of Salamis

The Battle of Salamis was fought between an Alliance of Greek city-states and the Persian Empire in September 480 BCE, in the straits between the mainland and Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens...

by the ancient Themistocles. She was sold for scrap on 19 February 2004.

External links

• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - Berkeley I
• USS Berkeley Association - History
• MaritimeQuest USS Berkeley DDG-15 pages
• http://www.history.navy.mil/library/manuscript/zumwalt_e3.htm